Hey, so I’ve heard things are rocky at the bakery. Not through one specific person, but many. I have to be open and honest and tell you I was not forthcoming for the main reason I left.
You’re hard to work for. You constantly move the goal post and expect people below you to just follow while giving no direct training or expectation. You’d constantly only point out negatives and I honestly think the only positive reinforcement you ever gave me or the team was during rough holiday days or when it seemed like the last option you had to get us moving. Your way of pointing out every negative thing is the biggest “downer” the bakery faced. There was never a day that you came in and didn’t make something small a big deal.
I’ve told you before, and I’m sure you’ve heard it from other people, you don’t seem to respect the issues your staff brings up to you. I’ve come to you with many issues, and quite bluntly you’ve told me they a)aren’t real issues, b)the issues should have already been solved, or c)make the issue inferior to what YOU’RE handling.
I know you’re doing everything you can to make the COMPANY a success, but you have never treated your staff like the ones making you the money. You only come with negative reinforcement and quite frankly, bullying. People have lives outside of work and should not be expected to earn you your success with no gratitude. Not being able to ask for PTO when you literally offer it, is atrocious. People need to know they have a good work-life balance. For example, I told BLANK1 I wanted to request time off in January to go see my grandma. I was unable to do that because 5/8 people got Covid and myself, BLANK2, and BLANK3 were the only people left to work. When I asked BLANK1 if I could get paid out my PTO, which I have at every other job I’ve been at, I was told no because you “can’t “pay out” funds for unused hours” (direct quote from BLANK1). I know there are loopholes that get you out of that, but for the amount of work I put in and you giving BLANK4 30 hours of PTO when he got Covid, seemed unreasonable. Not to mention the barrage of negative texts I’d receive out of working hours while expecting a reply. If I added those hours into what I was clocked in for, I would have definitely made the expected hours/week like you wanted.
I know this may seem like a big “f you” text, it’s really not. It’s something that took me 3 months and hearing from others, even including employees from before Covid, to say out loud and I think you need to hear. I would have been keen on telling you in person, but considering you’ve ignored all texts from me since I left after expressing you’d be able to give me a reference letter and keeping in touch, this seems the most appropriate.