We were bought out by a large corporation at the beginning of this year. Before the buyout went through we were told repeatedly ‘we’re not changing anything, you’ll just be under different ownership’.
I didn’t believe it at the time but tried to stay positive. Lo and behold, everything has changed and continues to change. The constant feeling of not knowing what I’m walking into is taking a massive toll on my mental heath.
As a manager my job to is to have answers, be here for my employees and help wherever I can. Every change has made that more difficult and today we reached a breaking point. Corporate’s new system has made it impossible for me to hop in and help my people, has made answering questions from angry guests harder and has me struggling to find the willpower to come back after lunch.
I don’t know what to do. I love my employees. Two of them today told me they dread when I’m not on shift because no one else has their back. Every other manager has drunk the Flavor Aid and spits out corporate lines about profits, KPIs, and being better together.
There is a constant feeling in the air of tension and unease. It’s palpable. My GM told me today to tell her if I have any input and I snapped. I asked, ‘why? I’m the lowest rung of management. My opinion doesn’t matter to anyone above you. It’s a waste of breath for me to say anything.’ And she agreed.
I’ve never felt more defeated at a job. I used to love it here. It was my favorite job and in a matter of 6 months it’s become the thing I dread the most. All I think about all day are my breaks and when I’m going to clock out for the day.
I’m not sure what I want from this post. I just had to get it out to keep from having a panic attack.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.