I’ve been working this job since March, it’s now October. The business pays half my wages in tips. Currently as a shift leader I am paid $16/hr, so the owner only pays me $9/hr and I get $7/hr in tips.
I have been getting over worked (some 50+ hour work weeks), my wrist has been in pain for a month now from the physical labor related to the job so I’ve had to wear a wrist brace to try to relieve some of the strain on it.
I don’t get any benefits or PTO. I’m only allowed a 10 minute break for an 8 hour shift. The owner overspent somewhere in the company, likely the new ovens. He decided to cut everyone’s hours in half but still expects those working the shift to do the work load of 2-3 people. I warned him the day the schedule was released that he is going to make the employees miserable and kill moral on top of causing problems that would effect the customer. Of course he didn’t listen. It’s been chaos. One of the stores has been taking our workers because they were overburdened and I can only assume is having a retention problem. This week 2 bakers walked out, they provide dough to all the stores so now production is behind schedule and the bakers who are left are overburdened. I warned him, he’d rather make his employees pay for his spending. Not even 3 months ago he took a vacation to Vegas with his family and half the time he’s smoking a cigar out back. Heck I’ve seen them drink whiskey in the office with the co-owner.
On top of that the managers that aren’t even my boss have been reporting me for total bull shit. My partner had to pick something up out of my car so I took my 10 minute break and one of them blew up at my boss saying I was hanging out with friend, gave him free food (I didn’t, I have the receipts to show for it), and said I left the new girl alone by herself (she had another employee with her). I got a text from my boss, explained the situation and it was all good. Just a few days ago another manager who has nothing to do with me was watching the cameras and called to yell at my boss that I was sitting and nothing was done for closing. I was sitting COUNTING THE REGISTER AND TIPS, I only had 3 tasks left that only took 15 minutes to do. My boss called me frustrated at me thinking I was not performing to par then I explained to her what was going on and she apologized. I text the manager who called her and said “If you have any questions text me” because I was livid she had my number and decided not to personally talk to me first if she was so confused. I finished my work on time. This same manager has always had it out for me, being sweet and cute to my face but when I’m not around she talks a lot of shit about me.
I have been ready to walk out for a while.
I’m moving in a week, to be courteous I’m willing to drive the hour and a half from my new place to finish out the rest of my shifts but each day that passes I’m thinking to myself “fuck this place” I’m miserable, underpaid, overworked, mistreated, etc. i can do everything right and still I’m wrong somehow.
When I first started there it was a shithole. No one follows food safety, they don’t train their employees for food safety. There was a MASSIVE roach and drain fly infestation like you wouldn’t believe. I personally had to raise my voice and insist on an exterminator and a day-dot system as well as proper sanitation protocol. Now the store is doing much better in terms of cleanliness.
My boss will understand that I’m quitting. She wants to quit too because of the owner’s bs and the bs of other managers. I’d just hate to leave her there without support. She’s the mom of the store and I’m the dad of the store essentially. The owners were very likely going to have me take over the management of the store and have her open the new store in December. My leaving will disrupt this. I feel guilty though I shouldn’t. My general manager only makes $19/hr including tips with no PTO or benefits. I don’t want that for myself. We’ve given our time to a company that doesn’t care about us.
Note: I work in one of the richest counties in the USA.
I can’t wait to get a new job and live with my partner, but I feel bad leaving my GM to deal with this bs. I might pick up a bag of weed from the dispensary and give it to her as a parting gift as she’ll definitely need it.