I recently started a new position at a company that had gone through a lot of restructuring due to gross negligence at the top. My position as team lead has me interacting with all the people who actually do work, but I’m not quite management and yet still expected to do management things.
Anyways last month we hired two new assistant managers who are only there for administrative purposes, not like we ever needed them because in the half a year before they were hired we handled all scheduling ourselves and kept adequate staffing to make sure that our production was best in the region while keeping our hours of staff lower than anticipated, handling all callouts with a strong team of part timers who could use some extra cash.
One day one of the new assistant managers comes out to the production floor and after a bit of small talk this happens
AM: “Mango, I heard you were telling your coworkers how much you make and talking about unions.”
Me: “Yes. Is there a problem?”
AM: “You’re not allowed to that, it’s just one of my personal rules to keep things smooth in the workplace.”
Me: “is that so? Well by law you actually can’t tell me to not talk about my pay, it’s kinda like a protected right or something.”
AM: “Well Mango I’m just looking out for you, it’s also in your employee handbook too.”
Me, having read the entire employee handbook front to back upon hiring looking for such a golden ticket, knowing in fact that this is a blatant lie. “Well, AM we’re actually on schedule for production for the day so I’ll come see in you in an hour but I want to see the part of the handbook that says that. Also” I take out my penpad and write the words ‘nlrb discussing wages’ on a piece of paper before giving it to her “google this and just check it out for a little bit when you get back to your office.”
As she walks off with the shit eating grin I can tell she didn’t actually read the employee handbook, nor has she seen this subreddit.
In an hour I’m in her office, looking at her almost break into a sweat as I go over the legal ramifications of having something like that in the employee handbook, along with what could’ve happened to her if I had played the fool and gotten her to write me up on the topic.
Instead of berating her though, I asked her why would you not want other people to have more money to support themselves in a world growing more expensive by the day, especially when it’s not your money? Do you think that people deserve to make less than they need to live? Speechless stammering.
Overall I don’t think that I swept her to the antiwork side, and I’m already fielding a new position, just in case I’m fired for attendance. But I like to think that I did something good for my coworkers and those not in the know, and that’s what I want to share.