I'm a bartender. I loved my job so much. I was always happy to be there and did my job well. The restaurant I worked at was corporate, but had only a few locations owned by the same families. I'd never really met any of the owners or office staff in the 6 months I worked there.
Being on time is the one thing that I really have always struggled with, especially since I don't drive and there's no viable transit where I live. I used to be a lot worse (at other jobs), but since I started at this place I was only late a couple times. By late, I mean 2-3 minutes. Most days I arrive 4-7 minutes early or at the very least I'm hitting “clock in” at 5pm on the dot. That means I'm ready to work at 5pm since I go from the office to the front and immediately begin my job. I know this isn't ideal in the restaurant industry, but it has never caused any issues with my co-workers or direct managers.
I got fired because I had three write ups (three strikes). The first, I was legitimately 5 minutes late. I accept that and I learned from it, haven't done it since. The second, there was a miscommunication between the manager and I about when I would be working, since I took a shift in order to get more time off for a camping trip. The trip was out of service, and by the time I got back in service, I realized she had scheduled me for a day I was camping (the schedule was posted the night before I left and I didn't check it). The last time, which just happened, was also legitimately my fault. I know it was. I was an hour late, but I called ahead an hour to let them know there was nothing I could do and how sorry I was. I had been out of town on a business related thing with my partner, and his boss called him for an unexpected meeting an hour away from my work. I could have called a taxi, but it would have cost me $300 and I'm not sure it would have made me much faster. This was apparently my final strike and I was fired (my manager made me come into work like everything was normal after lower managers told me it was fine.)
Here's the thing: she said it's because it's corporate policy and her hands are tied. This is the current state of their bar staff: 1 person who's a full time teacher and due to go back to school in a few days (will be working a few nights a week), 1 server who does the occasional bar shift, 1 green bartender who does okay but is definitely new. That's it. I was the only experienced bartender who could do the most shifts. The lower managers can cover on bar, but 2 just quit and another is stepping down back into the kitchen. Over half the front staff just left to go to school. They're completely fucked now. And they're firing me because I called in late. Other staff are constantly calling in an hour before their shift saying they're sick and then posting on snapchat partying that night.
But here I am, someone who loves their job and actually wants to be there. And I got fired for some stupid mistake I made. I'm just a number to the head office. Not a person.