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Rage pizza with extra rawr sauce.
12 years ago
General
Interesting night at work tonight.
First off, its the first major snow of the season, almost an inch and a half in four hours and no signs of stopping yet. I slipped and slided all the way to the restaurant tonight (I deliver pizzas fyi) and when I got there I was informed that we couldn't deliver anymore tonight due to the weather.
Well, I clocked in and started helping around the store as we were basically waiting for the regional office to call us and say "The weather is piss, you can all go home early". As it gets later and later I begin to get nervous, I just finally got a car last March (I'm poor) and have no experience driving in snow.
I asked one of the managers on duty if he'd let me leave early because I'd almost slid off the road a couple times just getting to work. He said it wasn't technically allowed but if I really felt I needed to he wouldn't stop me.
Well, after a bit one of the other managers comes up to me. This one has a bit of a history around the store as being very abrasive and foul tempered. Two weeks into my job there she actually took me and another newbie aside and told us that someone had said we'd been talking about her behind her back and if she'd heard that we were again she'd fire us.
Now, she was bluffing. She's a manager but this is a corporate store and there is a process that has to happen before someone can be fired (write ups, verbal warnings, repeated offenses etc). Delivery drivers have a notoriously high turnover rate and a pizza restaurant will do what they can to hold onto whatever drivers they get.
Ever since then however I've found she has a really horrible temper. I always go to another manager on the shift if she's around because I never know how she'll react to anything. This woman has no middle gears. She's either 'I'm happy and today is a good day' or 'I'll fire everyone because fuck you thats why'.
Fast forward to tonight and she's telling me if I leave a minute before it's time that I'll be fired. Later I'm talking with a co-worker about the weather and how bad the roads are getting and that manager comes up in our discussion, specifically what happened earlier. Well, another co-worker overhears us (we were outside taking the trash out and he followed us with some empty boxes) and he runs off to that manager to tell her.
She pulls us aside and it's a repeat of the first time. 'You've been talking behind my back and I should fire you for it'.
Well, I snapped. I stood up and said "Alright, thats it. <Name>, you are the ONLY thing I don't like about this job. I like my other co-workers, I like delivering pizzas, I even like working the prep room and dish room."
"I feel like I can never come to you with any problems because I don't know how you'll react. When you pull stunts like this I feel like you're abusing your power as a manager."
Her reply: "Well tough shit! I'm the general manager and that means I can fire anyone I want."
In response I tossed my badge on the table and walked out. Before I left I turned and said, "By the way, I'm calling corporate tomorrow and reporting you for harassment. Have fun with that."
As I punched out I saw her go up to another manager and whisper "Can I talk to you for a minute?" and looking pretty panicked. I think she realized she'd pushed me too far.
On the way home the other GM of the store called me and told me he didn't want me to quit, that he had no idea that she'd been behaving like this, and that he wanted me to come and talk with him about what had happened. I explained the situation, told him that if we were to talk about it he'd need to include my other co-worker because I knew he'd been getting the same treatment, and that we'd discuss it when we got the chance.
After I got inside the other manager, the one I'd been having trouble with, called to apologize.
So yeah, to anyone who is having a rough time at work... sometimes it pays to get angry. Angry gets things done.
First off, its the first major snow of the season, almost an inch and a half in four hours and no signs of stopping yet. I slipped and slided all the way to the restaurant tonight (I deliver pizzas fyi) and when I got there I was informed that we couldn't deliver anymore tonight due to the weather.
Well, I clocked in and started helping around the store as we were basically waiting for the regional office to call us and say "The weather is piss, you can all go home early". As it gets later and later I begin to get nervous, I just finally got a car last March (I'm poor) and have no experience driving in snow.
I asked one of the managers on duty if he'd let me leave early because I'd almost slid off the road a couple times just getting to work. He said it wasn't technically allowed but if I really felt I needed to he wouldn't stop me.
Well, after a bit one of the other managers comes up to me. This one has a bit of a history around the store as being very abrasive and foul tempered. Two weeks into my job there she actually took me and another newbie aside and told us that someone had said we'd been talking about her behind her back and if she'd heard that we were again she'd fire us.
Now, she was bluffing. She's a manager but this is a corporate store and there is a process that has to happen before someone can be fired (write ups, verbal warnings, repeated offenses etc). Delivery drivers have a notoriously high turnover rate and a pizza restaurant will do what they can to hold onto whatever drivers they get.
Ever since then however I've found she has a really horrible temper. I always go to another manager on the shift if she's around because I never know how she'll react to anything. This woman has no middle gears. She's either 'I'm happy and today is a good day' or 'I'll fire everyone because fuck you thats why'.
Fast forward to tonight and she's telling me if I leave a minute before it's time that I'll be fired. Later I'm talking with a co-worker about the weather and how bad the roads are getting and that manager comes up in our discussion, specifically what happened earlier. Well, another co-worker overhears us (we were outside taking the trash out and he followed us with some empty boxes) and he runs off to that manager to tell her.
She pulls us aside and it's a repeat of the first time. 'You've been talking behind my back and I should fire you for it'.
Well, I snapped. I stood up and said "Alright, thats it. <Name>, you are the ONLY thing I don't like about this job. I like my other co-workers, I like delivering pizzas, I even like working the prep room and dish room."
"I feel like I can never come to you with any problems because I don't know how you'll react. When you pull stunts like this I feel like you're abusing your power as a manager."
Her reply: "Well tough shit! I'm the general manager and that means I can fire anyone I want."
In response I tossed my badge on the table and walked out. Before I left I turned and said, "By the way, I'm calling corporate tomorrow and reporting you for harassment. Have fun with that."
As I punched out I saw her go up to another manager and whisper "Can I talk to you for a minute?" and looking pretty panicked. I think she realized she'd pushed me too far.
On the way home the other GM of the store called me and told me he didn't want me to quit, that he had no idea that she'd been behaving like this, and that he wanted me to come and talk with him about what had happened. I explained the situation, told him that if we were to talk about it he'd need to include my other co-worker because I knew he'd been getting the same treatment, and that we'd discuss it when we got the chance.
After I got inside the other manager, the one I'd been having trouble with, called to apologize.
So yeah, to anyone who is having a rough time at work... sometimes it pays to get angry. Angry gets things done.
Some managers go a bit nuts with their power and know that their employees would rather bite their tongues and take it than speak up and risk losing their jobs, but thats why businesses have a human resources department. I know what really scared her was threatening to report her to them, I'm betting that my co-worker and I aren't the only employees she's bullied while managing the store.