Fucker's that work at Wendy's; A.K.A A tribute to the crew that work under me!

The BBQ Pit
101

UpsideDownAmber-

I was a manager with McDonald’s for 3 years and I totally understand your position. I have a solution to the nametag thing as well… for your employees who consistently forget to wear their nametag/lose it, have them keep it at the store. We had a cork board that we could just stick the name tag into and before they punched in they could pick it up.

For all those thinking that not being able to drink soda while on duty is not a big deal, get your pencils out and get ready to do some more math. It is not the free soda that has ever been a problem in my expereince but the paper cost of the cup. I have seen whole sleeves of cups go to waste because employees would grab a cup for a few swigs of soda and then throw it away. Add to that equation any fines the health dept would like to give for having any open cups of soda behind the counter (considered a violation of helath codes for being unsanitary IIRC) and you have some major loss on your P&L. So far as respect goes, follow through with your threats, Amber. No employee who wrote notes saying ‘Fuck you’ would have a job after the moment I laid eyes on the note. I have sent damn near entire shifts home and run the store with myself and maybe 2 other good employees because of employees like this. Was that unfair to the good employees? Sure was, but I made sure I thanked them for their efforts whe day I did that, and they wree alays first in line for raises and promotions. Nothing hurts a manager more than an empty threat as far as employee relations are concerned.

Stemba–

Good job on the turnaround for your store… I would have loved to see the firing of the pharmacist personally. I worked in a retail pharmacy as a manager as well, and I know exactly what you are talking about theftwise. Because our pharmacy manager was not doing his job properly re: Control II Meds, I had an employee stealing Oxycontin, Perocet, and other controlled meds without any problem whatesoever. When I caught him actually dealing drugs in the store (pot at the time) I warned him that I would be speaking to the Store Mgr about it. I did not have hire/fire power, so I figured he would be canned as soon as I spoke to the store manager. I was wrong, my boss wrote him a note saying he didn’t care what he did on his own time, just don’t bring that garbage into his store. Steam literally came from my ears when I heard that. I called the regional security supervisor and told him what was gpoing on, and that I suspected that the employee was stealing at the company as well. Large amounts of the 250-500 OTC meds were coming up missing on his shift with the boxes to them left in aisles that aren’t frequently used. Regional security got him to fess up to the OTC meds, and some but not all of the controlled med theft. Pharmacy was audited and the feds got involved. My reward was a lecture from my boss about not going over his head. Fuckwit. You sound like a tough guy to work for Stemba, but I believe you get the job done right, good job.

102

Fucking Nark.

103

But who the fuck’s going to give you any position other than mindless serf if you take no pride in your job.

104

I went to college and I’m doing just fine now. I succeeded without ever once taking pride in a shitty fucking hamburger job. Pride in a shitty hamburger job will get you fucking nowhere. Sacrificing dignity and self-respect is an obstacle to success not a stepping stone. I will not be a corporate sheep.

105

Well whoop-de-frikkin’ doo! Give this man a gold star! He managed to buy himself a place among the elite, and not once have to bother with those pesky plagues of the working class known as ‘responsibility’ and ‘hard work’. Good on ya.

As for me, I managed to take pride in every job I ever held, and waddaya know, no one ever asked me to give up my dignity or self-respect. Even when I was knee-deep in toilet overflow I managed to have pride in my job and maintain a strong work ethic. It’s good that you’re doing ‘just fine’ now, but me, I’m doing splendidly. In the past year I’ve been recognized by the CEO of my company, given an employee excellence award, three raises and one promotion. I wouldn’t give up my experience in the trenches for anything, and I owe everything I know about personal accountability, responsibility, and dignity in oneself to those thankless jobs I took when I was younger.

I really feel sorry for you that you’ll never know the reward of a physically demanding yet honest day’s work.

106

Except for some of your specific references, I could have written this post too. Bravo!

The people I’ve hired who have done the best in the professional world are those who slogged through the trenches of poor and shitty jobs, often while going to school full-time concurrently.

No matter how shitty a job I had, at least I had the personal honor to try to do my best at it. Pride in doing your best under harsh and difficult circumstances is something that deserves acclaim and recognition. A person that can rise above the mess of a fast food job staffed by (often) poor management and (typically) uncaring and oppositional-defiant emplyees is a person who can succeed at nearly any job or task in life, if it is at all possible for them to do so. They are a person with honor.

A person who stops or acts to stop other employees from stealing is a person with honor.

A person who follows the rules, no matter how inane or stupid, even though they may object to them and express their discontent with them, is a person with honor. And if they don’t like them, they should get the fuck out of Dodge.

And a person who doesn’t violate the law and the health codes of the fast food place where they work is a person with honor. Health codes and heath regulations are put there for a reason - so the public is protected. In fact, it’s very ironic that some who are strong advocates of a liberal government (which should be acting proactively to protect the workers and the public from unhealthy food preparation practices) are also those who advocate ignoring or flaunting one or more of those very practices to “fight the man”. I wonder why that is…?

107

Who said I never did physical labor? I had all kinds of jobs before I went to college, including working as a city groundskeeper and as a janitor. I did fine at those jobs and felt good about myself. I was left alone to do my work, I didn’t have to wear a stupid hat, I didn’t have to wear a fucking kindergarten nametag, I didn’t have some manager up my ass all the time, I wasn’t getting insulting, insincere speeches about “teamwork,” I didn’t get my hours kept just beneath the minimum that would trigger any benefits, I got paid three times as much and even enjoyed the work (Cleaning a building at night is quite peaceful).

I didn’t “buy” my degree, I worked for it. I got scholarships, loans and work study. I’m still paying off my loans. Nobody handed me anything.

After college I spent two years volunteering in AmeriCorps tutoring and mentoring inner city kids. I did that 40 hours a week for a stipend that was less than minimum wage. I did it because it mattered, and I was appreciated and it made me feel good about myself.

When I worked my first fast food job (McDonald’s) I was just out of the Navy and I didn’t know any other way to work than to bust my ass. SAfter a couple of months I started to wise up and realize that working hard just got me extra work and more responsibility with no extra pay or benefits and I still had to wear that stupid uniform. I was trying to be a rock star at the time, so I just kept up with a series of crappy jobs while I tried to make it work with a band. I wasn’t looking for a career with Hardees and i didn’t care if I got fired so I just slacked my through the Fast Food jobs and ignored any rules I didn’t like. It worked for me. Not giving a shit gave me a better quality of life.

Eventually I started working at some real restauraunts and really learned how to cook and I enjoyed those jobs too. Try spending an evening working as a grill cook at a busy steak house some time. It makes a fast food shift look like nothing, but I loved it. I was cooking real food instead of dogshit. I could dress how I wanted (no fucking nametags). Nobody was uptight about chickenshit rules (like drinking pop on the line) and at the end of the night they brought back pitchers of beer while we were cleaning the kitchen. Now that’s appreciation.

108

So because you couldn’t hack it and your boss started treating you based on ::gasp:: the quality of your work, that means that anyone else who tried to actually do their job well was trying to stick it to you? I’m sorry hon, and no, this business isn’t for everyone. If you have the skills to get a better job (which you obviously do) then go for it! But you can’t blame your managers for your own piss-poor attitude and slacker work ethic. If that particular job is not important to you, then find one that is or shut up - but I absolutely refuse to sit here and stand idly by while you or anyone else tries to justify such shitty behavior in the name of being ‘opressed by the man’. For christ’s sake, get over it man and let us do our jobs. We’re not evil overlords bent on destroying your self-worth and gobbling up the last remaining bits of your soul through a straw - although that is a kind of nifty image :wink:

Believe it or not, most service industry managers were once themselves in your position, and yes, it’s a thankless job. No, you don’t always get what you deserve, but that’s life! You’ve got to learn to deal with it. Those of us who worked our way up did so with no expectation of making a career out of it, but because we had pride in our work, no matter how menial the task, we learned skills that will help us succeed no matter where we go in life.

And what most managers either learn quickly, or fail to learn and get fired is that you just flat-out don’t put up with employees that don’t give a shit. Time is far too short, and there are usually plenty of other people out there that would kill to have a job even if it is ‘just a fast food’ job. I’m glad that you’ve been lucky enough that you can turn your nose up at a job like that and scoff, because not everyone is.

109

I was one of those peons for many years at many jobs (Blockbuster, school cafeteria, 2 pizza joints, and a grocery store), and I gotta say, Stemba…GREAT JOB!!!

See, Dio and County, you’re the kind of fucking useless employees I had to work with and stay late at my jobs in order to pick up from the fact that shits like you felt you were entittled to a two hour break at peak work times while the rest of us got slammed. I admit I hated doing more work than I needed to (who doesn’t), but as much as I hate to admit it, I was hired to work a shitty job…the least I could do was do that shitty job well. When you work a job that even a monkey could handle, the least you could do is work as hard as a monkey, and not just fling your crap on everything.

I got a question for you two: Ever gone into a fast food restaraunt, gotten shitty service, then bitched about it? Not necessarily to the management, but just to yourself or whoever was with you? If so, you’re a hypocrite, because those same lazy ass employees that can’t get your buger right are following the same work ethics you feel are “justified”. Remember that the next time someone puts tomatoes on your fucking sandwich and you react like they just killed your mother.

A friend of mine has works at a building with a little cafe on the ground floor. It recently got closed down for health violations. She actually watched an employee take a knife covered with mayonaisse, wipe it on the edge of the garbage can, and then go to cut the sandwich! Really makes me sick to think there are people out there that feel they’re justified in doing so simply because they’re getting paid minimum wage.

Sure, minimum wage jobs suck. You know what? That’s why the employees get paid minimum wage! That’s still no reason not to take pride in your work, or to at least be courteous to your fellow employees and pull your own wieght.

110

Dude, you don’t have to take pride, but you don’t have to be a shit.

There’s a difference between being the Uber-Employee and being an asshole.

If you aren’t doing AT LEAST the bare minimum you’re supposed to be doing (being polite, keeping busy and not stealing), well, then I suppose you’re the latter, Diogenes.

111

Well Elvis, it appears you have stopped even reading posts and are just blindly lashing out at people. You cannot find even one post where I came close to espousing the same philisophy as Diogenes, yet you don’t let that stop you from your moronic ranting.

If I hadn’t already offerred I would say Bite me, you ignorant shithead.

112

Well another day at work, another headache. I have worked the last three shifts with less then 5 hours sleep, someone kill me.

*Updates*
  • The dumpster has gone to hell already. The crew of both Saturday and Sunday night decided getting the garbage in the general area of the bin was enough. Can someone say, “fine number three?”
  • One of my more trusted crew came to me to tell me that Mr.Cashier, Mrs.Coordinator and Mr.Cashier’s girlfriend, plan on working extra slow and screwing up on their next shift just to keep me there late. So because of this I am going to have to take my break in the dinning room so I can watch what’s going on in the kitchen. I can’t wait.
  • My Co-manager said he’d talk to him soon. My Co said he wants to hear his side of the story, which is fair. I’m just interested in seeing how Mr.Cashier explains the note and the tip jar? I told my Co that I want my Gm to deal with it and that I wouldn’t be satisfied with just a “Don’t do this again” and a slap on the wrist.

Pammipoo, our store generally has, for openers, 1 lettuce cutter, 1 “guy opener” - gets the chili ready, puts the fryers together etc, and a manager. Then the salad person comes in at 9:30 as well as the person to help put away the order and bring down the restock. During the day we have about 13 staff working (Monday to Friday) and 5-6 at night.

Yes this industry may not be for you but for some of us its what we love. Its not one of those flashy, high paid jobs but its something we can be proud of. We work our asses off everyday making not all that much more than the crew. We work long hours just to make ends meet, and why is that? Because we love our jobs.

xjetgirlx, you prove an excellent point about people getting mad over poor service. And all I can say is that I hope Diogenes gets to have some people just like him working under him… or maybe have some hapless moron spit in his burger at a local fast food place…

113

I’ve got to weigh in and say, “Diogenes, I would have hated working with you in any of the ‘shit jobs’ I’ve had.” Sorry, guy, it was fuckers like you that kept jobs that they felt were “beneath them” and slacked off as much as possible without getting fired, forcing me, and others with some work ethic to pick up after your sorry asses.

Eventually I learned. I got into jobs where teamwork (construction, lumber mill, machinist) was not only talked about, but utterly necessary if the whole shift didn’t want to hate life. Any slackers were made to feel extremely unwelcome by the rest of us who actually wanted to get the job done and go home. Management had very little to do with this. The crew took care of any slackers. Nothing out of line, but they were made aware of our displeasure with their slack attitudes. Tough shit if they thought the work was demeaning, beneath them, and all that happy shit, they accepted the job when they were hired. If they didn’t like it, they were free to quit. The jobs paid well, but employees were expected to bust their asses while on duty. Anyone who did less, except on an occaisional bad day (everyone has them), had a hard time.
Plenty of times I saw new employees come in, work a couple of hours, and tell the managers, “Sorry, I can’t do this.” No hard feelings from the crew or the managers. It was the decent thing to do, to admit that the job was too hard and not waste anyone else’s time. Good luck to them. Others did less than what was required and got contempt heaped on them from the rest of us. Sounds cruel, but how would you feel if you had to do work that felt like a constant workout and looked up the line and saw some happy asshole with his thumb up his ass? I know, fast food isn’t as physically challenging as lumbermill work, or as physically and mentally challenging as sheet metal or construction work, but the same principle applies: If you can’t or won’t do the fucking job, make way for someone who will. Don’t wait to get fired. Don’t fuck with someone else’s livelihood because you have a shitty work ethic.

Believe it or not, Diogenes, there really is honor in doing filthy, shitty, menial work. It all depends on the workers’ attitude, and the attitude I see from you is misanthropic snobbery.

114

Another 2 cents…

Stemba, I don’t want to ‘pick on’ you personally but I will use managers like you as a reference.

Back on my post of great managers long ago in this thread, I brought up characteristics of great managers. Stemba’s conduct violated many, if not nearly oll of these characteristics.

Don’t get steamed here and hear me out…

You, Stemba, treated the employees like disposable people. You assumed that the employees were the people at fault for the store’s poor performance. Don’t get me wrong…you can make a strong case for this.

However, your approach by coming down like the wrath of God and killing and terrorizing the employees is the ‘easy’ way. Unfortunately, many managers lack the ability to turn a store around without using the badass approach. Employees are human beings and not some tool to be thrown away without much thought. This is why you trigger some negative posts and can’t understand why they are posting that about you or justify it as ‘bad employee’ speaking out.

A great manager would have been able to come in and turn the store around without slashing and burning. He would have quickly gotten the employees on his side. Even if you are not a great manager, you didn’t even try!

Consider what you did. You walked into a store and quickly concluded everyone was a worthless worker and thieves. You immediately set up a test to fire people who failed. You then fire a chief pharmacist and arrest him for shoplifting.

Maybe previous management was much more lenient. Maybe it was perfectly acceptable for the chief pharmacist to do what he did under previous managers. MAYBE HE WAS FOLLOWING AN ACCEPTABLE HABIT AND DIDN’T THINK!

Did you take him into your office in private and told him what he did was unacceptable? NO! You slash and burn. Kill and don’t ask questions later. A zero bite rule.

This man might have been a good pharmacist. He might have done good things for the store. You don’t know. You don’t even care.

You may consider yourself an efficient manager and take pride in what you accomplished. There is nothing wrong with this.

However, you did it by fear and terror. You might think you are acting logically but, believe me, your employees see a badass who is capricious and rules by terror. This is an efficient way to run a store…however it is a ‘brittle’ method. It inspires little respect and little loyalty. If things get tough or store comes under stress, it will disintegrate quickly.

For a retail store, this may be no biggie. However, I have seen departments (I’m a manager) completely fall apart. Again, ruling by terror is an ‘easy’ way to manage. It also works well when it works. However, no matter how logical and fair you think you are, employees see a capricious dictator and will jump ship when they can and will have no love or well-wishing on the manager or company. In addition, you also tend to lose your best people first.

115

andymurph64, you might want to go back and read Stemba’s post. He fired the pharmacist right after he held a store meeting about shoplifting. He had just announced to the staff that anyone who was caught shoplifting would be terminated and prosecuted. So it’s not as if the pharmacist didn’t know what would happen- he had just been told and yet he did it anyway. Who cares if he was a good pharmacist? He broke the rules right after being told they would be enforced? That’s not the kind of worker anyone wants on their staff.

Shoplifting is never acceptable. I think he did a good job in getting rid of slacker workers.(IANAM) They seemed to be costing the store a heck of a lot of money in theft.

116

andymurph64:

I appreciate your post, and indeed, one of our HR coordinators made many of the same points to me in the weeks following what my DM now jokingly calls “The Massacre.” The one thing I failed to note was that this incident was about two years ago. Since then, with only two of my original staff still with us (two of the best ones I had before I ‘executed’ my staff.) I’m gonna reply to your stuff, because right now I’m probably as soft and approchable a manager as you can find, except if I see you steal or start to slack. Slacking will get you a documented warning, a lecture, and a “I’ll be watching.” Theft gets a boot and a trip to City Corrections.

1: My staff aren’t disposable, nor are they tools. They’re people who came to work and signed a contract in which they promised labor and time for money and benifits. We always discuss pay beforehand, and more often than not I end up recommending $6.00 an hour. HR usually cuts it down to $5.50 or $5.75, but thats them. And they get the guarenteed raise after six anyway. I don’t demean them in front of the rest of the staff, nor do I have to. In the past year, I’ve had to write up only two of my staff, and both did a full 180 turnaround. One of these ‘problem’ associates (who, by comparison to my town’s two sister stores, isn’t a problem at all) is being considered for “Top Gun,” our leadership training seminar at Corporate HQ, in Clearwater.

2: I didn’t just 'step into the store and conclude that everyone was worthless…" I did indeed set up a test to see who was worth keeping around and who wasn’t, and those who showed up for that meeting kept their jobs, barring theft or other work related problems.

3: Yes, I came down like a ton of bricks on those individuals who continued to act as if the previous management was still in charge. They were far too lenient, and allowed theft to go rampant and unchecked. As far as my store’s doctor (He was a PharmD, not a RPh,) he was picked up by Walgreens in town, and terminated for the same thing (or so a drinking buddy of mine, one of their assistant managers, tells me. I could have warned them :wink: )

In any case, since I’ve knocked all the ‘crappy’ associates out on their butts and been able to replace them with capable and motivated associates, I’ve had no trouble keeping shrink down, keeping morale and team cohesion high, and making my store more profitable. If you have a good staff who does what they’re supposed to, you don’t have to act like Stalin to turn a buck, ya know?

117

That is all so true carimwc and, like I said, you can make a strong case for ruling by terror.

However, reread my post for reasons why you shouldn’t.

IMHO, he should have taken the pharmacist back and told him his behavior is not acceptable. In private.

Not to make excuses but the pharmacist worked at that store much longer than Stemba and old habits die hard. It might have been acceptible for him to do what he did for many years.

No, Stemba fired him because he was looking for an excuse and coldly calculated that it would strike terror into others if he fired him and had him arrested publically.

Management by fear.

118

IMO, that pharmacist got what was coming to him no matter how long he had been working there. Apparently no one had ever let him know that shoplifting is bad and illegal. It’s not a good habit to have and it’s one that should be broken immediately. I don’t think private would have been a good way to deal with it since the guy broke the rules the same freakin’ day it was announced that it would no longer be tolerated. Someone had to be the example and yeah it sucks that it was someone who had worked there a while and yeah, old habits die hard, but still! If someone had held a meeting about shoplifting that morning, you’d bet just about everyone would be even more careful about their actions. If it had happened a few days later then talking to the guy in private would have been better, but this was the same damn day! That’s just inexcusable!

Maybe he was looking to strike terror. I still think it was warranted because even though it may have been acceptable to the pharmacist to do it for years, it’s not accepable to do it in the eyes of the law or the store. Period. Some people need that fear and some stores need it to turn around. Theft is theft and if people don’t learn that lesson it’s going to happen again and again.

119

Stemba,

I will not dispute with you the efficacy of what you did. It works. However, it is a method fraught with problems and those problems will bite you when you are most vulnerable (like a tight labor market)

You will have logic for everything you do. However, employees will not see the logic. They will just see a manager ‘testing’ them and then firing them. It will look capricious. Many people will refuse to walk on eggshells and worry about getting fired or disciplined over something they could not see - no matter how logical it seems to you.

Now, maybe store meetings weren’t a big thing before you came. Maybe they were optional, who knows?? Maybe some people just can’t make 8 o’clock when used to working at nine. (I do think that if you skip a meeting set by a new manager then you are an idiot, but that’s me :wink: ) My point is that you did not tell them they would be fired - you used it as a test. It will look capricious. You also did it because you WANTED to can people - a behavior that makes me cringe.

I don’t know what I’m trying to say exactly - just that I’ve seen that style of management and I’ve always disliked it. I’ve also seen it blow up more than other styles.

Now that being said, there are times when cleaning house may be in order. Jesus cleansing the temple and all. I just am not sure this was that case.

Couldn’t you have worked with these people and given them a chance and fired them on a case by case basis after a couple of ‘bites/warnings’ or if they were insubordinate? (an exception - always a ground for immediate canning IMO)

Was slash and burn really necessary or chosen becaue it was easy?

(glad to see you take critisicm well. Most people who rule by terror do not take it well. This lends huge credence to your saying you do not manage like this now)

120

carimwc,

This is a person we are talking about.

He could have kids, a mortgage, a sick mother…

To can someone because of a minor misdeed (yes, I said MINOR - I know it is a crime but lets keep perspective)

One should always follow the maxim of using as little force and disruption as possible. To fire someone for a misdeed without taking him aside and saying something like “I 'm really serious here. What you are doing is unacceptible and will not be tolerated” is playing with human lives.

Give people a chance. They are only human and sometimes need more than one bite to learn or recognise that prior practices are no longer allowed.

Have some flexibility! Situations are not always black and white.