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

The BBQ Pit
121

andymurph64:

I see where you’re coming from, and I like the term you used “Cleaning house.” You’re right, it did look rather bad signing off on the terminations without warning, as well as going through and trying to immediately break all of my associates of all bad habits, like theft and whatnot. But nursemaiding someone has never been in my strong suit. Before I was with Eckerd, I was with the Air Force, and of course, the service has no give for slackers and malcontents. Maybe this mindset wasn’t appropriate for the setting. Heck, it probably wasn’t. But something had to change and change quickly.

Like I said earlier, fortunately my staff is now a cohesive team willing to put in the work necessary to get the job done. Hell, I haven’t fired anyone in a year, and my only resignation was a kid named Alicia who is now at Notre Dame. Doing the math, the average front end pay (among the non-salaried associates) is $7.72 (under my predesessor it was some abismal amount like $5.20.) This is just cashier and stocking. The phototechs average $9.28, and pharmacy techs $14.49. They’re paid better because they work better, and my DM signs off on all merit raises I assign.

On ‘down’ days, where there is heavy store maintenance and we cannot open, we always have a potluck or some other such item to entertain us while we’re working without customers. The thing that makes me know I’ve got a cohesive staff is the first of these potluck suppers was organized by one of my cashiers, not a manager or pharmacist. They thought highly enough of their teammates that something like this would be worthwhile to organize.

All I really know for sure is that what I did worked, and so long as I can control hiring and firing, the improved situation won’t change and I won’t have to ‘massacre’ another staff.

122

What ‘set me off’ so to speak, was the chief pharmacist. Here was a professional who probably worked years at the company. Now the poor bastard has to find another job after getting fired and arrested for shoplifting at his previous job. The punishment was way out of line from the misdeed IMO. I cringe to think of what happened to this guy. This is how careers and lives are ruined.

Enough about that…Glad to hear it is working out!
Just out of curiousity…what does a chief pharmacost make? :wink: I have been curious about this before.

123

WORD OF WARNING GUYS!

Always be careful of a new boss. A new boss is a dangerous time even if things appear to be going well. You need to put much effort and really listen to him/her. If you don’t, you risk repercussions.

I’ve always followed that advice given to me by a prof in college who gave me many useful pieces of advice. Probably saved my butt more than once :wink:

124

See, I think basic dignity is saying “You have little marketable skill, but if you come in every day, prepared for work and do what’s asked of you, we’ll pay you, give you benefits, be flexible about the scheduling, and treat you with honesty and respect. We’ll also hold you accountable – we won’t presume that because you’re still a kid in school or someone with limited education or work experience that you’re incapable of following basic rules and procedures or learning how to fulfill your job duties appropriately.”

Apparently, some people seem to be hung up on the pay that fast-food employees get. It seems clear that to them, basic dignity = more money. I think that’s a load of crap.

But even if it were true, it’s still a two way street. You want to be treated with “basic dignity” then comport yourself with basic dignity. Show up for work properly dressed, in whatever is appropriate for the job. If that means a hairnut and a name tag, wear them. Do the job you were hired to do without being a slackass and making yourself look stupid and lazy. And most importantly, don’t steal from your employer!

This isn’t about taking pride in a “shitty hamburger job” it’s about taking pride in yourself. It’s about being able to take an inventory at the end of the day and being able to say “I didn’t steal today. I didn’t slack at my job and leave more work for someone else. I treated my co-workers and bosses with respect, even though they may not have done the same for me. Today I was a good person even though my circumstances don’t make me happy.”

I’m incapable of understanding the disconnect that can produce a mindset of “I’ll have personal integrity when I’m paid for it.” You’re either a stand-up, decent person or you’re not. You’re a thief and a slacker or you’re not. Those aren’t conditions that come about as responses to your perceived treatment. We’re not talking about a homeless person stealing an apple because he hasn’t eaten in three days and has no money, we’re talking about people taking things that they know that they’re not entitled to, things that they could pay for themselves or aren’t even allowed to have when they taking them! :smack:

If your internal moral compass allows that kind of behavior, it wouldn’t matter if you were making $20 an hour instead of $5. It would just mean that you were working somewhere with better, more expensive things to steal. Instead of pocketing Tylenol and quaffing contraband soda, it’s office supplies or communications access. Example: there was a secretary who was caught walking out of my company’s offices with three reams of copier paper, an HP LaserJet toner cartridge, an electric stapler, a box of post-its and various pens, thumbtacks, paper clips, staples, etc. all jammed into her gym bag under her sweaty spandex. And yes, she was making $20 an hour. Her theft was a means to supply her home craft business office. Further review indicated that she was responsible for roughly $250 in personal long distance calls every month of her employement and was using her work e-mail address to subscribe to more than ten different Yahoo groups about her various crafts, and between the lists, daily e-mail traffic ran into the hundreds. The time she was spending on personal business at the office was mindboggling.

If companies weren’t losing money from employee theft, they could afford (or see their way clear to budget) pay raises for their employees. Take a look at Stemba’s store. Nearly $240 in employee theft daily, 45 employees, that’s $5 more each day per employee if they hadn’t been sucking back unpaid sodas and pocketing Tylenol. That’s a no brainer.

And andymurph64, I’m sorry, take a PharmD back into the office and give him a lecture on shoplifting? If you don’t understand the basic concept of paying for things you want from a store, and not taking that which does not belong to do by the time you’re of sufficient age and education to be a PharmD, you deserve to be fired for gross stupidity. Most people get that lesson when they’re 6 and they pocket a candy bar and then get marched to the store manager to confess their crime. No warning was needed. The guy was wrong, knew he was wrong, and didn’t deserve special treatment, especially in light of the employee meeting Stemba had called wherein the issue of theft was specifically addressed.

125

Yes, take him back and lecture him. People are people. It doesn’t matter if he is a PharmD or a french fry cook. People do stupid things. People get in a habit and stop thinking.

To use another example. My current boss/owner lets me take copy paper home. He is adament that I don’t need to worry about it and I can use it for personal use and not feel guilty.

Let’s say I get a new boss…

He gives a lecture to everyone about stealing. Later that day, he catches me taking paper home. What should he do?

Fire me for stealing. I mean he warned me, right? The fact I have been working here for several years and added value to the company by streamlining processed is irrelevant because I’m a stupid THIEF, right? Make me lose my job, face police action and try to get another job to support family and mortgage with that recently on my record? I mean, I deserve it right? I’m a THIEF!

or…

Take me aside and tell me that taking paper home is not acceptable behavior. I would then smack myself aside the head and say that the previous owner said it was ok but that it was a habit and I WASN’T THINKING, meant no disrespect and that it would never happen again.

Now which one, do you think, is a better outcome? If I would not have seen the error of my ways when pulled aside then I should be canned. However, I was given a chance.

Compassion and flexibility are not weaknesses, guys, but strengths.

126

Right. I’m glad we understand each other :cool:

127

LOL

128

Or, you realize that with a new boss the rules are in play, and if your new boss is such that s/he is lecturing the staff about employee theft and you’re taking something from the office without paying for it, you should maybe have it together enough to ask your new boss before you take any more office supplies. Barring that bit of common sense CYA then I can’t muster that much sympathy for you, not to mention that theft is theft unless your old boss actually had the authority to give away office supplies (which is certainly possible but I’ve never heard of it being any sort of standard business practice.

The pharmacist is dealing with a boss who has just fired a goodly portion of the staff for missing a meeting. This should have alerted the pharmacist that, hey, this guy is not fucking around. Whether he was in the “habit” of pocketing OTC pain relievers or not, the fact that he and everyone were put on notice earlier the same day not to steal anything should have put the idea in his head that putting merchandise in his pocket without paying for it was a Really Bad Idea.

129

Has anyone been watching the “reality show” Restaurant? I saw one episode, and it was a fascinating lesson on how NOT to manage a restaurant.

130

Otto…

sigh…

I guess I’m not going to convince you. You would be perfectly willing to put someone through hell for a relatively minor screw up.

Sadly, many feel as you do.

Just hope you have a manager like me when you screw up (and you will) and not a manager like you would be yourself.

131

I, for one, find the attitue that you can fire workers at a whim and demand that they don’t fuck you over in every concieveable way odd, to say the least. If you don’t respect them, how can you expect them to respect you?

132

There’s a difference between a screw up and stealing office supplies soon after being warned that if you steal office supplies you will be terminated immediately.

Everyone screws up. Sometimes the count is off, some paperwork is misplaced, etc. Those are mistakes and no one is saying you should be fired for them. A simple word to be more careful is due.

But if the manager takes everyone aside and says stealing will result in a firing, and someone steals, then you deserve to get fired. Stealing isn’t an accident or a screw up, it’s a deliberate act and a crime. It’s not a minor screw up. It’s theft.

133

I don’t know how old you are but in my years I have learned that nothing is ever as clear cut as it appears.

If a union had been in place (for instance when the pharmcist was fired) there would have been a hearing and a neutral third party would have reviewed the facts and considered such things as “did he steal?” (define stealing - that is an issue anytime this charge comes up) How long had he worked for the company, what was his work like, had any other disciplinary problems come up before etc. Then the neutral third party would have decided whether or not to fire the man.

Personally it sounds a little like bullshit to me, the guy hadn’t even left the store, he could have been planning on paying before leaving etc.

Bottom line is that his conduct would have been considered in light of his conduct only, not as the opening salvo in a campaign against the problem employees.

134

Seeing as how we have a report that the same pharmacist was fired from another store for doing the same thing, I have to wonder, how many times is a manager expected to excuse an employee with his hand caught in the cookie jar? Would you suggest a dollar limit? Had the pharmacist stolen a larger bottle of Tylenol would the firing in your opinion become justified? The rule was very clearly stated “no stealing.” The rule is not “no stealing unless it’s something really small or you forgot about the ‘no stealing’ rule or it’s something you used to take regularly when the old boss was working there.” Would I have fired the guy and called the police over a bottle of Tylenol? I don’t know. But I sure as hell wouldn’t dismiss witnessing an employee walking up a shelf, opening a bottle, swallowing pills and stuffing the pills in his pocket to be a “screw-up” or a lapse. Not to come off like some freakin’ radical right-winger but I don’t particularly appreciate paying more for what I buy because someone else decided to steal some of it. I don’t care if it’s a penny more for a loaf of bread, why should I have to pay it? And it matters not at all to me whether that theft is carried out by a customer or an employee or if the employee had permission from a former boss to be a thief or whatever.

135

Given the circumstances as presented I doubt if either employee could have been fired for theft if the issue had been presented to a neutral third party.

“I don’t care if it’s a penny…” Well tightass - fuck you and the horse you rode in on. Thankfully society has a lot more people with forgiving natures and a willingness to accept that the human condition is as it is - not as we wish it would be.

I’ve dealt with pricks like you all my working life and you guys serve one really good purpose - ya’ll are the pricks that organize unions. Working for goobers like you makes people ready and willing to sign the card and vote yes on the ballot. So you see, you are contributing in your own fucked up way. Thanks

136

Otto,

If I took that person aside, in private, and told him an easily controllable behavior was unacceptable and he did it again then he is gone. I probably would even call the police in a similar situation.

Otto, you need to relax. People need to be given a chance. This is not condoning or going easy on employee theft. This is treating human beings as people. People can screw up or do stupid things.

You expect much out of people. People must dissappoint you alot.

137

Given the intelligence and maturity you’ve displayed in this and other threads, I’d say that your years number about 21 at the most.

Stealing. Taking without paying or permission. It’s a very simple concept.

As a union employee (sort of) I generally agree with most union policies. Unfortunately, I don’t always agree with their responses to proposed disciplinary actions. I don’t think that an employee caught stealing should be forced to be kept on, just because he has seniority, or if he had been an otherwise good employee. Stealing is a deliberate act and a crime.

Doesn’t to me. He should have paid before he took it, or told his manager what was going on and gotten permission. It’s very easy to do.

138

Simple concept in your mind - in the real world it’s a little different.
You seem to think taking without permission is the same as stealing; it isn’t. In criminal cases the value of the theft affects the penalty - but should not in these situations - I don’t think so.

Additionally, judges routinesly take into account prevous convictions, standing in the community and other factors - yet you would not allow that in an administrative matter.

In both the instances cited a valid argument can be made that no theft even took place. In one the pharmicist could have been planning on paying - he never left the store with the item (still sounds like bullshit to me). In the other case, the employee
taking the paper had prior permission from the owner -
admittedly this was hypothetical but the argument is there.

Oh yeah - thanks for helping organize unions, asshole.

139

:rolleyes:

I don’t help organize them. I help lobby for them. But thanks for playing. It’s assmunches like you that give unions a bad name.

140

Whether you a Demcrat or Republican, pro or anti union - it’s established by the time you are 6 years old -

Giving union’s a bad name to folks like you don’t concern me - lobbyists are a couple of steps below honest whores. Let’s face it, you’d kiss my ass if your firm,or you if you are self employed,
was hired by my union.

You just another motherfucker I am used to dealing with.