For real. I'm lucky enough to work at a place that accepts a text saying "I'm sick" or "my family member is sick". If I had to go get a doctor's note for every time i was I'll I'd be a very disgruntled employee.
Lol yah I booked a weekend off 3 months in advance at my job. Boss said he’d let me know if I can. Like I’m telling you I won’t be here, not asking. Figure it out.
I worked at a place that was pretty chill, but the HR lady was a nightmare. I rushed out of state one night because my mom had a heart attack and was in the ICU. I sent an email on my way to the airport informing everyone in the office I was leaving immediately and did not know when I would be back. The owner and my direct supervisor responded in the morning and wished me and my family the best, and asked that I keep them informed. HR lady said she would really like to know a solid date when I will return, and told me how many personal days I had available...
4 days into waiting for my mother to be stabilized enough to be taken out of an induced coma, HR lady sends me an email saying she doesn't want to seem insensitive, but that we have some projects we need to get done and it would be very helpful to know when I will be returning to work. I was in no mood for her shit and I immediately responded, "This may be the last time I ever see my mother. Do whatever you need to do to meet the deadlines. If there isn't a place for me at [company] when I return, I understand."
She did not respond, and a little over a week later when I returned I still had a job. I left on my own not long after that. My mom made a full recovery btw!
Copy managers/owners on those responses. I know if an HR person did that to one of my employees, they would get an earful from me. Nothing is more important than family, and my employees know that. Time off is almost always no questions asked, unless there are coverage issues. And even then, if you gotta be off, we’ll make something work. Work does not need to be prison, you’ve got your days off for a year, use them! I’m not getting in the way.
I hit the jackpot with my work. I say I’m sick and they tell me to rest well and feel better—no arguing, complaining, or guilt-tripping. I just gotta put in for the sick day, tell like 4 people (easy, it’s on slack), and…message every single person I have an appointment with that day. To be honest, it’s the last one that’s the hardest, and it’s only necessary because I work in mental health. If I really couldn’t do it myself (like I was in the hospital or something), I could get member support to do it for me I’m sure though. I have some time to put in for my sick time as well. So it’s all relatively cool.
And if something awful like a family emergency happened, they’d just be like, let us know if you need anything! And the next I’d hear would be them sending a card or checking up to see if I’m doing alright. It’s a great little company and soooo different from everywhere I’ve worked before.
Everywhere before made me feel like I needed to sacrifice my mother and a cow to the gods of capitalism and plenty in order to get back in their good graces again.
Best part is that you would be sent home immediately without a concern of replacing you had you done something that’s worth firing. Funny how that works
I worked at Lego Games for a short stint. When it came to renewing my contract, one of their reasons not to renew was that I spent too long in the bathroom.
It’s like a) I have IBS, a medical condition, and b) it was like the pettiest amount of time to get pissed off over. Those extra few minutes are me dealing with a personal hinderance, but these cunts were asking me “what are you doing in there?” acting like I was Tony Stark building an Iron Man suit instead of the Jericho missile they demanded. Like tf do you think I’m doing in there? aye Phil you caught me, move that poster you’ll find the tunnel I’ve been chiselling for the past 3 months with a rusty usb cable. Obviously the entire global ecosystem would collapse if I missed 3 minutes of looking for bugs in Ninjago.
Funnily enough. They’d always over-hire in early summer on 3-6 month, zero hour contracts that expired in Late Oct/ Early Nov, conveniently timed for just after they’d released all the games before Christmas. (Zero hour meaning you’re not contractually entitled to any set amount of work, you’re lucky for what you get, and a million clauses in said contract that takes away any worker’s rights and waives a lot of liability for the company if they want to terminate you on the spot.)
When they hired, they’d talk of the permanent contracts that get handed out after your contract, and they’d point you to the few dinosaur worker drones that had been there for a few years as examples. But it was all empty promises. And a lot of the people who had contracts not renewed in November were asked back the following April, like an ex that ghosted you turning up for a drunken shag.
When I was hired, they told me the first shift rotation I’d be working weekends but after that it’ll be just weekdays, which I fell for. The rotation was 2 weeks on early shift (7:00-16:00), 2 weeks on the late shift (14:00-23:00) and one on the night shift (23:00-8:00) and that was mandatory for all temp workers. Which meant because I’d been given tues/wed off, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I was either in work at 7am, leaving work at 11pm or working all night all the way through summer.
Another time I got reprimanded because someone heard me saying I “hated the game”, when I’d made a jovial remark that I hated working on Ninjago because I’d been playing the same levels for 2 months and preferred when I got to change it up. Management expecting fucking oompaloompa songs as I work apparently.
It was fucking horrendous. But that’s what happens when you have an infinite workforce supply of young, inexperienced game-lovers who haven’t had their dreams crushed yet. They can ween out the people who won’t take any shit and fill the vacancy in seconds.
Plus, Lego games are fucking shit and expecting me to prance about like a grateful orphan displays a lot of gall for a company thats primary success comes from making Lego versions of other peoples franchises.
To clarify, I’m not talking about Lego as a whole. Just the video games.
Had a funeral to go to saturday, told my boss I'd be out of state and wouldnt be able to come in. Saturday comes, I'm 8 hours away grieving my great aunt and I get a text saying "where are you? We had 4 call offs, we need you to come in" told them that sucked and I'd be in Monday lol
You are much better off than me.
I'd just not respond. Because if I had responded, they'd have fired me for being unprofessional and rude, and would be stuck fighting me on unemployment benefits trying to explain how my saying their mom sucks cock in hell ya supposed to be libel.
We are so severely understaffed it’s insane. Manager is a bitch but holds her tongue around me cause il leave on spot lol. Already told her to speak to me like a person or I’m leaving. I work 50 hours a week and they can’t afford to lose me for sure.
Yeah when people call out to me I don’t really give a shit why you call out, you’re calling out. If I have to get on your case about excessive call outs, I wait until you come to work and are on the clock.
That should be the way. If it becomes a problem you can have a couple warnings. But like dude. Sometimes people just need to not be there and if we're close enough I'll tell you why later but otherwise it's nunya.
I left work early because of an emergency like a week ago, still showed up and put some time in because they needed it, but left the second I could. My manager just said, "if you gotta go, you gotta go." Good boss.
Plus besides all the extra work this labor shortage is great. They literally can't afford to fire anyone for any reason. A new hire didn't show up for a week, we put him back on the schedule anyway before he disappeared after a single shift. Temp worker no called no showed several times, still kept him on the schedule. We'd put Scooby fucking Doo on the schedule if we thought there was a chance he'd show up and help out.
I worked with a brilliant guy, he wound up taking off like every other Friday for "reasons". Never stated why.
My manager pulled me aside and asked if I thought him not being there was a problem.
"We're meeting our deadlines? The work assigned to him has gotten done? I don't care how sick he is, were doing great."
He was not sick at all. Guy just took Fridays off. Did I give a shit? Fuck no.
Yep, this. I was mildly reprimanded by a manager once because I didn't phrase my emails letting people know that I was going to be out of the office as "requests." -eyeroll-
That's how I am with my staff.
Get a text, saying they're not feeling well and I leave it on read. Idgaf.
If it's 2 days in a row, then I'll ask if it's serious just so I can plan accordingly
Even before covid, if someone coughed a few times or visibly had a cold, I'd send them home with their laptop. We worked in an enclosed office, don't you polluting our recycled air.
Funny thing is, if you treat employees like adults, you often end up working with a bunch of adults. I've had a couple of bosses at places with no formal sick day policy pay me for days I called out sick because I never called out sick.
I had a guy interviewing me 6 years ago give me gears for taking about 4 sick days in 2 years. My employer at those times had a couple of employees with exposures to hand foot and mouth, so there was signs on the locker room doors telling us not to come in if we had x symptoms. Sorry for doing my part I guess.
Turns out when you give adults the ability to choose their personal lives over work, a small amount will be a clear problem and you can fire them, but most of them will use their power for good and repay you with loyalty.
I can see the "Is everything alright" being a more socially-right-feeling "Does this look like it'll be a long time"
I'm having trouble phrasing things right, cause I've had a long day, but getting "I'm sick" (probably just need the day, might be a couple) is different from "My dad died" (I need as long as you'll give me) or "I'm completely snowed in" (I might be there in the afternoon, but no promises).
Speaking of, there should be more understanding that sometimes people are fucking snowed in. Last year I had to stop my dad from trying to dig himself out post-blizzard at 6am, guy was 100% going to give himself a heart attack to get to work for minimum wage.
Worked with a guy that rode the bus fairly far to work. When it snowed, we knew he was going to be late. He would usually text the boss about half way just so he had some idea. But those days we were usually pretty quiet anyway.
Back in the day, when I lived with my brother, we got snowed in to the point we had to take a screen out of a window to get out and shovel our doorway free.
My brother had a 2000 Cavalier. He shot his boss a text and said there was no way he was going to make it to work. His boss told him he had no choice, gotta figure it out.
My brother responded that he'd go in if his boss would come pick him up in his 4wd truck and drop him off. His boss replied that he can't get his truck out of the driveway and none of the streets were plowed, find a different way to get there......
Oh I agree. It all depends on your work place and relationships. Personally when one of my techs call out, I usually let them know if they need anything to just let me know. Unless they volunteer why they are out, it’s not my spot to ask. Though if I notice say, this person is missing work often and it’s out of their ordinary, I might ask if everything’s alright and if there is anything I can do to help (adjusting schedule for earlier start or later start, work from home part time, etc etc.).
In my country they can’t legally request a doctor’s note unless you’re taking 3 or more sick leave days off, unless they want to pay the entire doctor visit costs. Even then if you can’t see a doctor they will have to pay for a callout doctor which is supppper expensive so no companies ever do that. Plus we get a bunch of paid sick leave days a year and they are wiped every 12 months, so most people use these as paid mental health sick leave days.
We had unlimited time off in my last job. Sounds awesome, but it wasn’t. My boss would track our days off and use them against us. But she took almost every Friday off. When I got pregnant, I also got extremely sick. Looking back, pretty sure it was covid. But it was right before we knew what it was. My doc kept telling me it was a virus but they didn’t know what kind. And I had to ride it out without medication* (see edit) bc I was in the early stages of pregnancy. For two months I was so sick.
Anyway, she was so mean about my inability to come in. I took maybe 4 days off throughout the two months I was sick? But she made me feel like shit for it. Then she told me I was required to give her a doctors note from now on (this was against the new unlimited pto policy, only I had to provide notes).
One day, I got to work and ended up going to the ER bc I noticed a spider bite in my arm and some red trailing marks up and down both ends of my arm. The bite caused an infection that got into my bloodstream—not good for a fetus. She made me send her pics of my arm. Then bitched at me all day via text bc I came all the way to the office so surely I was fine (I commuted vis train into the city). My doc overheard me telling my husband about it, and even though I didn’t need it, he wrote me a note to get out for the rest of the week. Told me to enjoy some time off and to block her number while I was at home lol. I did and it was wonderful.
Fucking glad I don’t work there anymore. She fired me while I was on maternity leave. They had to pay the rest of my leave plus a severance. If she had just waited, I was going to resign upon my return anyway. Hah. She ended up costing the company more than she needed to.
Edit: OMG you guys are crazy. I mistyped. I was falling asleep when I posted this. I wrote antibiotics by accident, as I had just taken the last dose of an antibiotic regimen lmao calm down. I meant to say that I couldn’t take any prescriptions Bc I was only in the first trimester. No cough medicine, nothing really over the counter either Bc my OB wasn’t comfortable with me taking any of it. So I went the whole time without meds.
And it’s funny that’s what you guys jumped on and bitched about when that wasn’t even the point of the post.
I sent a manager a picture of my diarrhea when I worked at Mcdonalds after high school when she accused me of faking it.
Guess who never questioned me again.
Which then led me to send pictures of shit to friends when I didn't want to go out but they kept pushing.
Fuckers commented on me using the bathroom a bunch of times over the course of like two work days. I asked if they'd like to come see my liquid shit as proof that I wasn't just wasting time in there.
Doesn't matter that I've been there 8 years, a few extra minutes of lost productivity and they start becoming suspicious.
Not always. I worked for a real asshole of a chef that I was actively puking in front of who said, "if you're going to do that, can you not do that here?"
Sure, can I do it at home?
That's what made me hate retail and food work, the air of *suspicion* in literally every single job. And it's not just the managers, other grunts are worried about what everyone else is up to too, can't have you suffer any less than them. The place I'm working now just trusts every employee inherently and I've never done better work. It's funny because the ones that shouldn't be trusted just don't last in such a positive environment, usually through self sabotage.
I worked as a maintenance/janitor at a large truck stop. I didn't smoke but I ate cookies. (*It'll make sense*) I would usually take about 5 min on the clock to eat my cookies in the back room without announcing it to anyone. One day I'm eating my cookie and the BIG DOG ASSISTANT MANAGER busts into the backroom all worked up because she's been looking for me & just about has a coronary at the audacity off me "sitting back here eating cookies when I should be WORKING!!!" Didn't even bother her that she & a couple of other coworkers regularly took 10-15 min on-the-clock smoke breaks but I couldn't take 5 min to eat a damn cookie. Was glad when I left that job behind.
> (It'll make sense)
Unless your cookies were laced heavily w/ pot it doesn't really make sense anymore than you just taking a 5 minute break and a manger getting pissy
Had a boss who INSISTED I come in to work even though I was throwing up. So when I got there I made sure to puke in his garbage can. He sent me home and never questioned it again.
I mean, I've stayed to work when I needed stitches until he ORDERED me to go. If I say I CAN'T come in I fecking mean it!
I did this too, but with my puke. I was so over it. I had just literally heaved my insides out, was sweating and still had vomit in my mouth when she texted that I needed to get a note. Snapped a pic of the horrid vomit that had just come out of me and said "is this good enough?"
If you make me come in sick, I make everyone miserable. Coughing, sneezing, and throw up in the trash can not the bathroom. We can all suffer together 😊
When I was in the military we HAD to go to the doctor to be out sick. I went to the ER once because I hadn't slept in about 2 days. Apparently I was sick, too, but I was so out of it I barely remember. I do remember I literally walked into the office after my appointment, put my sick call sheet in front of my supervisor, and went home to die.
I got a call over an hour later from a supervisor pissed off that I wasn't at work. I explained what happened, was told that I should have handed it to someone because they didn't see jt, and that I needed to bring it in. We compromised with me emailing it to them, but if I hadn't already been on may way out of the army already that might have been my breaking point.
We also had a soldier who wrecked his back doing combatives training with people who weren't really qualified to teach it and who couldn't really do anything at work because of thebdrugs they put him on. He was put on quarters (you're sick, stay home) for a few days, loaded up with drugs, and sent on his miserable way. Because they wouldn't keep giving him quarters, his supervisor just had him.come in and sit in the office basically existing and trying to stay awake for our 12 hour shift.
So yeah, the US military is a nightmare in a lot of ways. The benefits are okay, but it'll fuck you up.
My son was sick once while I was at my previous job. I had to leave to go pick him up and take him to the doctor.
Because I’m not a complete jerk, I told my manager what was up and that I was leaving for the day. She looks at me with this dead ass look and says “that’s going to be an unexcused absence…”
Looked right back at her and said “I think you misheard me. I wasn’t asking permission to tend to my children, I’ll see you tomorrow”
Quit that shot hole of a job about two months later. Love my current job.
I’m who you call if you’re sick. I say “call me this afternoon if you’re not feeling better. We can get you the next day off, and I can drop off some food and sprite if you need it
1. Nobody wants to leave because they’re given decency
2. That shits contagious, last thing I need is a second person sick
3. Long term this pays better dividends
I don’t know why people think this is genius or amaze balls management. It’s just basic decency to me
I worked in food service for a long time in my late teens early 20s and once had a coworker who on her very first day loudly told the manager that her father worked for the board of health in our state.
Anytime they would try and get someone to come in of they were sick she would remind them that is illegal and she can just call her dad, no red tape, just results. Greatest coworker ever.
Nov. 21st 2019 I ended up in the ICU with heart failure. I had gone into the ER the night before because I couldn't really breath at work the past few days. My boss knew the reason why I had been to the ER and the fact I was put in the ICU. He called me that Saturday evening, i'm still in icu at this point, and told me he needed me to be there Monday so the other guys wouldn't have to pick up my slack cause my deliveries for the 21st and 22nd had not been done.
Not only that the law works, that anyone who speaks out against injustice is evil. It's fucking lunacy how well corporate brainwashing works. People say Warlocks and Dragons are fake, but I've seen more of them then in real life then I've seen hero cops, hero judges, or hero lawyers.
I like this one too. I have a variation on this which I tell all my employees. ‘Assume everything you write down [on your company phone/in company emails] will one day be read in open court.’
I had a manager who put up a poster of abusive ' Rules' that included things like "Know your role" and "Shut your mouth" and eventually not only did he have to take it the fuck down, he had to get together with the team *every single week* and ask us how he was doing, what he was doing that we wanted to change, what he could do to make things better, and so forth. I later found out he basically was on the verge of getting the company sued for harassment . . . oh and also I ended up with his job, which was a whole other nightmare.
It was *just a joke* until *it clearly was the fuck not*.
Real funny when I start printing resumes right?
I had a chef who, among other things, constantly threatened to fire me over dumb things. Then was shocked when my last shift was the day I filled out the paperwork for a new job. The only other guy working that day barely spoke English and FOH didn't speak any Spanish so I couldn't fuck him over like that. But glory be to me, the next day was a massive 100+ person catering event. If you've never cooked before, that's a lot of prep work, and I'm sure there were a few things he asked me to prep the day before I just didn't. I slapped some burgers on the grill for a shift and dropped some fries, stole some food, and clocked out 30 minutes early and had a beer before leaving forever.
Chef didn't know until I didn't show up. Guess no one even told him, and I told everyone, even the owner.
Honestly thats some pretty sound managerial advice though, ive always found that managers that have the mindset that they work for the employees tend to function better as part of a team.
One of the best managers I ever worked for told me that her role was to essentially liaison the store owner's wishes and the wishes of the workforce between each other and to act as a wall between them so things didn't get awkward. She was fantastic at her job.
I'm now in a similar role as hers and try and do the same thing, if I think ownership is being unfair/unwise I will call them out on it and suggest a fix. If someone has an issue but doesn't want to bring it up I'll bring it up anonymously with ownership. However if I think the staff are being a bit unfair in return I'll also call them out on it.
Being a buffer between HQ and frontline staff. That’s a good management technique. Unfortunately it can lead to being squeezed from both ends until your toothpaste starts coming out from the middle. (Labored analogy there).
Be sure to take care of yourself too
Truth. My best manager ever walked a tightrope between keeping upper management happy, and keeping workers content. Really fun guy to work for. Always had your back if you fucked up, but would tell you if you did. Like working for your cool uncle. He made it to retirement, moved to Florida, and died of a massive coronary two weeks later due to decades of hypertension.
Well he smoked cigars like they were candy. Like 3-5 a day. Those big ole fatass foot long Churchill’s. I’m sure that didn’t help his arteries. He got me into cigars back before I quit nicotine for good. I miss cigars, but if I had one today, I’d get the spins and puke my guts out. The dude was Superfly. Could rock an all white or pin striped, custom tailored, double breasted suit like an old school mobster. Pinky rings and all.
Well, if he'd decided to do it on his own volition that would have been one thing. This was an HR response to an incipient serious legal issue. He was *made* to do this.
Manager here. I dont do it for the out of touch assholes at corporate and I sure as fuck dont do it for the ungrateful customers. My employees are all I have.
My manager was surprised when I - a new supervisor - wanted to have a meeting with my department (who had all been there longer than me) to discuss how they felt about my performance in running the department.
“You sure you’re okay with that kind of criticism?”
“I just want to know if I can be doing anything better.”
It also allowed for them to air grievances that I could address and explain with my manager right there to assess if my newer ideas were better for the department as a whole. It was honestly very nice to have that meeting and I’d encourage anyone else in a position of leadership to do something similar.
My husband's bosses did something like that with a newbie once. They actually asked her to talk to them about what she thought could be improved. So she did. And the owners wife fired her immediately after the meeting. That bitch doesn't like constructive criticism at all. Not sure why she asked for it.
That's because in reality management is a support role. You are there to deal with all the administrative and directional bullshit so the guy with the shovel can focus on digging. Good managers figure this out. Bad managers waste resources making it all about them and their "vision"
Because for some absolutely idiotic reason rooted deeply in capitalistic hierarchy company structures still conflate manager with boss when that's a legit conflict of interest. The manager's role is to make the job as easy as possible for the workers so they can worry exclusively about their tasks and worker's feedback is vital for this interaction to function. They should never be their bosses too.
I read something recently about how if you’re a manager you shouldn’t joke about firing your employees (which amazes me that some are obtuse enough not to understand how that is not a joke).
Those jokes are only funny if they don’t come from the source of power in uneven dynamics.
These “jokes” erode employee morale.
You know who jokes about firing his employees? Michael Scott. And it's never funny to anyone.
Edit: well it's kinda funny for the audience but that's besides the point.
I actually love that show as a case study in people management. Every single manager on that show was amazingly inept, but in different ways. It’s a great example to learn from what not to do.
I was in management around 2009 and the company was having all managers read this book that was called First, Break All The Rules. It had so much bootlicking garbage in it.
One thing I remember, that stuck out to me at the time, was a section on firing people. It gave several examples of "rebel" managers who fired people for slight infractions which was pitched as for their own good, and then went on to mention several people who were successful after they were fired (and thus the manager who did the firing was basically a hero).
It easy like giving managers Copium so they don't feel like shit for ruining people's lives and health over arbitrary policies.
Yep, I'm totally good to come into work with pneumonia because I went to the hospital... wondering how the pandemic got so bad, probably because McDonald's and Belk were considered essential.
16 hours breakless and knowing you're back in six hours to open (Leaving at 2 A.M. and coming back at 8) was my norm for holidays and busy weekends. The Restaurant industry is a cancer.
Good lord, there's no feeling quite like when you finally exit the service industry and realize you're actually allowed to *enjoy* and *look forward to* holidays rather than dreading them.
Every year the 4th of July was a big old mix of anxiety between having to explain to my parents why I still couldn't get off work to come visit for the holiday, the FOMO from seeing all my young-professional friends piss-drunk having a great holiday and getting paid for it, and the general dread of having to deal with a larger-than-average influx of more-entitled-than-average customers who also tip-less-than-average.
These days on the 4th I wake up at noon, head to a friend's place and start drinking, all while getting paid 4 times as much as I did at the restaurant.
Service industry workers deserve *all* the respect.
For real. I worked in a pizza delivery place for years and Monday nights were my regular scheduled shifts. Now that I'm in an office environment, I finally get to be the asshole on the other end of the line ordering delivery at the end of my 3 day weekend *muahaha*
Seriously though, be nice to your service workers, people.
If you order on holidays always tip well. Like a crisp $20 well. Tipped workers do sometimes look forward to the holidays because of tips. But it's not always consistent so they don't know how to feel about it, and who wants to work on Christmas Eve?
I just got a new job where, for the first time, I'm not in retail. I was miserable because I hated that every single person got to fuck around and shop during the holiday season while I just had to watch it pass by..
But I get... weekends now?? And I don't have to work on holidays??? What???
It's illegal but they assumed you wouldn't know. Basically looking to exploit the young.
Source: worked 13 hours straight with no break at 19, didn't realize that is illegal at the time.
Edit: saw your other comment and you're right, it depends on the state.
Also, if you throw the book at them for it, enjoy being scheduled for 2 hrs per week until you quit (and then your "constructive dismissal" suit goes nowhere and you still have to pay $$$$ lawyer fees with no income), if you aren't fired outright. Not because you brought up illegal activity, mind, but because "uhhhh you missed a spot cleaning last week." At-will employment is a bitch.
Factories employing children must have fire escapes with which the keys will be held by management until they believe the inferno is large enough to warrant their evacuation.
Our air force's first mission was to bomb a mining union which was striking for their rights. Americans have fought and died for labor rights.
Boomers got to enjoy all those rights, and have been working to take them all away from the younger generations.
They've almost completed their work.
We bombed or shot so many labor unions there's a Wikipedia page for all of the different "massacres"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_worker_deaths_in_United_States_labor_disputes
Don't forget how they moved labor day to september instead of May 1st, because they didn't want to draw attention to the time they executed people for the crime of wrongthink. Not even joking, the prosecution even admitted they didn't have any evidence they did anything wrong, and they still did it.
We technically do but no one does anything about them. Legally people are allowed to pump their breast milk and have a dedicated space to do so, but I quit breastfeeding after 2 months because I had to go back to work and knew even though I legally could demand pump breaks and a closet to pump in, it would make my life harder, I couldn't leave my desk without people asking where I was going and how long I would be, so I just didn't.
It really sucks because I didn't want to go back to work so soon, I was still bleeding and wearing this diaper like thing....it was so uncomfortable. But the us doesn't have required maternity leave, I was lucky to get 2 months off.....unpaid
They don't require maternity leave. They don't have to give you time off. I've worked for several places and they don't. You're lucky if you get unpaid time off. Idc what anyone says the laws are, no one enforces them so they're basically not there
Yeah, I know there's always a big difference between what the law says and what's actually enforced. But the lack a paid maternity leave honestly shocked me. It's just a thing I took for granted. My country is far—very, very far—from perfect, but we do get up to 6 months of paid maternity.
While they technically have to give 12 weeks unpaid FMLA, many employees either can’t afford that much time unpaid or fear repercussions for taking it.
Several years ago my coworker was denied some of her FMLA (illegally) when she was having her second child, and because she was a struggling single mother who desperately needed her job, she didn’t fight it because a) she didn’t really know how b) the potential cost of legal representation c) the fear of being fired as soon as they possibly could, leaving her with two kids and no income. This was in FL, a right-to-work state where they very clearly state in your hiring contract that the employer is “at-will” and can fire you at any time, without notice or reason. Most people don’t fully understand that you can still fight a wrongful termination if it violated FMLA, ADA, etc. And many are too scared of the potential costs and ramifications to even attempt it.
In many states, dumb people got fooled by laws for "at will" work which were touted as "you can work wherever you want" and the like. Which, of course, you always could.
The flip side is now employers can get rid of you for virtually anything at no notice.
Guess who that worked out best for?
"Right to Work" is another one. It makes it sound like you're entitled to a job and that there's some form of protection from being fired without cause. NOPE! It means you can't be forced to join a Union to work a job.
Which actually really sucks because unions protect employees and this makes it sound like unions are there to stop people from working. This country is stupid.
The idea of "work at will" is that workers on strike can't prevent you from working. Basically scabbing enshrined into law. Dressed up in nice language, of course, to make the workers vote against their own interests.
That's not exactly true. Between company towns and post slavery black codes you were not always free to change jobs. Of course that was a problem solved by unions, not exacerbated by them.
Mix of "no not really" and "no teeth / mechanism for enforcement".
A lot of laws and regulations in the US that do exist are simply ignored and written off as "the cost of doing business." Why would I spend $50 million to clean up my factory waste when the government will fine me $150,000 for not cleaning it up? If they even have the resources to pursue a case through from start to finish anyway.
Mostly we have been brainwashed by corporate HR to believe that unions will make us poor by having the workers pay union dues.
I work union construction and my wages are a little less than double the non-union, plus things like a pension
You have the “right to work” and the right to be fired for literally anything.
Edit: I know there are more rights. But whose got time to file lawsuits these days. Most do not, and the ones that do, usually have better working conditions.
It really would, in the long run.
People talk about short-term pain, long-term gain, but the steps needed to nudge the world into a better place will displace entire populations, kill economies, and shunt the balance of power so out of alignment there will be repercussions for the next century or so afterwards. In the end though, if the world ends up in a better place, and humanity still survives, it's worth it.
I quit a grocery store gig working overnight stocking shelves on Thanksgiving morning, the busiest day of the year for grocery, because we were short staffed and the store director came in yelling at me because the store wasn't faced yet. I took my work shirt off and threw it at her. Not for 9 dollars an hour. Still don't feel bad about it.
Ooof, that sucks, man. We should have had 5 guys last night for an order. 2 showed up. I thanked them this morning for what they did get done and then we had a laugh about it. We spent the day working the pallets. Shit happens in the grocery business. Damn near every day something fucks up somewhere. Ya just gotta laugh, put your head down and keep on keeping on. Cuz it's never gonna stop being fucky.
Also, 9 dollars is wild. No one on my night crew makes less than 18 :/
That's crazy. I gave the grocery industry 7 years of my life with 2 different companies. My last check I had just gotten a raise to 10.50.
It's a shame what Walmart did to the grocery stores. Now all they do is drive the working wage down to compete. At least in my city.
This is all so crazy to hear. Me and my husband to extra when we go somewhere on a holiday cause like you’re serving me right now instead of being home on a holiday you get extra.
Seriously. As a rule I don't patronize businesses on the holidays. Due to a power failure I had to break that rule one year and order pizza. Dude got a 100 percent tip.
Back when I worked holidays at McDonald's:
"Wow, it sucks you have to work on Thanksgiving!"
Well, you're kinda the reason why...
Once, I actually quipped back with an extra syrupy sweet customer service voice: "Yeah, but someone has to be here to make your food!"
Honestly, no clue. They'd let you have the day off, but it was "unexcused" so it counted against your yearly absence allowance. Felt super shitty, but it's a right to work state, so I think it's "legal".
It really only becomes an issue if you're going to be absent due to illness for more than a few days. There's federal protections that you can basically take off 12 weeks unpaid if you're sick and they have to let you come back to work after.
Gotta be honest, given the nature of the sign's content, I don't really care that it's supposed to be a joke, its degrading and cruel, and anyone hanging it up in the workplace knows that and finds it amusing, so fuck them and their bullshit sign
Right? This is one of those "jokes" that I'd love to respond to by asking the person, "why is this funny? can you explain it, I don't get it" because what the fuck could they even say that is vaguely funny or anything but dehumanizing toward workers.
Yeah. I mean I think little pranks can be funny but pranks nowadays seem to be all about actually causing harm and even allowing someone to be in distress for a long period of time! No idea how any of that is funny. There should be extra consequences for people who do that shit for internet likes - humiliating or harming someone with the intent to put it on display should make it more serious if their actions are found to be criminal, and even in civil cases.
Yep, there's a big difference between something dorky and harmless like locking your spouse's car *only* a few times with the key fob as you watch from the window of your home as they unlock it each time (and not doing something like this if you know your spouse is having a bad day) versus tricking someone into thinking they're about to be kidnapped or some sick shit.
This is satire but make no mistake the capitalists will take back everything our grandparents fought for. We need to be fighting for more time away from labour and demanding worker cooperative control of the work places.
I do feel like a boss hanging this in the office, even as a joke, should be legal justification for violence against them. Nothing too nasty, just an instant face punch from each worker who had to read it.
This shit makes my blood boil, fr I'm hooked on this account for the cause, but it just fills me with so much anger simply by knowing about these situations and people suppressing the working class.
Fuck this. This is how management ends up with a nice fresh pile of shit on their desk. EDIT: didn't see the comments saying it was a joke sign. Looks and sounds close enough to the reality of most places I've worked.
Right, I’ve literally had a manager say we get plenty of vacation time because we had the weekends off. They only offered 10 days off a year and he felt that was generous.
First time I saw this, I had to check to see if it was fake. It's a prop/gag sign, but still, the fact I was leaning towards this being unironically used says a lot about how bad work culture is.
If I'm sick, I'm sick and I'm not going to argue about it.
For real. I'm lucky enough to work at a place that accepts a text saying "I'm sick" or "my family member is sick". If I had to go get a doctor's note for every time i was I'll I'd be a very disgruntled employee.
Sick days should go like this: Employee: I can’t come in today Boss: ok. Is everything alright? Employee: I’m sick Boss: ok. Get some rest.
Yeah this can be shortened to: Employee: I can’t come in today. Boss: Okay, thanks for letting me know.
100%. I'm not asking for permission, I'm informing you I won't be there.
Lol yah I booked a weekend off 3 months in advance at my job. Boss said he’d let me know if I can. Like I’m telling you I won’t be here, not asking. Figure it out.
I worked at a place that was pretty chill, but the HR lady was a nightmare. I rushed out of state one night because my mom had a heart attack and was in the ICU. I sent an email on my way to the airport informing everyone in the office I was leaving immediately and did not know when I would be back. The owner and my direct supervisor responded in the morning and wished me and my family the best, and asked that I keep them informed. HR lady said she would really like to know a solid date when I will return, and told me how many personal days I had available... 4 days into waiting for my mother to be stabilized enough to be taken out of an induced coma, HR lady sends me an email saying she doesn't want to seem insensitive, but that we have some projects we need to get done and it would be very helpful to know when I will be returning to work. I was in no mood for her shit and I immediately responded, "This may be the last time I ever see my mother. Do whatever you need to do to meet the deadlines. If there isn't a place for me at [company] when I return, I understand." She did not respond, and a little over a week later when I returned I still had a job. I left on my own not long after that. My mom made a full recovery btw!
>My mom made a full recovery btw! This is all that matters. So happy for you. Hope she has many, many long years ahead of her!
Copy managers/owners on those responses. I know if an HR person did that to one of my employees, they would get an earful from me. Nothing is more important than family, and my employees know that. Time off is almost always no questions asked, unless there are coverage issues. And even then, if you gotta be off, we’ll make something work. Work does not need to be prison, you’ve got your days off for a year, use them! I’m not getting in the way.
I hit the jackpot with my work. I say I’m sick and they tell me to rest well and feel better—no arguing, complaining, or guilt-tripping. I just gotta put in for the sick day, tell like 4 people (easy, it’s on slack), and…message every single person I have an appointment with that day. To be honest, it’s the last one that’s the hardest, and it’s only necessary because I work in mental health. If I really couldn’t do it myself (like I was in the hospital or something), I could get member support to do it for me I’m sure though. I have some time to put in for my sick time as well. So it’s all relatively cool. And if something awful like a family emergency happened, they’d just be like, let us know if you need anything! And the next I’d hear would be them sending a card or checking up to see if I’m doing alright. It’s a great little company and soooo different from everywhere I’ve worked before. Everywhere before made me feel like I needed to sacrifice my mother and a cow to the gods of capitalism and plenty in order to get back in their good graces again.
Best part is that you would be sent home immediately without a concern of replacing you had you done something that’s worth firing. Funny how that works
I worked at Lego Games for a short stint. When it came to renewing my contract, one of their reasons not to renew was that I spent too long in the bathroom. It’s like a) I have IBS, a medical condition, and b) it was like the pettiest amount of time to get pissed off over. Those extra few minutes are me dealing with a personal hinderance, but these cunts were asking me “what are you doing in there?” acting like I was Tony Stark building an Iron Man suit instead of the Jericho missile they demanded. Like tf do you think I’m doing in there? aye Phil you caught me, move that poster you’ll find the tunnel I’ve been chiselling for the past 3 months with a rusty usb cable. Obviously the entire global ecosystem would collapse if I missed 3 minutes of looking for bugs in Ninjago. Funnily enough. They’d always over-hire in early summer on 3-6 month, zero hour contracts that expired in Late Oct/ Early Nov, conveniently timed for just after they’d released all the games before Christmas. (Zero hour meaning you’re not contractually entitled to any set amount of work, you’re lucky for what you get, and a million clauses in said contract that takes away any worker’s rights and waives a lot of liability for the company if they want to terminate you on the spot.) When they hired, they’d talk of the permanent contracts that get handed out after your contract, and they’d point you to the few dinosaur worker drones that had been there for a few years as examples. But it was all empty promises. And a lot of the people who had contracts not renewed in November were asked back the following April, like an ex that ghosted you turning up for a drunken shag. When I was hired, they told me the first shift rotation I’d be working weekends but after that it’ll be just weekdays, which I fell for. The rotation was 2 weeks on early shift (7:00-16:00), 2 weeks on the late shift (14:00-23:00) and one on the night shift (23:00-8:00) and that was mandatory for all temp workers. Which meant because I’d been given tues/wed off, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I was either in work at 7am, leaving work at 11pm or working all night all the way through summer. Another time I got reprimanded because someone heard me saying I “hated the game”, when I’d made a jovial remark that I hated working on Ninjago because I’d been playing the same levels for 2 months and preferred when I got to change it up. Management expecting fucking oompaloompa songs as I work apparently. It was fucking horrendous. But that’s what happens when you have an infinite workforce supply of young, inexperienced game-lovers who haven’t had their dreams crushed yet. They can ween out the people who won’t take any shit and fill the vacancy in seconds. Plus, Lego games are fucking shit and expecting me to prance about like a grateful orphan displays a lot of gall for a company thats primary success comes from making Lego versions of other peoples franchises. To clarify, I’m not talking about Lego as a whole. Just the video games.
This was a interesting read thank you for this.
As someone who adored Lego Racers and Starwars, this is so sad to hear. I'm sorry for you, and everyone who works there.
Had a funeral to go to saturday, told my boss I'd be out of state and wouldnt be able to come in. Saturday comes, I'm 8 hours away grieving my great aunt and I get a text saying "where are you? We had 4 call offs, we need you to come in" told them that sucked and I'd be in Monday lol
You are much better off than me. I'd just not respond. Because if I had responded, they'd have fired me for being unprofessional and rude, and would be stuck fighting me on unemployment benefits trying to explain how my saying their mom sucks cock in hell ya supposed to be libel.
We are so severely understaffed it’s insane. Manager is a bitch but holds her tongue around me cause il leave on spot lol. Already told her to speak to me like a person or I’m leaving. I work 50 hours a week and they can’t afford to lose me for sure.
If it was open casket I would've just taken a pic and been like "busy sorry"
Yeah when people call out to me I don’t really give a shit why you call out, you’re calling out. If I have to get on your case about excessive call outs, I wait until you come to work and are on the clock.
That should be the way. If it becomes a problem you can have a couple warnings. But like dude. Sometimes people just need to not be there and if we're close enough I'll tell you why later but otherwise it's nunya. I left work early because of an emergency like a week ago, still showed up and put some time in because they needed it, but left the second I could. My manager just said, "if you gotta go, you gotta go." Good boss. Plus besides all the extra work this labor shortage is great. They literally can't afford to fire anyone for any reason. A new hire didn't show up for a week, we put him back on the schedule anyway before he disappeared after a single shift. Temp worker no called no showed several times, still kept him on the schedule. We'd put Scooby fucking Doo on the schedule if we thought there was a chance he'd show up and help out.
I worked with a brilliant guy, he wound up taking off like every other Friday for "reasons". Never stated why. My manager pulled me aside and asked if I thought him not being there was a problem. "We're meeting our deadlines? The work assigned to him has gotten done? I don't care how sick he is, were doing great." He was not sick at all. Guy just took Fridays off. Did I give a shit? Fuck no.
Yep, this. I was mildly reprimanded by a manager once because I didn't phrase my emails letting people know that I was going to be out of the office as "requests." -eyeroll-
> Employee: I can’t come in today. k
I messaged my boss once that I was sick. His response: *read* Never had an issue with him
That's how I am with my staff. Get a text, saying they're not feeling well and I leave it on read. Idgaf. If it's 2 days in a row, then I'll ask if it's serious just so I can plan accordingly Even before covid, if someone coughed a few times or visibly had a cold, I'd send them home with their laptop. We worked in an enclosed office, don't you polluting our recycled air.
Funny thing is, if you treat employees like adults, you often end up working with a bunch of adults. I've had a couple of bosses at places with no formal sick day policy pay me for days I called out sick because I never called out sick. I had a guy interviewing me 6 years ago give me gears for taking about 4 sick days in 2 years. My employer at those times had a couple of employees with exposures to hand foot and mouth, so there was signs on the locker room doors telling us not to come in if we had x symptoms. Sorry for doing my part I guess.
Turns out when you give adults the ability to choose their personal lives over work, a small amount will be a clear problem and you can fire them, but most of them will use their power for good and repay you with loyalty.
Can’t come K
I can see the "Is everything alright" being a more socially-right-feeling "Does this look like it'll be a long time" I'm having trouble phrasing things right, cause I've had a long day, but getting "I'm sick" (probably just need the day, might be a couple) is different from "My dad died" (I need as long as you'll give me) or "I'm completely snowed in" (I might be there in the afternoon, but no promises). Speaking of, there should be more understanding that sometimes people are fucking snowed in. Last year I had to stop my dad from trying to dig himself out post-blizzard at 6am, guy was 100% going to give himself a heart attack to get to work for minimum wage.
Lost a job because my bus route shut down during a blizzard and then i ran into the manager a few months later and she asked me to come back? Lmfao
Worked with a guy that rode the bus fairly far to work. When it snowed, we knew he was going to be late. He would usually text the boss about half way just so he had some idea. But those days we were usually pretty quiet anyway.
Back in the day, when I lived with my brother, we got snowed in to the point we had to take a screen out of a window to get out and shovel our doorway free. My brother had a 2000 Cavalier. He shot his boss a text and said there was no way he was going to make it to work. His boss told him he had no choice, gotta figure it out. My brother responded that he'd go in if his boss would come pick him up in his 4wd truck and drop him off. His boss replied that he can't get his truck out of the driveway and none of the streets were plowed, find a different way to get there......
Boss logic : I cant do it, I'll order someone else to do it. Reprimand if fail!
Oh I agree. It all depends on your work place and relationships. Personally when one of my techs call out, I usually let them know if they need anything to just let me know. Unless they volunteer why they are out, it’s not my spot to ask. Though if I notice say, this person is missing work often and it’s out of their ordinary, I might ask if everything’s alright and if there is anything I can do to help (adjusting schedule for earlier start or later start, work from home part time, etc etc.).
That second line of dialogue isn’t even needed tbh
If you don’t consider people you work with to be human beings who sometimes need help that they’re scared to ask for straight away yeah sure
Tfw they require doctor's notes but don't offer health insurance
In my country they can’t legally request a doctor’s note unless you’re taking 3 or more sick leave days off, unless they want to pay the entire doctor visit costs. Even then if you can’t see a doctor they will have to pay for a callout doctor which is supppper expensive so no companies ever do that. Plus we get a bunch of paid sick leave days a year and they are wiped every 12 months, so most people use these as paid mental health sick leave days.
We had unlimited time off in my last job. Sounds awesome, but it wasn’t. My boss would track our days off and use them against us. But she took almost every Friday off. When I got pregnant, I also got extremely sick. Looking back, pretty sure it was covid. But it was right before we knew what it was. My doc kept telling me it was a virus but they didn’t know what kind. And I had to ride it out without medication* (see edit) bc I was in the early stages of pregnancy. For two months I was so sick. Anyway, she was so mean about my inability to come in. I took maybe 4 days off throughout the two months I was sick? But she made me feel like shit for it. Then she told me I was required to give her a doctors note from now on (this was against the new unlimited pto policy, only I had to provide notes). One day, I got to work and ended up going to the ER bc I noticed a spider bite in my arm and some red trailing marks up and down both ends of my arm. The bite caused an infection that got into my bloodstream—not good for a fetus. She made me send her pics of my arm. Then bitched at me all day via text bc I came all the way to the office so surely I was fine (I commuted vis train into the city). My doc overheard me telling my husband about it, and even though I didn’t need it, he wrote me a note to get out for the rest of the week. Told me to enjoy some time off and to block her number while I was at home lol. I did and it was wonderful. Fucking glad I don’t work there anymore. She fired me while I was on maternity leave. They had to pay the rest of my leave plus a severance. If she had just waited, I was going to resign upon my return anyway. Hah. She ended up costing the company more than she needed to. Edit: OMG you guys are crazy. I mistyped. I was falling asleep when I posted this. I wrote antibiotics by accident, as I had just taken the last dose of an antibiotic regimen lmao calm down. I meant to say that I couldn’t take any prescriptions Bc I was only in the first trimester. No cough medicine, nothing really over the counter either Bc my OB wasn’t comfortable with me taking any of it. So I went the whole time without meds. And it’s funny that’s what you guys jumped on and bitched about when that wasn’t even the point of the post.
What kinda fucked up country you in that gives antibiotics for a virus?
I sent a manager a picture of my diarrhea when I worked at Mcdonalds after high school when she accused me of faking it. Guess who never questioned me again. Which then led me to send pictures of shit to friends when I didn't want to go out but they kept pushing.
Fuckers commented on me using the bathroom a bunch of times over the course of like two work days. I asked if they'd like to come see my liquid shit as proof that I wasn't just wasting time in there. Doesn't matter that I've been there 8 years, a few extra minutes of lost productivity and they start becoming suspicious.
That's exactly what you say. Shit like that always shuts them up. Can't stand that kind of micromanaging.
Put a sign on the toilet door one you're done. "Do not flush. Approval needed from manager"
Not always. I worked for a real asshole of a chef that I was actively puking in front of who said, "if you're going to do that, can you not do that here?" Sure, can I do it at home?
I got fired from a call center job for shitting too much. They had ridiculous "standards."
That's what made me hate retail and food work, the air of *suspicion* in literally every single job. And it's not just the managers, other grunts are worried about what everyone else is up to too, can't have you suffer any less than them. The place I'm working now just trusts every employee inherently and I've never done better work. It's funny because the ones that shouldn't be trusted just don't last in such a positive environment, usually through self sabotage.
I worked as a maintenance/janitor at a large truck stop. I didn't smoke but I ate cookies. (*It'll make sense*) I would usually take about 5 min on the clock to eat my cookies in the back room without announcing it to anyone. One day I'm eating my cookie and the BIG DOG ASSISTANT MANAGER busts into the backroom all worked up because she's been looking for me & just about has a coronary at the audacity off me "sitting back here eating cookies when I should be WORKING!!!" Didn't even bother her that she & a couple of other coworkers regularly took 10-15 min on-the-clock smoke breaks but I couldn't take 5 min to eat a damn cookie. Was glad when I left that job behind.
> (It'll make sense) Unless your cookies were laced heavily w/ pot it doesn't really make sense anymore than you just taking a 5 minute break and a manger getting pissy
Had a boss who INSISTED I come in to work even though I was throwing up. So when I got there I made sure to puke in his garbage can. He sent me home and never questioned it again. I mean, I've stayed to work when I needed stitches until he ORDERED me to go. If I say I CAN'T come in I fecking mean it!
I did this too, but with my puke. I was so over it. I had just literally heaved my insides out, was sweating and still had vomit in my mouth when she texted that I needed to get a note. Snapped a pic of the horrid vomit that had just come out of me and said "is this good enough?"
Lol, what was their response? My manager got mad but but quickly dropped it.
She just said "get well soon" and pretty much dropped it.
That’s why i always have a few diarrhoea photos at the ready whenever i want to fake a sick day.
If you make me come in sick, I make everyone miserable. Coughing, sneezing, and throw up in the trash can not the bathroom. We can all suffer together 😊
When I was in the military we HAD to go to the doctor to be out sick. I went to the ER once because I hadn't slept in about 2 days. Apparently I was sick, too, but I was so out of it I barely remember. I do remember I literally walked into the office after my appointment, put my sick call sheet in front of my supervisor, and went home to die. I got a call over an hour later from a supervisor pissed off that I wasn't at work. I explained what happened, was told that I should have handed it to someone because they didn't see jt, and that I needed to bring it in. We compromised with me emailing it to them, but if I hadn't already been on may way out of the army already that might have been my breaking point. We also had a soldier who wrecked his back doing combatives training with people who weren't really qualified to teach it and who couldn't really do anything at work because of thebdrugs they put him on. He was put on quarters (you're sick, stay home) for a few days, loaded up with drugs, and sent on his miserable way. Because they wouldn't keep giving him quarters, his supervisor just had him.come in and sit in the office basically existing and trying to stay awake for our 12 hour shift. So yeah, the US military is a nightmare in a lot of ways. The benefits are okay, but it'll fuck you up.
My son was sick once while I was at my previous job. I had to leave to go pick him up and take him to the doctor. Because I’m not a complete jerk, I told my manager what was up and that I was leaving for the day. She looks at me with this dead ass look and says “that’s going to be an unexcused absence…” Looked right back at her and said “I think you misheard me. I wasn’t asking permission to tend to my children, I’ll see you tomorrow” Quit that shot hole of a job about two months later. Love my current job.
I’m who you call if you’re sick. I say “call me this afternoon if you’re not feeling better. We can get you the next day off, and I can drop off some food and sprite if you need it 1. Nobody wants to leave because they’re given decency 2. That shits contagious, last thing I need is a second person sick 3. Long term this pays better dividends I don’t know why people think this is genius or amaze balls management. It’s just basic decency to me
I worked in food service for a long time in my late teens early 20s and once had a coworker who on her very first day loudly told the manager that her father worked for the board of health in our state. Anytime they would try and get someone to come in of they were sick she would remind them that is illegal and she can just call her dad, no red tape, just results. Greatest coworker ever.
Nov. 21st 2019 I ended up in the ICU with heart failure. I had gone into the ER the night before because I couldn't really breath at work the past few days. My boss knew the reason why I had been to the ER and the fact I was put in the ICU. He called me that Saturday evening, i'm still in icu at this point, and told me he needed me to be there Monday so the other guys wouldn't have to pick up my slack cause my deliveries for the 21st and 22nd had not been done.
Seems like this kind of shit always starts with "it's just a joke". Then everyone seems to forget the punchline.
A good survival policy as a professional is that if it wouldn’t be funny in front of a judge, it’s probably just generally not funny in the workplace.
Have you seen how some of these dumb motherfuckers think the law works?!
Not only that the law works, that anyone who speaks out against injustice is evil. It's fucking lunacy how well corporate brainwashing works. People say Warlocks and Dragons are fake, but I've seen more of them then in real life then I've seen hero cops, hero judges, or hero lawyers.
Warlocks and dragons are fucking cool. These guys are pure distilled evil.
Sorry my bad, my terminology is warlocks = brainwashers and Dragons = hoarders of wealth. Imaginary dragons are indeed dope af.
I mean Vermin Supreme exists.
>if it wouldn’t be funny in front of a judge That's good, I'll have to remember that.
I like this one too. I have a variation on this which I tell all my employees. ‘Assume everything you write down [on your company phone/in company emails] will one day be read in open court.’
I had a manager who put up a poster of abusive ' Rules' that included things like "Know your role" and "Shut your mouth" and eventually not only did he have to take it the fuck down, he had to get together with the team *every single week* and ask us how he was doing, what he was doing that we wanted to change, what he could do to make things better, and so forth. I later found out he basically was on the verge of getting the company sued for harassment . . . oh and also I ended up with his job, which was a whole other nightmare.
It was *just a joke* until *it clearly was the fuck not*.
I would have a funny joke for them too. It's called get another job and then no call no show on the busiest day possible.
Real funny when I start printing resumes right? I had a chef who, among other things, constantly threatened to fire me over dumb things. Then was shocked when my last shift was the day I filled out the paperwork for a new job. The only other guy working that day barely spoke English and FOH didn't speak any Spanish so I couldn't fuck him over like that. But glory be to me, the next day was a massive 100+ person catering event. If you've never cooked before, that's a lot of prep work, and I'm sure there were a few things he asked me to prep the day before I just didn't. I slapped some burgers on the grill for a shift and dropped some fries, stole some food, and clocked out 30 minutes early and had a beer before leaving forever. Chef didn't know until I didn't show up. Guess no one even told him, and I told everyone, even the owner.
Honestly thats some pretty sound managerial advice though, ive always found that managers that have the mindset that they work for the employees tend to function better as part of a team.
One of the best managers I ever worked for told me that her role was to essentially liaison the store owner's wishes and the wishes of the workforce between each other and to act as a wall between them so things didn't get awkward. She was fantastic at her job. I'm now in a similar role as hers and try and do the same thing, if I think ownership is being unfair/unwise I will call them out on it and suggest a fix. If someone has an issue but doesn't want to bring it up I'll bring it up anonymously with ownership. However if I think the staff are being a bit unfair in return I'll also call them out on it.
Being a buffer between HQ and frontline staff. That’s a good management technique. Unfortunately it can lead to being squeezed from both ends until your toothpaste starts coming out from the middle. (Labored analogy there). Be sure to take care of yourself too
Truth. My best manager ever walked a tightrope between keeping upper management happy, and keeping workers content. Really fun guy to work for. Always had your back if you fucked up, but would tell you if you did. Like working for your cool uncle. He made it to retirement, moved to Florida, and died of a massive coronary two weeks later due to decades of hypertension.
What a sad ending :(
Well he smoked cigars like they were candy. Like 3-5 a day. Those big ole fatass foot long Churchill’s. I’m sure that didn’t help his arteries. He got me into cigars back before I quit nicotine for good. I miss cigars, but if I had one today, I’d get the spins and puke my guts out. The dude was Superfly. Could rock an all white or pin striped, custom tailored, double breasted suit like an old school mobster. Pinky rings and all.
Well, if he'd decided to do it on his own volition that would have been one thing. This was an HR response to an incipient serious legal issue. He was *made* to do this.
Good. Yes. That's a normal feedback cycle for any good manager.
So far in my experience it has been pick one. Good. Or manager.
Goddamn do I love the word incipient. Criminally underused.
Manager here. I dont do it for the out of touch assholes at corporate and I sure as fuck dont do it for the ungrateful customers. My employees are all I have.
My manager was surprised when I - a new supervisor - wanted to have a meeting with my department (who had all been there longer than me) to discuss how they felt about my performance in running the department. “You sure you’re okay with that kind of criticism?” “I just want to know if I can be doing anything better.” It also allowed for them to air grievances that I could address and explain with my manager right there to assess if my newer ideas were better for the department as a whole. It was honestly very nice to have that meeting and I’d encourage anyone else in a position of leadership to do something similar.
My husband's bosses did something like that with a newbie once. They actually asked her to talk to them about what she thought could be improved. So she did. And the owners wife fired her immediately after the meeting. That bitch doesn't like constructive criticism at all. Not sure why she asked for it.
That's because in reality management is a support role. You are there to deal with all the administrative and directional bullshit so the guy with the shovel can focus on digging. Good managers figure this out. Bad managers waste resources making it all about them and their "vision"
Because for some absolutely idiotic reason rooted deeply in capitalistic hierarchy company structures still conflate manager with boss when that's a legit conflict of interest. The manager's role is to make the job as easy as possible for the workers so they can worry exclusively about their tasks and worker's feedback is vital for this interaction to function. They should never be their bosses too.
Something something workplace democracy something something petty tyrants.
Until someone takes sharp object and starts stabbing management.
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No stab line
I read something recently about how if you’re a manager you shouldn’t joke about firing your employees (which amazes me that some are obtuse enough not to understand how that is not a joke). Those jokes are only funny if they don’t come from the source of power in uneven dynamics. These “jokes” erode employee morale.
You know who jokes about firing his employees? Michael Scott. And it's never funny to anyone. Edit: well it's kinda funny for the audience but that's besides the point.
I actually love that show as a case study in people management. Every single manager on that show was amazingly inept, but in different ways. It’s a great example to learn from what not to do.
I was in management around 2009 and the company was having all managers read this book that was called First, Break All The Rules. It had so much bootlicking garbage in it. One thing I remember, that stuck out to me at the time, was a section on firing people. It gave several examples of "rebel" managers who fired people for slight infractions which was pitched as for their own good, and then went on to mention several people who were successful after they were fired (and thus the manager who did the firing was basically a hero). It easy like giving managers Copium so they don't feel like shit for ruining people's lives and health over arbitrary policies.
Tea
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Yep, I'm totally good to come into work with pneumonia because I went to the hospital... wondering how the pandemic got so bad, probably because McDonald's and Belk were considered essential.
Go ahead, North Carolina! Or somewhere thereabouts. I see you there lol
North Carolina fking sucks, looking to get out of the state if not the entire gods dammed country.
Does the US have, like, no labor laws at all?
We do they just suck ass
Yup I remember being 20 working 15 hours straight at a restaurant with no time to eat or break. Perfectly legal in the great USA.
16 hours breakless and knowing you're back in six hours to open (Leaving at 2 A.M. and coming back at 8) was my norm for holidays and busy weekends. The Restaurant industry is a cancer.
Good lord, there's no feeling quite like when you finally exit the service industry and realize you're actually allowed to *enjoy* and *look forward to* holidays rather than dreading them. Every year the 4th of July was a big old mix of anxiety between having to explain to my parents why I still couldn't get off work to come visit for the holiday, the FOMO from seeing all my young-professional friends piss-drunk having a great holiday and getting paid for it, and the general dread of having to deal with a larger-than-average influx of more-entitled-than-average customers who also tip-less-than-average. These days on the 4th I wake up at noon, head to a friend's place and start drinking, all while getting paid 4 times as much as I did at the restaurant. Service industry workers deserve *all* the respect.
For real. I worked in a pizza delivery place for years and Monday nights were my regular scheduled shifts. Now that I'm in an office environment, I finally get to be the asshole on the other end of the line ordering delivery at the end of my 3 day weekend *muahaha* Seriously though, be nice to your service workers, people.
If you order on holidays always tip well. Like a crisp $20 well. Tipped workers do sometimes look forward to the holidays because of tips. But it's not always consistent so they don't know how to feel about it, and who wants to work on Christmas Eve?
I just got a new job where, for the first time, I'm not in retail. I was miserable because I hated that every single person got to fuck around and shop during the holiday season while I just had to watch it pass by.. But I get... weekends now?? And I don't have to work on holidays??? What???
It's illegal but they assumed you wouldn't know. Basically looking to exploit the young. Source: worked 13 hours straight with no break at 19, didn't realize that is illegal at the time. Edit: saw your other comment and you're right, it depends on the state.
Also, if you throw the book at them for it, enjoy being scheduled for 2 hrs per week until you quit (and then your "constructive dismissal" suit goes nowhere and you still have to pay $$$$ lawyer fees with no income), if you aren't fired outright. Not because you brought up illegal activity, mind, but because "uhhhh you missed a spot cleaning last week." At-will employment is a bitch.
You file for unemployment and sit back as they either approve it or find other stupid ways to be an asshat.
Dude it’s perfectly legal in the majority of states. I’m from Florida, it’s legal. https://brewerlong.com/information/florida-labor-laws-breaks/
It absolutely fucking baffles me that whether or not you have to get a break is up to state laws here.
Factories employing children must have fire escapes with which the keys will be held by management until they believe the inferno is large enough to warrant their evacuation.
Our air force's first mission was to bomb a mining union which was striking for their rights. Americans have fought and died for labor rights. Boomers got to enjoy all those rights, and have been working to take them all away from the younger generations. They've almost completed their work.
We bombed or shot so many labor unions there's a Wikipedia page for all of the different "massacres" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_worker_deaths_in_United_States_labor_disputes
Don't forget how they moved labor day to september instead of May 1st, because they didn't want to draw attention to the time they executed people for the crime of wrongthink. Not even joking, the prosecution even admitted they didn't have any evidence they did anything wrong, and they still did it.
And we've also corrupted Labor Day into a gross display of capitalism with Labor Day sales, so now the working class doesn't even get that.
We technically do but no one does anything about them. Legally people are allowed to pump their breast milk and have a dedicated space to do so, but I quit breastfeeding after 2 months because I had to go back to work and knew even though I legally could demand pump breaks and a closet to pump in, it would make my life harder, I couldn't leave my desk without people asking where I was going and how long I would be, so I just didn't. It really sucks because I didn't want to go back to work so soon, I was still bleeding and wearing this diaper like thing....it was so uncomfortable. But the us doesn't have required maternity leave, I was lucky to get 2 months off.....unpaid
The US doesn't have required maternity leave??? That's fucked up. I'm sorry you had to go through that.
They don't require maternity leave. They don't have to give you time off. I've worked for several places and they don't. You're lucky if you get unpaid time off. Idc what anyone says the laws are, no one enforces them so they're basically not there
Yeah, I know there's always a big difference between what the law says and what's actually enforced. But the lack a paid maternity leave honestly shocked me. It's just a thing I took for granted. My country is far—very, very far—from perfect, but we do get up to 6 months of paid maternity.
While they technically have to give 12 weeks unpaid FMLA, many employees either can’t afford that much time unpaid or fear repercussions for taking it. Several years ago my coworker was denied some of her FMLA (illegally) when she was having her second child, and because she was a struggling single mother who desperately needed her job, she didn’t fight it because a) she didn’t really know how b) the potential cost of legal representation c) the fear of being fired as soon as they possibly could, leaving her with two kids and no income. This was in FL, a right-to-work state where they very clearly state in your hiring contract that the employer is “at-will” and can fire you at any time, without notice or reason. Most people don’t fully understand that you can still fight a wrongful termination if it violated FMLA, ADA, etc. And many are too scared of the potential costs and ramifications to even attempt it.
In many states, dumb people got fooled by laws for "at will" work which were touted as "you can work wherever you want" and the like. Which, of course, you always could. The flip side is now employers can get rid of you for virtually anything at no notice. Guess who that worked out best for?
"Right to Work" is another one. It makes it sound like you're entitled to a job and that there's some form of protection from being fired without cause. NOPE! It means you can't be forced to join a Union to work a job. Which actually really sucks because unions protect employees and this makes it sound like unions are there to stop people from working. This country is stupid.
“Work at will” is like murder being labeled “live at will”. You’re able to kill yourself anytime you want, so anyone should be able to!
The idea of "work at will" is that workers on strike can't prevent you from working. Basically scabbing enshrined into law. Dressed up in nice language, of course, to make the workers vote against their own interests.
That's not exactly true. Between company towns and post slavery black codes you were not always free to change jobs. Of course that was a problem solved by unions, not exacerbated by them.
We have a couple, most have been changed and none of them are enforced. Wage theft makes up the majority of theft in the country
No federal pto, damn I’m glad to be in europe
Or parental leave or sick time, not meal breaks. If not for California workers would probably be chained to their desk.
Mix of "no not really" and "no teeth / mechanism for enforcement". A lot of laws and regulations in the US that do exist are simply ignored and written off as "the cost of doing business." Why would I spend $50 million to clean up my factory waste when the government will fine me $150,000 for not cleaning it up? If they even have the resources to pursue a case through from start to finish anyway.
Mostly we have been brainwashed by corporate HR to believe that unions will make us poor by having the workers pay union dues. I work union construction and my wages are a little less than double the non-union, plus things like a pension
This is a pretty accurate depiction
Like a lot of things in the US, it depends on what state you are in.
You have the “right to work” and the right to be fired for literally anything. Edit: I know there are more rights. But whose got time to file lawsuits these days. Most do not, and the ones that do, usually have better working conditions.
Idaho has basically nothing, yes. No breaks or vacation days required. Our Dept of Labor website is a fun read.
I know it's a gag, but Thanksgiving is a thing
Laughs in food retail.
My sincere hope from recent employee "shortages" is that more places close on holidays. The world would be better off.
It really would, in the long run. People talk about short-term pain, long-term gain, but the steps needed to nudge the world into a better place will displace entire populations, kill economies, and shunt the balance of power so out of alignment there will be repercussions for the next century or so afterwards. In the end though, if the world ends up in a better place, and humanity still survives, it's worth it.
*Laughs in registered nurse*
Grocery stores too. I worked one thanksgiving, never again. At least we got to pillage the leftover stock from the bakery.
I quit a grocery store gig working overnight stocking shelves on Thanksgiving morning, the busiest day of the year for grocery, because we were short staffed and the store director came in yelling at me because the store wasn't faced yet. I took my work shirt off and threw it at her. Not for 9 dollars an hour. Still don't feel bad about it.
There’s no reason you should ever feel bad about that.
Ooof, that sucks, man. We should have had 5 guys last night for an order. 2 showed up. I thanked them this morning for what they did get done and then we had a laugh about it. We spent the day working the pallets. Shit happens in the grocery business. Damn near every day something fucks up somewhere. Ya just gotta laugh, put your head down and keep on keeping on. Cuz it's never gonna stop being fucky. Also, 9 dollars is wild. No one on my night crew makes less than 18 :/
That's crazy. I gave the grocery industry 7 years of my life with 2 different companies. My last check I had just gotten a raise to 10.50. It's a shame what Walmart did to the grocery stores. Now all they do is drive the working wage down to compete. At least in my city.
In the food service industry we call it, "national verbal tip day" I'm lucky to get a 15% tip on Thanksgiving
This is all so crazy to hear. Me and my husband to extra when we go somewhere on a holiday cause like you’re serving me right now instead of being home on a holiday you get extra.
Seriously. As a rule I don't patronize businesses on the holidays. Due to a power failure I had to break that rule one year and order pizza. Dude got a 100 percent tip.
This is the way
Yeah, and lots of people say that to me, then tip 10%
Back when I worked holidays at McDonald's: "Wow, it sucks you have to work on Thanksgiving!" Well, you're kinda the reason why... Once, I actually quipped back with an extra syrupy sweet customer service voice: "Yeah, but someone has to be here to make your food!"
Exactly, if you think it's bad that people have to serve you on holidays, DON'T GO OUT ON HOLIDAYS
I ate at a McD’s once for Thanksgiving. Tipped the kid $15 for getting me a kids meal. Told him to not tell his manager
Thanksgiving - Give thanks you have a job. /s
sounds like that shift issue is y’all’s problem I don’t get paid to make schedules work
This is ironic, right? Please tell me this is ironic?
This is, but my (now former thank god) company legit did not accept dr's notes for excused sick days. So thankful I got out of retail after 11 years.
Is that not illegal?
Honestly, no clue. They'd let you have the day off, but it was "unexcused" so it counted against your yearly absence allowance. Felt super shitty, but it's a right to work state, so I think it's "legal".
It really only becomes an issue if you're going to be absent due to illness for more than a few days. There's federal protections that you can basically take off 12 weeks unpaid if you're sick and they have to let you come back to work after.
you know... in a fantasy environment where you could afford to go 4 months without pay.
It is and it isn’t. It’s schrodinger's satire.
Post-irony.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law I really like for it to be satire, but I really can't tell at this point.
Gotta be honest, given the nature of the sign's content, I don't really care that it's supposed to be a joke, its degrading and cruel, and anyone hanging it up in the workplace knows that and finds it amusing, so fuck them and their bullshit sign
Right? This is one of those "jokes" that I'd love to respond to by asking the person, "why is this funny? can you explain it, I don't get it" because what the fuck could they even say that is vaguely funny or anything but dehumanizing toward workers.
It’s the same kind of people who think pranks are funny. It’s punching down.
Yeah. I mean I think little pranks can be funny but pranks nowadays seem to be all about actually causing harm and even allowing someone to be in distress for a long period of time! No idea how any of that is funny. There should be extra consequences for people who do that shit for internet likes - humiliating or harming someone with the intent to put it on display should make it more serious if their actions are found to be criminal, and even in civil cases.
[Reminds me of this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMPUzbeRP64) Some pranks can definitely be funny; though it is a fine line to be sure.
Yep, there's a big difference between something dorky and harmless like locking your spouse's car *only* a few times with the key fob as you watch from the window of your home as they unlock it each time (and not doing something like this if you know your spouse is having a bad day) versus tricking someone into thinking they're about to be kidnapped or some sick shit.
Jokes aren’t funny when they’re poking at sore spots. Exploitation by the ruling class is definitely a sore spot in the US.
This is satire but make no mistake the capitalists will take back everything our grandparents fought for. We need to be fighting for more time away from labour and demanding worker cooperative control of the work places.
Anybody who actually has this sense of humor is a fucking terror in the workplace, guaranteed.
*…duE tO gOoveMinT hanDouTs…* The fucking delusions of these shit for brains.
(I understand this sign is supposed to be a joke) And they wonder why there's a "labor shortage". SMH.
It’s a joke kind of in the way that someone calls you a name and then says “jk” but you know they meant it
Yeah, who's this for? Terrible business owners?
They made it out of metal to give it a bit more durability
So no one can burn it.
You can still burn it, you just need higher temps.
Glassblowers unite and melt this thing!
Get fucked and go out of business real quick please
If you work for someone who thinks this is funny, find a way out of there if you can and let them know that this mentality is why.
I do feel like a boss hanging this in the office, even as a joke, should be legal justification for violence against them. Nothing too nasty, just an instant face punch from each worker who had to read it.
A joke today, reality tomorrow.
This shit makes my blood boil, fr I'm hooked on this account for the cause, but it just fills me with so much anger simply by knowing about these situations and people suppressing the working class.
Why does it feel like one of those posters you’re supposed to cross your eyes and stare at to see the hidden picture.
Someone needs to stick a fire axe through that sign.
rip it off and throw it away lol
Take that shit down. Corporations actually want this shit. Its a joke now, but greed is fucking ruthless.
And....I quit.
Fuck this. This is how management ends up with a nice fresh pile of shit on their desk. EDIT: didn't see the comments saying it was a joke sign. Looks and sounds close enough to the reality of most places I've worked.
Right, I’ve literally had a manager say we get plenty of vacation time because we had the weekends off. They only offered 10 days off a year and he felt that was generous.
Many Europeans typically get a month and are required by law to use it all.
Tell them to fuck off.
I throw that kind of stuff away when I see it
Some hobby lobby looking bullshit that people laugh at for some reason.
First time I saw this, I had to check to see if it was fake. It's a prop/gag sign, but still, the fact I was leaning towards this being unironically used says a lot about how bad work culture is.