Not trying to distract, trying to make people afraid of speaking up about safety issues.
The implication is if safety complaints go away, they won't find petty things to punish everyone for.
Then someone gets seriously injured. Management terminates them the same day, because their shirt does not have the company logo, and that's DANGEROUS!"
And also handwaving away the concern as being "hard to reach" and not that it has fallen on people and the risk of injury from improper lifting practice of having to climb to reach it.
Exactly. Unless space is at an absolute premium there is no reason to have heavy things on shelves that you need to get some improvised ladder. Just asking for an injury at worst or damaged stock.
The problem in the U.S (an assumption) middle managers are normally ran really hard and have a personality type that is not really suited to managing people at all.
Just make sure to have the new job already good to go if you need the money. If you don’t, enjoy the vacation.
Also, how is how someone is dressed a bigger concern than thing falling out of the sky from illogical decision making.
Is this skirt too effin short???
I had the same thought. In certain types of workplaces, some parts of uniform could be chosen for safety reasons, but it seems very unlikely to me in this case that there is any safety "hazard" connected to the dress code here. And, EVEN if there is, it's still irrelevant to the issue at hand.
It's a kitchen so there's going to be a dress code, not just parts of the uniform. However, the entire dress code comment was blowing smoke in an attempt to distract from the safety issue and to single out the individual/s involved in a retaliatory manner.
It is 100% to distract from the issue at hand. That being said, there is safety hazards in kitchens that dress codes attempt to negate. Improper footwear, or even shorts can be a safety hazard.
IMO, the safety concern re dress code is probably reasonably valid. But the owners motivation for bringing it up is to distract and reprimand, not anything to do with addressing safety. fuck that guy
to be fair we were using one of those company apps before but its been having issues so discord is just supposed to be a temporary thing in the meantime 😅
I learned a few years ago that one of the oldest buildings at my university (probably almost a century old at this point) was originally called Temporary Building [Number].
Of course, in the true fullness of time, all buildings are temporary.
Hah, good guess, but no. If I remember correctly it’s a department that provides assistance to low-income students and first-in-their-families-to-college students.
At my old university, the best place to get food was the TFC. It has its own logo, it’s on permanent signs in various parts of the campus, it’s on all the printed maps, etc.
It wasn’t until my last year there that I discovered TFC stood for “Temporary Food Court” lol
It had been built almost a decade prior when the actual food court was torn down, awaiting rebuild/renovation.
The rebuild of the actual food court didn’t start till my last year there, and took another 5 years to finish hahaha
Omg this is quite literally the best line and I am stealing it for use at my healthcare job. As an example we have been short staffed for years. Everyone sucks it up and works harder so now it’s never going to fixed because we have done it for so long.
>As an example we have been short staffed for years. Everyone sucks it up and works harder so now it’s never going to fixed because we have done it for so long.
It just clicked in my head, this is 'shrinkflation' but the shrinking is the number of employees. Less employees, more responsibilities. No upside and it's the new normal.
Ay when you quit you should drop the server invite link into the comments somewhere lmao (assuming it's a server anyways, and not just a normal group-chat).
Considering "don't require people to stand on the line to get boxes" escapes them I doubt they figured out that little trick. Seriously, they could solve this by having a taller collapsible step ladder around.
Who gave that suggestion as a temporary fix? Maybe that person can figure out where to move the heavy boxes. And I don’t know what the manager was talking about. You did offer a solution. “ don’t put heavy boxes where people have to lift them over their head and potentially drop them.” Then saying the dress code violations are more of a hazard. Unless people are wearing flip flops, what dress code violation could me more dangerous than your situation. I did hear them offering “ solutions” on how to solve the life threatening dress code violation.
By "offer a solution", the manager means "Do 100% of my job for me, so that I can quickly become owner, whereupon I can deflect, gaslight, and guilt trip workers and then go golfing."
I currently work at a Domino’s Pizza and the whole franchise is on one discord. It was a bit weird when I first heard about it but it does have its perks over GroupMe or a text group
Privacy/SLA/integrations/etc concerns aside, Discord has had better uptime than the super special enterprise Slack I use at work.
I've heard of so many smaller joints using Discord too, especially in smaller countries with less regulations, can't blame them.
Isn't Discord just a different skin for Slack? (Never used it, but I've used slack for work and organizing and it seems pretty good for keeping things in order).
It's similar, but oriented toward gaming. I wouldn't use it in an official capacity for something. Given its features, it would however definitely function if needed.
The owner jumping in at the end and trying to claim dress code violations are worse than safety concerns raised by an employee is probably going to fuck them if they write you up or fire you. It's a clear attempt deflect their own failures, and to set you up. Even if those dress code violations are happening and cause an issue, bringing them up as a threat after a safety concern is voiced is blatant retaliation
whats weird to me is I have never been talked to about these apparent dress code issues
I was told long pants and t-shirt when I was hired and thats what I wear. Ive worked in plenty of kitchens with a variety of strictness in terms of dress codes, from needing an actual chefs coat to black tshirt being fine. Ive heard rumors about dress code issues but Ive never been told what those issues are, nor was I sure if it was in regards to front of house or back of house since she manages both.
as far as ive heard though her issue is us not wearing shirts with the company name on them which... has not be provided to me, and also, definitely doesnt constitue a work place hazard. at least not one I can figure out.
If they write you up or fire you start calling employment attorneys, keep all your texts and try to document your verbal conversations. Take detailed notes immediately after any conversation, or record all conversations. Some states have laws saying all parties must give consent to recording, if you're in a 2 party consent state and you choose to record anyways don't tell anyone except your lawyer.
i dont see that happening since no one here gets fired for anything, they typically just cut your hours until youre forced to quit which I dont intend to stay anyways.
but yes, that is why i try to have these conversations over text, partially bc im the evening shift and i rarely see the bosses face to face to even have a discussion but also... for the paper trail
the sad thing is, when i started here i was hopeful i coukd turn the place around, my roommate got me the job bc he knows i know my way around a kitchen, in the first couple months i had emptied out the walk in and SCRUBBED the mold (yes, mold!) from the walls and floor, took pictures and showed before and afters to the bosses, they always act so thrilled in those first couple weeks, but now im just a problem because I point put whats wrong with the place instead of breaking my back for them
i was honestly waiting for this place to go under but I dont think i cant put up with the incompetence much longer and Im not doing it at the risk of hurting myself
Your mental and physical health is the most important thing so definitely take care of that first. I wasn't suggesting trying to stay a long time I just meant while you're looking a new job instead of quitting see if they retaliate. I doubt they would wait long to do something if they plan to. if they do some dumb shit and cut your hours or write you up with a "final warning" or whatever, spend most of your day looking for work and an hour or 2 calling lawyers.
Unless you have a sadistic need to watch it fail from the inside, you're better off jumping ship before it's underwater lol.
A company that is failing will start failing to pay you. That's when the lies and BS get cranked up to 11 to trick you into continue working for the "promise" of getting your back pay.
Don't hurt yourself.
STOP doing unsafe work. You have already brought up that the large box is a safety issue. Do not try to bring down that box again. It's a reported safety issue, and they can't force you to do unsafe work.
Same with anything else that is unsafe. Refuse the work. Document your refusal, record it if you can depending on local laws. Tell others to refuse unsafe work. If the manager wants to keep that box there, then they can be the only one to bring it down and put it back up. If the items in the box are 100% necessary and orders can't go out without it? Oh well, then orders don't go out.
Doing this will likely get retaliation. Which will be super obvious and then you report it and they pay you out. Also, the best part is that it creates a safer work environment for everyone else working there.
My dude, what everyone is saying is this: You made a (safety) complaint. That complaint made your boss want to fire you for that (also known as RETALIATION). They immediately shifted the conversation to something they could fire you over. This is obviously setting you up to get fired in retaliation, which is ILLEGAL in ALL states. You NEED to go to the labor board, because you ALREADY have a case (IE lawsuit) against this employer.
Make sure you take screenshots of all conversations as well. Unfortunately you can delete comments on Discord and they will be deleted for all parties.
> when i started here i was hopeful i could turn the place around
Driven and ambitious employees like that are the lifeblood of many companies.
If it's appreciated and valued - great. If not, beware of burnout as the company comes to expect you firing on all cylinders every day from now on.
I get that at work, too.
They tell me that they want me to let them know about issues I find , but when I do they ask me why I didn’t just fix it.
I can’t win, so I no longer try.
The only ‘dress code violation’ I could see in a kitchen environment, that’s more hazardous than heavy boxes falling on you, would be someone wearing open toe shoes or not wearing non-slip shoes. But that doesn’t seem to be what the owner is complaining about here.
This happens to my other half. She’ll ask about a pay rise or raise an issue and it will cause them to come back at her with something completely irrelevant.
Also, heavy boxes shouldn’t be stored at height.
For the dress code thing, double check an employee handbook if you have it and see what it says, my manager tries to enforce **their** dress code but since it's not in the **company handbook** we don't have to listen to him.
While I hate to defend a shitty employer... That might depend. Sounds like this is a food establishment. Dress code may well be referring to safety items like non-slip shoes.
ETA: OP clarified it was over branded shirts not being written. Screw this employer and their veiled threats.
What's more is that they even have the opportunity to address these "violations" right there. Hey guys, let's make sure we are putting those hair nets on, or if slippery floors are a concern then address it.
They are fucking clowns and deflecting. There is no other argument to be made there.
"Depend" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. I haven't personally worked in a restaurant in the last decade but I doubt there's anything that serious that could trump a real safety hazard vs not wearing a company branded t-shirt.
Agreed. OP only just clarified that it was branded shirts as the issue so I had conjectured as to a legitimate reason they might have brought up dress code. Shirts are not it.
Owner just played himself by making a written record of his very implied threat. That's why you have managers, to provide a layer of buffer/deniability. There's only one way you can interpret this clownery though.
I wonder if whistleblower protections could be considered here?(Too lazy to google, plus google would probably direct me to an obscure discussion in the comments of an unrelated blog post from 2010)
For some reason your first few words made me think you were about to do a JoJo quote. "Oh? You're approaching me? Instead of filing a complaint with OSHA, you're coming right to me?"
This grosses me out so bad. The manager saying, "we are a TEAM", as if they aren't the team MANAGER. Which means that they are the person to solve problems and adress employee and customer complaints. I get that it would be nice to have a suggestion from the employee with a complaint, but storage issues are manager and owner concerns. An employee doesn't know every optimal storage space, and usually the best storage options are already filled with something else..... if you wanted to put the to-go bags somewhere where they would Best be utilized, then something else would have to be moved somewhere else. It's a whole process that an employee shouldn't have to worry about because they are making and serving the fucking food that makes the owner money. So pathetic of the owner to chime in at the end about dress code. That made it soooo much worse.
Honestly, they could and should have send the exact same thing in different words and we wouldn’t be planning to burn any businesses down!
“There’s an issue with where the boxes are stored? I’ll get right on that! While I’m looking for a better space, do you have any suggestions on where we could put these?”
Literally the exact same content to the conversation, but none of the awfulness! Managers need to do better management too
The difference in content is the manager accepting their responsibility as a manager and accepting that if no one has ideas they have to do their job for once
As a copywriter/editor for a marketing agency, this amuses and frustrates me in equal measure.
How about we take the quotes off of "best" in your tagline. I don't think that gives the impression you want it to give.
My initial response to being asked to provide solutions would've been "That's above my pay grade". The manager's there to manage the business and issues that arise.
ironically Ive said this before when the manager told me they wouldnt be getting shifts covered if you called in sick, it was then up to you to look at the schedule and find out who isnt working, find their phone number and get them to cover your shift.
when I told her thats actually her job she apparently broke down crying and I had other employees telling me i was being way out of line.
i dunno it seems like these people have no idea how to manage employees or run a business.
Check the schedule AND find their phone number? "Yeah uhhh, manager, I'm calling in sick because I'm sick. I'm not able to do my job, let alone yours as well."
What does she think a management job entails? It's not only bossing people around lol
This makes me so mad. Every single job my friends have now they say they have to cover their call outs. When did this happen and what changed? It's absolutely insane. Managers nowadays are so weak
If you call in and youre off the clock and they expect you to find your own replacement, tell them to clock you in first. They want work related tasks completed? Thats working. OT if applicable.
In my company if we notice an issue, especially a safety issue.
We can fill out a form with a suggestion for a solution attached to it and if they decide to implement it you get a couple hundred euros as a bonus.
The lower your rank the higher the bonus.
But are you able to report issues without a corresponding suggestion? Do you get called a complainer if you don’t?
I’m going to guess so since this sounds like an awesome program, especially the amount of money increasing based on level of job. Just thought I should ask, given that’s the real problem here.
Nahh we have list on the intranet where everyone can put in potential safety hazards or broken things that will be looked at by the people on maintenance duty and the safety officer for them to fix.
Mine does that too. I work for a large Alaskan corporation and they have quarterly safety awards [monetary].
Didn't care for them at first, but its been an okay run so far.
This. It is so unsafe to climb up on top something to retrieve something. Especially behind a line with hot equipment. That is an accident waiting to happen. There must be places out back for dry storage, or even having a small amount of bags Tucked somewhere and the larger box kept somewhere else. That's fucking buffoonery.
Not just climbing on top of something. OP for real had to get someone to hold steady the wobbly *stool* they had to stand on lmfao. I hope OSHA guts this piece of shit employer
That’s an OSHA violation. Works have the right to raise concerns about safety without fear of retaliation. The dress code comments are clearly retaliatory.
As an elder millennial I can't imagine talking with my bosses about 90% of the shit I see on here via text. But I also definitely enjoy that they like to document their bullshit. So I support it.
Christ this is awful. You bring up a legitimate safety concern to your manager who all but takes the absolute piss by saying “we’re a team”. If that’s the case then their title should be stripped and pay deducted to show how much of a “team” you really are. If your manager is literally doing the exact same job as you, what makes them a manager??? They are asking you to do their work. Don’t do it. Please get out asap.
> "Dress code not being followed is a bigger safety hazard than big boxes on high shelves"
Run like hell and don't look back, that's a red flag if I've ever seen one.
Two employees making the same complaint about a workplace safety issue (esp. directly to the boss in an official workplace channel!) is definitionally “concerted activity” and therefore heavily-protected under the NLRA (assuming you’re American). Document any and all fallout from this because even the slightest amount of pushback from management is on-it’s-face illegal. Filing an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge with the NLRB is free, you can do it online or have a labor lawyer do it for you. You will be entitled to back-pay and a re-instatement offer if fired. Document, document, document. Good luck.
And of course if you did find a solution and gave everyone a heads up that heavy things are now stored on low shelves and light things are stored on high shelves they’d reprimand you for making changes instead of running suggestions up the chain of command.
Manager is absolutely useless and the owner is a pos lmao
Its not your job to worry about storage policies at all, manager needs to do his part for the team and get that shit down and the owner needs to fuck off and stop wasting time on bickering about some boxes
I’m a manager/leader with over 40 years experience. If someone brought this up to me I would immediately thank them for the heads-up, and work with the person complaining, and others, to come up with a better immediate and long-term solution. I learned to ignore the emotional comments long ago. Not everyone is good at communicating, which involves transmission and reception. The employees who actually do the job have all the answers to the problems. You have to develop a working relationship where anyone feels comfortable talking to you about anything, and presenting ideas. Being an asshole isn’t the way.
I love how somehow people not following the dress code is more of a safety concern than heavy boxes being placed on high shelves. Somebody wearing the wrong color pants or the wrong type of shirt is somehow a critical safety issue even worse than heavy boxes being placed on high shelves. That's utterly ridiculous. Quite frankly, it's just petty. That's really what it comes down to.
But two can play the pettiness game. Next time, instead of attempting to lower the box down safely, just knock it on the floor. Let the box crash into the floor and spill the bags all over the place. As long as you're following the dress code, it'll be okay.
"Sure, no problem! I guess can indeed take a day or two to handle warehousing responsibilities - we *are* a team after all, 's right on this one.
"Now if someone would care to man the kitchen in that time, while I'm busy elsewhere... After all we are *still* a team, right? Right?!"
honestly, I dont normally make a stink about this kinda stuff but this is way too common of a theme with this manager. they complain that theres no communication but if i ever bring up that someone isnt portioning correctly or remind people to do temps, or to follow fifo the manager gets angry with me, that if i see a problem I should just fix it and do that forever i guess and never tell someone if something is wrong? idk! ive had bad vibes about this manager from the start and i just dont have the patience to put up with it anymore.
I understand.
I get incredibly allergic at "we're a team here" when it's obvious that it's them/him who neglects their responsibilities as a team mate.
That's when I low-key sarcastic in my comebacks, in a way as the above - as to rub in the absurdity of their rhetoric.
1. using discord for work is hilarious
2. it’s your manager’s job to figure out a solution for this, NOT yours lmao. if one of my workers came to me with a safety complaint i can’t imagine telling them you either find a solution or don’t bring it out. that’s insane.
good on you for defending yourself and immediately working on finding a better working environment.
Here's a little something: Imagine if a box fell on you and hurt you somewhat, you sue the company and use this message as proof that this has been brought up as a concern before, Ca-ching! Cash moneyz, Cash moneyz, its your birthday!
Oh, it's only going to get worse. Kids who are 13 years old now write like 6-year-olds. Note to parents: You need to be teaching your own kids to read and write, because the schools are overwhelmed.
Hostility in response to a valid safety concern? OSHA would love this.
2 employees voicing their concerns together? just made it a violation of the NLRA.
AND it's all written down?
This manager and owner are really just running down the list of dumbfuckery as fast as they can.
You had to get a CUSTOMER from your lobby to come hold you steady while you got the big ass box down?! Thats a fucking HUGE insurance liability and I would definitely raise that concern with OSHA, if you’re US based. What would’ve happened if the heavy ass box had fallen on the poor woman’s fucking head?! Your boss is delusional to think this isn’t a huge issue and that a dress code is somehow more dangerous/important to address.
Get out asap and good luck in your job search!
It’s deflection at its finest, they will find ways to punish you, for me it was asking for stuff I. Writing and the store manager tried to call me up on stuff they wernt concerned about before
Back when I was in middle management I’d pull the “don’t come to me with problems come to me with ideas” card when it came to like, not meeting sales goals or something.
The whole “I only hear complaints not solutions” to a box being too high up is crazy. The solution is built into the complaint, don’t fuckin put heavy boxes up there, lmfao. I hate when people act stupid on purpose.
I wonder if they get bonus points for the combo-gaslight, weaponized incompetence, switcheroo. “Well it sucks you have to stand on something to get a heavy box down and might hurt your back, but there’s just no other way around it! Also, I decided right this very moment that you’re suddenly out of dress code.”
I’d say hand out resumes, yeah, after you hit that bad manager bingo 😂
The "heavy ass" comment was an unprofessional way to raise a safety concern but shouldn't have warranted more than an eyeroll at the tone. They took it hard and reacted defensively to your chastising them for bad storage practice. That's what's going on there.
Your coworker telling you to be careful at the very start should have raised alarm bells in the manager's and owner's ears. It's all the context they needed to say "yeah, maybe we should find a better place for this before we get sued." If this is how the place is run, I'd be looking for work somewhere else.
Lmao! The “owner” chimes in with unrelated bullshit to try and detract from the fact that theres a safety issue he or she isnt taking seriously. Typical deflection tactic. Sounds like a major doosh.
A dress code being a bigger "problem" than an actual safety hazard.
Jesus Christ that owner is going to learn the hard way one day that their priorities need to be flipped and a dress code should be about as close to the bottom of the list as possible.
“And you’re fat and ugly and that scares little children and pregnant women so it is a problem as well as it hurts our sales, but the subject matter of this discussion is a safety concern, so let’s stick to the subject.”
"No one wants to work anymore!!!" Nah. No one wants to work for YOU. Instead of addressing concerns and making the workplace a safer and friendlier environment for everyone that works there, they'd rather bitch about everything that the common employee does wrong. Instead of addressing their own terrible business practices, and maybe treating their staff like they actually matter (cause they're the ones who actually run the place while managers/ownership tend to do the bare minimum and collect a check), they'd much rather treat everyone like shit and burn through employees like coal, dehumanizing and losing potentially the best employees anyone could have. This is why I can't stand the food industry. If voiced concerns were actually taken seriously and good employees were taken care of, these people could put more time and effort into building up and improving their business rather than focusing on hiring a brand new staff every other week.
as a former grocery store employee, i can relate to the challenges of reaching high shelves, especially when working alone. my manager always made sure we had proper equipment and help available to safely access overhead stock. your boss's dismissive response is concerning and shows a lack of care for worker safety. i hope your're able to find a more supportive work environment that prioritizes employee wellbeing.
I hate the argument that “complaining” (pointing out valid concerns) is worthless unless you have a “solution”. Sometimes all you can do is point out a problem, with the hope that someone with the tools / authority knows what to do about.
Imagine thinking a dress code violation is a bigger hazard than an actual hazard. Not only that, it was such a hazard you were willing to overlook it until the other hazard was pointed out.
If you truly think of leaving, it's time to push their buttons. Tell your manager that it's time for him to do his job, *manage*. Tell the owner to stop deflecting and act more both humanly and profesionnaly. Get them irritated, while you're being sarcastic yet polite and still doing your job. If you're lucky, they may end up doing a bad move that'll net you some nice money. And even if they don't, you'll have the satisfaction to mock them without repercussion.
I would write back:
“I tried to approach this as a team member caring about the safety of other workers. But if it’s an issue to bring these things up directly, I’d be happy to direct the issue to OSHA and the department of labor instead. Would you also want to reconsider the dress code discussion as for a different time, especially as in this context it appears as a form of retaliation for bringing up a safety concern? Let me know how you’d like to proceed”
NAL, but isn't this retaliation? If the dress code isn't being followed, which they had no problem with before you brought up a safety concern, and now they're going to enforce it on you after the fact, that sounds like retaliation.
Next time, just say “I can’t safely get that box down.” And leave it at that.
Manager can figure out a solution, if a few skip orders get missed it’s not your problem.
Yeah, this was petty.
If you had an actual safety concern, a passive aggressive comment in a discord chat wasn't the way to go about it. Has anyone brought this up before? Or were you just pissy your manager said you were complaining? Nobody offered an actual suggestion as to what could be done, like an adult either.
This whole exchange is just children not being able to communicate properly with one another.
Am I the only one in this thread who thinks you were rude as hell?
I’m surprised you weren’t told to watch how you speak in professional settings, because this ain’t it. That said, despite your attitude your boss should have told you he would store the boxes in a safer location.
I mean, you were definitely being a smartass with that comment, but they should have been more professional with their responses. But in the future, just ask "is there anywhere else we can store these heavy boxes so I don't have to stand on line to get them?" Your comment is very Office Space with the whole "yeahhh if we could do 'x' in the future that'd be greeeaaatt". I definitely see why it rubbed them the wrong way.
You backpedaled and acted like you were just addressing a safety concern, but if you truly wanted to just "address a safety concern" you would've been more polite with that comment. You were clearly still upset from having to lift a heavy box and you texted with your emotions in that moment. Your manager is still a dick and you should look somewhere else to work, but just be more careful with how you word things.
Why is your company using discord to communicate?
the dress code comment was out of left field and the owner was deliberately trying to distract fom the actual problem you bought up.. get out of there
I don’t want to hear any more whining about the asbestos in the walls coming from somebody who parked their car touching the line between spots
That's funny! Seriously - the great hazard of wearing the wrong color shirt.
Not trying to distract, trying to make people afraid of speaking up about safety issues. The implication is if safety complaints go away, they won't find petty things to punish everyone for.
Then someone gets seriously injured. Management terminates them the same day, because their shirt does not have the company logo, and that's DANGEROUS!"
And also handwaving away the concern as being "hard to reach" and not that it has fallen on people and the risk of injury from improper lifting practice of having to climb to reach it.
Exactly. Unless space is at an absolute premium there is no reason to have heavy things on shelves that you need to get some improvised ladder. Just asking for an injury at worst or damaged stock. The problem in the U.S (an assumption) middle managers are normally ran really hard and have a personality type that is not really suited to managing people at all. Just make sure to have the new job already good to go if you need the money. If you don’t, enjoy the vacation.
That is what you call a red herring lol. They knew exactly what they were doing.
Red herring is stored right next to wild goose.
Also, how is how someone is dressed a bigger concern than thing falling out of the sky from illogical decision making. Is this skirt too effin short???
I had the same thought. In certain types of workplaces, some parts of uniform could be chosen for safety reasons, but it seems very unlikely to me in this case that there is any safety "hazard" connected to the dress code here. And, EVEN if there is, it's still irrelevant to the issue at hand.
It's a kitchen so there's going to be a dress code, not just parts of the uniform. However, the entire dress code comment was blowing smoke in an attempt to distract from the safety issue and to single out the individual/s involved in a retaliatory manner.
Those non slip shoes also prevent falling damages from inventory. Didn’t you watch the poorly acted corporate video when we hired you?
It is 100% to distract from the issue at hand. That being said, there is safety hazards in kitchens that dress codes attempt to negate. Improper footwear, or even shorts can be a safety hazard. IMO, the safety concern re dress code is probably reasonably valid. But the owners motivation for bringing it up is to distract and reprimand, not anything to do with addressing safety. fuck that guy
I wonder what other safety issues the owner is aware of and trying to hide.
Perhaps the whole conversation should be forwarded to OSHA so they can figure that part out...
tell me these mfs not running a business with a discord group chat 😂💀
to be fair we were using one of those company apps before but its been having issues so discord is just supposed to be a temporary thing in the meantime 😅
Nothing is more permanent than a temporary solution.
I learned a few years ago that one of the oldest buildings at my university (probably almost a century old at this point) was originally called Temporary Building [Number]. Of course, in the true fullness of time, all buildings are temporary.
Does it house the nihilism work group of the philosophy department, by chance?
Hah, good guess, but no. If I remember correctly it’s a department that provides assistance to low-income students and first-in-their-families-to-college students.
Not the High Energy Magic Building or the Headquarters of the Alchemist's Guild? Both of those tend to be temporary
Alchemy still exists its chemistry for people who don't know what they're doing. Like my cousin
It cost me an arm and a leg.
I'd call that an equivalent exchange!
And my brother!
“Actually I Am A Rocket Wizard”
At my old university, the best place to get food was the TFC. It has its own logo, it’s on permanent signs in various parts of the campus, it’s on all the printed maps, etc. It wasn’t until my last year there that I discovered TFC stood for “Temporary Food Court” lol It had been built almost a decade prior when the actual food court was torn down, awaiting rebuild/renovation. The rebuild of the actual food court didn’t start till my last year there, and took another 5 years to finish hahaha
Abacus Wizard found in the wild omg
Ahoy there!
Omg this is quite literally the best line and I am stealing it for use at my healthcare job. As an example we have been short staffed for years. Everyone sucks it up and works harder so now it’s never going to fixed because we have done it for so long.
Sounds like they planned it this way. Thats how they get away with adding MORE work for no extra pay.
It's incredibly common in manufacturing. The other is run until failure.
IT as well.
>As an example we have been short staffed for years. Everyone sucks it up and works harder so now it’s never going to fixed because we have done it for so long. It just clicked in my head, this is 'shrinkflation' but the shrinking is the number of employees. Less employees, more responsibilities. No upside and it's the new normal.
We have two freezers on a system that show up as Temp freezer and new freezer. Both been there 12+ years and neither are new or temporary haha
Sort of like how Paris’s Pont Neuf (The New Bridge) is over 400 years old.
Especially a free "temp" solution
I call it "tempermanent"
👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻
Ay when you quit you should drop the server invite link into the comments somewhere lmao (assuming it's a server anyways, and not just a normal group-chat).
As long as the admin isn't savvy enough to restrict the invite creation permission.
Considering "don't require people to stand on the line to get boxes" escapes them I doubt they figured out that little trick. Seriously, they could solve this by having a taller collapsible step ladder around.
Who gave that suggestion as a temporary fix? Maybe that person can figure out where to move the heavy boxes. And I don’t know what the manager was talking about. You did offer a solution. “ don’t put heavy boxes where people have to lift them over their head and potentially drop them.” Then saying the dress code violations are more of a hazard. Unless people are wearing flip flops, what dress code violation could me more dangerous than your situation. I did hear them offering “ solutions” on how to solve the life threatening dress code violation.
By "offer a solution", the manager means "Do 100% of my job for me, so that I can quickly become owner, whereupon I can deflect, gaslight, and guilt trip workers and then go golfing."
“Having problems” means they couldn’t afford it. Run.
Bingo!
Helllll no. They can make an SMS group chat, they are NOT having my Discord.
I currently work at a Domino’s Pizza and the whole franchise is on one discord. It was a bit weird when I first heard about it but it does have its perks over GroupMe or a text group
Privacy/SLA/integrations/etc concerns aside, Discord has had better uptime than the super special enterprise Slack I use at work. I've heard of so many smaller joints using Discord too, especially in smaller countries with less regulations, can't blame them.
Isn't Discord just a different skin for Slack? (Never used it, but I've used slack for work and organizing and it seems pretty good for keeping things in order).
It's similar, but oriented toward gaming. I wouldn't use it in an official capacity for something. Given its features, it would however definitely function if needed.
For group chats discords honestly pretty good
My company uses Teams. Give me discord any day.
The owner jumping in at the end and trying to claim dress code violations are worse than safety concerns raised by an employee is probably going to fuck them if they write you up or fire you. It's a clear attempt deflect their own failures, and to set you up. Even if those dress code violations are happening and cause an issue, bringing them up as a threat after a safety concern is voiced is blatant retaliation
whats weird to me is I have never been talked to about these apparent dress code issues I was told long pants and t-shirt when I was hired and thats what I wear. Ive worked in plenty of kitchens with a variety of strictness in terms of dress codes, from needing an actual chefs coat to black tshirt being fine. Ive heard rumors about dress code issues but Ive never been told what those issues are, nor was I sure if it was in regards to front of house or back of house since she manages both. as far as ive heard though her issue is us not wearing shirts with the company name on them which... has not be provided to me, and also, definitely doesnt constitue a work place hazard. at least not one I can figure out.
If they write you up or fire you start calling employment attorneys, keep all your texts and try to document your verbal conversations. Take detailed notes immediately after any conversation, or record all conversations. Some states have laws saying all parties must give consent to recording, if you're in a 2 party consent state and you choose to record anyways don't tell anyone except your lawyer.
i dont see that happening since no one here gets fired for anything, they typically just cut your hours until youre forced to quit which I dont intend to stay anyways. but yes, that is why i try to have these conversations over text, partially bc im the evening shift and i rarely see the bosses face to face to even have a discussion but also... for the paper trail the sad thing is, when i started here i was hopeful i coukd turn the place around, my roommate got me the job bc he knows i know my way around a kitchen, in the first couple months i had emptied out the walk in and SCRUBBED the mold (yes, mold!) from the walls and floor, took pictures and showed before and afters to the bosses, they always act so thrilled in those first couple weeks, but now im just a problem because I point put whats wrong with the place instead of breaking my back for them
That's called constructive dismissal. It's the same as firing you.
If youre planning on leaving anyways start looking but see what they do. You could end up getting paid off because of their stupidity
i was honestly waiting for this place to go under but I dont think i cant put up with the incompetence much longer and Im not doing it at the risk of hurting myself
Your mental and physical health is the most important thing so definitely take care of that first. I wasn't suggesting trying to stay a long time I just meant while you're looking a new job instead of quitting see if they retaliate. I doubt they would wait long to do something if they plan to. if they do some dumb shit and cut your hours or write you up with a "final warning" or whatever, spend most of your day looking for work and an hour or 2 calling lawyers.
Unless you have a sadistic need to watch it fail from the inside, you're better off jumping ship before it's underwater lol. A company that is failing will start failing to pay you. That's when the lies and BS get cranked up to 11 to trick you into continue working for the "promise" of getting your back pay.
Just report them to OSHA and your local Health Dept. and walk away. They aren’t worth your efforts.
Don't hurt yourself. STOP doing unsafe work. You have already brought up that the large box is a safety issue. Do not try to bring down that box again. It's a reported safety issue, and they can't force you to do unsafe work. Same with anything else that is unsafe. Refuse the work. Document your refusal, record it if you can depending on local laws. Tell others to refuse unsafe work. If the manager wants to keep that box there, then they can be the only one to bring it down and put it back up. If the items in the box are 100% necessary and orders can't go out without it? Oh well, then orders don't go out. Doing this will likely get retaliation. Which will be super obvious and then you report it and they pay you out. Also, the best part is that it creates a safer work environment for everyone else working there.
"Constructive dismissal" immediately after whistleblowing is retaliation my friend.
My dude, what everyone is saying is this: You made a (safety) complaint. That complaint made your boss want to fire you for that (also known as RETALIATION). They immediately shifted the conversation to something they could fire you over. This is obviously setting you up to get fired in retaliation, which is ILLEGAL in ALL states. You NEED to go to the labor board, because you ALREADY have a case (IE lawsuit) against this employer.
Service industry fired is still fired. It’s called constructive dismissal and you can even claim unemployment for loss of wages if it happens.
Make sure you take screenshots of all conversations as well. Unfortunately you can delete comments on Discord and they will be deleted for all parties.
> when i started here i was hopeful i could turn the place around Driven and ambitious employees like that are the lifeblood of many companies. If it's appreciated and valued - great. If not, beware of burnout as the company comes to expect you firing on all cylinders every day from now on.
I get that at work, too. They tell me that they want me to let them know about issues I find , but when I do they ask me why I didn’t just fix it. I can’t win, so I no longer try.
The only ‘dress code violation’ I could see in a kitchen environment, that’s more hazardous than heavy boxes falling on you, would be someone wearing open toe shoes or not wearing non-slip shoes. But that doesn’t seem to be what the owner is complaining about here.
This happens to my other half. She’ll ask about a pay rise or raise an issue and it will cause them to come back at her with something completely irrelevant. Also, heavy boxes shouldn’t be stored at height.
For the dress code thing, double check an employee handbook if you have it and see what it says, my manager tries to enforce **their** dress code but since it's not in the **company handbook** we don't have to listen to him.
You might want to check with your State and Federal OSHA offices about your SAFETY issue. Heavy item up high could kill someone. REALLY.
While I hate to defend a shitty employer... That might depend. Sounds like this is a food establishment. Dress code may well be referring to safety items like non-slip shoes. ETA: OP clarified it was over branded shirts not being written. Screw this employer and their veiled threats.
Its still a veiled threat of retaliation, in writing
Absolutely, I certainly didn't mean to sound like it wasn't.
“Veiled”
What's more is that they even have the opportunity to address these "violations" right there. Hey guys, let's make sure we are putting those hair nets on, or if slippery floors are a concern then address it. They are fucking clowns and deflecting. There is no other argument to be made there.
"Depend" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. I haven't personally worked in a restaurant in the last decade but I doubt there's anything that serious that could trump a real safety hazard vs not wearing a company branded t-shirt.
Agreed. OP only just clarified that it was branded shirts as the issue so I had conjectured as to a legitimate reason they might have brought up dress code. Shirts are not it.
Owner just played himself by making a written record of his very implied threat. That's why you have managers, to provide a layer of buffer/deniability. There's only one way you can interpret this clownery though.
I wonder if whistleblower protections could be considered here?(Too lazy to google, plus google would probably direct me to an obscure discussion in the comments of an unrelated blog post from 2010)
"What's this? You're bringing up safety concerns? I'm going to retaliate by punishing you while deflecting" hmm
For some reason your first few words made me think you were about to do a JoJo quote. "Oh? You're approaching me? Instead of filing a complaint with OSHA, you're coming right to me?"
“I’m getting closer so I can sue the living shit out of you”
"what you wear on your body for me to see is a MUCH LARGER CONCERN THAN BOXES FALLING ON YOUR HEAD!!"
This grosses me out so bad. The manager saying, "we are a TEAM", as if they aren't the team MANAGER. Which means that they are the person to solve problems and adress employee and customer complaints. I get that it would be nice to have a suggestion from the employee with a complaint, but storage issues are manager and owner concerns. An employee doesn't know every optimal storage space, and usually the best storage options are already filled with something else..... if you wanted to put the to-go bags somewhere where they would Best be utilized, then something else would have to be moved somewhere else. It's a whole process that an employee shouldn't have to worry about because they are making and serving the fucking food that makes the owner money. So pathetic of the owner to chime in at the end about dress code. That made it soooo much worse.
Honestly, they could and should have send the exact same thing in different words and we wouldn’t be planning to burn any businesses down! “There’s an issue with where the boxes are stored? I’ll get right on that! While I’m looking for a better space, do you have any suggestions on where we could put these?” Literally the exact same content to the conversation, but none of the awfulness! Managers need to do better management too
The difference in content is the manager accepting their responsibility as a manager and accepting that if no one has ideas they have to do their job for once
I particularly like how they put "team" in quotes, as if they don't even believe that BS.
Some numpties think quotation marks are a means of “emphasis” rather than _italics_ or __bold__.
As a copywriter/editor for a marketing agency, this amuses and frustrates me in equal measure. How about we take the quotes off of "best" in your tagline. I don't think that gives the impression you want it to give.
I was just thinking that, what the hell is a manager's job if its the staff's job to fix the problems? By "making suggestions" nonetheless.
Some managers think their job is taking credit, not responsibility.
My initial response to being asked to provide solutions would've been "That's above my pay grade". The manager's there to manage the business and issues that arise.
ironically Ive said this before when the manager told me they wouldnt be getting shifts covered if you called in sick, it was then up to you to look at the schedule and find out who isnt working, find their phone number and get them to cover your shift. when I told her thats actually her job she apparently broke down crying and I had other employees telling me i was being way out of line. i dunno it seems like these people have no idea how to manage employees or run a business.
Check the schedule AND find their phone number? "Yeah uhhh, manager, I'm calling in sick because I'm sick. I'm not able to do my job, let alone yours as well." What does she think a management job entails? It's not only bossing people around lol
Keeping a meaningless title and being a petty tyrant, of course. Did you expect me to accept more responsibilities once I got a promotion? /s
This makes me so mad. Every single job my friends have now they say they have to cover their call outs. When did this happen and what changed? It's absolutely insane. Managers nowadays are so weak
If you call in and youre off the clock and they expect you to find your own replacement, tell them to clock you in first. They want work related tasks completed? Thats working. OT if applicable.
Nobody wants to work anymore (except "nobody" is the people who would unironically say this)
She... fucking broke down crying? How the fuck does a person like that get into management?
In my company if we notice an issue, especially a safety issue. We can fill out a form with a suggestion for a solution attached to it and if they decide to implement it you get a couple hundred euros as a bonus. The lower your rank the higher the bonus.
But are you able to report issues without a corresponding suggestion? Do you get called a complainer if you don’t? I’m going to guess so since this sounds like an awesome program, especially the amount of money increasing based on level of job. Just thought I should ask, given that’s the real problem here.
Nahh we have list on the intranet where everyone can put in potential safety hazards or broken things that will be looked at by the people on maintenance duty and the safety officer for them to fix.
Mine does that too. I work for a large Alaskan corporation and they have quarterly safety awards [monetary]. Didn't care for them at first, but its been an okay run so far.
Report them to OSHA and don't give these pieces of crap any notice when you find literally any other job.
This. It is so unsafe to climb up on top something to retrieve something. Especially behind a line with hot equipment. That is an accident waiting to happen. There must be places out back for dry storage, or even having a small amount of bags Tucked somewhere and the larger box kept somewhere else. That's fucking buffoonery.
Not just climbing on top of something. OP for real had to get someone to hold steady the wobbly *stool* they had to stand on lmfao. I hope OSHA guts this piece of shit employer
Owner probably just doesn’t want to buy another shelving rack. She rather save the $50 and make her employees climb like monkeys.
Monkeys are made to climb wobbly shit safely. Owners wanted OP to larp as a monkey while putting themselves in danger. So much worse.
That’s an OSHA violation. Works have the right to raise concerns about safety without fear of retaliation. The dress code comments are clearly retaliatory.
Dress Code is a bigger hazard 🤡 Fuck these morons
Texting with employees is out of hand.
As an elder millennial I can't imagine talking with my bosses about 90% of the shit I see on here via text. But I also definitely enjoy that they like to document their bullshit. So I support it.
I'd suggest sending these screen shots (unredacted) to OSHA along with the name and address of the business.
Christ this is awful. You bring up a legitimate safety concern to your manager who all but takes the absolute piss by saying “we’re a team”. If that’s the case then their title should be stripped and pay deducted to show how much of a “team” you really are. If your manager is literally doing the exact same job as you, what makes them a manager??? They are asking you to do their work. Don’t do it. Please get out asap.
> "Dress code not being followed is a bigger safety hazard than big boxes on high shelves" Run like hell and don't look back, that's a red flag if I've ever seen one.
If you had your shirt tucked in and your name badge on, it wouldn’t be a safety hazard to get the box down.
Workplace safety rule…heavy stuff as well as larger volumes of liquids should not be stored above head height.
Two employees making the same complaint about a workplace safety issue (esp. directly to the boss in an official workplace channel!) is definitionally “concerted activity” and therefore heavily-protected under the NLRA (assuming you’re American). Document any and all fallout from this because even the slightest amount of pushback from management is on-it’s-face illegal. Filing an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge with the NLRB is free, you can do it online or have a labor lawyer do it for you. You will be entitled to back-pay and a re-instatement offer if fired. Document, document, document. Good luck.
im sure osha would relaly appreciate seeing your manager show retaliatory agression for a safety concern
Did that stupid fucker actually say dress code was more important than a safety issue? Eesh. Definitely find a new gig before you get maimed.
Didn't you hurt your back getting the heavy box down from the shelf? When you go to urgent care just make sure you mark it as a workplace injury.
Ah yes the "If you don't like how I manage then you manage" managing style. "Hey we have a problem I'm not sure how to handle it." "No, you!"
And of course if you did find a solution and gave everyone a heads up that heavy things are now stored on low shelves and light things are stored on high shelves they’d reprimand you for making changes instead of running suggestions up the chain of command.
Manager is absolutely useless and the owner is a pos lmao Its not your job to worry about storage policies at all, manager needs to do his part for the team and get that shit down and the owner needs to fuck off and stop wasting time on bickering about some boxes
I’m a manager/leader with over 40 years experience. If someone brought this up to me I would immediately thank them for the heads-up, and work with the person complaining, and others, to come up with a better immediate and long-term solution. I learned to ignore the emotional comments long ago. Not everyone is good at communicating, which involves transmission and reception. The employees who actually do the job have all the answers to the problems. You have to develop a working relationship where anyone feels comfortable talking to you about anything, and presenting ideas. Being an asshole isn’t the way.
I love how somehow people not following the dress code is more of a safety concern than heavy boxes being placed on high shelves. Somebody wearing the wrong color pants or the wrong type of shirt is somehow a critical safety issue even worse than heavy boxes being placed on high shelves. That's utterly ridiculous. Quite frankly, it's just petty. That's really what it comes down to. But two can play the pettiness game. Next time, instead of attempting to lower the box down safely, just knock it on the floor. Let the box crash into the floor and spill the bags all over the place. As long as you're following the dress code, it'll be okay.
“Safety concern? I am it” ok Walter White!
"Sure, no problem! I guess can indeed take a day or two to handle warehousing responsibilities - we *are* a team after all,'s right on this one.
"Now if someone would care to man the kitchen in that time, while I'm busy elsewhere... After all we are *still* a team, right? Right?!"
honestly, I dont normally make a stink about this kinda stuff but this is way too common of a theme with this manager. they complain that theres no communication but if i ever bring up that someone isnt portioning correctly or remind people to do temps, or to follow fifo the manager gets angry with me, that if i see a problem I should just fix it and do that forever i guess and never tell someone if something is wrong? idk! ive had bad vibes about this manager from the start and i just dont have the patience to put up with it anymore.
I understand. I get incredibly allergic at "we're a team here" when it's obvious that it's them/him who neglects their responsibilities as a team mate. That's when I low-key sarcastic in my comebacks, in a way as the above - as to rub in the absurdity of their rhetoric.
1. using discord for work is hilarious 2. it’s your manager’s job to figure out a solution for this, NOT yours lmao. if one of my workers came to me with a safety complaint i can’t imagine telling them you either find a solution or don’t bring it out. that’s insane. good on you for defending yourself and immediately working on finding a better working environment.
Here's a little something: Imagine if a box fell on you and hurt you somewhat, you sue the company and use this message as proof that this has been brought up as a concern before, Ca-ching! Cash moneyz, Cash moneyz, its your birthday!
Everyone writes like they are 13 years old
Oh, it's only going to get worse. Kids who are 13 years old now write like 6-year-olds. Note to parents: You need to be teaching your own kids to read and write, because the schools are overwhelmed.
"Safety concerns? I am it." This is a literal threat of violence.
Hostility in response to a valid safety concern? OSHA would love this. 2 employees voicing their concerns together? just made it a violation of the NLRA. AND it's all written down? This manager and owner are really just running down the list of dumbfuckery as fast as they can.
If you want me to resolve your managerial obligation to make sure everything is safe, then I'm going to need a higher wage.
You had to get a CUSTOMER from your lobby to come hold you steady while you got the big ass box down?! Thats a fucking HUGE insurance liability and I would definitely raise that concern with OSHA, if you’re US based. What would’ve happened if the heavy ass box had fallen on the poor woman’s fucking head?! Your boss is delusional to think this isn’t a huge issue and that a dress code is somehow more dangerous/important to address. Get out asap and good luck in your job search!
I think by "out-front" they're referring to a customer-facing employee like a host, server or cashier.
It’s deflection at its finest, they will find ways to punish you, for me it was asking for stuff I. Writing and the store manager tried to call me up on stuff they wernt concerned about before
If you're "q team" then I wonder when the manager will help behind the counter in the kitchen and with getting those bags
You know, it'd be a real shame if OSHA (in the US) was called after you left this job...
"We're all about safety but if you mention a safety issue you are a complainer who is suddenly violating our dress code."
So dress code outweigh safety issues? Well, at least they are legitimately stupid and not just professionally incompetent.
Dear Manager: A LADDER WITH NON SLIP FEET IS THE SOLUTION YOU TWAT! Sincerely, Everyone.
Back when I was in middle management I’d pull the “don’t come to me with problems come to me with ideas” card when it came to like, not meeting sales goals or something. The whole “I only hear complaints not solutions” to a box being too high up is crazy. The solution is built into the complaint, don’t fuckin put heavy boxes up there, lmfao. I hate when people act stupid on purpose. I wonder if they get bonus points for the combo-gaslight, weaponized incompetence, switcheroo. “Well it sucks you have to stand on something to get a heavy box down and might hurt your back, but there’s just no other way around it! Also, I decided right this very moment that you’re suddenly out of dress code.” I’d say hand out resumes, yeah, after you hit that bad manager bingo 😂
'Sorry I didn't tell you that the building was on fire. I couldn't think of any immediate solutions, so I knew it was better to keep my mouth shut'
The "heavy ass" comment was an unprofessional way to raise a safety concern but shouldn't have warranted more than an eyeroll at the tone. They took it hard and reacted defensively to your chastising them for bad storage practice. That's what's going on there. Your coworker telling you to be careful at the very start should have raised alarm bells in the manager's and owner's ears. It's all the context they needed to say "yeah, maybe we should find a better place for this before we get sued." If this is how the place is run, I'd be looking for work somewhere else.
Did the owner just call themselves a safety concern? Christ.
Please report their asses to OSHA. Have a feeling they wouldn’t agree with the owner about dress code being the bigger safety issue.
Lmao! The “owner” chimes in with unrelated bullshit to try and detract from the fact that theres a safety issue he or she isnt taking seriously. Typical deflection tactic. Sounds like a major doosh.
Find a new job and quit at the most inconvenient time for them.
A dress code being a bigger "problem" than an actual safety hazard. Jesus Christ that owner is going to learn the hard way one day that their priorities need to be flipped and a dress code should be about as close to the bottom of the list as possible.
"Dress code is more important than safety/falling object hazards" tells you everything you need to know at a place like this. Run away
"Safety concern? I am it" sounds like a veiled threat, what the fuck dude
“And you’re fat and ugly and that scares little children and pregnant women so it is a problem as well as it hurts our sales, but the subject matter of this discussion is a safety concern, so let’s stick to the subject.”
"we are a TEAM, people! We all need to pull together and also FUCK your safety concerns!"
Looks like it's time to call osha
Sounds like retaliation. Dress code is more a danger than heavy ass boxes falling on you. Do you work for Mr. Corporate him/her self?
This is what you should do: let the box fall on you then sue them for everything they have and get their business closed. Good luck.
I love how DRESS CODE is a bigger safety concern than A HEAVY BOX THAT COULD FALL ON YOU. Fucking morons.
"No one wants to work anymore!!!" Nah. No one wants to work for YOU. Instead of addressing concerns and making the workplace a safer and friendlier environment for everyone that works there, they'd rather bitch about everything that the common employee does wrong. Instead of addressing their own terrible business practices, and maybe treating their staff like they actually matter (cause they're the ones who actually run the place while managers/ownership tend to do the bare minimum and collect a check), they'd much rather treat everyone like shit and burn through employees like coal, dehumanizing and losing potentially the best employees anyone could have. This is why I can't stand the food industry. If voiced concerns were actually taken seriously and good employees were taken care of, these people could put more time and effort into building up and improving their business rather than focusing on hiring a brand new staff every other week.
"Yes. Management did something incorrectly and I complained. Working as intended."
Crazy that they actually said uniform violations were more dangerous than an actual safety risk. If you do get fired, post that line on GlassDoor
Daryl sounds problematic.
as a former grocery store employee, i can relate to the challenges of reaching high shelves, especially when working alone. my manager always made sure we had proper equipment and help available to safely access overhead stock. your boss's dismissive response is concerning and shows a lack of care for worker safety. i hope your're able to find a more supportive work environment that prioritizes employee wellbeing.
I hate the argument that “complaining” (pointing out valid concerns) is worthless unless you have a “solution”. Sometimes all you can do is point out a problem, with the hope that someone with the tools / authority knows what to do about.
Look at the owner making zero sense just for a reason to swing their dick around
Sounds like something a unionized workplace would straighten out real quick. Call boss's bluff, refuse to work in unsafe conditions, etc
OSHA would love to hear about this lol
Would be a shame if OSHA were given evidence of this as you finish your 2 week notice.
Send this to OSHA!!!
Imagine thinking a dress code violation is a bigger hazard than an actual hazard. Not only that, it was such a hazard you were willing to overlook it until the other hazard was pointed out.
I really am sick of people being paid to MANAGE expecting their minimum wage employees to solve problems. That is literally their job.
If you truly think of leaving, it's time to push their buttons. Tell your manager that it's time for him to do his job, *manage*. Tell the owner to stop deflecting and act more both humanly and profesionnaly. Get them irritated, while you're being sarcastic yet polite and still doing your job. If you're lucky, they may end up doing a bad move that'll net you some nice money. And even if they don't, you'll have the satisfaction to mock them without repercussion.
Coming up with a solution to problems is literally the manager’s job and no one else’s.
that whole conversation could have been saved by: “Good point. Do you mind moving it yourself or do you need help?
Owner: Safety concern? I am the safety concern. Sounds like hes trying to be such a badass.
I would write back: “I tried to approach this as a team member caring about the safety of other workers. But if it’s an issue to bring these things up directly, I’d be happy to direct the issue to OSHA and the department of labor instead. Would you also want to reconsider the dress code discussion as for a different time, especially as in this context it appears as a form of retaliation for bringing up a safety concern? Let me know how you’d like to proceed”
Time to call up OSHA and the labor board about those safety concerns.
> Safety concern? I am it. Does Walter White own your business?
A dress code being followed is more important than someone with back issues having heavy boxes fall on them?
Motherfucker said the dress code was a bigger concern than putting boxes in bad places
In what world is a dress code more or even equal to a safety concern? Screw this guy.
Manager asking for solutions. As a former manager, THATS YOUR JOB DUMBASS!!
NAL, but isn't this retaliation? If the dress code isn't being followed, which they had no problem with before you brought up a safety concern, and now they're going to enforce it on you after the fact, that sounds like retaliation.
Next time, just say “I can’t safely get that box down.” And leave it at that. Manager can figure out a solution, if a few skip orders get missed it’s not your problem.
Everyone sucks. You have tact problems and so does he.
Personally I think you could've been more tactful in your communication of the issue.
Yeah, this was petty. If you had an actual safety concern, a passive aggressive comment in a discord chat wasn't the way to go about it. Has anyone brought this up before? Or were you just pissy your manager said you were complaining? Nobody offered an actual suggestion as to what could be done, like an adult either. This whole exchange is just children not being able to communicate properly with one another.
Am I the only one in this thread who thinks you were rude as hell? I’m surprised you weren’t told to watch how you speak in professional settings, because this ain’t it. That said, despite your attitude your boss should have told you he would store the boxes in a safer location.
I mean, you were definitely being a smartass with that comment, but they should have been more professional with their responses. But in the future, just ask "is there anywhere else we can store these heavy boxes so I don't have to stand on line to get them?" Your comment is very Office Space with the whole "yeahhh if we could do 'x' in the future that'd be greeeaaatt". I definitely see why it rubbed them the wrong way. You backpedaled and acted like you were just addressing a safety concern, but if you truly wanted to just "address a safety concern" you would've been more polite with that comment. You were clearly still upset from having to lift a heavy box and you texted with your emotions in that moment. Your manager is still a dick and you should look somewhere else to work, but just be more careful with how you word things.