And Then He Called Me Un-Christian!

A few weeks ago I asked for two days off, August 9^th and 23^rd: the last two home games of the boys’ soccer season. That’s a reasonable request, right? I mean, that was the first time I’ve requested time off AND I’d already missed the past eight games because I was working; plus, three weeks is plenty of time to find someone to cover a shift, yeah? Well my boss said, “I’ll only give you one of those days, so pick.” I picked the game on the 23^rd, because it was the boys’ very last game. Right after I picked, my boss then decided he had to check the function book first to see what was going on that day. We happened to have two functions along with our normal dinner in the restaurant, so he decided it’d be too busy, and changed his mind; I could only have the 9^th off. Fine, whatever, I tried to reason with him but he just got angry. So I gave in.

I went to the boys’ game on the 9^th, sat up in the box with their boss Jonesy, and he said that I needed to be sure to get the weekend of the 23^rd/24^th off since it’s their last game and they have a big party with music and races afterwards. I told Jonesy I had already asked for that day off and my boss said no. So (knowing about some of my prior complaints with my boss) he told me I should just quit…

As any of you could see from my last post, these past couple weeks have been really rough; but I’ve done my best to fake a smile and suck it up. I’ve wanted to quit, and I’ve had numerous people tell me that I should quit, but I just can’t bring myself to do it because there’s no one else working in my position (as personal assistant/wedding coordinator/waitress), and my boss would be absolutely lost if I just up and left. Plus, I’d feel bad dumping everything on his wife to deal with by herself.  

So, after those rough couple of weeks I decided that: you know what? I’m here on holiday to spend time with my two friends and watch them play soccer. If I want to watch their last game, I’m going to watch their last game! I had full intention of telling my boss tonight, a full week in advance, that I wouldn’t be working next Saturday (the day of that last game). Our work roster is made up on Saturdays, and I wanted to tell him before it was finished so that proper arrangements could be made to replace me in my shift, but I didn’t stop working from 1:30pm to 10pm this evening. There was literally never a good time to tell him before the roster was already made up.

When my shift did finally “end” at ten o’clock, and I sat down to go over the emails I had printed him, he said something to the extent of “I think I gave you Monday off too (because I already had tomorrow (Sunday) off).” That was my cue to break the news… I had started off by saying, “I know you’re not going to be happy about this, but I can’t work on Saturday. It’s the boys’ last game and I just found out there’s a big ceremony and awards to be given out afterwards. I don’t want to miss that.”

(That was a slight exaggeration, there’s only a big party after…ha. But still, I don’t want to miss it). I already knew he was going to get upset. What I didn’t expect was for him to say what he did…

After the initial, expected, anger reply he proceeded to call me UN-CHRISTIAN and told me that I was killing his business. Are you kidding me!? You know what’s killing your business, mister? How about the sky-high employee turnover rate! You can’t keep employees around long enough to even get them through training…and the one’s who are still here, don’t exactly enjoy it. I trained my first new employee just FIVE WEEKS after starting myself! That’s kinda ridiculous in my opinion; at that point, I was still learning!

One of my favorite quotes is by St. Francis of Assisi; it says, “Speak the gospel wherever you go, and when necessary, use words.” I try to be a living testimony of my faith…I don’t always do a good job talking about it, but I do my best to live it out through my actions. When he called me un-Christian, that really got under my skin and upset me. I lost it. I said to him, “Do not call me un-Christian. I’ve gone above and beyond for you since the day I started. I came here on holiday, to have fun, and watch my friends play soccer, but instead, I’ve been working constantly. I could’ve quit a long time ago but I didn’t want to leave you with no one to help you stay organized or finish the things I’ve started. So please, do not call me un-Christian ever again. And since you’re already mad, I also need to tell you that I’m quitting on the 12^th now instead of the 22^nd (of September).”

He said a few more mean things, confirmed that yes, what I was “doing to him” was in fact, un-Christian, and then said, “I don’t need you anymore you can go home.” We still had those emails to go over…so I’m actually not sure if I quit, if he fired me, or if he just needed the rest of the evening after that heated disagreement to cool off. I guess I’ll call on Monday to see if I’m working next week? Whether I am or I'm not, I'm glad I said what I said. He's a bully, plain and simple.

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." - Psalm 37:7

XO - Cristin

Horrible Bosses

Have you ever seen the movie Horrible Bosses with Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, and Jason Sudeikis? Well I’m living that movie, times ten, pretty sure.

My current boss would be most like Kevin Spacey in this scenario...

*Disclaimer – This post is only about how ridiculous some of my boss’s demands are. I do not want to kill him like they do in the actual movie. (Taylor had me clarify that before writing this)

Today I almost up and quit my job on the spot. It was that bad of a day. Or maybe the bad days are just piling up and I’ve been holding it all in too long?

Let’s rewind a moment to my walk to work this morning. Ethan had been telling me the past couple of days that someone had been calling his phone asking for me. When I was first looking for a job, and I didn’t have my own phone, I would put Ethan’s international number on all my resumes. So we both just assumed that it was a follow-up from an earlier job application, because, well, what else could it be? I rang the number up as I was walking to work this morning and was greeted with an automated message telling me I’ve reached ANZ Smart Choice Super and could call at a more convenient time or press one for an operator.  Well, I never applied for a job at ANZ Smart Choice Super. Plus, ANZ is my bank, so I figured out pretty quickly that it wasn’t a job offer.  Had it been a job offer, and perhaps I might’ve made an appointment for an interview, I don’t think I would still be employed at my current job.

It’s just absolutely ridiculous, and hard to keep a smile on your face, when your boss:

1)   Gives you a list of things to do, tells you to get started, but then continues to give you lists on top of lists of things to get done, all while not letting you work on the first list, then wondering why you haven’t finished anything. – It’s no wonder they still have “to do lists” from February that haven’t been done yet…

2)   Keeps asking for a “round of coffees” when the first two rounds are still sitting there on the table untouched.  OR, has you make a coffee for someone who you literally just asked if they wanted coffee or tea, and they said no. – I’d rather work on those lists than make coffee that won’t be drank/drunk…

3)   Makes you take your “breaks” either with them, talking about work, or typing up the day’s notes. – Noooottt quite sure that constitutes as a break. And no, I'm not getting paid for this work during "break" time…

4)   Doesn’t allow you to talk to your co-workers, even after you’ve triple checked your tables and made sure there’s nothing else to do.  – I’m sorry I want to get to know the people I work with and just possibly become friends with people who live in a different country than me…

5)   Tells you on a daily basis that you look tired, or “hungry,” or that you need to fix your hair after you JUST DID.  – What does it even mean to “look hungry?” I know for a fact that I don't look anorexic. And these flyaways don’t just lie down when I ask them to…

6)   Expects you to work fast AND quiet, like when you’re polishing the dishes or cutlery. – You can’t have both, you can only choose one…

7)   Has you sit across from them at a table while they go through mail, and instead of throwing the junk in the rubbish can themself, which is on the seat between the two of you, hands it to you, says “destroy it” and makes you put it in the trash instead. – The rubbish can is actually closer to you, and I could be working on those lists from earlier…

8)   Tells you to print two to three copies of everything, then put them each in separate manila folders; only to lose it within the next two days and have you reprint and copy everything all over again. – And no, I don’t need to make myself another copy, because I still have the first one…

9)   Tells you he will only give you one evening off, out of the three asked for, to watch the boys’ last soccer games of the season. And then he proceeds to schedule you anyways on that day they told you you would have off. – Yeah, I threw a fit on that one, and got that day off, again…

10) Cusses you out because you were trying to help another waitress take out food for a big table of twelve, on a very busy night, because they had been waiting on food for forty-five minutes. – I thought this place was all about good service? Sorry for trying to deliver that…

The boys actually had to have a sort of “intervention” with me when I got home this evening because I’ve been so moody these past couple days, and it was all because of work. I know it’s not fair to bring that anger home, and drop it on the boys; but it’s really hard for me to get out of a bad mood once I’m in it. But it’s nice to know that the boys care, and notice when I’m unhappy. They’re definitely good guys, and they gave me some good advice.

My parents have always said that there will be teachers, and coaches, and bosses that you don't like in life; but sometimes you just gotta suck it up. And I’m no quitter, and I only have six more weeks of putting up with this. I can do this.

Basically this rant comes down to one thing: having a horrible boss really makes you appreciate the good one’s you’ve had in the past (even more than you already did).

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." - Corinthians 4:8-9

XO - Cristin