Tales from the Second Job...

As I have mentioned a few times on this blog, I have a second job working at a family own fast-casual restaurant. Since I have worked there I have received 3 degrees and although I could have moved on years ago, my loyalty to the family and the need to impart a little wisdom to young folks have kept me there long after I said I would leave when the original owner died. Refreshing your memory, one of my duties besides supervising a group of young folks is to interview, hire and do orientation with the new hires.


Although besides the owner there are two other managers, I am the only one who interviews and have been doing so for almost 20 years. Yeah, a long time. In all my years I have noticed a change in the mentality of the youth who apply and actually get hired. For most, this job will be their first. I always tell first time workers the same thing. Your first job sets up your work ethic. If you maintain a hardworking and wonderful work ethic here, you will take that ethic to the next job you get because this job is meant to be your stepping stone to bigger and better things. Yet, I am seeing something totally different from new hires. These kids are spoiled, lazy and seriously have no idea there are ramifications and consequences for bad behavior.

I will give you a few examples. I make the work schedule every week. I normally finish it on the Sunday before the schedule is posted and give workers until Tuesday at 5 pm to ask for days off, because when I leave Tuesday night the schedule is done. I cannot tell you how many will post a requested day off on Wednesday and are surprised on Thursday they didn’t get their day off. Mind you on the schedule request sheet, it has the disclaimer about Tuesday at 5 pm. Yeah. The rule is if you need a day off after the schedule is posted, you must find someone to cover you, not management. You. They will call the day before or the day of and say they can’t work because they have a paper due, their dog’s sick or something equally ridiculous. The manager just tells them okay and writes it up in our manager’s book. Do it on my shift. My response is you have three choices: find someone to work for you, I will see you in a few or you quit. They come to work. It is easier that way.

I recently hired a young lady who was vibrant, personable, friendly and experienced to work for us. She had one of those memorable personalities. She also had great references. Seriously, amazing references. So when I called hire her she was excited and ready to work. So we schedule orientation and I always tell them to bring in picture ID and their social security cards and dress prepared to work. Although they will not work a whole shift, they will be shown the restaurant and the ins and outs of their position. Sighing…She shows up for the orientation one minute before time. And she is in wedges. With a big ole tattoo on her forearm. We do not hire folks with visible tattoos. If it is found you have one you have to cover it at all times when working. When I saw it, in my heart I knew this girl wasn’t going to make it. As soon as I saw it, I told her I didn’t realize she had a visible tattoo and she must cover it. She was all amicable about covering and saying at her previous job she covered it with makeup. Cool. Right? We made it through orientation and discussed the rules and regulations and I even made an adjustment so she could come in 30 minutes later to work during the week. Copacetic right? Sighing. After her first night working she was given rave reviews. Good. However, I worked with her that Friday. I hadn’t even clocked in when I saw the tattoo. I immediately told her to cover it up or go home. She asked for band-aids and covered it, but it made me upset because we discussed this thoroughly during orientation. And I find out later the cashiers on duty told her she needed to cover it up before Ms. Cashana gets in because she doesn’t play about tattoos. She responded, “I am just going to see if she says anything.” Sighing. During the shift, I realized this personable young lady from her interview and orientation, was not so friendly and she had a slight attitude. Sighing. We made it through Friday and she worked with the owner one during that weekend and he saw the band aid on her arm and was not impressed. What happened to the make up? After she had been there a week, at our Tuesday meeting the other manager said she wasn’t going to work out. My first thought was have we told her about her deficiencies? If not, that is our first course of action and goes from there and if we do not see immediate improvement, then we let her go.

Sighing. As adults, if your supervisor sits you down with a correction memo with items that need to be improved upon, don’t we realize shyte is real and we need to get ourselves together? With these kids, sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. I wrote the memo and outlined the deficiencies and what needed to be done. Well, the other manager presented it to her and she said she saw a little improvement. However, the young lady told the other cashier, “I am going to tell Ms. Cashana about herself.” I am still waiting on that sit down. I worked with her a few days after the memo and after I cut her days. She asked everyone in the store why her hours were cut but me. Remember I make the schedule. Sighing. I saw some improvement, but by the end of the night I was counting to ten because of her.

Then the other cashiers requested not to work with her. Why? Because she is lazy, rude and has an attitude. Wow! Then the manager told me she did her work for her one night and I told her if she isn’t going to do her job, why is she here? Then this young lady whose hours were cut for a reason started begging the other cashiers for their days. I was livid. I told one cashier you have to work your shift so call and tell her that is a no-go. Then I put in the manager’s book it is not okay for the cashier to garner more hours when I cut them. I need to see marked improvement. I do not reward bad behavior.

She was recently fired for voiding orders under a manager’s employee number and lying about them.

Moral to this story when you get that intuition shyte gonna be bad, believe it.