Back on Topic...
When your manager acts like you are literally wasting their money if you dare to stand still for a minute just to catch your breath or something. I fucking hate it.
I was in a job once where my manager literally without irony asked me "Why are you standing still?" as if my motion produces wages by some sort of kinetic energy ?!
I work in hospitality and we're not allowed to be seen to be standing around. Which I don't understand. There is always something to do, yes. But
if there's nothing immediately pressing to attend to - I guarantee the customers / diners don't give two shits if the staff are just standing around chatting.
if anything it looks like the team are all getting along / probably work hard and need a breather for a moment.
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My job is the food runner so i have to carry a 4 ft wide tray full of plates for up to 7 hours every day. But if there is no food to run - and you get yourself a glass of water and lean on the
counter in the kitchen out of sight - someone will come along and be like " could you find something to do "
Um i've been doing something for that last 7 hours thanks. Mind if I have a rest for a minute ?
...And whilst we're on the subject - me working myself extra harder doesn't mean I get paid any more so jog on
I know, I know, it's the bitch thread, but this complaint is mildly irritating to me, so here goes:
You KIND of had me up until here. No, you're right, you're not making more, but big picture that's not the objective. The entire operation isn't there for you to make more money. From the perspective of the people talking to you, you're there to further whatever objective they have. I don't know what business you're in, but I grew up in the construction industry, and at a time where margins were razor thin. Me working harder wasn't a way for me to be paid more, it was a way for the leadership to get some air, get done faster, or to beat other obstacles like weather, zoning and subcontractors. You do you, you have to make your own decisions, but unless you're honest with yourself and understand that that is comparing apples and oranges you're going to be disappointed.
You said "food" so I imagine it's some sort of restaurant/service operation. I've got no experience there, but I can easily see reasons where your break is of no concern to them. Whether it's taking advantage of a slow time before the expected rush, whether it's to maximize your output to reduce later overtime, or whatever, or, unfortunately for you, whether there's no real reason at all, it's THEIR operation, not yours.
Not to be a smartass, but when my daughter got her first job - as a hairdresser - she was all "they want me in 15 minutes before the shift starts, but where's my f-ing money?!?" and ""jeez, I was just five minutes late, WTF is the big deal?" And we walked through how her boss - the owner - made money, and at first it made no impact. But she got a new job and I don't know if it's older/wiser or something else, but she started coming in a little earlier, and making sure she was visible in the salon before her shift started, and it didn't take long before she started getting better assignments, started getting the better assistant help, and started to get the better customers and, go figure, two things happened: she started making better money, and when the inevitable COVID layoffs happened, she was kept on.