If you’ve worked in the service industry or retail, or any other industry that is known for scheduling and staffing shifts that are razor-thin and leave no room for any error or for anyone to actually call out when they need to. I have some memories I’m really not fond of: turning up for a shift feeling like I might pass out at any minute and still having to tough it out and put on that customer service smile and fake bubbly persona that people expect from you.
There’s that pressure or outright demand that you show up for your shift regardless of the circumstances. It doesn’t matter how you’re feeling or what personal emergency you might have going on… chances are your boss will utter the phrase “But you can’t call out, we’re short-staffed today.”
If you then commit to not showing up even if there’s no immediate retaliation, you’re going to be met with a passive-aggressive attitude from your boss, or your boss’s boss if your boss is a “real one.” You might even get some passive-aggressive attitudes from coworkers who somehow blame you for not showing up and not management for running an operation that can properly respond to circumstances.
It really makes one wonder: if you’re short-staffed every day, then are you really short-staffed? There’s a point where that just becomes normal.
See the waiter’s story that sparked discussion on this subject below.
Author: Kayitsi.com
