The First and Worst
MVWJ was my first full time job after I finished school. I took a year out before university to save some money and was rather excited when I was offered a job as a receptionist at a hotel/pub/restaurant. I learned within the first day that breaks were cigarette breaks reserved for the smokers and as I was the only non smoker working there I was expected to cover for those on breaks. I was also working shifts, so I would be working 10 hour days, six days a week for an £8000 salary with no breaks. At my interview I was told I’d be on the equivalent of £5 per hour. My maths is not perfect, but that does not add up to me.
I was given the same responsibilities as the duty managers, which included banking, having access to the expensive alcohol and clocking in and out the employees who had a wage rather than a salary. That was on top of the receptionist work, cleaning, waitressing, cooking and barmen roles. The manager had only been working there two weeks longer than me, but he was deeply unpopular and people started calling in sick. He had two “favourites,” one of which was me. This was not a good thing. I am not a fan of people invading my personal space, but he took it too far for me by constantly holding on to the back of my neck. One day Id had enough so as soon as he put his hand there I moved away jerkily from him and he asked if I had a sore neck. For an easy life I just said yes.
Off point slightly, the hotel was also haunted. I am normally quite a rational person when it comes to these sorts of things, but one day I was opening up. It was 5.30am, dark,and quiet. I stepped outside to open the main doors and when I walked back in the jukebox started playing. I was so scared I ran out the building and was late starting breakfast. This was just pure silliness but after all the stories my imagination overtook my sensible part of my brain. Another story I love telling is when a couple came in one night. I checked them in to their room. They came down a little later to get a drink in the pub and I served them. Later that night they came to reception to ask where they could get dinner as our restaurant was closed, so I gave them some directions to a nice restaurant in walking distance. The next morning they came down to breakfast and I was their waitress (and cook) and then I checked them out. They asked me quite seriously if I was the only person who worked there, which I found deeply amusing. They gave me a tip, but I was silly and asked the manager what we do with tips (in case we shared them) and I was told all tips go to the cleaning staff. Doh!
I only survived there two weeks. I turned up to work one day really ill. I was told on arrival that the manager would be late in and that all except one barman had called in sick. I closed the restaurant, sat shivering in reception and was constantly running to the bathroom to be ill. Finally the manager came in hours later and I told him I was really unwell. He asked me to try and stay longer and to come and get him if I’m still bad in a few hours, which seemed reasonable to me. I had been at work for five hours and could barely move when I finally called his office, but there was no reply. He had left to go to the pub down the road. All of my punters were telling me I shouldn’t be there, even the only other employee working. The next day I rang in and said I would not be returning (I didn’t have a contract after all). Turns out five people quit that week with me.
The thing that gets me the most though happened afterward. A few months later I met a friend in that pub. We were sat chatting and having a drink, when one of the employees saw me and ran over and said, “What are you doing in here, don’t you know you’re barred?” I asked why I was barred. Apparently the week I left £2000 worth of booze was stolen and this was blamed on me. I wonder why I never had a visit from the police then? I now have a lot of respect for people who work in the hospitality industry. It is not an easy job.
Not sure how all this happened in under two weeks.. The story makes it sound like a long-time thing.
The whole double standard of people taking cigarette breaks versus those that get stuck covering for them is one of my biggest pet peeves. I worked at a couple places where I got stuck covering for smoke breaks all the time while not getting any extra breaks myself. Why do I have cover and work harder and longer so someone else can satiate their addiction for 5-10mins instead during regular breaks or after work?
I never ask permission for a smoke break even though I don’t smoke. I just say I’m going to take my non-smoke break whenever the smoker gets back. No one has said anything yet.
But yeah, that must have been pretty miserable to have all of that happen in 2 weeks. Holy crap.
Yeah, I assumed this happened over a few months at least. Two weeks? Yikes.
Hate the constant smoke breaks. If a person is that addicted to any substance that he or she needs to take a 10 min break every goddamn hour that person has a serious problem and needs to stop. 10 min 8 times a day, five days a week, 50 weeks a year (most companies assume a 50 week work year w/vacations) is a shit-ton of productivity up in smoke. (not like the productivity lost here at the MVWD,J,R is any better
)
I like the last lines: “I now have a lot of respect for people who work in the hospitality industry. It is not an easy job.” So much better of a way to write it than the “I like werked the hardest job evers, lolz, and all you haters can FOAD” attitude that I often see here.
Yep it is hard, tho I can’t imagine cooking, cleaning, checking in and serving for one couple! WTF? I would’ve gotten out of there ASAP! BTW, the hotel I work at is haunted too, guess cuz of its old age! LOLZ
10 minutes per break and 8 breaks for an 8 hour day? I think your math is a little unreasonable there.
What’s reasonable is smoking on one’s two fifteen minute breaks and during the hour lunch.
=))
” one’s two fifteen minute breaks and during the hour lunch”
=)) =)) =))
Two 15 minute breaks and an hour for lunch! PAH! What dream world are you living in? I know plenty of union employees who don’t get that much (heck the ONLY union job I’ve ever worked gave the bare minimum required by law) And I work somewhere with half decent employee protection laws which means by law I get a 30 minute break after each 4.5 hours of work. But the MOST I’ve ever officially gotten was a 1 hour lunch break with no other breaks in a 9 hour day.
Well, take up smoking, Mystic – you’ll get breaks galore!
I am not proud to admit this, but way back in the day when I was young(er) and stupid(er) I actually did take up smoking so I could go on breaks at work like everyone else. It’s so strange to remember how the world seemed to me at 19…
Mystic, it depends on where you work. This office I’m in is terribly managed, and I’m very happy to be quitting soon, but we get an hour lunch and are entitled to two 15-min breaks every day, even though most of the time we don’t end up getting to take them. (Heck, sometimes I don’t get the lunch either..) But it is in the rules.