bad juju
I seem to have a special gift of bringing out the worst in some employees. (I think I can also bring out the best, but that never makes the news.) The workers in question can usually be safely categorized as "lazy," but smart lazy, the kind of guys that explore every possible angle to do what they want when they want and just as much work as necessary for their personal gain. I'm sure you've all experienced this at some point, but my special institution seems to thrive on this ghetto mentality. I have butted heads with one person in particular since day one and the culinary gods really broke the mold when they shit this guy out. He is the last of the "old guard" at my establishment and he should have been fired immediately, but I realize how much he does for the company and I've done everything possible to reign him in and avoid rocking the boat. Well, he rocked all of our boats on Sunday when he posted this on Facebook: "have u ever
work with a crackhead that feel they better than u always talking shit when u
not around and when they saw u they smile like nothing happened go fuck
yourself" Even more awesome, I also heard from the Pastry Chef that he mentioned how much he would like to punch me. I'm of the opinion that I work a little too hard (and long) to have this additional stress added to my plate, so I guess the next step is obvious. I had hoped that he would just quit of his own volition, preferably without giving notice so he comes off as the asshole that he truly is, but why would a glorified prep cook with no responsibilities give up the best schedule in town? I would appreciate any of your thoughts or words of advice. To-day is going to be another long, shitty day.
4 comments:
Start making him be accountable for certain things, he will quit in a week.
-Is there TP in the employee bathroom?
-Did the dishwasher wear clean underwear?
-Make me a list of all the unused products we have in stock, then tell him to use them
-Does the Hat re-tagging machine have enough tags for the weekend?
To-day he told Pastry that he doesn't want to work for me anymore. I almost feel bad for the guy, but his ship should have sailed into the sunset long ago. He's playing a mean game of checkers, but unfortunately I only play chess.
What's funny is that you are the "crackhead?" You figured smart lazy would come up with something a little better than that. I've been called douche, fag, spaz, blinky, and bitch, and that is just what my best friends call me.
I miss them so much.
It sounds like you have angered this person to the point of borderline illiteracy. That anger is a sign he is recognizing there must be a necessary change of ideas for him to work comfortably with you. He will probably either one day quit, or actually punch you. The latter comes with a different set of problems so I would do your best to focus on an exit strategy. Lazy people don't often look for work on their days off.
Maybe what you can do is sit him down in a private place and level the field of communication. Don't be insulting to his efforts. Let him know you want to see his job through his perspective. Find out what he likes and doesn't like about his job. Let him know you recognize that he feels like you are shitting on him behind his back at work, but that you ultimately need to do what is best for the restaurant. I am myself beginning to see the power of one on one performance reviews. Tell them what they do good, and then tell them what they need to improve on. Then mentor them daily to do so. Turning an employee around is a huge challenge. Even one success story makes the effort worth it.
Also, I know you don't "almost" feel bad for him. I'm sure you actually do pity him and his ignorant lazy patterns. Dig deep down and find the compassion. In the end no matter how "smart" lazy he is, you will always know best.
and the latest addition to "How to Tell if You're Cooking in the Ghetto":
1. your prep "chef" tells you he can't make demi-glace because you didn't order any chx bones
Post a Comment