Okay, so First i get fired from my very first job right? and it was over apparently stealing skittles but i never stole them. if you want to know why, this is the thread http://emptyclosets.com/forum/chit-chat/139219-have-you-ever-been-fired.html so after months of being depressed, i looked for a job and i finally found one on July 13th. it was at a fast food restaurant and at first i was confused because this wasn't at all what i was doing before which was selling stuff (retail) and i mean my manager put me on the register and i was kind of comfortable but i learned we had to do call outs to the cooks and i had to learn the call outs and me being me, it takes me a while to learn stuff so i was definitely confused with it. i was trying to balance everything at once. learning how to work the register and learning the callouts, finally when i learned the register, she just put me on making milkshakes and drinks which i got the gist of pretty quick. it was easy so i did that but there was a problem all the sudden. with me apparently. my co workers were pushing me around...practically bitching at me about every little thing. for example, i made a suggestion to pass out the drinks out first to walk ups like they do with the drive thru people because it's only fair to them, you know? and my co-worker was jus going ballistic about it, like it was absurd...and she was making excuses to not do it. there was no reason, not to do it. so then i was like whatever. here's another example, when the customers say thank you, i always naturally say my pleasure...and my manger had scolded me for it, and im just like "whats wrong?" so then i was getting aggravated, another one was clocking in. for the first week, i was there, i would be told to come in 15 min early so i would come and clock in at 4:50 or something when my shift says 5 or whatever and nobody told me, that i shouldn't do that until one day, my co workers just randomly came up to me and started saying "why are you clocking in 10 min early? don't do that!!" and just screaming in my ear. even at my last job, they didn't mind that...so i thought it was the same. they never once mentioned at both of my jobs that i can't clock in 10 min or 5 min early but they are just jumping in my shit even after i said "okay i got it" so finally i got tired of it and told one of my bosses and told him that they were treating me like shit and they just keep bitching at me over little things. and so finally everyone respected me more...and then someone tried me except it was one of my managers and this is what happened...i was taking a customers order right? and my friend was helping me with learning the call outs and i accidently screwed up the call out and my friend was trying to correct me and he comes over and starts screaming in my ear how the call out isn't right and how i need to get it right and all this other bullshit and this is why the customer is still ordering too so that really ticked me off so i finally just threw the rag down after cleaning and when he asked why i was aggravated, i told him straight up. i told him not to yell in my ear like that while i'm trying to listen to a customer give their order, it's rude and he fell silent. i don't care if he's my manager, or if he's the CEO of the company. it's common sense not to do that. finally, they left me alone. everything was fine. i did my job and it was hard because they kept cutting my hours. i felt like they weren't giving me any credit for the job, i was doing. i worked my hardest there. you have to go at a speed of like a zillion with 13 people in a tiny building. and on top of that, they would play mind games where they would tell me "oh, if you're mixing, there can't be any white showing" but when i do that, they go ahead and tell me it doesn't matter then go back to telling me it does. it was just bullshit so i'll get back to the story, finally, i decided, the job was too much and i was going to quit since i had a really high feeling i was going to get fired and 2 days before i get fired, i was working and i was doing a CC mint milkshake (chocolate chip) and i go and put the mint back in the container where it was suppose to be and all the sudden, it tips over and falls on the silver cover that covers the toppings to keep the flys away and falls on the floor and the tops break off and everyone is in shock, and im just okay whatever and finally, i go on the way home, where i go to my local gas station and get told i could apply and he gives me an application, so i fill it out the next day before i go into work....i walk in and my manager asks me what happened to the tops and i tell her what happened to them, they fell and broke off. and she was all like "that's just weird" and kind of laughing and stuff, so she begins to walk out the door. and im like about to go in for work and my other manager is like "i like keisha wants you, meris" (of course, letting me know..im getting fired) so i go out there and she was like we give you 30 days to work here to see how you do here and you've been here 2 and half weeks and it's just not working out so we're just gonna have to let you go and i was holding strong as best as i could... i cried and cried....i mean....i wanted to leave but never did i wanted to get fired what am i doing wrong?
Sorry to hear this has happened again. The truth is some job experiences just suck but it's important that you distinguish between the things that could be considered your "fault" and those who were out of your control. That way you can get an objective image of what happened and work on the things you need to. I would choose my next job carefully, retail and fast food can be very stressfull, go simpler, there's nothing wrong with that, what you need now, I think, is a good job experience, whatever that is. That will help you gain some more confidence and motivate you to try new things. Good luck.
It's hard to say what you're doing wrong (if anything). Perhaps just a job/person mismatch. It takes a certain kind of person to excel at working in retail and/or customer facing roles. I'm certainly not one of those people and maybe neither are you... just a thought. I think the first job I ever enjoyed was a callcentre job. You still have to talk to idiots, but if they give you cheek you can just hang up on them They tend to train you a lot more thoroughly as well... after which they tend to leave you alone to do your job and the only person who really comments on your work is your boss or team leader. Peace! (*hug*)
This may be a bit off-topic, but here's something we in the film industry know: Every set is different. Every set has the basic lingo, but every set also has its own house rules. For example, if you go to turn on the lights (any of them), you need to let people know you're turning them on. You usually say either "eyes" or "Striking". Whichever is the one used for that studio, you use for whenever you turn on a light. My guess is that the place you were working at had its own house rules that you were never let in on. But house rules are house rules. If you want to stay, you've got to follow them. Obviously the brick that broke the camel's back was talking back (let alone yelling) at someone higher-up than you. Wherever you work, you've got to throw politics aside. The important thing is the task at hand. Courtesy is the cherry on top. There's probably a reason why the superiors are doing what they're doing (or sometimes, maybe not. If in doubt, give them the benefit of it). In this case, not only had you yelled at a superior, you also might have done it into the microphone, ensuing dialogue they probably didn't want to be hearing when they're trying to order food. If they didn't hear it, as you said, it just added more time to them as well as the people waiting behind. Sometimes, you can dominate while being submissive.
I never yelled, that's your assumption. I asked for some respect, I politely asked for them to treat me with some fair respect. And talking back to my superior? Okay first off, he yelled in my ear while the customer was ordering, the customer was then pissed off at me because I forgot his order all because I couldn't hear and who's fault is that? Not mine, I didn't yell at him telling him not to scream in my ear. I told him I was stressed out and I can't have him screaming in my ear while I'm trying to take a customers order. He could have waited until he was done ordering, you and I both know that and second off, you very well know i didn't talk back to anyone. If you consider asking for some common respect and wanting to be treated fairly around there 'talking back' ..I think you got some unnessary standards
I think you need to find some higher quality people to work with. No matter the job. And I think, in order to do that, you have to prepare some questions for next time you get an interview. I'm no expert in this but something along the lines of: How are disputes handled? How much training is provided? What's the rate of turnover for this type of position? (Optimally, it should be low. ie people stay a long time.) Are expectations clearly defined for this position? Is feedback given at regular intervals to ensure expectations are understood and being met? If they can answer these types of questions without hesitation and honestly and you're happy with the answers, I think you'll have a better chance of success with the work environment/corporate culture. If you get a bad feeling, trust your gut. If you can afford to turn down jobs, do it.
Hey, you should read my post about cliques and how I'm sick of them. I struggled to get work in my old town that I was forced to move to, I got a job for a week in a factory and they moaned I was slow and they didn't explain anything. I lasted a week. I moved to a big city and now have a job I enjoy and now I'm the boss. Don't loose faith, some jobs suit some people, some don't. In the UK they have temping agencies, go find one if there are any where you are and try a range of different things. They may be able to help you find what you excel at.
As someone who worked at a fast food place for four years in high school and as a supervisor for two of them, here are the issues: You are new. New employees are expected not to just follow the customs. That means that you trying to change how they pass out the cups, is very irritating to them. They don't like when new employees do stuff like that. You also seemed to have problems listening to your manager. I would've told you not to say "my pleasure" too. You may mean it sincerely, but it could come off the wrong way. Plus, when your manager corrects you, you should listen to them. After all, they are your boss. I understand why they got mad at you clocking in early. It ruins labor for the previous hour. It's understandable that you didn't know this, so it sounds like it was handled poorly on their part. Just know not to do this. Did you clean up the mess you made with the mint? We understand that accidents happen, but it's how you handle it that's important. I even broke things as a manager. And finally, pulling your manager aside and talking to them about issues (even if it is warrented), after two weeks, is a big red flag to them. It makes them think that they are going to have lots of problems with you if they keep you around. -- I'm not writing any of this to be mean or anything. I'm just explaining it to you from the other side. I agree with a lot of the issues that you raised, the problem is that in fast food, they do not care about you because everybody is replaceable.
I agree with this 100%. Again, not to be mean, but especially in the first few weeks of a new job, you need to learn to just say "okay" to what your bosses tell you and be happy to do it the way they want. When you have some seniority after working there for a while, then you are able to speak up a bit, but not as soon as you start because people will assume it will be problem after problem, especially in a job like that.
I think when I was reading this part, I was thinking you might have yelled: Throwing something down when someone is aggravated usually means yelling comes afterwards. I'm sorry if this wasn't the case, but that's how I read into it as. As for the talking back, the following is what most people would probably describe as talking back: This basically tells them that you're not willing to learn much on the job. There is a lot more to any job than just what it looks like. Not to mention, to them, you're trying to do their job for them, and last I checked, there were very few people who appreciated that. When trying to ask for respect in the workplace, you did it right beforehand by finding a time outside of action to talk to a manager about it all, but all of that stuff afterwards happened on the spot and also when someone was trying to place an order.
Okay, it's not changing anything. it's called a suggestion, a fucking idea. god forbid, i speak my ideas. and my pleasure doesn't come off rude in any way. all the customers there, liked when i said, they were 10x more happier with my pleasure than just with you're welcome. and I dont have a hard time listening to the manager, he screamed in my fucking ear....while i was trying to listen to a customer, that's plain rude. you can say how i need to kiss ass and all but when it comes to respect, i want it because i gave more respect than i should have and that's what i did, i pulled him aside. you aren't getting it, they treated me like shit while i was there, when i didn't desereve it. they don't like the fact, someone got tired of their shit and stood up for themselves. ---------- Post added 4th Aug 2014 at 08:22 AM ---------- i did do that, i said okay...but they kept bitching about little things and practically bullied me and being as depressed as i am, i didn't need that. they were crossing a line and you know that ---------- Post added 4th Aug 2014 at 08:28 AM ---------- if i didn't want to learn anything, how come i listened all the time? if i didn't listen, i wouldn't have tried to learn the call outs as i did, or learn how to milkshakes. and you clearly aren't understanding, you weren't in my shoes.... working in a fast food place in NC, or any place, they can fire you for any reason. it's called fire at will. I just wanted some space, i wanted to be able to learn but how can i learn if im being yelled at every 5 sec? that's stressful. i can't handle that. OHHHH get this, they fired an old woman who has lived 15 years of her life in a hotel. and she was sweetest person there. yeah, explain that.
I didn't say you didn't want to learn anything. What I said was that what you were telling them and how you went about it came off to them as though that were the case. As it was said before, you were a new person. When you're new, you don't try and change things around the place, and you certainly don't tell a superior what to do, even if it's more logical or if it's common sense. You'd asked what you were doing wrong. Knowing you, I thought that was an actual question, and so I decided to point out some mistakes you made that apply to just about any job. And also, as has been said before, perhaps fast food isn't your forte. There's always a different environment that comes with the field you work in. ---------- Post added 4th Aug 2014 at 08:25 AM ---------- I think the last part I want to mention is that in any workplace, the managers want everyone to get along together. Obviously, this wasn't the case. Even if nothing was your fault, there was something stirring everyone else up, and when people are aggravated or defensive or frustrated, etc. (I'm not just talking about you), the quality (and sometimes quantity) of work goes down because they're focused on the other thing that's bothering them, instead of the task they're supposed to do. This was probably a looming thing that contributed to you getting fired.
Well you do sound a bit like a rebel without a cause. I'd try to relax and not let all that shite get to you. I -still- agree with the notion that just taking all that crap and not being allowed to have an opinion is utter bollocks. It IS the way most of these establishments are run. It sucks, it's bad, it's horrid, and I fucking hate it. But if you want your dosh, you need to play along, or play a different game.
One last bit, here (this really is the last bit). I tried adding it into my previous post: The managers had several people on duty, and the way you've made it sound, it probably wasn't really a place that could afford getting rid of most of their employees, so they went the route with kicking one trainee in order to calm the place down and get the workplace at least back to the way it was, so it could make food as good as it had been before.
I've worked in fast food for four and a half years (as an assistant manager for two of them), and you, who worked there for two and a half weeks, have the audacity to tell me that I don't get it?? Your suggestion may have been just that, but, seeing as how you responded to me, I'm guessing that the issue was in your delivery of it. Also, you have no way of knowing that customers were more happy with "my pleasure". And quite frankly, it doesn't matter if they were. If your manager tells you to say something, that's what you say. Like it or not, they are your boss. On to the screaming in your ear. Managers don't just "scream in your ear" for no reason. Yes, they do sometimes yell while frustrated; however, you need to learn not to take it personally. Welcome to fast food. I got yelled at by my boss too at times. You know what I did? I said sorry and made sure I didn't do whatever made him upset again. Respect in fast food is earned. You seem to react very harshly to criticism which is a big red flag to employers. I would work on that if I were you. Again, I am not writing this to be mean, but to help you understand. When you are working a teenage job, you are at the bottom of the ladder. Yes, it sucks, but with time you work your way up. ---------- Post added 5th Aug 2014 at 12:04 AM ---------- She probably couldn't do the job well. Businesses hire people to help them provide a service to make money. They are not obligated to hire or keep someone employed just because of the person's circumstances.
Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that you have lost your job after 2.5 weeks, and while I do not mean to be harsh, but you do need to take some responsibility for your own actions, and the way you communicate. In any workplace, and no matter what it is, you are expected to understand and follow the workplace culture prevailing in that workplace. Your manager, and while the message could have been perhaps conveyed to you differently, pointed something out to you that did not correspond to what the manager thought should be the answer. Your response to that, and they way you respond to that, is your responsibility. If there is a problem that you feel you need to address with your manager or others, there is a way to communicate that. In your communication you need to be professional and calm at all times; otherwise, you are actually digging the whole deeper. Trying to address a problem in the way have described here: is not going to help you at all. Furthermore, you can't expect everyone to tell you everything you need to know about your workplace. Sure, managers and others have a responsibility to let you know the basics and what you need to know in order to do your job effectively. That said, there are also unwritten norms and rules, that you need to find out. In other words, you also need to take initiative in finding things out about your workplace, such as signing in, and signing out (if it is not clearly explained to you). I would suggest, and strongly encourage you, to work on the following skills: Communication skills Taking initiative in understanding a workplace culture Accepting and working with criticism Providing feedback on criticism you have received In any workplace it is expected that you take initiative and show that you are willing to learn (by taking initiative), and can be an effective team member. You might not realize it, but the skills listed above, are part of your evaluation, and every manager will take these into account when evaluating your performance. On a different note, I doubt as to whether the fast food industry is actually for you. In your introduction post you mentioned several things that clearly indicate that you weren't all that comfortable with the job in the first place. So why work in the fast food industry?
