Minor victory thread
- Thread starter Thread Necromancer
- Start date
Salty, breaded forest fungi air fried to perfection?
So, a while back I participated in a programming challenge at my job that ended up winning my company a 97 million dollar government contract. I can't find the post, but I'm sure I posted about it here.
Today, surprise $3000 bonus and a scheduled party (online, of course) as a result.
Today, surprise $3000 bonus and a scheduled party (online, of course) as a result.
That's not 97 million gross profit, mind you. I'm sure a big chunk of that will go to contractor salaries.
Company will probably only make 7-8 million in profit. Still, a small percentage as a bonus, to be sure. But since I expected no bonus at all, it's nice. And it only cost me about 4 hours of labor.
GasBandit
Staff member
Yeah, hard to argue with $750/hr.
And it gives me warm fuzzies inside knowing i probably helped provide more living wage jobs than Trump lol
Having a kind of decent day so far, from a mental health perspective. Like, I'm not bouncing off the walls happy or big smiles, but not depressed, either? Feels kinda nice for a change.
Thought I'd post that since I often post when I'm depressed. So I'm calling this a minor victory.
Thought I'd post that since I often post when I'm depressed. So I'm calling this a minor victory.
There is something satisfying about someone coming at you for a mistake that was made and flipping out at you. Then when you actually look into it and you realize what you did was completely right and it was actually them that made the error.
Hard to do more than just solve it when it's your boss though.
Hard to do more than just solve it when it's your boss though.
Last Friday I went to my local Greasy Spoon Diner in the little hamlet I live near. They turned me away because they close the dining area at 6pm it was 6:15. I thought my favorite restaurant was going to lose my business forever. I went back yesterday and they announced that they were going to go back to normal 8pm closing. They were "short staffed." But last week they made it sound like it was new permanent policy. I wonder how many customers they lost because of their hiring practices?
I sympathize with the frustration. Hiring practices may have nothing to do with being short staffed though. I have several friends that run small businesses, from restaurants to lawn care to computer repair. All have given the same stories about trying to find and hire workers, even going all the way through interviews and setting a start date just to have them no show or quit the first day. The no shows almost uniformly say they just decided they didn’t need a job yet, if they didn’t just flat out ghost the phone call. A majority of the first day/week quitters would say they didn’t expect the job to be as much work as they were expected to perform and just didn’t feel like dealing with that. It’s just nuts trying to get workers right now. Pile on top of that, they have to deal with call outs of workers calling out because they think they’ve been exposed or actually sick just causes nightmares for staffing. On the other hand, people have to be clear about what’s happening with their business, say you’re too short handed to operate not just we’re closing at 6.
Wait, you showed up fifteen minutes late and expected to be seated? Sounds like a Karen move to me.
GasBandit
Staff member
The rest of the post shows - the place usually closes at 8. He thought they were feeding him a line.
I've seen something similar locally. There's a certain donut chain where they make the donuts in the morning and then if they sell out they close early. District managers had to start checking up however, because there were cases of employees calling to say they were closing the shop because there was nothing left to sell, and then the DM dropped by an hour later to find the store dark and the dumpster full of donuts.
I've never pulled anything quite like that, but as someone on that side of the counter, "lose my business forever" gets a goodbye and good riddance. We're sick and tired of the Karens of the world.
Dave
Staff member
Yeah but this totally was a minor Karen thing. So it is PROBABLY not their fault they closed early. Staffing shortages, etc. forced them to it. I mean, they weren't making any money being closed, so it's probably not their choice. It IS kind of a Karen move to get frustrated and make a scene when something doesn't go your way. Trying to get them to seat you when they are closed it bad form. Once you heard they were closed, move on.
GasBandit
Staff member
Conversely, what if you showed up at 6:15 at a restaurant you knew (ordinarily) closes at 8, and the staff looks up from what they're doing to give you the side eye as you walk through the door, and says "uhh... yeah, we're closed?" with that upward gen z inflection that implies "you fucking inconsiderate idiot" and offers no explanation?
There's a lot of detail missing out of this story.
I’m having a hard time with the people quitting in the first week because the work required so much “work”.
That’s a new one to me. The poor hiring people.
That’s a new one to me. The poor hiring people.
I've seen people quit in the first HOUR. Stepped outside for a smoke break and we never saw them again.
That's a thing that happens when a) the person hiring was misleading or outright dishonest about the work, b) the pay is absolutely not enough for the job, or c) the people you're actually working with or reporting to make it intolerable. It's not something that will happen with any regularity at a decent job that pays a fair wage.
Most of the stories I've heard about companies having a hard time getting people to work are the same companies trying to pay minimum wage for the positions they can't fill.
Most of the stories I've heard about companies having a hard time getting people to work are the same companies trying to pay minimum wage for the positions they can't fill.
Well it is difficult for me to make it to a restaurant before 6. I work until 5. They already are closed on strange days and already greatly decreased their operating hours. It was like a hang out place and sat customers up to 9. These changes I see a lot in this town when businesses begin to fail. So that is two different ways to lose my business forever.
I didn't go all Karen on the kid. I did say damn out of surprise, then I apologized, and calmly said to let the manager know that is bad policy. I worked in the service industry so I don't yell at kids.
I didn't go all Karen on the kid. I did say damn out of surprise, then I apologized, and calmly said to let the manager know that is bad policy. I worked in the service industry so I don't yell at kids.
How was I supposed to know they stopped seating at a fucking weird hour?
I think some of them are just unprepared for the labor and commitment parts, regardless of salary.
I had a newly hired assistant manager up and quit on me after only a couple weeks because they didn't realize just how much stress/expectation/responsibility the position entailed. This was also someone who owned a vehicle with a 5-speed manual but drove it everywhere never using above 4th gear because "5th gear is just for highways/freeways," so this person may have been somewhat lacking in the life experience department.
--Patrick
While there certainly are cases of just bad employees, I'll almost always side with the worker because the hiring team usually sucks. They're tasked with trying to hire the most qualified person possible for the least amount of money, and since no qualified person is going to accept the wage they're offering, they will hired inexperienced workers under the guise that they are experienced and then act surprised when they bounce after seeing all the shit they're expected to put up with. Restaurants are especially notorious at this, using loopholes in laws to pay their wait staff UNDER minimum wage in the expectation that they will earn tips to get above that line, making them the equivalent of service buskers dancing for their food. I personally find it undignified, do away with tips and just pay people what they deserve instead of putting it on a patron to decide if their server can afford insulin this week.
And to answer @TommiR yes, if you offer an actual living wage you may find more people willing to work for you.
CDC has said it's fine to get the booster and flu shot at the same time.