And the Band Played On...

Meanwhile, back at the restaurant, things are not improving, or even maintaining a consistent level of suck. They are infact getting worse.

Part of it may be my prospective but trying to look at it objectively and talking to C and J about it, it’s not just me.

Just to recap, sometime around Oct and Nov we lost 2 experienced cooks, leaving one of the owners, KL, and the short order cook, M, to handle the kitchen alone. This meant K’s wife, Y, and KL himself had to spend a lot more time in the kitchen and less time on the floor. So all our shifts were upped to make sure we weren’t short staffed on the floor. We’re also expected to do more work in the same amount of time. Our total waitress staff is comprised of me, z’bitch and the manager D. We’ve been making it work; ‘tho “making it work” has involved me being scheduled to work 14 days straight, one day off, then another 9 in November. Part of that might be because of a 4 day trip I just got back from, and D did give me a day off during that 14 day run….and I phoned in sick during the nine day…. But looking at December, I’m now working 16 days straight, right up until I leave for TX.

I’m burning out, badly. Even ‘tho z’bitch has been better, most of the time, she’s still a “challenge”, I’m losing patience with D and the owners and about 75% of the customers who come in. Not good.

They did hire a newbie cook but obviously he’s still training and it hasn’t reduced the pressure on anyone.

After I registered for night school I told D I couldn’t work my usual Monday night shift and I’d need Thursday night off too. Both she and Y knew I was planning on going back to school. Her response “Monday nights are going to be a problem”….?!?!?!...Ummm, ok? For who? Me? No, I need to go back to school. I’d already explain at length to both her and Y that HE made more money than I, 2 to 3x what I make. I need to go back to school to add to my “skill set” so I can get earn additional income.

Fine, D works it out, I’ll have Mondays off.

I tell her I’ll be needing additional time off, basically going down to part-time, because I need to study in addition to going to the actual classes. Plus, before exams I’ll need more time off, I suggest she needs to hire a part-timer, D agrees, frankly we need someone just to cover shifts if one of us gets sick.

I go on my 4 day trip, get back, and no help wanted sign in the window. I ask D about it, oh, Y doesn’t want to hire anyone else. Also, they don’t plan on hiring any additional kitchen staff. Why? Because they want to save money, and so far it’s been working out…?!?!?! Sure we’re all working like dogs, but it’s working for them and saving money. It’s fucking crazy, their running a restaurant open 7 days a week with a seating capacity of 100 on 3 waitresses and 2 experienced cooks, and plan to keep it that way. All they need is a kettle drum to keep us all rowing in time.

I’m not alone in bitching about burning out; D has laid down some pretty good rants too, even ‘tho she’s been able to keep her 2 days off a week.

So D asks me what kind of time I need off when I start school, I’m currently working 25 to 30 hours a week, I tell her I need to drop down to 15 to maybe 20, and she should do up a schedule for Jan so we can get it sorted out now. Especially since she’s going on a cruise in early January.

She talks to Y again about hiring another waitress, Y finally agrees. They ask me to print up a sign on my computer, done.

Meanwhile, she still hasn’t done a schedule for this next week. I remind her I have a grief counseling appointment on Thurs the 13^th  at 10am. She asks if I can come in at 11:15 for the lunch shift? Probably not a good idea….is she for real?!

We settle on me coming in for the dinner shift, z’bitch will work lunch.

I see the schedule yesterday, she has me coming in at 10:15 on that Thurs…..head to desk…head to desk…I remind her that I have a GRIEF COUNSELING appointment at 10 that day. She again tries to sell me on coming it later for the lunch shift. I tell her it’s not a good idea and I don’t think coming in looking like a lab rat (blonde with red eyes) is a good look for a waitress. We again settle on me coming in for the night shift.

She also shows me a schedule she did up for January; I have Mondays off, but didn’t get a really good look at it since we got busy with customers.

D then tells me based on that schedule they won’t be hiring another waitress….and I repeat, It’s fucking crazy, their running a restaurant open 7 days a week with a seating capacity of 100 on 3 waitresses and 2 experienced cooks, and plan to keep it that way.

Last night I was mulling things over, was Monday the only day I had off on that Jan schedule? If so that means I’m working 6 days a week, and even if I’m only working 3 hours a day that’s 18 hours a week, and most shifts are longer and I know there were a few doubles in there…so I’m probably back up to at least 25 hours a week.

I phone D at home and ask if I only have the Mondays off, she says she can’t remember, we’ll have to check it again. And BTW she forgot she already promised z’bitch Thursday the 13^th lunch shift off so I’ll have to come in……”Sorry, I forgot”…..

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!?!?

If she had told me from the get go I’d have to work that shift I would have re-scheduled my appointment, if I do that now it’ll be after Christmas. Fine, lab rat Thursday it is then.

I do have some sympathy for D, her hands are tied to a certain extent by Y, and D has also talked about quitting. But she’s in her mid 50s and I think too scared to jump ship, she knows the owners are taking huge advantage of us, she puts up with it.

I won’t.

And my sympathy vanishes for D if can’t be bothered to write down changes in the schedule to make sure nothing conflicts.

I have had some serious thoughts about just flat out quitting without a solid Plan B.

It’s worrying me because impulse control is not my strong suit and starting today I work 4 splits in a row which could drive me over the edge.

Frankly I’m completely stressed out and driving myself crazy. I need to stop being so emotionally invested in that job and (some of) the people that work there. On top of all this, D has always been a chatty Cathy and I’ve always had to put up with, and make sympathetic noises about her problems.  Problems which have become pretty insignificant to me since HE died; ‘tho up until this point I have honestly tried to give a shit. I think that needs to stop too.

I’m trying to talk myself down off this ledge, just accept the Jan schedule, keep your head down go to work, go to school (it is only 2 classes a week); money won’t be so tight if you do.

But that’s not working. I talked to C and J about all this last night and they both think I need to get a Plan B together ASAP.

C’s idea, submit to D what days/shifts I’m willing to work while going to school.

J thinks I should work to rule, do my job, but nothing more, (and we are expected to do more) and maybe a bit slower than usual.

And both those plans are based on the fact I’ll be finding a new job soon.

Adding to my muddled thoughts is a bit of a Plan B.

J works at a doctor’s office and they need a temporary, part time office assistant, J might be able to get me in. It pays pretty well, would give me current office experience for my resume and there’s a small chance it might go from temporary to permanent.

So if I got that job I’d then have to go to work and tell them (after fussing over needing more time off) that I can only start work at 11:15 in the morning’s because I’ve taken another job. Or I just flat out quit and hope it turns into a permanent position, and I’m not sure it’s worth that gamble.

The above was written this morning before I went into work.

A few updates:

Overnight the scheduling fairies sprinkled their magical dust on this month’s schedule. I now have one day off out of 16. D said I must have written it down wrong in the first place but I always double check my copy against the calendar she writes, I’m not careless, and this is the 3^rd time in 2 months things have “magically” changed, either in my favour or not.

She also told me if the grief counseling was too tough I didn’t have to come in…gee thanks…I know I should be grateful but I have a problem with this. If I do show I’ll probably be a mess if I don’t show it also reflects badly on me. It’s a no-win situation for me.

I also turned off my giving a shit about her problems, it sounds selfish, and I felt selfish but it made work very simplistic.

I looked at the Jan schedule, it’s actually not too bad other than the week D’s on her cruise, but while I was looking at it Y walked by and told me not to write it down because it’ll be changing…head to desk…head to desk….

So, the above was written on my split this afternoon, I’m now home for the night...

A few more updates:

Apparently Thurs the 13^th is just a big clustefuck. Z’bitch wanted the night off, not the day, so I’m working that night and not having to decide if I want to work lunch.

D asked me if I looked at the Jan schedule, I told her yes but Y also told me it would be changing so it was pointless. This set D off on a rant about Y meddling, I just looked at her blankly. When she finally wound down I said to her that was exactly the reason I’ve stopped being invested in this job, it’s too stressful for what should be a simple waitressing gig. Her turn to look at me blankly.

They also cut me loose early, too slow for 3 waitresses on the floor….and I think I might have scared the hell out of D.