What Is Being Thrown Away
Our nephew once told me about his summer job as a waiter during a visit. "The manager is stupid and the work is boring. It is a waste of my time." I have never waited tables, but I can imagine that the work may not be very stimulating for a young man who always proud himself as being smart and intelligent.
"It's only a summer job. I am sure there are things to learn from it," I tried to stay positive. "Nope. It is a boring job. There is nothing to learn and I am so underpaid." He did not mince his word in expressing his scorn for the position. "But you know what? I have my way of getting back at them." A smirk flashed across the face of my nephew. "When no one is watching, I throw the knives and forks into trash. And they wonder why we are always short on silverware . . . "
I was shocked. I never imagined my dear nephew to do such a thing. "You agreed to do the job based on what you get paid. You don't do things to sabotage your employer. What you do is absolutely wrong. What you did makes you a terrible employee. You deserve being fired!"
Our nephew seemed shocked that I did not take his side. He did not take my comment very well. We shared an awkward silence for a long time.
I used to think only immature youngster like my nephew would do such things, but I was wrong.
My old boss at the framing store told me he once worked in a Chinese restaurant in Biloxi. The owner make the staff help pick green beans in the afternoon before the dinner rush. "I hate picking beans!" my boss groused. "He didn't pay me enough to do tasks like this. So, I pushed piles of green beans into the trash barrel when he was not watching," he displayed a smile of triumph as he recounted his story.
Maybe karma is real, and my boss' karma caught up with him.
Years later, a coworker from the framing store vented at me his resentment towards our boss, "I think I am a pretty good framer, but he has not given me a raise for years!" "Go talk to him. Make your case," I encouraged my fellow framer. "Oh, he knows. I am sure he knows. He is a Scrooge. I don't need to be humiliated." said my coworker.
Hm. So, he has never even broached the subject with the boss, but he is fuming inside because he does not get the raise he wants. Hmmm.
"You know sometimes I stay late at the shop alone? I throw away his mats and glass. I even throw away some of his frames, but nobody knows. I don't think he knows," my coworker grinned victoriously.
Oh. My. Word. Why do people keep doing counter-productive things like this???
"You want a raise? Be the best employee you can be and ask for what you deserve. You can't blame him for rejecting the request that you never made. What you did is very unethical. I am sorry, my friend. In my opinion, you should be fired!"
Finally, for some different act, I heard that he was let go after having worked there for almost twenty years.
In all three cases, I hear their frustrations as well as why they did what they did. Their egos drove them to take actions that just turned their cases against themselves. These men who think they are so smart did something extremely stupid without even knowing it. It's so sad.
"It's only a summer job. I am sure there are things to learn from it," I tried to stay positive. "Nope. It is a boring job. There is nothing to learn and I am so underpaid." He did not mince his word in expressing his scorn for the position. "But you know what? I have my way of getting back at them." A smirk flashed across the face of my nephew. "When no one is watching, I throw the knives and forks into trash. And they wonder why we are always short on silverware . . . "
I was shocked. I never imagined my dear nephew to do such a thing. "You agreed to do the job based on what you get paid. You don't do things to sabotage your employer. What you do is absolutely wrong. What you did makes you a terrible employee. You deserve being fired!"
Our nephew seemed shocked that I did not take his side. He did not take my comment very well. We shared an awkward silence for a long time.
I used to think only immature youngster like my nephew would do such things, but I was wrong.
My old boss at the framing store told me he once worked in a Chinese restaurant in Biloxi. The owner make the staff help pick green beans in the afternoon before the dinner rush. "I hate picking beans!" my boss groused. "He didn't pay me enough to do tasks like this. So, I pushed piles of green beans into the trash barrel when he was not watching," he displayed a smile of triumph as he recounted his story.
Maybe karma is real, and my boss' karma caught up with him.
Years later, a coworker from the framing store vented at me his resentment towards our boss, "I think I am a pretty good framer, but he has not given me a raise for years!" "Go talk to him. Make your case," I encouraged my fellow framer. "Oh, he knows. I am sure he knows. He is a Scrooge. I don't need to be humiliated." said my coworker.
Hm. So, he has never even broached the subject with the boss, but he is fuming inside because he does not get the raise he wants. Hmmm.
"You know sometimes I stay late at the shop alone? I throw away his mats and glass. I even throw away some of his frames, but nobody knows. I don't think he knows," my coworker grinned victoriously.
Oh. My. Word. Why do people keep doing counter-productive things like this???
"You want a raise? Be the best employee you can be and ask for what you deserve. You can't blame him for rejecting the request that you never made. What you did is very unethical. I am sorry, my friend. In my opinion, you should be fired!"
Finally, for some different act, I heard that he was let go after having worked there for almost twenty years.
In all three cases, I hear their frustrations as well as why they did what they did. Their egos drove them to take actions that just turned their cases against themselves. These men who think they are so smart did something extremely stupid without even knowing it. It's so sad.
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