After An Employee Passes Away, Manager Refuses To Close Restaurant For Co-Workers To Attend The Funeral
The workers realized their manager didn't put their needs first, at all.
Daniel Lee / Unsplash A restaurant worker shared a disheartening message they received from their manager in the r/antiwork subreddit, a message that made them question whether their commitment to the business mattered.
The manager refused to close the restaurant for workers to attend the funeral of an employee who passed away.
The worker posted a screenshot of a text message their manager sent to the team, sharing the news that he wasn’t going to close the restaurant on the day of the funeral.
“The restaurant must still be functional, so unfortunately, not everyone can attend,” he declared.
The manager made a fairly clumsy attempt to mitigate whatever damage his decision caused, saying, “If anyone wants to attend the viewing, let me know before then and we can do our best to get something figured out,” adding, “I made sure to include the cemetery where he will be located so that anyone may pay their respects after the fact."
Photo: Charlie Firth / Unsplash
The manager justified his decision by claiming that the restaurant had existed for much longer than the deceased employee had worked there, saying, “Our few months with him pale in comparison to downtown’s 8 years.”
“So, again, be mindful that the business must be operational,” the manager reiterated. “If you don’t speak up early and try to get coverage and don’t come to work, it will be considered a no-call, no-show.”
The manager’s decision made it clear that he held little regard for staff members’ lives outside of their role as workers.
People who commented on the post were rightfully horrified by the manager’s lack of understanding and empathy. One person explained that the text was “The perfect example of why you should never prioritize your job.”
Another person agreed, sharing their own wisdom surrounding the workplace, saying, “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that and appreciate that more… To the company, you are a number in a spreadsheet.”
Someone else advised the whole staff to go to the funeral without calling out. According to their plan, doing so would “force the business to close for the day, you get to pay your respects, and they can’t fire all of you.”
Another person noted that closing the restaurant would have been the correct and compassionate decision, and it could even have been a strong business plan, too.
“I fully believe if the restaurant had a sign up stating the reason they were closed for a few hours or the day, that would generate positive good will, which I'm sure is worth more than the few dollars they'd be making in that time anyway,” they explained.
Photo: Brooke Cagle / Unsplash
Someone spoke directly to the employee who posted the text, saying, “If you died, this is how your employer will be talking about you. Remember this any time the employer brings up that you're a family and must support one another.”
We spend the majority of our weeks, our years, and essentially our whole lives working. We’re told that our worth is inexorably tied to the jobs we have. Yet as this manager’s decision showed, our lives aren’t always actually valued by our workplace.
In an ideal world, people would come before profit, and those who need time away from work to deal with whatever difficulties they’re facing would be granted that time, with no questions asked.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.