Employee Who Hasn’t Heard From His Boss In 2 Weeks Comes Into Work And Finds Odd Notes All Over The Cafe
He's more confused than anything.
DAPA Images, DS Stories, Tim Douglas / CanvaPro Who hasn’t had a terrible boss? Whether you’re working retail, serving tables, or sitting in a corporate office, you’ve surely had a run-in with at least one. Their manipulative tactics, poor communication skills, and inadequate leadership make them hard to forget.
One cafe employee, AJ (@ajssway on TikTok), shared his unique experience with his terrible boss. After not hearing from his boss for weeks, the way he got in touch was both strange and slightly concerning.
The cafe employee had been ghosted by his boss but found random notes and clutter from him when he showed up to work.
“Y’all my boss has not contacted us here at this job in two weeks nearly,” AJ started his TikTok. That was until he came into work, ready to open the cafe, and found board games randomly laid out and strange pieces of paper scattered around the room.
While many of the odd notes he read through were scribbled so quickly they were unreadable, some were painfully simple. “You are gonna make money,” one of the slips read. “Spectacular performance," said another.
Others of these peculiar notes were attached to items within the cafe’s kitchen — one reading "Gross" was taped to an overflowing bottle of chocolate syrup, while another that said “Game changer” sat atop two unopened containers of Nutella.
The notes around the cafe were mostly ‘gibberish’, but the employee was concerned about what they meant.
“Love my little cafe, lol,” AJ sarcastically captioned the video. Initially laughing while he sorted through the odd notes from his boss, he couldn’t help but be a little concerned over the randomness of the messages. Especially after he’d only spoken to his boss once over the past month to confirm he got paid.
AJ wasn’t the only one who was slightly concerned, either. In fact, many comments suggested that the boss’ behavior was troubling.
One comment pointed out that many of the odd notes feel very “panicked and paranoid” — something that studies suggest is a behavioral change associated with people struggling with addiction disorders.
Many warned the employee about the tendency for strange behavior like this to escalate.
“He’s been drinking,” one comment suggested, “and probably a great deal. I had a boss who did stuff like this at the height of his addiction.” "He’s on a bender. He’s drinking. Quite a bit," another commenter wrote. "I’ve done this [expletivive] before when I was an alcoholic."
While many comments agreed, assuming addiction is the reason for the odd notes and strange behavior is not completely foolproof. There are hundreds of other scenarios that could account for the employee’s strange interactions with his boss.
Still, even if substance abuse is not involved, this behavior is undeniably a red flag in a boss.
"This is a horrible owner. He’s afraid to talk to his own employees. Run," one TikTok user advised. "Business owner that doesn’t know how to run a business," a fourth user wrote. "This is why 70 percent of food service businesses fail."
Behavior experts have a few tips for dealing with bosses who behave unpredictably.
“Be situationally aware,” a study from the Harvard Business Review suggested, "Defuse a tense situation with some well-timed gratitude.”
Experts also suggested getting a second opinion on the boss’s behavior or utilizing HR for guidance, if the role and situation allow.
While the solution for some people dealing with a terrible boss might be leaving the job or simply ignoring it, it’s important to know when to say something. Ensuring your safety and security is the top priority, even if it means having a few uncomfortable conversations with your boss (or theirs).
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture analysis and human interest stories.