So this outlet is a lot tinier than most outlets and has only 4 permanent staff on the floor, 2 in the kitchen, and 2 part-timers with a possibility of more coming along. So with all the leave entitlements and compulsory days off, there are days where I'm bound to work with at least one of the 4 permanent floor staff. While the pace of the people at this outlet seems to be really laid back compared to the previous outlet, Slowpoke takes it to another level, hence the nickname.
Slowpoke is the kind of person that is a waste of your time and energy to have to work with. Not only can you not count on this person to help you run the show, you have to actually double-up your efforts to end the shift right. The very first time I worked with Slowpoke was on a saturday afternoon and noticed that Slowpoke didn't seem to pull their weight and also disappear somewhere for long periods of time, too long to just send orders in.
Then I had the opportunity to work with Slowpoke one night to close the outlet. At first I just went about doing what was required on my part and then I realised that I seemed to be doing all the work while Slowpoke just had the cheek to sit in the corner and have a plate of pasta. To top it off, Slowpoke started nagging and telling me to clip receipts to one corner. How anal is that? The second day came along and this time I slowed down my pace to suit Slowpoke's so that Slowpoke had to cater to all the tables. Well... I didn't start working in this line just a week ago if you actually know my history.
After grumbling about Slowpoke to my buddy, I found out that Slowpoke's attitude might be because of the promotion that didn't happen. Instead of getting promoted (after 10 years with the company), Slowpoke was left with the same title, and to top that off, my buddy (a rank above Slowpoke) was brought to the outlet to help run the show. So maybe it explains why Slowpoke has such a bad laid-back attitude. However, I got a feeling that Slowpoke didn't get the promotion because of the crap attitude and the slower-than-a-snail's pace. Working with any other permanent floor staff would see us sending out the last order at 9.30pm, start closing procedures, and finally leaving the place about 10 minutes after closing (unless some idiots stay beyond closing). Working with Slowpoke, you will notice that there will be no one around by 9pm, where the cashier is closed, leaving me to clean up what's left while Slowpoke takes the whole hour to count the money and do paperwork. Most times, I never stay long enough to know when Slowpoke actually finishes the work, I just leave at 10pm.
I don't know how old Slowpoke is, but it doesn't look like Slowpoke is in the 50s range yet. What I'm getting at is the question of how some people seem so passionate and dedicated to the company they work for. The thing that brought up this issue was actually an email that I got the very same night I found out about Slowpoke's issue. In the email, the first of many slides stated "To love your job but don't love your Company, because you may not know when your company stops loving you". Unless it's a company that you founded, I don't see the point in staying in the company till you die. There are companies which are fun to work for that you would like to stay with as long as you can, but there comes a time when you either have to leave to find greener pastures or just realise that there is no future within the company for you.
Personally I love my job. I love what I do, and I've done it with different companies. The reason I came back to this company wasn't that I liked the company. No... in fact, I find the company can be a bit fickle-minded, and needs to be a bit more protective of their staff. Plus all the trouble they had me go through just for a simple letter to state that I've worked with them had me thinking they aren't really as nice as they portray themselves while right in front of you. The main reason I came back was that I missed the smells and equipment. The second reason was the people at the old outlet. They were fun to work with right until the end of last year when all hell broke loose. Now, at least I know who I can trust, and who I can work with, a bunch of people I know I can actually hire if I ever started my own place. Well maybe it would be better to have these people invest themselves in the new place so that they would love the company as it's partly theirs as well?
So anyone wants a Company to love?
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