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‘Short staffed? No problem’: Management implements major changes to tourist attraction employee roles, chaos ensues when staff is unaware of standard procedures

Some ideas are better in theory than in reality.

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Posted by Lana DeGaetano
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  • When in a management role, you hold a position of power. You are the think tank; questions of “how can we smoothly run things?” and “what should we implement for maximum efficiency?” are often what you should be thinking about. Though supervisor roles are given this responsibility, not all employees in positions of power know what to do with it, nor know how to implement changes effectively and reasonably. The lesson of a lot of workplace slip-ups is that some ideas are simply just ideas, and what matters is how these ideas can be turned into something efficient and tangible.

    The employee in this story recalls a time where their management decided to train floor employees in standard control room procedures at a visitor attraction in London. This employee was part of the floor personnel team, but was well-versed in control room procedures because they relieved control room staff during breaks and lunches. They were tasked with training 3-4 floor personnel in the control room, while supervisors from the control room were sent out onto the floor during open hours. The story is filled with misunderstandings, people missing their lunch breaks, and door alarms blaring because neither the supervisors nor the floor personnel knew how to run the job effectively because they were not trained for this switch until that day. OP explains that the rest of the week continued this way, until the supervisors caved and indirectly admitted this was a failed attempt at change. What good came out of it, was more break rooms and leniency regarding staff uniform! Read ahead to get all of the juicy details regarding this crazy week in a customer service position.

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  • 1
    Short staffed? No problem.
    Via xlovechrisx
  • 2
    I work for a visitor attraction in London. Generally we are out on the floor answering questions etc. We had a dedicated team that worked in the control room, usually supervisors or those that wanted to become supervisors. Normally one or two people in the control room. They were never ever on the floor if they could help it.
    Via xlovechrisx
  • 3
    They watched the cctv and controlled the breaks, lunches, etc. For instance if a visitor sets off an alarm they would call us and we would investigate the alarm. Management decided to pull the supervisors out onto the floor and train floor personnel to be In the control room. Good idea on paper but in practice?
    Via xlovechrisx
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  • 4
    Supervisors didn't want to go on the floor and those on the floor didn't want to go into the control room. Some of us already worked in the control room as we relieved them for breaks, lunches etc. Basically if you were in the control room you stayed in there.
    Via xlovechrisx
  • 5
    First training week went something like this. Someone that knew the control room training 3 or 4 of the floor people. Needless to say that put us short staffed on the floor and management had to go on the floor to cover. As "how hard could it be", it will only be a week then I can go back to my cushy desk job.
    Via xlovechrisx
  • 6
    First day I was training 3 or 4 floor staff and management/supervisors were on the floor. Management told me treat them like normal floor staff. Ok no problem. I asked everyone that I was training "normal floor staff" we all got big smiles on our faces.
    Via xlovechrisx
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  • 7
    Not even 10 minutes goes by and radio call. "Can one of you bring the keys for the front door so we can let the public in?" It's a 5 min walk from control to the front door. I radio one of the management on the floor. "Come to control and pick up the keys and take to front door." I get a phone call "just have so and so bring them over, there's 4 of you in there" As per procedure nobody is allowed out of control room.
    Via xlovechrisx
  • 8
    Management take 5 min to get to control and then take the keys over to front door. So we are late opening. Next radio call. "Which key is it?" It's number . They open the doors. Alarm goes off. "Control why did alarm go off" You need to call control to let us know exactly when to take alarm off. Procedure
    Via xlovechrisx
  • 9
    All of this is written down. Procedures must be followed. Now that the public is in, alarms start going off for various reasons. The public loves going through doors that say 'Door is Alarmed'. Normal stuff. I start radio calls to management on the floor. "Charlie 3 go to door x", "Charlie 3 go to door x" etc etc. "Delta 4 relieve Charlie 3 for thier lunch"
    Via xlovechrisx
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  • 10
    Lunchtime, I get phone calls from people who haven't been relieved for thier lunch on time. Management hasn't figured out that travel time between your post and the break area is NOT included in your lunch/break. If you have an hour lunch and it takes you 10 min walking time to get there then basically your lunch is 40 min. 10 min to go from your post to break room and 10 min to go back to post.
    Via xlovechrisx
  • 11
    Normal control room staff knew this and would start lunches early to give everyone as much as possible a full lunch. More radio calls "Charlie 3 can you check the tiolet, report of water on the floor" "Charlie 3 can you go to x Visitor wants to use a voucher", "actually Charlie 3 go to door x" but "I'm with a visitor ", " Doors take priority Charlie 3"
    Via xlovechrisx
  • 12
    For the rest of the day we ran management crazy. Everything in the procedures was adhered to. Count the empty spaces in the car park. Check locks on the emergency gates. Check toilets, mens and womens to see if they need to be refilled with tiolet paper. Look for lights out, Fill in your task book. etc
    Via xlovechrisx
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  • 13
    Next day needless to say i wasn't in the control room. Didn't matter. The tone was set. Didn't matter who was in there. The rest of the week went by the same. Everyone that followed me ran management nuts.
    Via xlovechrisx
  • 14
    Management to thier credit changed some things after that. Black sneakers can now be worn. More break rooms closer to posts have been opened. Procedures have been loosened up. Control people are back in control and floor people are on the floor. Everyone is now trained in the control room but they only have to work it if they want. Still was a glorious week!
    Via xlovechrisx
  • 15
    pukui7 19 hr. ago It's a sad fact that the idea to "walk a mile in someone else's shoes" is such a literal necessity for so many. Management wouldn't and couldn't see the glaring issues with the work day for you all. Not until they had to experience it themselves. I mean the lunch time issue itself, with some having such a long travel time, was ridiculous.
    Via pukui7
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  • 16
    ShadowDragon8685 · 18 hr. ago Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, you're a mile away, and you have their shoes, thus delaying their ability to retaliate. Then put them on full blast!
    Via ShadowDragon8685
  • 17
    jamesholden 15 hr. ago. • my manager has worked every position, up from the bottom. I watched him grow from a supervisor with no actual supe duties under original manager, to supe with tons of duties under second manager, to dept head in my time here.
    Via jamesholden
  • 18
    he added a admin assistant after becoming manager. the new supe, though an outside hire, jumps in the trenches with us and trusts the long time employees (me being second longest) I could make 25% more elsewhere, and have went to those places before. I went back.
    Via jamesholden
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  • 19
    DangNearRekdit . 18 hr. ago You can offer solutions until you're blue in the face, but sometimes a problem doesn't get solved until you make it their problem. Sounds like you folks were dealing with some of the problems so long you forgot they were problems
    Via DangNearRekdit
  • 20
    Geminii27 16 hr. ago And of course all the staff keep talking about when management are going to "do it again" in six months, because it was so successful, every time management is in the room? :)
    Via Geminii27
  • 21
    SilverStar9192 · 13 hr. ago Yeah that's what I was thinking. This was upper management, who saw the problems (perhaps with advice from floor and control room staff), and figured this was a smart way to straighten things out without having to micromanage themselves.
    Via SilverStar9192
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  • 22
    • Qix213 2 hr. ago Exactly. It's not only about fixing either. It's also about being able to manage better when you know how the real job is done. Which is why it's almost always better to promote from within. So your managers know the real job they will be overseeing. Not just the job description of what they are overseeing.
    Via Qix213
  • 23
    the-exiled-muse 13 hr. ago I feel like you and your coworkers sometimes had to struggle to not laugh out loud during that fiasco.
    Via the-exiled-muse

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workplace-stories toxic-workplace malicious compliance work malicious-compliance-reddit askreddit reddit story horrible-management workplace Horrible Bosses reddit thread red flag workplace malicious compliance entitled people toxic-work-environment

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