New manager gets rid of chairs and makes employees stand for full shifts even when there are no customers: 'We now have to stand for 8 hours'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Aug 21, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

People who sit behind a computer all day working from home tend to think that their struggles are the center of the universe, but the truth of the matter is that the real hard workers out there are the ones who have to be on their feet during the entirety of their shifts without sufficient breaks. 

Here, we have a team of employees at a "gift shop/information center" who have to endure standing for their eight-hour shifts for no good reason other than that's what their new ruthless manager thinks is necessary. Never mind if there are no customers around seeking help. Regardless of how busy the store actually is, these employees are now required to stand the entire time because when they were given "sitting privileges," their manager believed those privileges were being taken for granted. Mind you, the reason someone on the team needed to sit down was for a medical reason.

Keep scrolling below for the fallout and for the best reactions. For more, check out this post about a job candidate who called out a company online.

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  • 01
    MAYI HELP YOU?
    via Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka
  • 02
    My job took away our chairs For context I work in a gift shop/information center for the city I live in. Our shifts are from 10- 6 with a 30 minute lunch.
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 03
    About a year ago we had an employee who had a bad hip and couldn't stand for the full shift and we finally got chairs that we were allowed to use when there were no customers. That employee eventually left but the chairs stayed, and as long as we stood up when we had customers it was fine.
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 04
    Recently, we got a new manager and he took the chairs away because we were "abusing them and neglecting our job" and put up a list of "down time activities" (cleaning, restocking, etc, all stuff we already did).
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 05
    Yesterday I had to stay 1.5 hours after my shift because the door wouldn't lock and I had to wait for a maintenance worker to come and fix it because my manager lives an hour away and was at the vet with his dog. Now I am at work today exhausted and forced to stand for nearly 8 hours.
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 06
    TLDR: used to have chairs, they got removed and we now have to stand for 8 hours.
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 07
    LordDagnirMorn · 23 hr. ago I find the mentality that workers should always be standing up such a stupid one. People can still do their work sitting down and it's normal for people to want to sit
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 08
    down once in a while. I have a really bad ankle injury and can't stay standing up for long periods because of pain. For that reason i cant work in some field because of the "eberyone should always be standing" mentality
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 09
    gaslitdriver 23 hr. ago 100000%. They always say cashiers sitting looks bad to customers. As a customer, I could not care less which position they are in just scan ma
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 10
    bobjohnson078 OP. 23 hr. ago I have never gone into a store and saw a worker sitting and thought "man what a lazy
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 11
    justagirlnamed Dee. 22 hr. ago I worked retail for 10+ years and no chairs was a thing for all but one job. It's ridiculous and you should absolutely be able to sit down. I'll never understand this.
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 12
    I'd much prefer to walk into a shop and see the person sitting down and comfortable rather than standing and despising being there. Because I know the "busy work/down time activities" are bull:
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 13
    Even worked at one (Spencer's) who told us to re-fold things that were perfect already so we'd always look busy. So stupid.
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 14
    frankofantasma · 23 hr. ago Chairs should be legislated as mandatory at every f is ridiculous. job. This
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 15
    ConfusedAndLiving 22 hr. ago Worst part is OSHA, who normally has our backs, says that chairs can have negative effects on back health and refuses to mandate them.
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 16
    Professional-Try4921. 23 hr. ago In your position I would be sitting on the desk or on the floor
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 17
    Some_Whereas_5371. 21 hr. ago Or in my car especially if I'm not getting paid
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 18
    ConfusedAndLiving. 22 hr. ago Talk to your doctor for a note. Anyone will be in pain after a few hours of standing. Everyone qualifies for reasonable accomodations.
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 19
    allesklar123456 · 22 hr. ago Complete cruelty. Most humans cannot comfortably stand for 3- 4 hours, let alone 8.
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 20
    Paradisebeenlost 22 hr. ago tell us the name of this gift shop. so we can email and call them and tell them to give the chairs back.
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 21
    DukeRedWulf . 22 hr. ago If you're in the UK there's a legal Right to Sit, and the employer must provide seating by law.
    via bobjohnsonO78
  • 22
    Embryw 20 hr. ago This obsession with standing is so f dumb. Absolutely NO manager would want to stand for 8 hours straight, that they want to make other people do it? If you ask your employees to do something you yourself would not be willing to do, you're a person.
    via bobjohnsonO78

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