Karen restaurant manager accuses cook of not working, she maliciously complies

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Oct 6, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

Some people assume the worst of others, declaring everyone else to be lazy, foolish, or otherwise plotting and scheming something nefarious. But let's be honest, they're probably doing so to deflect from their own shortcomings—which are probably the exact same things they're accusing others of.

Having one of these people as your boss or employer is, of course, going to ensure you a terrible time during every moment you're at work, with constant accusations of slacking, skiving, and even stealing, keeping you constantly on your toes and on edge wondering when the latest barrage of imputations is going to be launched your direction.

It's hard to ever allow yourself to relax when chances are that your boss will choose that exact moment to pounce and take your moment of reprieve as evidence of your lack of commitment. Really, all you can do is make sure that you avoid confrontation and find little ways to show them that their micromanaging isn't going to get them anywhere or help anyone.

This cook was accused of slacking off when she was texting her husband to see how their sick kitten was faring, taking just a moment to check up and ease her worries. Her boss, who was entirely unsympathetic, began demanding that she "get to cleaning" the kitchen, prompting the cook to deep clean the entire thing.

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    Cheezburger Image 10412914944
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+
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    I will make myself the busiest person while also being completely useless S I work at a little family owned diner has a prep cook. The slow season is starting but I keep myself busy by helping put away dishes, filling the ice for the drink fountain, checking if the bathrooms need a touch up etc etc.
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    My boss is one of those people who thinks your the laziest person if you aren't doing something at the exact moment she walks into the kitchen. I happened to be on my phone sending a text to my husband at this time, he is home alone with 2 little 2 week old kittens we found and one has some
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    medical issues. Yesterday I took them to the vet for updated medicine doses since they are growing fast, he texted me double checking a few things since he couldn't go with me. Pretty important and worth a 5 second text right? Not for Sharon the Karen.
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    She told me to get to cleaning and gave me a few things, I added a few things and she said get whatever I can done. Exactly what I wanted to hear. She came into the back room to ask me to do something and saw every single thing off the shelves and on the floor. I wanted to bleach the shelves you see, they were very dusty. I asked if she wanted me to leave everything on the floor or toss everything back up and finish another day.
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    Long story short it's been 3 hours of cleaning shelves and so far the only words I have heard from others is how clean it smells and how it looks brand new. The best part? Not only do I have a hour left of my shift, not only am I off tomorrow, but I am the only prep cook this show has. Tomorrow I am sure they will have fun.
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    Mountain-Butterf... 6h ago • You were just following orders right? Karen can't be mad. They never learn.
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    lordatomosk • 6h ago • . You can always tell which employers see you as a person and which employers see you as a leech on their expenses balance sheet
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    Jezbod 6h ago. • I once had had enough of being tech support and had a few weeks of doing as little as possible at work. It turned out that when I did have to do something, I was relatively full of energy and enthusiasm and the people I helped, from both inside and outside the organisation, reported favourably after our interactions.
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    I got employee of the month... ₤100 toward the cost of a meal. As I was single, it paid for steak and beer for three of my mates and myself while on a camping weekend in the Lake District.
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    Piggypogdog ⚫6h ago I am waiting to hear about what happened tomorrow. Please fill us in. All the juicy details about how much Karen suffered.
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    V.. 2h ago Edited 52m ago • I am doing the same thing. • I've been with the company for 30+ years and in this job for 11. I've kept the state auditor out of our books this entire time. I am the person that is called by almost every other person who does what I do, in every branch, when they have a question or need help. I have been on transition teams to help train and implement when we've converted to new software. I
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    am also paid hourly, and everyone else system-wide doing this is salaried. I get paid well. But I have also been promised that they are trying to promote me without much luck. We are in a funding crunch so that makes sense. They told me I was at the top of my salary range so there isn't much room for raises. I am OK with that.
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    Last week, I find out that they promoted an administrative assistant, 4 pay grades and gave her a substantial raise. She is my back-up in that she kinda covered while I was out on medical leave last year (she did not do anything but pay invoices while I was out). And she makes more than me now. The person they are replacing when I retire in a few years
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    I guess they forgot that I used to work in HR. I know things and I know people. I since dug into it, and I am not at the top of my pay grade. There is plenty of room for raises. I also found the requirements for the position they promoted her into. She does not do the majority of the tasks to qualify for that position. So they lied. They lied to promote her and they lied to keep me here and pay me the minimum they had to.
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    Well, now I dropped out of all the training and other teams I worked with. I spend more time on reddit than working. I do what I have to do to keep them off my back, but I stopped volunteering for things. I take walks every hour on the hour. I don't respond to calls or texts after hours. I am going on vacation next week. Usually, I send out an email a week before so people can get paperwork to me. Not this time. The diva can figure it out.
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    I am done. I am going to milk this for all it's worth. They know something is up but haven't figured out that I know what they did. Good. thing is I am only here for the insurance. I am retiring in 2 years on my birthday, no matter what they do. Good for you!
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    sneacon · 1h ago "IF yOu CaN LeAn YoU cAn CLeAn"
    via ZelaAmaryills
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    Saramela 2m ago. This is what I hated most about hospitality. I've done everything from manager/assistant manager to server to line cook to sous chef to lead pastry chef. Bust your ass scrubbing the grill to perfection, but because you finished 10 minutes before your shift (and you cannot clock out a second early), you get the third degree. Eff that. Now I'm in IT, I take breaks when I feel like it, no one micromanages me and I make 4x the pay.
    via ZelaAmaryills

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