'I wasn't going to sign something that wasn't my fault': Micromanager tries to shame barista for leaving work due to family emergency despite advanced warning

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 31, 2024 4:00 PM EDT

It should come as no surprise to any manager that every once in a while, someone on your team is going to need to call out sick or miss work because of unforeseen circumstances. If the team is well-managed, things should be fine, nothing should implode, and it should be pretty easy to find another coworker to temporarily pick up the slack if necessary.

However, if the team is not well-managed, it's easy for everything to fall apart and for the flaws in management to become grossly apparent. Here, we have a barista who gave his manager plenty of advanced notice that they would need to be out of town for a few days to attend a family member's memorial service. Things seemed to be fine until the barista returned to work after those days off, only to receive a warning from their general manager for not finding a replacement. Of course, finding coverage was not expressly written in the barista's contract under these circumstances and, since he was told in advance that everything would be okay if he took the days off, the barista refused to sign the warning. This ultimately moved up the chain of command, and because the barista stood his ground the whole way through, it was the general manager who ended up taking the fall.

Keep scrolling below for the full story. For more, check out this post about a new employee who was ghosted on day one of the job.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10422139392
    via Brooke Cagle (Unsplash+)
  • 02
    AITA for not letting my boss give me a warning?
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 03
    This happened this fall, I don't think am I the AH but my co-workers are telling me otherwise. So, I'm posting this to get an outside perspective on the whole situation.
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 04
    Within the year we had seen three general store managers, in short, this store is a mess. My family is from out of country, thus when an emergency happens, we have make plans quickly. My uncle
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 05
    passed away due to the vs, we found out late about 11:00 pm that night. The next day I told my GSM that my family had a passing, we didn't have a day for the funeral
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 06
    yet, but I'll need to take some days off and I'll keep his updated. He thanked me, that was where we left it off for the next week.
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 07
    As soon as my cousin told me when the funeral date was, my mother and I bought tickets and I told my GSM and the other managers at the café.
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 08
    Even texted them the days I won't be available to work. When said week schedule was posted tell me why the exact days I asked off, I was scheduled? The first
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 09
    thing I did was texted the GSM asking his why I was working on those days, he apologized and say it will be fixed and not to worry about it.
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 10
    Thinking everything was ordered my mother and I went to our home country buried my uncle. Why on the first day I returned to work my GSM tried to write me up for the missing days and not
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 11
    trying to find coverage, I refused to sign it. For two reasons I've given him the date weeks in advance, two you said 'I'll it'll be fixed and not to worry about'
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 12
    Ever since that encounter the GSM and I haven't been in good standing with each others; the district manager had been coming to our café
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 13
    more often. One day they called me into a meeting about my file, the DM asked me why I have an unsigned warning?
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 14
    Looking straight at my GSM I told the DM I wasn't going to sign something that wasn't my fault. DM said it read 'employee missed several days without calling in or attempting to find coverage' calmly I told
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 15
    the DM that I asked for those days off because of a family emergency. GSM seemed a bit smug seeing the DM about to chew me about, the DM asked if I had any proof I
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 16
    said 'yes' and pulled out my phone with all the text between the GSM and me. The DM read the messages and turned to look at my GSM, I was sent back to work.
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 17
    The next day everyone had to sign a printout of the employee handbook the section was about asking for time off.
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 18
    Reading through it I stopped at one bullet point saying 'if the employee has a family or health emergency it was up to GSM to find coverage. But soon after
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 19
    the some of my co- workers started to give me the cold shoulder, saying I should have just sucked it up and take the warning. Because now the DM is down our GSM back making his stress
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 20
    thus making us stressed because he started to micromanage everything that's going on in the café. It's making our whole workplace toxic,
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 21
    and no one is happy when GSM is on shift, I do feel bad and it's getting to me now.
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 22
    cautiou... Absolutely NTA. The responsibility for a healthy work environment is on the GSM, not you. Good on you for saving those texts! 3.8K
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 23
    Initial_... NTA. Your co workers are for saying you are. You are not making a "toxic" work environment, You're boss and staff are already toxic to begin with.
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 24
    trjr102 NTA. Your GSM is just a stty manager trying to put the blame on you for not doing their job for them...
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 25
    You had a family emergency, you went through all the procedures necessary, and even had proof of such. In
    via Tigerlillyfruit
  • 26
    your handbook it even stated that it was the GSM'S responsibility. I completely agree that the warning was bs and you shouldn't have "sucked it up and taken it."
    via Tigerlillyfruit

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

terrible coworkers boss aita workplace-stories toxic-workplace work coworkers toxic-boss Horrible Bosses reddit thread Reddit toxic-work-environment
Scroll Down For The Next Article