Manager demands 17-year-old fast food worker find shift replacement the night before final exam, finds themselves working with deadbeat brother: 'My boss went ballistic'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Jun 22, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

Anyone with a little experience in the working world can understand that truly great managers are a rare commodity pretty much anywhere. However, there are some sectors that seem to attract ones that are atrocious at far higher rates than others. Very often, these are the industries that have a much higher proportion of young employees, such as retail or food service. The less experienced workers are usually easier to exploit, after all.

Many of those who started working in their teens have horror stories of incompetent or power-hungry supervisors who made their role a lot more difficult than it needed to be, but not all of them are able to say that they got their revenge on this unacceptable behavior. Sometimes, they have to reach a breaking point to be able to show these people a taste of their own medicine after a highly stressful experience in the workplace.

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  • 01

    I'll be fired if I don't find someone to cover my shift?

    I worked at a fast food joint when I was in high school. The joint would stop rostering staff after they turned 18 as they would need to be paid more. I was 17 and a half at the time for reference. Management was lame. They'd expect us to find a replacement for missed shifts, regardless of how much notice we gave. If we were understaffed, we'd have to turn non drive-through orders away but otherwise it would be business as normal.
    via SpecialistPublic5503
  • 02
    永盈
    via Sushil Nash

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

     


     

  • This is what happened with one teenage fast food worker after their boss threatened them with termination if they didn't find someone to cover their shift that was happening at the same time as one of their final exams. The 17-year-old had provided 3 months' notice, but their workplace still expected them to take on the responsibility of finding their replacement.

    Knowing that they would leave the job soon anyway, they sent their highly unsuitable brother in their place, and their manager faced the consequences. They recounted the experience.

  • 03
    I had my final end of year 12 exams. I did 6 subjects and the exam for each subject was held on different dates in November. I provided 3 months of notice yet was asked to find a replacement the night before my exam, or I'd be let go. Now, if an employee ghosted my boss at this point, they'd be let go and my boss would typically find someone else to cover the shift, as he should be doing be default.
    via SpecialistPublic5503
  • 04
    No problems. I texted my boss that I found a replacement. I sent my deadbeat brother who was unemployed and on welfare for the past 3 years there. My boss went ballistic and sent me a brigade of texts blaming me for costing them money and informing me that I was let go. I read them after my final exam and blocked him.
    via SpecialistPublic5503
  • 05
    E 面 美樂 CHENG MEWAH PTE. LTD. TPY 126 FOOD HOUSE
    via jason song

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

     


     

  • 06

    Commenters were bewildered at the management's incompetence.

    AngryRaptor13 Finding shift coverage should be the manager's job... they get paid to manage, so they should manage.
    via AngryRaptor13
  • 07
    Wrong Entertainment42 Thats the way I have always viewed. I don't know how many times I had things months planned in advance, just to be told I would have to find someone else to cover the day before. Maybe the manager should do their job and manage them schedules.
    via WrongEntertainment42
  • 08
    CatlessBoyMom They said "someone" they didn't say who.
    via CatlessBoyMom
  • 09
    SpecialistPublic5503 OP Boss should have told me to find "an individual who is currently employed at the same location, and who is not currently facing any disciplinary action, and who is not rostered to be working at the same time as your missed shift". Or he could have found a replacement himself.
    via SpecialistPublic5503
  • 10
    83franks themselves in the short term so they can find someone more compliant. Showing your backbone is the least desirable trait for these types in an employee.
    via 83franks
  • 11
    ScytheOfAsgard Find someone else to cover your shift? Is that normal for fast food? That is literally a management job that makes no sense. Should have been like "you're promoting me to a manager? How much will my salary be?" Lol
    via ScytheOfAsgard
  • 12
    TurboFool It's fairly common in a lot of workplaces, and it's crazy. It presumes you have phone numbers for all of your coworkers AND that you're on good terms with them to a degree that they'll do you a favor. Many people just want to go work their job and go home and not make it their social life.
    via TurboFool
  • 13
    jrp55262 I never understood this manager logic: "You HAVE to find coverage or your fired!" "Okay, I guess I'm fired then. NOW how do you plan to cover that shift Einstein?"
    via jrp55262
  • 14
    Dancinfool830 I'd have thanked them for the unemployment while I worked on getting a job with my newly earned diploma
    via Dancinfool830
  • 15
    Graybeard13 The last time I had to call in, I was told to find someone to cover my shift. I thought " it's not my responsibility but I'll do it anyway." I asked how, because its not like employees were given a phone roster. So the manager texts me, a picture of a VERY outdated phone roster. I could barely make out half the numbers. I texted at least 20 people. 2 responded, saying they don't work there anymore. I wasn't able to contact any current employee. Oh well.
    via Graybeard13
  • 16
    nylondragon64 Amazing how these jobs take advantage of teens in school when passing there grade is far more important than their little store. They thi k the world revolves around flipping burgers or selling their junk.
    via nylondragon64
  • 17
    f ckyouijustwantt ts I had an employee call me a couple hours ago saying they couldn't come in tomorrow due to a family emergency. My response to him was "Ok." Then I texted a couple of my other staff until I found someone who could do a few hours OT to cover the first part of the shift, and another who could work a half shift. The whole ordeal took me about 10 minutes.
    via fckyouijustwanttts
  • 18
    FukmiMoore When my kids used to work for a popular fast food place with a creepy clown for a mascot, their managers used to tell them the same thing. I would turn around and tell my kids that they were allowed to call out sick and not have to cover a shift. No other industry that I am aware of makes their employees Fonda replacement for a sick call. Now a shift swap makes perfect sense. However, if they gave plenty of notice that they couldn't work on a certain day and still got rostered, in my
    via FkmiMoore
  • 19
    tonysnark81 I'm very fortunate in that my team makes the effort to find their own coverage, but I've made it very clear that I don't expect them to, and that it is absolutely not required. Maybe that's why they do it...
    via tonysnark81
  • 20
    zoeywillso I hope your final exam was a breeze, because you handled that situation like a pro
    via zoeywillso
  • 21
    cutestalice Had the same type of manager who expected miracles but couldn't organize a shift if their life depended on it. Love that you gave them exactly what they asked for. Poetic justice.
    via cutestalice
  • 22
    Sarge504 In retail, I always planned my PTO well in advance and never gave it another thought until I realized that the scheduling manager never bothered to look. Nowadays, PTO is blocked off, so you're not available to be scheduled.
    via Sarge504
  • 23
    We-R-Doomed There are some places that treat the staffing of the business as the business itself, once hired the staff is expected to perform the functions of the business themselves. When a substantial amount of your expenditures include ubiquitous advertising and ownership of prime real estate, the actual product and\or service is almost secondary. You can count on brainwashing and convenience to supply enough demand to fund the whole operation and if you are adept at replacing workers (and ke
    via We-R-Doomed
  • 24
    DriveGeneral9269 This is when you say "Yes boss, it should be organised" Then when no replacement shows up you just feign ignorance "What replacement? I'm not a manager so I don't have the resources to organise that. Seeing as you're a manager, I figured the management part falls on you. If I'm taking on manager responsibility, could you send the contract and updated pay rates through? Also a reminder, if you fire me you'll have to... find a replacement yourself anyway.
    via DriveGeneral9269

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employee manager malicious compliance brother teenagers work petty revenge food service workplace reddit thread Reddit exam fast food
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