A manager of an Olive Garden restaurant in Kansas was out of a job after warning subordinates to look for other work if they requested time off.
In an unusually harsh message that went viral online, the manager – whose name was not publicly released – complained that staffers at her eatery in Overland Park were staying off work “at a staggering rate.”
Therefore, “we are no longer tolerating ANY EXCUSE for calling off,” the manager wrote. “If you’re sick, you need to come prove it to us. “If your dog died, you need to bring him in and prove it to us. If it’s a ‘family emergency’ and you can’t stay, too bad. Go work somewhere else.”
The manager’s message exalted her own work ethic, saying she had gone in for shifts when ill and even once after her car was destroyed in a crash. “I hope you choose to continue to work here, and I think we [management] make it as easy as we can on y’all,” the message said, concluding with gratitude to employees who arrived to work punctually, adding: “I wish there were more like you.”
A representative of Olive Garden told the station the manager’s message was “not aligned with [the] company’s values.” “We strive to provide a caring and respectful work environment for our team members,” the representative said. “We can confirm we have parted ways with this manager.”
The Guardian – December 8, 2022 By Ramon Antonio Vargas