Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Shift Manager Situation (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by hindamalka
So there is this one shift manager who hates me. I have tried to be nice, I have tried to find things in common, I have even said something when our coworkers who were behaving inappropriately towards them despite the shift manager hating me, and me knowing it. So I was sent home early for the second time (first time was also this shift) my crime, was explaining my actions. They assigned me a task where I would no longer need my head set so I offered it to them since they weren’t wearing one. They responded by saying “I am a big kid I can take care of myself.” (I am writing this gender neutral to obscure identities further so sub kid for girl or boy) and I said “Sorry I was just trying to be helpful” and then started to remove the battery in order to not waste batteries since I am a nerd and every charge does lower the health of a battery so not draining batteries is smart. He told me to just say okay and not talk back which is hard for me (I am not trying to be disrespectful I merely find it extremely frustrating that I am unable to justify my actions which I have done for as long as I can remember since my father is emotionally abusive and was constantly telling me I am wrong even when I am not) They notice and tell me to put it down and I start to try to explain that I was trying to be smart about resources since the headsets were just replaced and some of the old systems batteries were extremely damaged. I normally have a rational reason for the things I do which doesn’t help when the majority of the world is irrational. This shift then got mad at me and told me to stop trying to be smart (I don’t think I am trying I am fairly intelligent) and I was pretty calm still and was setting down, while still trying to explain. The shift then snapped at me saying never mind and go home. I left because i didn’t want to get in any more trouble. Most of my coworkers like this shift a lot but I personally am very scared of shifts where I have to work with this person without another shift manager around. I am terrified I might be fired over this. I also have reason to believe that my faith and culture are a huge part of why they don’t like me. I am Israeli American, and actually well liked by most customers with faiths (primarily religious Jews and Muslims) that have dietary restrictions since I have been working to keep track of these things so I can inform customers of their options. I love working at Starbucks and I am extremely scared that this shift who i did nothing originally (which is why I think it’s antisemitism) to irritate might be the reason I lose my job that I really enjoy (most of the time) What do I do?
antisded 2 points 4y ago
Without knowing the full story, this seems like unacceptable behavior.
Your an adult and should be treated as such, you don't need to be quiet just because that's how they prefer. To be nice and accommodating you can say okay and do as your told, but it's not a necessity by any means and our company's entire policy is to give a voice and place to be for those that are not normally heard. Supervisors have power, but shifts don't have as much power as you'd believe. They don't have any more say in hiring/firing than any one else. They have no direct power.
I don't know about your SM, but mine has a rule that she won't get anyone in trouble for standing up for themselves. You should try to speak to your shift and voice your concerns, if he won't resolve your issues then go to your SM, and keep going up a rung until your feel comfortable at work again.
I hope everything gets better soon!
Your an adult and should be treated as such, you don't need to be quiet just because that's how they prefer. To be nice and accommodating you can say okay and do as your told, but it's not a necessity by any means and our company's entire policy is to give a voice and place to be for those that are not normally heard. Supervisors have power, but shifts don't have as much power as you'd believe. They don't have any more say in hiring/firing than any one else. They have no direct power.
I don't know about your SM, but mine has a rule that she won't get anyone in trouble for standing up for themselves. You should try to speak to your shift and voice your concerns, if he won't resolve your issues then go to your SM, and keep going up a rung until your feel comfortable at work again.
I hope everything gets better soon!
hindamalka [OP] 1 points 4y ago
The manager of our store is more likely to believe them and their friends than they are to believe me. I have tried speaking to my shift but that didn’t help. I am thinking I should try to transfer.
ColVictory 1 points 4y ago
First, start recording these incidents. Write down whichever you can remember, and call partner resources. Then, report it to your SM. Sending a barista home for no reason is not acceptable behavior for a SSV, and if this is a consistent issue, it should be addressed. If your SM won't do anything, move up to your DM. This is well within your rights.
[deleted] 1 points 4y ago
[deleted]
hindamalka [OP] 1 points 4y ago
I was in the process of doing what I was asked I am more frustrated that they got mad when I offered them the headset they were helping on bar 2 so I thought it was a reasonable question to ask. The reason my faith is something I think is part of the bias is that I don’t work Friday nights or Saturdays and the fact before I had even worked with this person they didn’t like me but they were fine with everyone else. I have been trying to disprove this theory but I am unable to do so.
altered-ever -2 points 4y ago
As a shift, I don’t value someone’s intelligence or kindness over their ability to work diligently. It sounds like you’re using both of the former qualities to excuse your lack of will to work. You can be as nice to me as you want, but if you’re hindering the efforts of the store you work at to run, it’s understandable your shift is frustrated with you. I get your side, but at work sometimes it’s best to try and listen to your leadership.
hindamalka [OP] 1 points 4y ago
They hated me before I had even really started training (I was doing the computer modules and they already hated me)
altered-ever 0 points 4y ago
Someone liking you isn’t important to your job. You can still function and prove her wrong by being a good barista. If she was shunning you when you were doing nothing wrong, it would be grounds for going to the manager, but as you said, you talked back to her when she asked you to do a task in a way that made you seem like you think you’re smarter than her. You could transfer if this is an issue that you can’t handle, but unfortunately it’s a common workplace issue to have someone you don’t like work at your establishment.
atewaytoomuchcake 2 points 4y ago
As a shit also it seems this person is new. They have been thrown into a position where they’re shift is outright hateful to them. It doesn’t seem to me like they have no work ethic. It honestly seems like they want to do a good job but are getting treated as an idiot.
As a shift you should be professional to every barista even if you don’t like them.
As a shift you should be professional to every barista even if you don’t like them.
altered-ever 0 points 4y ago
You’re right about the being professional to everyone. It just sounds like this is a bias story and he’s probably caused some issues he isn’t mentioning, as the shift sent him home instead of being argumentative with him. I’m not trying to imply he’s a bad person or a bad employee, but that maybe he should look at how he acts to his peers before he jumps to being mindlessly hated for no reason other than his coworkers being hateful. Most partners are nice people.
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