...said Apprentice Aaron with an understated exasperation. Apprentice Aaron is too reserved, too thoughtfull and his statement momentarily stunned me. I had witnessed the carnage of his penultimate day at the “Yellow M” and I knew from his reactive behavior that the shift management was not proceeding to plan. Perhaps the epitomical example of “This is stupid.” was at 9:30 pm when the front order taker reached the end of his scheduled shift. Is it stupid not to have a front order taker after 9:30 on a Friday night? As always, The Gentle Reader can reach his informed opinion.
Apprentice Aaron related to me how on a night with similar under staffing when he reasoned that the reward of working at the “Flaxen Letter” was no longer worth the frustrations that are part and parcel of the position of manager and resolved use his superior management skills elsewhere. [Vide “The Manager by Machiavelli”]
Previously, I wrote of the impossibility of reconciling opposing goals. This frustration, combined with the exhilaration of knowing the end is near (“Only nine more hours!” as Aaron triumphantly stated after his shift) for impossible demands, is truly a sight to behold for those who live vicariously.
Personally, the most uncomfortable part of the night was watching the fast food melt down after 9:30 pm when a “former manager” was berating the operations as though she would or does have the answers, nay ability, to run the restaurant better than Apprentice Aaron. Whether she is capable or not of running a shift, I don't know; although I doubt it. I only know that her behavior was erratic and irrational, therefore, I do not believe she would be an effective manager. Of course, desperate times call for desperate measures, so I'm fairly certain she would be hired. “All people are replaceable” is a common chorus, but one never hears “Not all people have the same ability.”
Segueing to the present, Apprentice Tyler and I will be observing, commenting and making snide remarks on every word, gesture, “remake”, mistake and dirty table during Apprentice Aaron's final agonizing death throes of his food service career.
Post Script
I had no intention of writing anything further since nothing exciting ever happens to yours truly and, when combined with Apprentices Tyler and Aaron, a malaise of weariness was sure to be on the menu However, Apprentice Tyler unexpectedly left around 8 pm and I brought my laptop into the front lobby (as there are only two outlets in the building) and started researching orders of precedence in the United Kingdom. I was near the bottom of the list when Apprentice Aaron appeared, sans tie avec briefcase, and said he was leaving. While I was unplugging the laptop and trying to understand what was transpiring, another manager appeared and said that he needed to leave with a modicum of authority that was not her own. As Apprentice Aaron himself is unsure of the circumstances and portents of the future, I will not commit myself to pointless speculation. I end this post with the insights of a fellow Hauten:
Apprentice Aaron related to me how on a night with similar under staffing when he reasoned that the reward of working at the “Flaxen Letter” was no longer worth the frustrations that are part and parcel of the position of manager and resolved use his superior management skills elsewhere. [Vide “The Manager by Machiavelli”]
Previously, I wrote of the impossibility of reconciling opposing goals. This frustration, combined with the exhilaration of knowing the end is near (“Only nine more hours!” as Aaron triumphantly stated after his shift) for impossible demands, is truly a sight to behold for those who live vicariously.
Personally, the most uncomfortable part of the night was watching the fast food melt down after 9:30 pm when a “former manager” was berating the operations as though she would or does have the answers, nay ability, to run the restaurant better than Apprentice Aaron. Whether she is capable or not of running a shift, I don't know; although I doubt it. I only know that her behavior was erratic and irrational, therefore, I do not believe she would be an effective manager. Of course, desperate times call for desperate measures, so I'm fairly certain she would be hired. “All people are replaceable” is a common chorus, but one never hears “Not all people have the same ability.”
Segueing to the present, Apprentice Tyler and I will be observing, commenting and making snide remarks on every word, gesture, “remake”, mistake and dirty table during Apprentice Aaron's final agonizing death throes of his food service career.
Post Script
I had no intention of writing anything further since nothing exciting ever happens to yours truly and, when combined with Apprentices Tyler and Aaron, a malaise of weariness was sure to be on the menu However, Apprentice Tyler unexpectedly left around 8 pm and I brought my laptop into the front lobby (as there are only two outlets in the building) and started researching orders of precedence in the United Kingdom. I was near the bottom of the list when Apprentice Aaron appeared, sans tie avec briefcase, and said he was leaving. While I was unplugging the laptop and trying to understand what was transpiring, another manager appeared and said that he needed to leave with a modicum of authority that was not her own. As Apprentice Aaron himself is unsure of the circumstances and portents of the future, I will not commit myself to pointless speculation. I end this post with the insights of a fellow Hauten:
“You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.”
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.”
Unless you are told to leave...