Measures of control

These past few days when I’ve gotten to work, the first thing I do is go over to the audio system and put on some music to help me sweep and mop faster. Doing this sort of work is more fun when listening to some Daft Punk. The first thing my boss does when she gets to work is go over to the audio system, quit the stream I put on and switch to the restaurant’s usual music stream. Nothing against Pandora but when you notice repetition of songs every few hours day in and day out, you’ve got a bit of problem. Customers might not notice, but the workers do and it drives us insane.

It just goes to show I’m a good employee but a bad subordinate. I will usually do what is best for the business as opposed to doing what I’m told by the owner.

Most people I’ve worked under who are both manager and owner have a certain tendency to think what is good for them is good for the business. In most cases you can work under this assumption and grow your business without any problems – to a certain point. There will come a time when the owner will make decisions that will effect a business negatively but the owner will insist they are good for the business even on the face of financial and managerial facts proving it isn’t so. They want to control every single aspect of the enterprise when they no longer have the skillset to actually do it. To show everyone who’s the one telling everyone else what to do. To show people who’s boss.

When I’m told to do something by the boss, it usually is something good for the business and I’ll do it as soon as I’m done with my current task. When I feel differently, I’ll just do something else. Yes, I’ve gotten in trouble for this but make no apologies about it.

Right now I’ve got a few suggestions to improve the way we do things in the kitchen but I’m not sure I’ll bring them up; I’ve only worked here for a month and it doesn’t do any favors to my paycheck to be thought of as an employee who is out to change things. The boss will just get rid of me and get someone else who won’t rock the boat.

On my boss’s defense, she looks like she knows how to make every single article made in the kitchen, along with a variety of drinks at the bar and maybe a few rolls of sushi. All while looking good and not getting food or drink on her clothing.

Even if I don’t change anything at all, I’m learning. I’ll never be indispensable (bosses hate employees who are indispensable)b but hopefully I’ll be able to get a weekend off every now and then. I’ll worry about getting in trouble when I’m not learning anymore as that is when I tend to get in trouble.