I Think I Might Be Called Into HR Tomorrow

[johnnyboy1965]

Because, apparently, when telling someone, who is not doing their job properly, to go into the staff room, have a little cry, put in a fresh tampon, pull up your big girls pants and crack on, is not the way to speak to staff.
The male Commis Chef was quite upset I understand

 

[JapanBrew]

Nice. Yep, that'll do it. People are way to sensitive these days.

 

[johnnyboy1965]

I quite like going there, I spend quite a lot of my time in her office, maybe I should ask for a permenant chair. There is no better feeling in life than knowing that you cant be sacked and if they do have the ******** to sack me, then ill walk down the road to their competiters (sp) and they will employ me straight away

 

[TheRedDarren]

I was a chef for about ten years, up to head chef level for about half of that. When I left I realised that the rest of the working world spoke to each other a lot differently than chefs do. Kitchen work is brutal and highly charged, whereas other places get their two coffee breaks and a lunch break and if anyone says anything even remotely confrontational they kick start an email chain of complaints so long you could hang you self with it.
Different worlds is an understatement!

 

[yeastinfection]

cant understand why people think its acceptable to talk like that, in another environment youd be on your way to A&E ,:grin:

 

[pms67]

Yeah its funny, unless its your wife or daughter

 

[ravey]

it also used to be acceptable to sort issues out with your fists, or even with weapons. isn't progress a wonderful thing.

 

[terrym]

You have every right to chastise people about their work performance in a completely objective way and in the strongest possible terms commensurate with what they have done, especially if you bear the responsibility for their output. However you should not be rude to them, and in the process they should not be humiliated especially if others are present. And in the process it would be useful, if possible, to suggest ways of preventing a re-occurrence so that something positive comes out of the confrontation.

 

[chub1]

When i worked there was always plenty of banter, however if you had said that to plenty of the bods i worked with you wouldn't be infront of HR you would have been on the deck:lol:

 

[nelviss]

duty of care, that said in most of my roles i have had to be a dick just to keep the balance, but as many work place fall outs as i have seen its never came down to fighting. well some times out of hours weekend, ****** up, gladly never more than a black eye. but thats part of why i get paid what i do.

 

[Clint]

Interesting. ...what job involves reffing infighting and pays well?
My guesses...
Wrestling referee.
Football hooligan organiser.
Illegal imigrant gang master.
As for getting involved in that sort of nonsense in work in the first place....get a grip! Any places I've worked you'd have been sacked.

Cheers

Clint

 

[HebridesRob]

I worked for the Employment Service for quite a long time. Used to be endless complaints from the Hotel and Catering sector about us not filling their vacancies and most of their trainees not remaining in the sector. They just couldn't understand that most people simply aren't prepared to work in such an environment.

"It's tough to work in a kitchen". Yeah, well don't complain about unfilled positions then.

Split shifts, low pay, maltreatment. They'll have to reconsider after Brexit.

 

[strange-steve]

In my work I've had people do stupid and sometimes dangerous things but I've never felt the need to be a d**k about it. You can correct or chastise someone without being insulting.

 

[JFB]

Ive worked in kitchens for over 20 years now. I'm not sure if I could be integrated back into society and work in places where you have to be civil to your co workers it would just seem wrong some how.
Sadly its a tough industry if you cant take comments like Johnnyboys you wont make it very far any how.

 

[pms67]

Ive worked in kitchens for over 20 years now. I'm not sure if I could be integrated back into society and work in places where you have to be civil to your co workers it would just seem wrong some how.
Sadly its a tough industry if you cant take comments like Johnnyboys you wont make it very far any how.

Johnnyboys industry is maybe catching up with modern day life,im an electrician and years ago a lot of stuff was said and done on site but now it's all change and to be honest its for the better.When i look back there was a lot of bullying , racism and sexism.
There is a way to treat your fellow man/woman.
Telling them to change your tampon isnt one of those ways in my opinion.
Just my opinion of course.

 

[Godsdog]

ive met johnnyboy and he came over as a decent guy,so maybe I will put his actions down to a momentarily out of character lapse episode,i sincerely hope so.stress and impatience works both ways

 

[pms67]

I agree
Well said mate.
No offence

 

[JFB]

ive met johnnyboy and he came over as a decent guy,so maybe I will put his actions down to a momentarily out of character lapse episode,i sincerely hope so.stress and impatience works both ways

Yes I'm sure his words weren't meant in malice, more tongue in cheek having some banter in a pressured environment kind of way.
I work in a private school and am no longer employed by the hospitality trade.
Being employed by a school is so different being paid a fair wage for straight shifts time and a half for every 15 minutes overtime worked and a teachers pension is far removed from days of old where you see less and less British workers as there not prepared to work in such conditions.

 

[TheRedDarren]

To be honest the OP posted at 2am so I reckon he'd had a few after a tough shift and posted something without thinking about it too much. I don't agree with speaking to anyone like that - freinds, family, colleagues.. anyone, but, kitchen work is highly charged, emotional, draining... and if you're responsible for the actions of someone who has screwed up for the millionth time... *snap*
I've seen and heard people do and say stupid things over the years, things that I think are particular to the catering industry, not many other industries would allow it.
It is short staffed, it is under paid, it is brutal, not many could stick it.
But for all its faults, I loved it, its totally unique. But for a few incidents...

The single worst thing I ever heard of was when I was working as a Soux for a cracking little restaurant just outside of Cardiff, and this is absolutely how it happened and not exagerrated. I also hasten to add it happened in another restaurant and not the one I worked in at the time. I also add that in no way do I think this is funny or amusing, it's an utterly unacceptable way to behave and deserved a prison sentence, I'm merely relaying a kitchen story.

A well known hotel in South Wales took on an apprentice commis (first rank in the kitchen) chef of 16 years old. His only experience so far was to undertake a college course and pass his NVQlvl1 and his Food and Safety exam. The 'Head Chef' (read 'Idiot') was showing him how to make a chicken liver pate... which for reasons unknown to anyone but himself he didn't cook through properly, it was raw in the middle (Chicken liver pate is normally cooked pink(ish) and that's fine, raw, however, is dangerous.
The young commis asked why it hadn't been cooked through only to be told to shut up. That evening the pate was served to a wedding reception, and yes, you guessed it, everyone who had the pate was ill.
Furious at this, a few days later, the organisers of the wedding contacted Environmental health (and rightly so), and EHO duely carried out an inspection soon after. (I don't know if you know but EHO actually have similar rights to the police in that they can enter a food premises 'any time that is reasonable' in other words, if you're working, you can expect a call from EHO, and if they turn up you stop what you're doing and pay them your full attention.)
The 'Head chef' was interviewed and questioned about his pate, to which he bull****ted his way through the interview and thought he'd saved his own ass.
The commis on the other hand told EHO exactly what he had seen - the pate was raw in the middle.
The 'Head chef' was caught out and given a severe bollocking and all the other things that go with it, but, for some reason, not fired...
In retribution for the poor young commis honesty, the 'Head chef' grabbed him, pulled his trousers down and forcefully sat him on the solid top (a large slab of cast iron with a huge gas burner underneath it.) The poor commis lost a lot of skin and blood. He didn't work in kitchens anymore.
The 'Head chef' (read 'utter ******') still worked in that hotel years later...
He didn't get sacked or sentenced.

I don't know why I felt the need to post that story, I think it's just something that shocked me so badly when I heard it, I've never forgotten it, and I don't think I ever will. I guess I'm trying to put 'perspective' (although I'm probably doing it badly) onto a situation (the OP's choice words) that most (and rightly so) find unacceptable, but in the industry, its commonplace.
In recent years a lot of industries have been cleaned up, most notably for me is the Security (Bouncers) industry and the building industry.
I think it's only a matter of time before the catering industry follows suit, it needs it, and we really need to stamp out bad attitudes and conduct, and in no way do I condone physical violence or bad attitudes to one another. Some kitchens are stuck in the dark ages.

 

[alikav]

Has anyone ever died from "Being Offended"? Not to my knowledge.? The world has gone mental.
Governments and the likes decide that it is acceptable ro declare war upon nations that they don't agree with, or have mineral or fuel reserves that they want for themselves, killing innocent people including children, to achieve their objectives. But god forbid you speak to someone at work"the wrong way" and the PC POLICE will come down upon thee like a ton of s#!+!!!!