ok i need your opinions and ideas on this one...

[mjbgalt]

I work at a small restaurant which is franchised all over the US. I make about $27,000 a year as a GM. yes, not much for running the show.

my boss has let his wife quit her job and push her way into the limelight and try to run the store. this was not his idea but he sure wont stand up to her. she is an evil creature and basically enjoys creating problems and drama, who knows why. maybe she likes to watch the fallout, i dunno.

the short version is that she apparently has some sort of mental illness because she calls me at all hours with stupid little tidbits of info that could wait until the next day when i am on the clock, she took our advil out of the store because she said she shouldnt have to pay for us to take pain pills...and then sent a memo that she was doing it to make sure no one overdosed  :roll:

i have been accused of stealing money, of mismanaging gift certificates (because her husband did not know how many he brought to me and when i told them the right number they tried to make it look like i was the one who was covering something)...looking over my shoulder and second-guessing me, etc. i got one raise in 2 years and i was already told i was not getting one for 2006. no evaluations, even though they were promised. i have to do them for the staff but none for me...i assume because if they admitted i do a good job they would ostensibly have to give me some consideration.

so obviously i need to leave. that amount of money isn't a lot. it isnt a little either...hard to just walk in somewhere and make that much right off the bat. i have a lot of bills related to a wife walking out on me for another man and the subsequent divorce...so its not like i can start lower and still make ends meet.

i cannot really go to school because the schools are too far for me to drive every day and not lose my shirt in gas prices. so the 2 years of credits i have are basically worthless.

i guess i am asking you guys what you would do in this instance. GB has given me his advice and it sure did give me a new perspective...so i wondered what 100 more pieces of advice might turn up.

thanks for your input guys.

-Matt

[FWiedner]

Two things;

1.  Find that new job.  Ask for more than you think you're worth.  Someone will say yes.  It won't happen overnight, but get out there and put yourself into play.  Have it in your pocket before acting on #2.

2.  Tell your boss about your issues.  Maybe he'll be receptive.  Don't be rude or unprofessional.  He'll do one of three things.  Fix it, ignore it, or fire you.  Don't take it personally, it's just business.  Tell him you want the raise no matter what he does.  If he doesn't do something you can live with, activate #1.

Life is short.  There's no reason to be miserable while you're living it.

 :-)

[nomosendero]

Yea, you need another job but you already know that.

There is no way that I can know this without more info., but except for the
Advil part, it seems as though this Woman might be interested in you but
you are not interested in her. If that is the case, get out quickly or you
will be accused of more. This may be crazy, but it just has that ring to it,
if you have ever read of Joseph & the Pharoh's wife. And I have seen this
sort of thing & it gets ugly. You may know there is no way, but just a thought.

I made a deal with my 2 boys to pay for the first 2 years of College at a
local Campus that was fairly economical & then if they made the first 2
they could go to a State Univ. & I would help with books & also part of the
remainder if they have a job & kept up their grades. Well one of them
partied out in his second year & blew his deal but now a couple of years
later he wants to go back. He is going to join the reserves & they will pay
for alot of the schooling & he will work parttime. Have you thought of that?
If not, you could do a job like the Riverboats (they are hiring) at about
double your current pay, save some money for a year or two & then go
to college with a regular job.

I hope it works out for you!

[mjbgalt]

no chance at all that she is interested in me lol....she actually has a very elitist view. she thinks i am her slave, just to do the work and shut up and that i should be grateful for anything she does, including just being polite.

the things i mentioned, like the advil and such....were just examples, this type of thing happens all the time and i am the only buffer between them and the workers, who think i am the evil one, as i cannot tell them the whole story without a big backlash from all sides.

they have refused to get me an assistant manager, so anything that happens when i am not there, i am held accountable for and responsible for fixing.

when ic all they are very rude and short on the phone and so i adjust how i ask things and then they get mad and yell and say i am beating around the bush. when i explained this all to them they denied it.

i went to the boss in march and said i had it. i was sick of the BS and i wanted out. i had gotten a job offer that was thousands better and i was done. he asked me to stay and we agreed that with a raise and a few more vacation days, in addition to his calling his evil wife down, i would stay.

all that was fine for a few months and then went right back to where it was. he is a decent guy but will not be rid of her and so i am the expendable one. the bizarre thing is that they have alienated everyone to the point that i am the only one able to run the store and so they SHOULD be treating me BETTER, not worse.

i stayed because i felt loyalty to a man who helped me a lot during the time my wife left. he came through with a raise when i needed it and i took over the store when he fired the manager. now i wish i had told him "sorry but no" but i didnt feel right about it then. i do now.

i told them once that someday i would outgrow their small operation and want more and to advance...they said they had never encountered that before....that they "had to fire" every other manager they had ever had.

they really think EVERYONE ELSE is crazy and they are just trying to keep going despite us idiots.

-Matt

[stimpylu32]

Matt

The first thing is to get your resume in to play . With your skills you may want to look at a different field of work .

The rent to own companys are always looking for good people as well are retail stores .

Someone with good people skills are always in demand . If you like the food service industry , Make a few decreet inquires with other local restaurants , You may very well find that you are better known than you think .

First and foremost , look before you leap . Sometimes you may need to bite your tongue till something better comes along .

[fe352v8]

While you are looking for that new job, which seems your only real choice, it is CYA time.

While rational discussion is good, keep in mind your dealing with a crazy person and a person married to one.  I think it would be prudent to do a little home work before having this frank, polite, professional, rational discussion, because if you are like most of us that work, losing a job is inconvenient, and within a month or two or three it could be a disaster.  

Even if your boss is receptive, his wife probably will not be, and being Ohio has provisions for the division of marital property, chances are his losing her carries more economic weight, than his losing you, let alone the issues of consortium that are involved.

Furthermore, most states are “employment at will”, thus an employer is not obligated to give you a raise, or even a reason for discharge, unless a contract or employment agreement has been executed.  As you are part of a franchise system, there maybe an employee hand book for use by franchisees, and even though it will generally contain a disclaimer, regarding the construing of it as a contract of employment, I have seen several occasions were it was in fact held by courts in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Colorado to be in fact a contract of employment.

The CYA part

Keep a contemporaneous log, noting times and dates along with details of the incidents, also note names of witnesses.

I you have a small recorder carry it with you, and try to record her tirades, if possible use it to tape her calls to you, and record their times.

Keep copies of all memos, e-mails, and other correspondence, etc.

Try to get a copy of his franchise agreement, these often will define expected human resource issues, if he is operating in violation of the policies and procedures within the agreement, it could place his franchise at risk thus somewhat off setting his wife’s economic weight.

Educate your self, while it may be “employment at will”, this is not carte blanche, not only are there federal exception under EEOC, ADA, and other, but many states as well as local governments have expanded provisions.  If you were to be “discriminated” against by violation of these statutes, the settlement options can be quite lucrative.  Frequently part of franchising fee includes insurance coverage, and often, when confronted by an employee complaint to an agency like the EEOC or the Labor Department, insurance carriers find it less expensive to offer settlement than to contest allegations, thus softening the economic impact while you seek other employment.

The good news is with your experience in restaurant management, and the expansion of the service industry sector, you should be highly desirable and readily employable by many fast food operations, which have decent benefits, and entry-level management usually starts in the high 20s to low 30s.  Also management experience in and of it self is desirable even in dissimilar settings.

As to continuing education, many state university systems offer degree completion through the junior college system, and internet, while the variety of degrees is limited, it does not matter, I know few people that actually work in their “major”.

In any event I wish you well, and remember life is to short to do something you hate for to long.

Life is no joke but funny things happen

jon

[mjbgalt]

see, i am glad i asked you guys....this does really help and i want to thank you. however, dont stop offering advice now that i said thanks lol...i could use more and i can always say thanks again later.  

i have started the CYA manuevers already...i dont know what discriminations i could cite...and i wouldnt sleep at night if i tried to make something fit or lied about it. so that's probably out.

i guess i felt pretty PO'd about the whole thing because i do a lot more than they realize and i have saved them a hell of a lot of money by acting as a go-between for bill collectors and etc...people who would have shut off our water due to nonpayment of a bill....or the produce company, getting ready to stop deliveries and thus stop the whole store....if i hadnt personally promised the man i would make things right, and i did.

when the oven broke and the boss wasnt going to fix it, i talked him into finding someone to fix it. he wanted to close the store. i had paid days off so it wouldnt have hurt me but the employees would be out of money by the time the oven got fixed. so i arranged with area stores to bake bread for us and i ran around and picked it all up and got it prepped and we stayed open for those two days and i made the owner $1200 in sales he wouldnt have had and the employees didnt even say thanks...in fact a few said they woud rather have had the day off and were mad at me! did the boss notice? yes. did he even say thanks? offer top pay for my gas during this? nope.

i have been paying dues for a long time...moving countless times and going through jobs and trying to keep my marriage going, then the divorce and me getting stuck with the expenses and $12,000 in debt that, if my mom hadnt loaned me a good deal of it, i would be bankrupt. i havent had my own place in a couple years because of it...those bills add up fast and i guess since i have been through all this i got a little selfish and decided i was sick of paying dues...my friend died, my grandfather died, etc...all this in a few years. i got mad and felt that why couldnt i reap some of what i had sowed? why did i have to face even more challenges when i felt like i had earned something more? i still feel that way in a large part, maybe that is my age and lack of experience talking.

i am pretty bitter that i may have to take a job with less pay because of my boss's wife pushing me around and ruining what used to be a pretty good and pretty fun job. tehre goes any weekends and holidays i got off. the new guy at a new job doesnt usually get those.

i am a hard worker and i do things right the first time. i know there is a market out there for that.

i am 25 but sometimes i feel 75.  :cry:

-Matt

[williamlayton]

Let this be a learning experience. There may be other bosses who will act in like manner, there are plenty out there.
Do not take it personally, act professionally and do not react.
The rest is good advice, heed it well.
It is a long haul from now til the end of your career. Get that degree!!!
Blessings

[fe352v8]

You are 25, take out the student loans, up to 30K a year available, and finish school.

@$%* flows down hill, get your degree and at least you will be a little farther up the hill, better to be chin deep than over your head.  A degree plus your work experience, puts you in a better position than somebody with just a degree.

Take advantage of your youth, it does not last long

life is no joke but funny things happen

jon

[mjbgalt]

Well I am the only manager and the only one who is responsible to report to and from them. so transcending isn't something I can do...I have to be fully immersed in the BS all the time.

I am not sure what you mean by tying legal shoestrings together or commiserating, unless you mean thats what I wanted this post to do. All I wanted was some perspective, which everyone has done for me. I don't need to cause any problems at work, either, if THAT is what you meant.

My communications are fine...the only problem with my communications is that I have not yelled BACK at them or demanded respect, which is a waste of time. I have asked for certain considerations, for instance, not yelling at me if i have to call them before 10am, which is when the boss says he is "not a morning person" and hasnt gotten out of bed. cmon! if something needs resolved and you wont give me the means to fix it, youre getting a phone call.

I put my resume on monster.com again last night around 11 and this morning i got a call already from Wendy's franchise and they want to meet for an interview. From the details the guy shared with me it does sound more like what I want to do than what i do now.

The problem now is that I really like my boss (the guy, not his wife). He has done nice things for me in the past and I have a decent relationship with him but sometimes he is like a buddy and then sometimes he seems to just be moody to the point where he will be snippy and rude and mean on the phone. it doesnt make any sense and often i will find out later they had a fight and he took it out on me. not professional. they expect me to be totally professional all the time yet they can do as they please. they own the store, they have that right. but i do not HAVE to work for people like that if i dont choose to.

so i guess now the question is, how do i thank him for what he has done in the past for me and yet let him know i need to leave and actually go without causing a big problem and making him hate me? i dont know who he would have manage after me...really no one there to do it. however, i also think if he was going to fire me, he sure wouldnt beat around the bush. he would just do it and i would be expected to understand. why cant it work that way for me too?

-Matt

[Lawdog]

Matt,

i cannot really go to school because the schools are too far for me to drive every day and not lose my shirt in gas prices. so the 2 years of credits i have are basically worthless.

If I were you I would attend an on-line college.  Believe me it's not near as easy as going to a regular college but a Bachelor’s Degree is obtainable that way and you wouldn't be throwing away the credits you have already acclimated.  Lawdog
 

[rockbilly]

:roll: Education is the key to success.  At this point you may think you can not afford it, or that you do not have the time..............what will your excuse be 5, maybe 10 years down the road.  Just suck it up and get back in school. Once you have that sheep skin in your hip pocket you can write you own ticket.
 :wink:  :wink:  :wink:

[Nightrain52]

I think most of the fast food companies start out their managers in the 25 to 30k range. As far as your present boss if he really thought you were doing a good job he or his wife wouldn't be so antagonistic. To them you are just a whipping boy. If one of the jobs does turn out be professional with your present boss. Give your 2 weeks notice in writing. Don't get involved in a confrontation. When you take a new job get a "contract" as to what is expected of you and your pay scale. Used to a mans word was his bond, today it means nothing. GET IT IN WRITING!

[mjbgalt]

My health department and corporate review grades are great, and i have a 98 percent rating with the Subway district lady that pulls my numbers and reviews the whole store. in fact the only points knocked off were for stuff the owner was supposed to do and didnt bother, even after repeated calls and write ups from her.

customers and sales have gone up 26 percent since i was installed as manager.

so its not that i am doing a bad job. in fact i think i am doing quite well. i just have the misfortune of being an employee of a crazy woman and her wimp husband, as someone said in a PM to me. in 5 years of talking to them almost every day, i dont remember one time they have said thanks or good job. not once.

if that's what people are like i cannot believe they would expect to get back loyalty and professionalism but they do.

-Matt

[Graybeard]

Matt I thought you had already moved past the loyalty to a guy who is ruled by his wife and started to thinking of yourself. If you're now questioning that decision you need to stop putting in job apps and learn to live with it until they fire you and they you'll have no reason to worry about loyalty or what a nice guy he is except when his wife tells him to be otherwise.

Quit thinking about them and just DO IT!

[mjbgalt]

not worried about them so much as just wanting to be a good guy about it, not sink to their level.

but yeah, i need to get outa there and i have decided to do it. if i dont just do it i will be there forever and i dont need that.

-Matt

[fe352v8]

It's called a notice.

When I left my last employer, to work for my self, I gave an open ended notice, till a replacement was found.  I helped train him and made the transition with customers to him, on my last day I wrote an account, knowing I would not be paid.

Considering your salary, give the guy a 30 day notice, but be prepared to leave sooner.  When one of my mangers would give me a notice, I usually thanked them and told them they could leave today.

life is no joke but funny things happen

jon

[CEJ1895]

mjbgalt - GET YOUR BUTT BACK TO SCHOOL and get your degree! Don't make the mistake that I made by putting it off with one excuse after another! That piece of paper is worth at least 5 grand more a year to you than without it. Your 27 for GOD's sake! You keep this up you'll have an ulcer before your 30! You want to be nice about leaving - DON'T ! Give them 2 weeks and split DO NOT fall for anymore of your boss's promises or his witchy wife's crap!  They won't care if your there or not - your just another body and can be replaced.  You have a great work ethic and you go way past what most people would do for the job. Take that and give it to an employer that will appreciate that. If you like the field that your in contact the district office and see if there's a Subway that needs a good manager or a franchise that may be available to purchase. It may look impossible at first but you can do whatever you put your mind to if you want it bad enough. Good luck to you my friend! CEJ...  

[Mikey]

Get another job and finish your education.  All the advice you have received is simply excellent.  When it comes time to walk out the door, do it gracefully and remain appropriate at all times.  Leave them wishing you had stayed.

This sounds like either a family owned or family run business.  Families are difficult to work for or with if ya ain't onna dem.  Whenever a family owned/operated business develops problems they take it out on the non-family members and that is when it is time to leave.  More family owned/operated business go out of business every year than any other type of business - the reason is internal family interference in the business affairs.  It is a fact and is well documented.  At this ppoint you should not be there.  

Don't leave under a cloud or under a question.  When it comes to your replacement, your boss has his wife and he will just have to make do with her.  Once you commit to a new job, she is no longer any of your problem.  Put your life on the right track and you will be OK.  Finish school, it is worth far too much to leave it behind.  Mikey.

[Mac11700]

I usually don't post here...but while looking thru I saw this and thought I would offer some advice..

I work at a small restaurant which is franchised all over the US. I make about $27,000 a year as a GM. yes, not much for running the show.

While it may be independantly owned or operated...I would check with the corporate offices of the franchise and see if someone there could help before you leave.Most franchises have rules governing ownership and employee relations...so..while nothing may come out of it..it certainly is worth a phone call to find out.While if it is indeed owned...not leased...you may be out of luck...but if it is leased...then you may have a fighting chance of lodging a complaint and getting the situation corrected

CYA...this is the main thing to do..and futhermore..if you were hired as the GM..certainly you have a job discription...do you not? If so..follow it to the letter...nothing more...nothing less...if it isn't within your job duties..don't do it...period...

Get a resume drawn up and start submitting it everywhere you can...I would rather work 2 full time jobs as compared to 1 under similar conditions to make ends meet...

Mac

[mjbgalt]

Well I have had several interviews and I am considering taking one offer. Low $30,000's, health insurance, dental, etc.

The ONLY thing that worries me is the hours. it's a 50 hour work week, five ten hour days, two days off, one weekend day and one during the week. I am not used to that setup...probably going to be a shock?

plus its like 9-7, 12-11, off, 1-12, 9-6, 9-7 as an example of the hours. do you guys with those hours like that still see your families and are you truly happy?

-Matt

[Graybeard]

The human body and mind work best when given a fairly standard routine. Major changes to it and especially regular major changes to it have an effect and that effect is cumulative. Some folks seem to thrive on it while others cannot cope.

I'm one of those who'd not cope well. I personally would never accept such a job. But some do and love it. Ask yourself which type are you? Be honest with yourself. No sense jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

[mjbgalt]

yeah, he thinks in a year i should be able to run a store by myself and be the general manager. that pays 10 grand more a year and has some nice perks but the hours mostly stay the same....more 9-7's but still would need to close once a week and be there when needed.

i dont know how i will handle the hours because i have never worked crazy hours like that before. a friend of mine does and says they dont bother him but i can't imagine liking it. everything else about the job is good as far as i can see, i even asked around for negatives about it and no one could think of anything...overall good.

i dont see why an employer would want to shuffle his people like that....i would think that they would work best when given a normal schedule and when people who WANT to work night can work nights and people who WANT to work 9-7 can do so.

either way its better in every other way than my current job. i turned down a job like this last year and now i wish i had gotten the heck out of my current situation way back then.

-Matt

[Brett]

i turned down a job like this last year and now i wish i had gotten the heck out of my current situation way back then.
-Matt

Matt, That says volumes right there.  sounds like you have yourself a second chance which don't come often.

[mjbgalt]

yeah brett it does.

i just can't shake the thought that i would regret it when i was working every weekend and friends and family want to get together and i have to work 11 hours through the whole day and think how i am missing out. i dont want to resent my job.

but if i stay at my current one i am going to go nuts so that's not an option at all.

i don't want to jump ship just for a change. change itself isnt good or bad. i could easily make it worse for myself too.

its my own damn fault, i didnt take college seriously and, being 19, i didnt think about how much easier it would be in my job searches to have that degree. i knew i was getting married soon and that i knew lots of people who were successful without a degree and had enough money for their families.

so now it appears i am stuck where i am, or i can take a job that keeps me there all day. what i truly want, is a job i can work evenings at and go to school full time in the days. that way i could break free of this cycle. unfortunately jobs that are second shift and open to people with no degree, and pay well, are pretty damn scarce or not there at all.

just fighting with myself over the choices and beating myself up over the stupid ones that got me here.

-Matt

[Nightrain52]

As one poster said thats pretty much standard in the food service industry. Being moved to a managers position is even worse in the fast food business because they do expect 50hrs or more a week from their managers. Another thing is a lot of these places hire school kids for evenings and weekends. Well most of them have no work ethics and a lot of times think nothing of calling off work and guess who gets to cover for them. Yup, the manager. This could be another reason they are wanting you to work some strange hours so an adult will be their to oversee them. Just something to think about. :?

[stimpylu32]

Matt

Have you given any thought to taking some classes on line , Most of the major schools offer quite a few classes this way .

That way you can work diffrent hours and still get your collage in too .

Richard

[mjbgalt]

yeah I could take classes online but it would take me 50 years to finish my degree that way.  

-Matt

[mjbgalt]

well guess who got fired today. thats right, me. the boss's evil wife came over and made up some stories and said her 7th grader could run the store better than me. so i told her now he could have a try at it.  

she was pissed because she knew i was trying to find a job...one of the employees told her and she canned me.

wish me luck.

-Matt

[mjbgalt]

another development...I interviewed with a pizza place and the owner of the stores interviewed me and was a great guy. We chatted for a while a couple weeks ago and then on Saturday I went in to work for free....basically they see what you're capable of and you see if you even like the job. they feed you and you can walk away at any time.

I stuck around and did the job and ended up working right beside the owner for the last hour or so.

He told me he was impressed at how i did things and that he wants me on board.

he called tonight and offered me about a 5 grand raise over what i made with subway. obviously, i accepted.

now if they dont totally ruin me with the reference check i am home free.

this guy wants me to run my own store within 8 months...if that happens it will be another huge raise.

he told me he knew what "people like that" are like when i told him iw as fired. he said he would not check their reference and i told him, no. i told him i had nothing to hide and that i wanted him to check whatever he thought he needed to.

i walked out with dignity today when she canned me and i will not stoop for anyone. she had tears in her eyes after firing me....i suppose she knew she was wrong and i hope my behavior and my politeness and honor taught her something about who i am.

i know she is going to be sorry, as half my staff has said they are leaving too, because i treated them right and they know what's in store.

pity things have to end this way, after i spent 3 years building it. their sales were up 29 percent, their labor costs were lower, and turnover was as low as it has been in years. pretty good for a "7th grader," huh?

-Matt