Shift manager snapped, sent me home tonight(Language, LONG).

[Rahmota]

Terry: I've waited long enouhg on this but I have to tell you you are probably shafted. And your last posting is what shows it.

yeah the dictionary definition of insubordination is Disobediance towards authority. But there is another definition that falls closer to how the managers probably define it and that is being disrespectful to authority as well . At least most of the mangers I have dealt with would probably define it that way.

Article 91 of the Uniform Code of Military justice Section C says in part:

treats with contempt or is disrespectful in language or deportment toward a warrant officer, noncommissioned officer, or petty officer while that officer is in the execution of his office; shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”

This is from the navy website but all of them pretty much say the same thing only with the appropriate ranks instead.

Yes Mcdonald's isnt the military however many businesses and especially managers see themselves in the same kind of power structure. You the peon(private) the shift managers (ncos) Managers (Officers) etc.... They give an order your job is to say yes sir and obey that order. No explanations, no questions, no discussion. Merely jump to it and obey.

By challenging their authority, even if you are in the "right" it is being insubordinate if you do it at the inappropriate time. Reading your OP you choose an innopprtune moment as captain jack would say. Your best bet is to swallow the attitude (yes it comes off as if you are copping an attitude) apologize meekly and hope they decide not to fire your butt anyhow. You are expendable. You are replaceable. They know this. They live for this in some cases as it lets them knock down the troublemakers, insubordinates and keeps the herd stable.

When i was the Lot tech department head at the dealership I had a person who would question and quibble and argue every little thing I asked them to do. i put up with it for a time but eventually I got tired of it and got rid of them The only person I fired. They where replaced within a day. I had a stack of applications at least as thick as the phonebook in my inbox each week. 3 or 4 a day was average durign the summer.

Anyhow just being friendly here and trying to give you some advice from someone who has been there and has done that and has lived to tell the tale. Nothign personal.

[myswtghst]

Having read through the whole thread, I have to say, Terry, while you may be in the right, your attitude stinks. Any time anyone on here has opposed what you've had to say, you've simply responded, seemingly without considering what they've said, by saying that they're wrong, you're right, and therefore, you should win. I can almost guarantee that won't fly with the GM, or corporate.

It's great that you're looking to change things, to fix a problem, but regardless of how convenient it is, sometimes you *have* to do things the polite way - sometimes you have to wait until a good time, instead of doing it now, if it's not something life-threatening.

Please don't get angry at us, we're just trying to prep you for the meeting, during which, I highly doubt your GM will tell you that you're a genius - just try to be tactful and keep the attitude in check, whether it's right, wrong, fair or not.

[Secret Shopper]

I think the OP needs to learn some humility and hopefully won't hop from one job to another. Maybe a stint in the military would toughen him up. He really sounds shrill and unrealistic as to what to expect in the workplace.

Since we are only hearing his side of it, which is naturally slanted in his favor, I'm assuming he must have looked like he was going to lose it at work, which is why he was sent home. These managers probably were afraid that he was going ballistic at work. I'm sure they've dealt with with some angry young men before.

If you work at McDonalds, you are at the bottom of rung of society as far as people who actually have jobs. You are uneducated and can obtain this job even before graduating highschool. You are low paid, and work on a fast food assembly line catering to the lowest rung of the dining public. And you expect to be treated as if you have a union job and have rights?

You have some things to learn, young man.

[Terry]

I think the OP needs to learn some humility and hopefully won't hop from one job to another. Maybe a stint in the military would toughen him up. He really sounds shrill and unrealistic as to what to expect in the workplace.

Since we are only hearing his side of it, which is naturally slanted in his favor, I'm assuming he must have looked like he was going to lose it at work, which is why he was sent home. These managers probably were afraid that he was going ballistic at work. I'm sure they've dealt with with some angry young men before.

If you work at McDonalds, you are at the bottom of rung of society as far as people who actually have jobs. You are uneducated and can obtain this job even before graduating highschool. You are low paid, and work on a fast food assembly line catering to the lowest rung of the dining public. And you expect to be treated as if you have a union job and have rights?

You have some things to learn, young man.

This is a rant/sucky manager thread, not a "Who is right, me or my manager?" thread. This thread was merely a way of venting about a sucky manager, something that most people here can relate to. I didn't start this thread because I wanted to learn "this is how things work". Not all work environments work this way. The fact is, the company has rules.

[donruss]

I've been keeping up with this whole thing since the beginning and while I think you are in the right Terry, you are going to learn some hard truths about the corporate world soon. It might not be right, but it is reality.

[Terry]

I've been keeping up with this whole thing since the beginning and while I think you are in the right Terry, you are going to learn some hard truths about the corporate world soon. It might not be right, but it is reality.

A lot of people here are saying "this is how it works". I am here to argue about who is PRINCIPALLY, TECHNICALLY, and MORALLY right, not about "how it works". There is a thread over in the "Morons in Management" forum titled "You know you have a sucky manager when...". Maybe we should all go in there and start posting "That's how it works". I am here to relate to the people who have sucky managers.

[Der Cute]

Hi Terry.

My name's Cutenoob, and I am very much like you.

Scarily enough that I was wondering WHO THE HELL got into MY LIFE and typed this story up here?????

Terry - first off hugs. It sucks when people send you home. Heh. Last time I got sent home from a job, I was told to take a 3 day weekend and think about what I did. Ya know what? I sat and relaxed and forgot about work! HEHEHEHEH.

Ok, back to you.
I agree that the bosses are not listening, and when being disrespectful to you in that manner, it is VERY hypocritical - "Respect mah Authoritay! I IS Assistant MANAGER!!! And go mop up the floor, even though you just did it 2 minutes ago."

I hate injustice. I hate it when Person X - whether a cop, judge, CEO or even just a neighbor does something wrong. I DONT CARE WHAT LEVEL YOU ARE ON, YOU JUST SCREWED UP- SO FESS UP! That's part of the way I think.
Bad part: because the person that screwed up does not think I am on THEIR level, I have no say-so in what they do. Even though Miss Butthead just put the peanut butter on a shelf of soda - I'm "not supposed to tell her what to do". Little things like that irk the hell outta me. Ya screw up- ya fix it, I don't care if you own 2/3 of Manhattan!

But - in the social world, the way this place runs (too bad the one in my head isn't reality - would be soo much easier) - it doesn't matter if the judge ran the red light in front of you. It matters who talks to the judge.

Yes, that's injustice.

Yes, I hate it.

I had to finally accept - even though I am right when I notice Miss Butthead putting the peanut butter into the soda shelf - it's not my place to say anything to her.

And you know what? It's freaking hard! I have a thought I want to deal with (or else it slips away) so I ask the boss about it right then - but I don't realize that I'm derailing their train of thought on how to fix today's schedule fubar. Or that they're so deep in a mission that they should be incognito.

So to be respectful to the boss, I have to stop my thinking - write the thought down, and ask for a moment's attention. When the boss LOOKS quiet. Or email - hey I have a few q's can you spare 20 min?

And yes, it's all because I'm at the lowest level on the food chain. Some days I see MY boss running around and I wonder WTF is she doing - I have a question - then I think - "Wait a second. Will my leg fall off if I don't have the answer right now? No? Email it."

Terry- whatever you do, good luck. And I sympathize - I hate it when people aren't fair.

Cutenoob

[marasbaras]

The fact is, the company has rules.

Yes. And I'm sure the GM will follow them when he writes you up and terminates you for cause if you go in with that chip on your shoulder.

[Terry]

Cutenoob, I'm glad you made that post. I think a lot of people here think this is the way I respond to a manager every time I don't get my way. No, I know "how things work", and I DO put up with what my managers do, but there are several things that I take a lot more seriously than others, one of which is hostility.

Here I am, doing my job the right way, the way I was trained, in yet I have someone in another position(the runners) telling me what to do, and not only that, they get MAD at me when I refuse to do it, and they'll even take it upon themself to walk over and push the button themself. If I tell a manager about this, they DO need to take care of it, because if they don't, the hostility will get even worse, even to the point of harassment. If a manager takes care of a situation that involves hostility early on, then they won't have to put up with my "whining" later on. I already told managers about the problem with the runners before this even happened, so me speaking to the GM shouldn't come to a surprise to anyone.

[marasbaras]

A lot of people here are saying "this is how it works". I am here to argue about who is PRINCIPALLY, TECHNICALLY, and MORALLY right, not about "how it works".

You know what, I'll be blunt: you were WRONG to bring up the topic during a rush. Period.

Your manager said when to push the button. That's when to do it. If, the next day you work with a different manager that has a different way of operating their kitchen, you follow their methods.

Reading all of your messages here, I have my doubts whether you've brought this up calmly and at a reasonable time.

[Secret Shopper]

This is a rant/sucky manager thread, not a "Who is right, me or my manager?" thread. This thread was merely a way of venting about a sucky manager, something that most people here can relate to. I didn't start this thread because I wanted to learn "this is how things work". Not all work environments work this way. The fact is, the company has rules.

*sigh*

You are young and the unfortunate product of this age. Good luck!

[Secret Shopper]

Amen.........

[Pedersen]

Terry, just going by the attitude you've displayed in this thread (you are right, they are wrong and need to be corrected), and going by the statement that you need this job, I'm going to make a bold prediction about your education here.

Next up in your list of classes:
Hard Knocks 101
Credits: 12.0 (one full load in any given semester)
Professor: GM
Teaching Assistants: AM and SM
Class Size: Limited to one seat.

And it looks like you've taken the only available slot. I hope you get your money's worth from the class.

Good luck.

[Rapscallion]

Okies folks - this one's getting a little heated. Let's keep this away from being personal.

Terry? Just a note - people are genuinely trying to help. It may not seem like it at time, considering the crap you're getting at work sounds similar, but that's the case.

Rapscallion

[marasbaras]

Seriously, don't go to the GM. Go to the SM and try to work things out there. Make an appointment. Tell them that you want to do things right. Apologize for your bad timing.

Going over their head will not make things right. It never does.

Also, I would stop using words like "hostile", "harrassment". These are codewords for "I'm building a lawsuit here". Your managers will want to get rid of you for that alone. Getting rid of a lawsuit waiting to happen is far higher on a manager's to-do list than dealing with people who are not following procedure.

You've said that you want the job. We've told you how to keep it.

Frankly, it sounds to me like your managers are relatively normal and don't suck at all.