Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Day 26th of March - Sad but True

One good-working bartender of ours was fired this week. Another service member has decided to leave ASAP and the rest, including myself, is just counting days.
Today's subject:
The legal limit of working hours is 45 per week in Turkey. We work 9 hours a day and 12 hours once in a week, in a total of 6 work days. So, i work a total of 57 hours in a week. This week, though, i did a second 12-hour marathon because of a badly-planned catering event. Because we have nooo other person to go in our 50-membered crew, nor do we have the finances to get an extra (that's what they call a daily rented staff). So, they send my partner. And the funny thing is she goes only as a waitress. We are the only couple, by the way, whose schedules are strictly dependant to eachother.

Anyways, by the end of this saturday, I probably will have done 63 hours of work.

So...
Our accountant was here today and I humorously asked him why we don't get paid for the extra hours we work.

-BTW: those extras are not a situation of 'CAN YOU PLEASE', but more of a 'YOU WILL, PERIOD!'-

What would you say his answer was? He lists me the hours he worked this week and says he worked a full 48 hours only in the last two days, so be GLAD!

?!?!?!?!?!?!

Do I really look stupid? Seriously?
And when I tell him that the existence of a worse situation does not make mine more tolerable, he says it does. And the real annoying part comes later:
" Instead, think about the rights we don't expliot. We pay your insurance by your full salary. Noone does that. Ha?! If you don't like it, go back to a bank..."
I didn't know that I should feel gratitude for the things they are already legally binded to do. WTF?

Slavery rulez:)

Will I survive as a future-restauranteur if I sustain ideal working conditions or do I also have to get corrupt?

THANK YOU FOR BEING NOT FULLY-CORRUPT:)



PS: I do realize that the working conditions are always harsch in Turkey, but all these could have been tolerable if a motivational environment existed. Your staff's motivation and mood directly reflects on the customer and in return on your finances. So just make them happy to make your customers happy... Am i missing out on smt?

Day End of Second Month - written in 24th of march

Such an awful day...
I did my second 12-hour shift for the week and found out that I would also be doing a 12 on saturday?!#$&*#...
Ofcourse, we don't get paid for the extra hours we work. And apparently, coming late or leaving early the next day is out of the question.
So, what could make this work anyways?
YES, a little appreciation, a thank you or a small motivational sentence. Instead what do you get? An evil snob smart-ass face saying nada, or already yelling at you for some other stupid thing. YES, we are her bitches:) Slaves not worthy of any appreciation, non-human workers...What a bee?!?!


Time to find a new job...

Sunday, March 14, 2010

DAY WHO?!

I have been meaning to write for soooooo long and had probably a zillion things to write about, all of which i forgot. But...i'm back:D
We have just started our normal shifts last week, so now i get to work only 9 hours a day ANNNNDDD an OFF day:D Believe me, after working for 12 to 15 hours a day for more than a month, you don't care if you get a day off, let alone a weekend. The fact that i am now working for only 9 hours is a gift from heaven:)


Anyways...

There's a lot to tell about my job, but i'll just make some bullet points
- my boss is a good example of bad management
- i sincerely want to kill her sometimes with barehands
- i love my job
- sometimes i plunge my knife into something to avoid doing it to her:) (actually all of us, the staff, either do this or dream about doing this)
- i get amazed at how i love my job despite all the drama going on
- i know now why waiters are all so grumpy now. They're not happy
- i also know why waiters act differently towards different guests. If your boss is a kiss-ass towards the rich customers and disses the not-so-incredibly-rich-and-famous; you adapt to it, just like a child adapts to his parents.
-yet, i love my job:)