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 Message 22637 of 22774 in Behind the Bar
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Subject: Help With Lazy Co-Worker! Please!
From: Nicky D
Posted: Mon May 14. 2012, 04:35 UTC
I tried using google and this was the only site that seemed it could be of 
some help. Let me give you a little bit background before I continue. I work 
at a family owned restaurant which is great because it's laid back, the owners 
are great, and it doesn't have all of those franchise rules and write ups. I 
work very hard behind the bar, I'm on time, my customers and regulars love me 
and always compliment me, and I never every stand around because there is 
always someething to be done. 

Now here is where my problem occurs. I work Friday and Saturday and we have 
two bartenders on those nights. My friday night is great and I love the girl I 
work with. My saturday shift and the person I work with is really starting to 
anger me. The girl I work with has been with the restaurant for four years (I 
have only been there 2) and she was always eager to work, and did her job 
well. For the past 6 months I have notices that she's getting lazy, and not 
pulling her weight in terms of responsibilities. Here are some scenarios, but 
first let me tell you that some saturdays our restaurant is sometimes slow and 
someone usually leaves early (we alternate who gets to leave). Anyway it has 
been an ongoing joke with all of waitresses, but for the past 20 weeks every 
saturday that she comes in she's either tired or has a headache. It doesn't 
matter if it's her turn to leave if it's slow or mine (So i'll always bring in 
some advil so I dont have to hear about it). It getting very aggrivating, 
because I know she's full of it and if I am let go I leave because I know she 
is crying wolf, but she'll always gossip about me leaving and she doesnt feel 
good to the customers.

The next issue I have with her is that some nights she basically assumes shes 
going to go home early, but the bar will be busy and she spites my and stands 
around chatting while I do most of the work. Last Saturday, she chose to work 
a double which is 11:30 to 4, and then 4 to 11. The whole time she thought she 
was going to go home, but once again we were busy. She just complained that 
she very incredibly tired, and really didn't do much of the work. That night I 
should have walked away with atleast 80% of the tips. It gets to the point 
that customer's will give me the tip and tell me to put it in my pocket 
because I am doing everything. I know that it's wrong so I always put it in 
our tip jar. So the night shift ends and I did almost all of the stocking and 
most of the cleaning. Even our usual routine where I put up the chairs and she 
quickly sweeps went out the window. She literally said to my face that she 
didnt feel like sweeping and sat down on the barstool and put her feet up. The 
reason why I didnt lash out on her is that she is a woman and I dont want 
people (coworkers and customers) to think I am an a$$hole jerk. The only thing 
I said to her when she complained that she was tired for the 100th time was 
that "you're tired. I did all the work tonight" she just shrugged. And now 
next week if were slow shes gonna leave early, even though she didnt do sh!t 
last week. Don't pick up someones shift and then cry about it all night. It's 
her job and she ain't doing it. On to the next issue.

Because we aren't a franchise there arent any vacation time rules. If you need 
a day off for some reason it's understandable, but she is truly crossing the 
line. In march she literally took of 2 and half weeks (so 4 shifts during both 
weeks, and 2 shifts for the third week). The kid covering her shift was 
shocked when she walked into the bar on one of her days off and said she took 
off because she needed to recooperate. She then continued to get blasted right 
in front of him. That next day he covered her shift again and she had the 
nerve to come out with all of the coworkers that night and get blasted again. 
So recently she decided to tell us she needs off in september because shes 
going to costa rica, and that during the summer shes gonna need a bunch of 
long weekends off. Now understand that her shifts are 4 consectutive days. Why 
the hell can't she go during them, or try trading shifts. The last part truly 
put me over the edge. Besides the long weekends during the summer and her trip 
to costa rica, she decided to tell us that for her 32 second birthday she 
needs to take her 4 shifts off, and said right to both of our faces in her 
exact words. "
Im taking off these days, you guys can figure out whos covering them. 
Now the real issue with all of this is that we do not have a true management 
system. There isnt a limit to vacations and my bosses do not control how much 
you get. She just assumes that she can take off whenever she wants. I am sick 
of working with her, and I have tried talking to my boss and he understands, 
but does not do anything about it. He doesn't talk to her, or address the 
issues. I do not know what to do, but I was truly about to quit and one of the 
bartenders said she's walk with me. I love my job and my bosses, but something 
needs to be done. I do not know what to say to them, or how to address the 
issue so something can get done. I'm seriously at the end of my rope and I 
know if I threaten to leave my boss would tell me not to. Me and the other 
bartender (the nice one) bring them alot of money and we have a ton of 
regulars that come just for us.  SO please I would appreciate any advice.


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