Managers Who Don’t Listen To Their Staff Are Late To Realize Their Own Folly

(I work in a store in the mall. The store is pretty big, and we keep the gates closed when we’re not open, so whenever someone comes in for an opening shift, they have to buzz in and wait for a manager to come open the gate. Generally, opening shifts begin around 9:00, and the store opens at 10:00. Yesterday, my coworker was ten minutes late. Our manager spoke to her about it, and she promised that it wouldn’t happen again. Today, at 9:45 she buzzes to be let in. I witness the following interaction.)

Manager: “Come on, [Coworker]. We just talked about this. You can’t just come in whenever you feel like it.”

Coworker: “But—”

Manager: “I mean, five, even ten minutes, and I can look the other way, but it’s 9:45. It’s not fair to anyone else who’s opening.”

Coworker: “I’m not—”

Manager: “I don’t care, okay? You already had one warning, and the next day, you’re even later! You can’t do that. I’m going to have to write you up.”

Coworker: “It’s not—”

Manager: “What? What do you have to say for yourself?”

Coworker: “I’m not scheduled to open today. My shift doesn’t start until 10:00. I came in now so that I could be sure that I was early.”

Manager: *pause* “Next time, you should say so.”