This Manager Will Break You

(I work in a seafood/sandwich shop. It’s Friday. I’m scheduled for a split shift; I come in and open. I live fairly far away and it doesn’t make much sense for me to get a ride home and back. It’s two and time for me to clock out. It’s been a store record-breaking busy lunch rush and I’m ready to relax for a couple hours. My relief, the assistant manager, comes in and I sigh exhaustedly and go clock out. I lean against the wall in the back and chat with my coworker.)

Coworker: “Break time, huh?”

Me: “Yep, I’m glad [Assistant Manager] showed up. I needed it.”

Assistant Manager: “Hey y’all.” *proceeds to sit down and pull out her phone*

Coworker: “Hey, [Assistant Manager], we got two orders to do.” *said as two more orders print up*

Assistant Manager: *continues to stare at her phone, not a care in the world*

Me: “She knows I’m off, right?”

Coworker: “She should.” *he shrugs and continues to cook for the orders*

Me: *watches as even more orders come in, sighs, and watches as the assistant manager continues to ignore the situation and heads off to get a couple of the orders out to help* “So much for a break”

Coworker: “Giving away free work again?”

Me: “Looks like it.”

(About 15 minutes of steady orders and continued ignorance of the assistant manager, I shrugged and clocked back in. If I had to keep working through my break I might as well get paid for it, right? The assistant manager ended up going to sleep right there until about two hours before closing time.)