The sad truth is that, all too often, the best employees are not appreciated and are even mistreated as a thank you for all of their hard work.
OP worked at a movie theater and was good at his job. His co-workers and bosses all liked him (or so he thought), he liked his job, so everything was going great.
This was a few years ago. I got a job in a cinema, I was 4 or 5 years older than most of my co-workers whom it was most of their first jobs. Having had a couple of jobs previous and a few years of maturity under my belt, I quickly became a very valued employee, so much so, I was given a promotion to Supervisor within 6 months.
The general manager loved me. I was a Swiss army knife. I would take care of projection duties when the projection manager was at our other sites. I dealt with the busy periods very calmly and was able to diffuse potential situations into getting worse. I was very good at my job. I would be “in charge” of the building when whatever manager was there had to step out.
We had one GM and four floor managers. They all liked me because I made their jobs a lot easier. When I was working they didn’t have to work as hard and when it wasn’t busy, they didn’t have to work at all.
So great that when a manager position became available, he was sure that the job would be his.
Two more years go by and and one of the floor managers says she’s leaving in 3 months.
Without having to say it, I know I’m going to get her position. They always hire internally and I am head and shoulders above my co-workers.
Even so, he took on some extra responsibility when they asked, just to be sure.
This is where it gets interesting. Let’s call this manager, Blobby! So Blobby does a stock take every Thursday.
I always worked Thursday mornings in projection so for the last couple of years had a standing arrangement to drink with my pals on a Thursday night.
I loved my Thursday drinks. I worked most weekends so this was my Saturday night.
One Thursday I’m doing my projection checks and the GM says that blobby is sick, would I be able to do the stock take. I’ll do it, a 9am to 11:30 pm (we have to count the stock at retail after we close hence the late finish) it’s a horrible shift but the brownie points are worth it.
So next week comes along and instead of doing my projection shift on Thursday I’m in to do a stock shift.
I ask the GM what’s going on and he said Blobby requested me in. Even though me and the GM get on really well, he’s gonna side with his manager over his supervisor.
I explain I go out Thursday nights and Blob says “listen dude, I’m actually doing you a favour. When the manager job comes up and you know how to do the stock take and orders it will look fantastic and you’ll 100% get the job”
I grit my teeth and go along with it. It makes sense to learn another avenue of the job. So Thursday nights come around and Blobby sits at his desk with his feet up while I basically do his job. It’s not a difficult task and after a month it’s a piece of cake.
Let me paint a picture of Blobby. He’s short, fat and balding. Ear pierced, thinks he’s cool but he really isn’t. Think David Brent from the office. Keep him on your side and work is a lot easier because he can be quite petty but what he done next was far from petty.
When he walked into the interview and began to face an inquest, complete with receipts for a bunch of things he had done “wrong,” OP was totally blind-sided.
3 months go by and we’ve one week left before our manager leaves. They start the interview process but for some reason the owners decide to sit in and do the interviews. Really strange!
So the interview starts and I’m hit with “How do you expect to be our manager if your time keeping is so poor?” They have a list of times I clocked in late. 5 minutes here, 7 minutes there.
The thing is, time keeping wasn’t an issue. You come in late the odd time and then if they needed you to stay back, most would. Take a penny leave a penny scenario.
But these guys go to town on me! The have surveillance footage of me taking in a delivery (which isn’t part of my job) without wearing a hi-vis jacket. “Your complete lack of concern for safety regulations is appaling”
Emails from a few irate customers over the years that complained about me, I done the right thing in all those circumstances but taken out of context look like I was in the wrong.
Ive given up fighting my corner. I know I’m not getting this promotion.
He did not get the promotion, and soon afterward found out that his direct boss had a problem with him. He had been compiling the negative information to use once the promotion came up, and had basically ruined OP’s chances.
My co-worker got it. If it wasn’t me I was happy it was her. She was also very good at her job and would no doubt make a fine manager.
So after giving so much for the company over 3 years I found myself doing things halfway. Why go the extra mile when it wasn’t appreciated.
So I’m still on stock duty on a Thursday night. While Blobby is down dealing with a customer, I’m in the office inputting the stock figures. I accidently close the program.
I open “Blobbys folder” where the program is and see a file saying “discrepancies”. I don’t know why clicked in but I did. I see my name “mumblybum ‘s folder” of course I’m going to click in and see what’s going down in funky town. I’m shocked! There are about 5 sub folders in my folder. “Lates”, “Dangerous Delivery”, “Potential Stealing”, “Associates” and “Hungover”!!
We’ve already talked about Lates and DANGEROUS DELIVERY! The stealing one is me leaning over a closed till but looks like I’m trying to hide something (which i wasnt). Utter nonsense. “Associates” is pictures of me standing with my co-workers chatting when it wasn’t busy and “hungover” was screenshots from my Facebook when I was out the night before and then in work the next day. It was clear as day that this guy handed this information to the owners.
OP talked to some friends and eventually came up with his plan for revenge. He planned to quit, but not before he took down his nemesis on his way out the door.
Finishing up that night was so tough. I wanted to rip that earring out and pop his baldy head like a pimple but I played it cool and finished my shift.
Monday comes around and I ask to talk to GM. I explain what iv found and it’s really serious because it’s invasion of privacy. CCTV should only be used to review footage when something goes wrong, not used to stalk me!
The GM says he only found out after the interviews were over. The reason he didn’t do them was because he was also leaving. He was a good man and didn’t mess around.
He said Blobby hated me, don’t know why but he was always bringing up issues with me. He then recommended me getting a new job because more than likely Blobby was gonna be the new GM and my life there would be unbearable if he got it.
So I talk to my brother and sister who are a lot smarter than me about what roads to go down. File a complaint? What’s the point when the owners used his dossier against me. Bring him to court? Too much hassle for very little payoff.
Blobby wants the GM position more than anything. He has a bit of competition but he’s the front runner. I could spend the next two months looking for work or could be ambitious and try a bury this piece of crap. I chose the latter!
So I’m drinking with my girlfriend one night and we’re joking around about how to get revenge. She scared me a little with her suggestions. Some tame ones like key his car and then a straight jump to “burn his house down”. If any authorities are watching, we were only joking!
And just like that fat boy signed his own death certificate.
Plan enacted, OP quit knowing he had done his worst.
Whilst I’m on the stock shift he makes a passing remark. “We have to start nailing this stock take down to the last popcorn kernel. The yearly stock take is in 6 weeks and *****(owner) is doing it and she’s a task master”
I know all about her, she ripped me to pieces in the interview.
“Don’t worry Blobby, Mumblybum is on the case, those numbers will be perfect” and he goes for the oscar with this line “You’re a good worker, a travesty you didn’t get the managers job, but when I get the hot seat you’ll be made a manager as soon as a position comes up. No interview required”
What a dingbat!
I’m so good at the stock take that he doesn’t even check my work. I’m making the orders and counting the stock.
So over the next 6 weeks I start to completely screw up the numbers! I put the orders in on a Wednesday for our Friday delivery. I normally eyeball it and see what movies are coming out and we always had a nice bit of stock on hand. Not too much, not too little. That’s about to change. I start adding 25% to every order we get in.
I show Blob the dockets, he signs them, happy days. Then when I’m doing the stock on the Thursday I put in that we ordered our usual amount. The system balances on the computer but what we have in the stock rooms is a lot more!
I do this for the next 4 weeks. I’m royally screwed if he ever actually looked in the stock rooms. They’re nearly exploding with product! Lucky for me and unlucky for him, he’s a lazy jerk.
It’s the last week before the task master does the end of year stock take. I balance everything on the computer as usual, before we call it a night I tell him to check the presales tomorrow.
We’re gonna have a busy weekend so I say to him “email our suppliers and get a bit extra, it will all get used anyways and we’re looking perfect on the stock count”.
Granted iv been adding on 25% for the past month or so but he goes ultra blobby and bangs out an emergency email to our suppliers asking could they double the standing order for tomorrow! Checkmate!
When I get home that night I type up my resignation letter. I ask the GM who has a couple of weeks left if I can leave immediately due to unforeseen circumstances.
He agrees because he’s a good man and gives me his personal number and an amazing written reference, wishes me to best and thanks me for all my hard work.
Like Andy Dufresne, iv crawled through a sea of crap and came out clean on the other side!
I confide in one of the regular workers what iv done over a couple of pints. He said the next day when the delivery came, they couldn’t fit it all in the 4 different stock rooms.
Rule of thumb would be about 3 weeks stock on hand. We must have had about 8. Now I know you’re gonna say I’m really hurting the owners. I’m not, all of the stock will be used. Except maybe a few bags of popcorn that will expire everything else will get sold for an exorbitant profit.
Word on the grapevine was that the yearly stock take went into the wee hours off the morning. 3am to be precise. Blobby was boxed in. The stock was a cluster. Tens of thousands of euro off.
He could take the blame himself and look incompetent or say I did it, to which he looks worse considering he was behind the dossier to slander me.
I don’t know what he did. All I know is he didn’t get the GM position and within 6 months was working selling furniture! I never spoke to him about it but one would hope he knows it was me who screwed him.
Did Reddit follow this one? Did they love it? Let’s find out!
The top comment hopes that his boss does know why he lost his job.
They’re giving OP a virtual high-five.
This person wishes they could put things like this on a resume.
And this commenter thanks karma for showing up this time.
I’d say this guy got what was coming to him.
I commend OP for tying up all the loose ends.