Bad managers can ruin an employee’s drive to work, especially when the managers make decisions that impact the employee’s pay.

This bartender talks about a manager in training he didn’t like, but the problem was actually much bigger than just this one person.

Eventually, he quit his job, but the story doesn’t end there!

Read the full story below and find out what happened next.

Try to intimidate me by telling me to clock out and go home? No problem, I’ll take over half your bartending staff with me.

For almost 20 years, I was in the service industry.

It helped in a lot of ways, but probably ended up sucking me into that lifestyle for too long.

A large portion of my serving/bartending career was at a chain restaurant.

Think a House of Steak that isn’t In Front.

He has been invited to apply as a manager in training, but he politely refused.

I had been with this establishment for around 5 years, while going through college and starting a masters degree.

I was working at my fourth location due to various moves for school.

By this point, I was a server/bartender/trainer. And I had been approached multiple times about MIT (manager in training), but I politely declined.

All of this to say, I felt like I had a pretty good standing and history with the company.

Meet Chad…

Well one day, a guy, let’s call him Chad, who I personally disliked, started going through MIT.

Our mutual dislike started before my first day at work even.

But to be concise, he was indirectly involved in a small confrontation between his friend, me, and the girl his friend was “talking to.”

It’s actually a pretty funny story in itself, but that’s another story.

He and Chad didn’t like each other.

Chad had a massive superiority (or is it inferiority??) complex probably rooted in his height.

Not trying to be a jerk or insensitive, but it’s my best guess.

And although we maintained civility at work, I’m pretty sure we were both aware that we didn’t like each other.

He and the other bartenders weren’t getting enough tips.

For several weeks, probably at least two months, bartenders weren’t making money.

For context, the bar area had around 9 booths arranged around the “U”-shaped bar in the center. But bartenders weren’t allowed to take those tables, only guests seated at the bar.

After several weeks of walking with only $40-$50 on a weekend shift, we all began pleading with management to help us.

I and others asked for them to let us have at least a couple tables in the bar lounge.

We’re talking 10 feet from the bar.

They weren’t allowed to work on tables, so they all felt offended and upset.

Given that bartending was something you almost always had to work up to, we all felt like we had demonstrated the ability to handle the tables and not allow drink times or bar guests to suffer.

Especially as the actual bar was pretty dead most weekends, and seeing as we were making so little.

So we were all offended to some degree, feeling like it was a double slap in the face of “we don’t care about you not making money.” And “we don’t trust you to handle lounge tables.”

Morale was low.

Chad ordered him to do some other work.

One day, after we’ve voiced our concerns to deaf ears, when the bar was of course slow…

Chad basically orders me to do something, like count inventory or some other busy work.

At the time, I was batching cocktails and doing bar upkeep. Partially because when we got it done, there was a decent chance one of us would be cut.

Being cut meant: 1) Person cut isn’t wasting time for little pay.

2) Person staying makes more money.

He refused, and said he should do it.

So I kind of clipped back something like, “I’m not doing that. I’m busy doing things at the bar. If you want it done, you should do it.”

At this point, I’m annoyed because from my perspective, we’ve been pleading with them to help us.

They told us to get lost.

Now, you’re wasting our time even more with stuff that isn’t really our job responsibility. While you literally stroll around the restaurant doing… nothing.

Chad threatened him to just go home, and he did.

Chad, trying to flex his new MIT position, says, “If you’re gonna have that attitude, you can clock out and go home.”

He clearly wasn’t expecting me to simply go “Ok,” and I immediately clocked out.

I turned to the other bartender, told them I was being sent home and I’m sorry.

He applied to another company where a former colleague is working now.

Now, what Chad and the rest of management didn’t know was that by pure chance, I had ran into a former bartender.

She left months ago when things had started to go south. She was at her new serving job, and told me she was making great money.

So the very next day, I applied and used her as a referral.

I got the job, and immediately put in my two weeks at the house of steak.

When asked about his resignation, he answered honestly.

My proprietor sat me down at my next shift, and basically attempted to make amends.

They ask if I was leaving because of Chad.

I said no, I was leaving because we weren’t making money and y’all refused to help us.

Which is true.

The Chad stuff was annoying, but I’ve never been a person unable to work with those I don’t personally like.

He told the truth to his coworkers.

Well, when the rest of the bartending staff heard about me leaving, they were curious about my new job.

I told them the truth. I was making great money, and they’re hiring.

Within two weeks, six of my former bartending crew left and got hired at the new job.

The restaurant lost a huge chunk of its bartending crew.

Within another couple of weeks, a few more joined.

The House of Steak lost about 70% of their bartending crew, and a few servers in the space of a month.

They were definitely not pleased, mostly at my new manager as “that’s just something you don’t do,” but not at me.

And wouldn’t you know it? A month later, bartenders are allowed to take lounge tables.

Whoa! It’s great that he found a better job!

Let’s find out what others have to say about this on Reddit.

This user shares a valid thought.

Here’s a short and meaningful comment.

Here’s another insightful opinion.

This person shares a personal experience.

Finally, here’s an observation from this person.

People don’t quit jobs. They quit managers.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.