Jobs in the service industry can be unpredictable and stressful.

One waiter thought he had his schedule covered until a misunderstanding with toxic management landed him on suspension.

But instead of stressing, he turned the downtime into a week of relaxation.

Read on for the full story!

They suspended me for a misunderstanding so I took the best, much needed vacation at their expense.

On a Monday night, I asked my manager if I could have my morning shift covered.

He said no worries—the new girl is coming in to train and there will be plenty of servers for the slow lunch rush. Sounded good to me.

But soon everything fell apart.

The next day, the owner, who has the patience of a caffeinated squirrel, messaged me asking why I did not show up. I told him exactly what my manager said.

He said she is not a real server yet and, the way he saw it, I missed my shift because I did not have another waiter cover for me.

So, he suspended me for a week.

He thinks he’s more than deserved some time off.

I am their best waiter—never late, always on time, and pulling in the best reviews.

Some reviews on Google even have my name in them.

But I just said, “Alright boss, see you in a week.”

Turns out, suspension was the best thing that could have happened to him.

So, I did what any overworked employee would do.

I slept in, watched movies, played disc golf, and hung out with my friends and girlfriend.

It was the most relaxing week I have ever had.

It didn’t take long for the owner to start groveling.

On Friday night, the owner called me begging for help.

They were so short-handed they were practically using the dishwashers as waiters.

He wanted me to come in for Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday morning—all while I was still on suspension.

But this server had one clever response.

I told him I had not learned my lesson yet and could not possibly come in.

When I came back the next week, everyone was very, very nice to me.

They still are. 👍🏽

Never tick off your best employee!

Reddit weighs in.

Doesn’t it behoove managers to treat their top talent well?

Why not find a new job entirely?

Some people don’t have the temperament to lead.

Going in the record book as one of the hardest lines ever spoken is:

In the end, the suspension gave him a much-needed break, and the owner quickly realized how valuable he was.

When he returned, the team treated him with the newfound respect he deserved.

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.