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Some workplace red flags show up on day one, and one barista knew exactly what she was dealing with the moment her new assistant manager opened his mouth.

Her new boss had been on the job for barely a month when he told staff that helping out with a big event would make them “skinny and pretty all year,” an early sign of the kind of manager he’d turn out to be.

Once he became the shop’s official GM, her hours mysteriously disappeared, leaving her with zero shifts scheduled for two weeks straight and forced to pick up leftover shifts nobody else wanted just to stay afloat.

The real gut punch came when she learned he was basing hours on who seemed most “excited to work” rather than who actually did the work.

Considering she’d just sprained her thumb on the job, she was finally fed up with the nonsense.

Keep reading for the full story.

Taken off the schedule because I’m not ✨️ “excited to work” ✨️

Been working at a local coffee shop the past almost 7 months, and a new assistant manager started maybe a month or month and a half ago.

This guy immediately put a bad taste in this barista’s mouth.

I could immediately tell he was a brown noser and it really put me off.

Like, there was one time the shop needed extra hands for a big event and he had said something like, “If you help out you’ll be skinny and pretty all year.”

Soon, she noticed something odd.

And recently he’s stopped scheduling me, so this past week I had to pick up a few shifts from people who didn’t want them, because otherwise I had none, and I wasn’t on the schedule for the next two weeks.

He seems to have taken a very petty issue with her.

Not to mention, if I want to pick up shifts I have to wait for manager approval, and now that the new guy is officially the shop’s GM, I didn’t see him approving me, especially now that I know he didn’t have me on the schedule because he bases hours on people who are “excited to work,” and I just have to try and laugh it off because otherwise I’ll get ticked off all over again.

She reads this as a clear misuse of power.

How the heck are you going to mess with someone’s actual, literal living because they aren’t drinking the company Kool-Aid?

I wasn’t a perfect employee or whatever, but I worked hard enough to sprain my thumb and still felt bad about asking for a single day off to rest it.

Quitting and not regretting it, good riddance.

Talk about an out of touch boss!

What did Reddit have to say?

This boss could be even worse than she originally thought.

It’s time to make a case out of this.

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Or why not complain to his boss?

Basing someone’s actual income on how “excited” they seem, rather than how well they work seems like more of a popularity contest than a viable management strategy.

It’s easy to see how getting zero shifts for two weeks straight (after nearly seven months of reliable work, including hard enough labor to sprain a thumb) can feel like straight up retaliation.

This barista was right to finally stick up for her dignity.

The ball is in her court now, and a well-placed complaint to the boss’ boss could be a fairly effective next move.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.