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Being good at your job apparently isn’t always enough, at least not according to one factory’s unspoken social rules.
One trainee, just three weeks into a six-week training program as a Line Operator, found himself pulled into his supervisor’s office for a conversation he wasn’t expecting, especially considering he’d been excelling at his new role.
Instead of addressing actual job performance, the meeting centered around him sitting alone during 15-minute breaks, framed by his boss as not being a “team player.”
He left the conversation confused, wondering when he missed the memo that socializing was mandatory.
Keep reading for the full story.
Supervisor telling me im not really a “team player”
So I work in a factory, and they’re currently training me to become a Line Operator because they fired the last guy. I’m now 3 weeks in and able to be all myself without any guidance, the training is 6 weeks.
I love learning new stuff and always ask when I need help.
But soon the employee learned his boss wasn’t nearly as satisfied with his performance.
Yesterday my supervisor called me to her office to have a little chat. This is exactly what she suddenly told me: “We don’t know if the position Line Operator really fits you, you also don’t really show much enthusiasm. Also, we notice that you mostly sit alone on break, try to socialise more with the team and sit with people. People will get different impressions about you when sitting alone. I will check in with you in a week again.”
These expectations seemed to come out of nowhere.
I think she doesn’t want me to be in this team just because I don’t sit with them at break.
Where in my contract does it say that I have to sit with people??
Mind you, the breaks are 15 minutes, for me break is just eating and straight back to work.
There’s nothing to really talk about in 15 minutes.
In his eyes, this extends beyond simple pleasantries.
I say good morning and goodbye to everyone, and I’m in general a sweet person, and I love starting a little chat!
So I don’t really know what’s the problem here, work is work.
This boss is way out of line.
What does Reddit have to say?
This user suspects foul play.
Feedback should really stay more focused on the job itself.
Perhaps all of this is just a convenient excuse.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a craft store customer who refuses to take no for an answer when it comes to wrapping his purchases for gifts.
Maybe he has to humor the boss for now — at least until he finds something better.
Nothing about this situation adds up. If the actual work is being done well, then what’s really the problem here?
Fifteen minutes isn’t exactly enough time to build deep social bonds, especially when the priority is just eating and getting back to the line.
Being polite and social during greetings shows he’s not disengaged, he just doesn’t see the point in forcing conversation during limited downtime.
Not everyone is cut out to be in charge, and this toxic boss is a prime example.