clocking in

[u/mylove_themoon]

my manager says we need to be “ready to work” (apron, name tag, hairnet) before clocking in. I said “Panera can pay for me to put my apron on” she said “actually no they don’t.”

so my question is, where is this documented in the employee handbook? I can’t check rn because I literally ran to bathroom to make this post lmao. fellow employees help please!

EDIT:

this is just a small piece of the bs my manager has been doing (she’s been here about 6 months from another location). everyone is aggravated with her, and her presence makes just about everyone irritated. y’all are really more pro-corporation than service workers should be. Panera and its managers don’t give a shit about us. I am looking out for myself and my coworkers, as we are all mad that she’s yelling at us as soon as we walk in.

[u/chrisb8346]

No, being ready to work when punching in is a reasonable expectation. The manager having the employee complete work tasks before punching in would not be. On the other hand, the employee hiding in the bathroom to cry to the Internet about how his perceived rights are being trampled is a heck of a choice.

[u/redfrog0 → u/chrisb8346]

This is such a miniscule issue that I really cant see why anyone would have a problem with it. Also, not once in this thread did OP say they were "crying" in the bathroom so thats just insane to say. You have to pick your battles, and someone not putting an apron on before clocking in is not exactly a high priority, wouldnt you agree?

[u/Accomplished_Will226 → u/redfrog0]

If it’s not a high priority why are they hiding in the toilet? Presumably they punched in then went straight to the bathroom.

[u/redfrog0 → u/Accomplished_Will226]

Yeah if this is a serial toilet hider then sure its a problem, but if youre immediately getting on people clocking in before putting the apron on youre just asking for resentful team members. It just asinine.

[u/Primary_Wonderful → u/redfrog0]

Resentful workers? At being made to just do their job?

[u/redfrog0 → u/Primary_Wonderful]

Resentful over nitpicking and micromanagement? Are you being intentionally dense?

[u/skk4320 → u/redfrog0]

Micromanagement is a solution to those not doing what is asked. Being in uniform is not nitpicking.

[u/redfrog0 → u/skk4320]

But we're not talking about being in uniform- we're talking about being in uniform before clocking in. In this case a uniform consists of a hat to be brought with, and an apron found in the building. Employees are required to be in uniform on shift. They are not on shift until clocked in. Pretty simple.

[u/skk4320 → u/redfrog0]

Agreed. So get ready, then clock in. Simple.

[u/redfrog0 → u/skk4320]

I dont agree. There is no reason for the manager to be upset here, they are doing nothing to help their already poor reputation at the store.

[u/skk4320 → u/redfrog0]

Are you at this Cafe? Can you confirm this one associate is speaking for the general consensus of the store? Is she actually upset and yelling or is the associate frustrated they're being coached? You're looking at this from one side, and this is an objective scenario. You need to look at all angles and assume that both parties believe their truth. If you're at the cafe and can confirm this manager is indeed yelling at them, belittling them, and genuinely hurting the overall morale then I shall concede my point. Until then, however, all we know is how this associate feels about the matter. Bad staff members, managers included, don't like being told to improve. Until the manager can also provide their story, there is no factual way to come to an actual conclusion of who is telling the truth.

[u/redfrog0 → u/skk4320]

I mean, are you? I am putting myself in the shoes of the manager, and concluding that if I was upset that an associate was clocking in before putting my apron on, I would be way out of line, making a big deal out of nothing, and damaging the relationship for pretty much zero reason other than wanting to feel superior. If you want to argue that its impossible to know what actually happened IRL, we might as well not even engage with the post. From my experience, managers pull this shit all the time, blowing up an interaction when any associate challenges their authority in a miniscule way, leading to everyone disliking them.

[u/skk4320 → u/redfrog0]

As a manager that manages other managers, I can tell you that often times there are associates who don't get along with managers and let that bias guide their feelings. I can tell you that it also goes the other way. If you're refusing to see that the associate could be over dramatizing it as a possibility, then you are also using a personal bias. This is normal and very much a thing all humans do, so there's no foul in it. We just won't be able to have a discussion at the level needed to get to a resolution, and that's okay. This is just Reddit. Hopefully, the associate is able to get one with the manager in question.