Boss Under Fire
An American boss is under fire for leaving a ‘terrible’ note around the workplace telling workers not to eat during trading hours.
The note, laminated and stuck on the wall, states ‘’All employees MUST NOT eat during work hours! Receive a $20 reward if you catch an employee eating during work hours!’’ before stating that those caught three times will be met with an instant dismissal with no exceptions.
The note has done the rounds on social media and has been met with an ocean of negativity. Panning the note, commenters have stated that this boss risks facing a lawsuit if one of the employees is diabetic and thus has to eat in certain intervals. Another stated that the employees should all report each other and use the reward payouts to go out for drinks.
The worker who broadcasted the letter online stated that such a note would create a ‘snitching’ work atmosphere where workers are constantly looking over their shoulders in fear of being reported. In turn, this could disrupt the flow of work and could even damage the integrity of the business.
Victorian Workhouse Culture
Not to sound like Karl Marx here, but I think workers are entitled to a meal at work and forcing them not to eat is a little bit tyrannical. I’m no communist (far from it, in fact) but even I’m aware that there are certain lines bosses cannot cross if they wish to hang on to their workers. This workplace seems more like a Victorian workhouse than a modern place of business. If somebody told me not to eat at work, then I would absolutely cause a scene.
Having that said, a well-fed dog is a lazy dog, so I can sort of see where the boss is coming from. Today’s working environment is plush and luxurious, sure, and perhaps it could be argued that workers need to be reminded of just who is in charge.
Some state that the note is an encapsulation of today’s hyper-capitalist culture and its obsession with work. I say, in response, that such an assessment is a load of emotionally-charged nonsense.
I Side With The Workers
Work is not about feasting and chatting, it’s about rolling your sleeves up and getting things done, or at least in Britain it is. Knowing how much the Americans enjoy their food, I can’t say I was surprised when I saw this note. Is it a step too far? Certainly. Are harsh work laws a necessary evil sometimes? Undoubtedly.
There are certainly two sides to every story, but I’m going to side with the workers here. A day’s work can’t be done to its fullest extent without proper nourishment, and the pathetic ‘reward’ for snitching on other employees is nothing short of Dickensian.
Hopefully this boss learns their lesson and calms down on the overly-strict work culture whilst retaining order and productivity at the same time.
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