The Corporate Fiction of my Job

[sabrinathecat]

I had a good chuckle yesterday.
I was looking at the company web-site (I work at a restaurant), and came across their employment page. What was posted was so totally at odds with the reality, I could only think of it as fiction, or perhaps science fiction.

"We offer generous pay and after qualifying period health care, 401k and vacation." [insert snicker] "Most importantly we'll seek your input to improve our business and treat you with the utmost respect at all times." [insert chuckle]
"We provide
* many opportunities for growth and career advancement in our fast-growing, dynamic company." [choking sound] "
* Health benefits" [blink] say what? "
* a fun, team based work environment
* Full-time, Part-time, and flexible working hours and positions." Um, Full-time? Yeah Right"
* Generous and delicious meal discounts / benefits." [insert Bart&Lisa Simpson laugh track]

Those benefits sound great, don't they?
Reality: health care, 401K, and vacation are only for full-time employees. Between the 6 locations, there are a total of 2 FT employees--the General manager, and the supply manager. Everyone else is strictly part-time (never more than 30 hours/week), even the branch managers. And for the kitchen staff, in order to not pay them benefits when they do work more than 40 hours a week, they get paid 1/2 in cash, under the counter. Unless their citizenship status is in question, in which case... ...cash is king.
Input: they will happily listen to anything we say, then totally ignore it. Every time. If we want something done or fixed, we have to do it ourselves. Even replacing light bulbs. Yes, light bulbs.
Growth and advancement? Only because employee turnover is so high.
Generous discounts? We get one meal during shift, and it has to be chicken or vegetarian (no lamb, no fish, no shrimp) and one of the cheap dishes (none of the specialty items).

I cannot help but wonder how wide-spread this is. Anyone else run into this situation?

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

I'm sure it's normal advertisement practice to embellish the reality. Companies do it on their employment pages, individuals do it on their resume, etc.

Btw, a quick googling and I could find where you work (some kind of oven?), so just be careful if you're going to disparaged your work place to make sure there are no ways to identify you as not to get in trouble with the boss

AR

 

[Lwaxy]

I'd say that's rather standard, although it wouldn't be allowed like that in Germany. Company would get heavy fines for advertising like that when most of it is a lie.

 

[Crothian]

How is the Indian food there?

 

[Ahnehnois]

Frankly, I think the advertising is less of a problem than the actual business practices.

Which, to be fair, are widespread and are symptomatic of deeper problems. I've worked similar jobs; the job varies, but many industries do everything they can to keep people part-time and not give them benefits

 

[Janx]

This is why you contact the state labor board or the attorney general. Report them on their violations.

One of my friends is darn near on a first name basis with the AG from all the reports he files as he leaves employers. He seems to find every crappy employer in the state.

 

[ObiWanKenobi]

Correct me if im wrong, but isnt 401k offered only to full-time employees at most places?

 

[sabrinathecat]

As far as I know, yes.
But if a business only has 2 FT members, and will not make anyone else FT (going at great lengths to avoid it), is it not rather disingenuous to imply that such benefits are available?
Even to imply that Full-Time employment is available to misleading.

What are they going to do? Fire me? First they have to prove that it was I... OK, that should take them about 2 minutes.
Actually, first they have to find my post on this board. Or someone has to email them to go look at it. That would take... as long as it takes.
The only one of their claimed benefits I can actually agree with is the one about the quality team, which is OUR work, not theirs.

 

[Umbran]

... is it not rather disingenuous to imply that such benefits are available?

Probably. But, I expect their wording stops short of being technically illegal.

Food services, unfortunately, sees a lot of such stuff, as do many other places where the employees are generally uneducated, inexperienced, or otherwise easily replaced.

 

[sabrinathecat]

How is the Indian food there?

Used to be my favorite place. Now... Maybe I know too much and the magic is gone. I don't actually eat there anymore.

As for reporting them, I would, except that I like the people who are working there. Sure, it might inconvenience the owner a little, but it would screw everyone else working there over something fierce. See, there's something of a job shortage. You might have heard about that. It is part of why people with college educations are scrambling to work at fast food restaurants.