it's a hard knock life

Joel got "let go" from his job as a barback today...in a text message. It never ceases to amaze me how unprofessional people are in the restaurant industry.

He was at his first job when he received the text message, so he waited until he got off and went over to Boone's to speak with a manager. They told him their reasons were because he a.) continuously asked the bartenders for tipouts, and b.) didn't clean the floors well enough, and they were having to be cleaned again in the morning, and it "just wasn't working out."

When Joel was hired, he was told the job was hourly wage + tipouts. Once he started working there, he never received tipouts, and when he asked, he was told it was only when they were busy. Then, when they were busy, he still didn't get tipped out. I don't think Joel was wrong in asking for the tipout, but I think he went about it in the wrong manner. He shouldn't have been asking the bartenders, he should have gone to upper management and asked what the conditions of the job were, and if they had changed he should have been told as much. Since we're only getting the Joel side of the story, it's possible he was told, and just didn't listen, but who knows.

I don't think Joel's that broken up over it, because he got home at 5am this morning and had to be at his other job at 10am. I don't think it would have been long before he decided it wasn't the right place for him--we had a conversation in the car, just this morning, about how he wasn't really happy there because he thought he was going to be getting tips, and he wasn't, and the amount of work he was doing wasn't worth $8/hr. I personally see it as a blessing in disguise, because he now has a bit more time to dedicate to his GED and schoolwork. He's not happy, because he needs a second job if he wants to drive his sweet ass whip, but I have no doubt he will be out looking for another job tomorrow in order to be able to drive.

I remember the only job I ever got "let go" from--I worked at a card store when I was 15, and a new manager came in and pushed everybody out the door, giving all of us a different reason of why we weren't good employees. I remember feeling stricken and hurt, and going home in tears--no one likes being told they aren't good enough. But in Joel's case, I think this might be a good thing for him. A bit of a humbling experience, which is something he needs in his life--knowing that in any job, you are always replaceable. Harsh, but a reality. He's always talking himself up, saying how they "need him"--and he's just been handed a reality check that no one "needs" him, and employment is a privilege, not a right.