Pizza Hut is now in my "No Buy Zone" after this.
In this economic climate there will be a hundred or more lined up to apply for the opening he created. They will be very thankful.
When you work for a company, the basis of your hiring is that you are there(especially in the case of a manager) to follow company reasonable and lawful policies. While I may not agree with the policy of being open for business on Thanksgiving there are many, many businesses that remain open. If the manager wants to directly disobey a business policy, I see no reason why that company can not terminate him.
When Tony signs the checks, he can make the schedule.
“I said, ‘Why can’t we be the company that stands up and says we care about our employees and they can have the day off?’”
Back in the day when I ran McDonald’s and we were closed on Thanksgiving I had a lot of unhappy employees because the lost a day of pay. When quick service restaurants and fast food started to stay open it was because there is a demand. Not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving and even those that do want something fast and easy without having additional cooking around the big meal. When you work in certain jobs you have to accept what comes with them, if you don’t like it you move on. Sounds like he gave his bosses a ultimatum, when I had people give me the or else I showed them door too.
I agree with the guy, but he knew he’d get fired. I expect he’ll find a better place to work.
If anyone was trying to “force” anyone is was the employee trying to force the manager to pick someone else to work that shift. Obviously the manager had no power to force this guy since in the end he’s not working that shift. (or any others).
I do not know all of the details, but what seems to be lacking here is an effort to find that satisfactory solution for everyone. Ask for volunteers to work that day. If that day is that important increase the pay. Whatever...
This guy could have looked for and worked toward making everyone happy. He could have acted like a leader. Instead he "made his stand!" and now no one wins. Pizza hut looks bad, he is out of work, and those employees he fought so hard for will be serving pies and wings on turkey day. They will also probably be angry and resentful of "management" for this situation.
Idiot.
Pizza Hut entered my "No Buy Zone" years ago when I learned that their pizzas use "textured vegetable protein" instead of real cheese and meat.
He’s a General Manager, for heaven’s sake. I think they get decent salaries and benefits at that level. If he doesn’t want the responsibility when they need him, he should stick to washing dishes. JMHO
I think this manager forgot that he is just an employee like everybody else at Pizza Hut. Now whether or not you support him taking the stand that he did, what he did was insubordination, plain and simple, and he lost his job as a result of it.
Personally I think it is stupid for Pizza Hut to be open on Thanksgiving Day but that's not my decision to make and neither was it this franchise store manager's decision to make. He took a stand and he lost his job. Maybe it was calculated move on his part to get his 15 minutes.
That said, if I ran a pizza chain competing with Pizza Hut, I would consider hiring this guy to run one of my stores just to get some good PR and tweak the nose of my competitor.
While I do have sympathy for the manager, I don't think he has a "right" to be closed on Thanksgiving unless he was previously guaranteed that he didn't have to open. As others have said, I have worked in industries that required me to work on holidays (even Christmas). However, I really don't agree that Pizza Hut needs to be open on Thanksgiving. I also don't approve of the department stores that are open on Thanksgiving. I am glad I don't work for those companies.
Thanksgiving is a big day for restaurants.
When you take the job, you agree to work certain holidays.
Many restaurants are open on holidays- I will be going to one for a huge dinner tomorrow myself.
As an employer I would ask for volunteers first (restaurant tips on holidays are much bigger)
but if an employee refuses to work I would fire him too.
I suspect there are other issues though
I am with this guy. I'm sick of not being able to find things up and running on that day.
I used to work on thanksgiving and Chistmas in the factory if I could.
You have a job, you do the job, its really no more complicated than that. Whether I agree whether the place should be open or not really has no bearing. Employees are employees...if you want to make the rules open your own business.
He worked there over 10 years and is a Manager...and acts surprised when Corporate didn’t appreciate his making their rules for them, then says it was for the voiceless “workers” to boot.
I say the real reason he got sacked was because he’s an A-hole who supports OWS.
All he had to do was make up some ROP holiday for Nov 28, and they would have given him a prayer rug and the week off.
The way to end this working on Thanksgiving nonsense is for consumers to refuse to shop on Thanksgiving. Retailers might get the message if there were few sales. Ditto for malls etc. opening on Thanksgiving. When my daughter was working in the local mall and had to go in Thanksgiving eve for a midnight opening, she said sales were busy for the first hour and then the employees just sat around with no customers until about 8 am on Black Friday. I can’ believe that retailers are making that much more by being open so early.