full image - Repost: Toxic Workplaces & bad bosses: Red Door Provisions (from Reddit.com, Toxic Workplaces & bad bosses: Red Door Provisions)
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TL:DR: Do NOT work at Red Door Provisions in Ottawa. In fact, don’t shop there, or Café Palmier, because your money is going to support a very bad boss/ business owner.The long story:I worked as a Barista at Red Door Provisions for 3 years, and although I’ve since left, I’ve made lifelong friends with people who worked there, and who still work there. I have first-hand experience and can speak up for those who still can’t. Some highlights:Most recently, the owner (we'll call her Chelsea) got in an argument with an employee about throwing out a mason jar of flour and baking soda; this made her FIRE AN EMPLOYEE — AND, bully another employee to the point where she was forced to quit. Over a mason jar of flour, yes, you read that right. I’ll spare you the full story but could go on.Working at Red Door, we’ve been punished for things customers did wrong, like someone bringing their laptop and sitting at a table for “too long”.She would spy on us remotely using the cameras (including audio) during our shift and boss us around through calling/texting us to let us know we were not wearing our apron properly, for example. Or listen in to the cameras remotely and get more mad if she heard us confide in a customer that we thought we we’re going to get fired.Chelsea scheduled a team meeting during someone’s already scheduled time-off, and then demoted that employee for not moving her vacation to make it to the meeting.She would make us go back to the store if something tripped the alarm to check that the store wasn’t getting robbed and that the windows were latched, etc, even if you were home, which was inconvenient not to mention dangerous. We were paid Server Minimum wage (which is less) and not Actual Minimum wage using a loophole in the labour laws because the establishment serves alcohol (we were only open 7am to 5pm, and most days wouldn’t serve any alcohol).One time a coworker of mine (we’ll call her Maxine) planned to hang out with a former employee outside of work, whom Chelsea didn’t like. When Chelsea found out about this, she said that Maxine should’ve gotten her permission to hang out with this former employee, and she wouldn’t speak a word to Maxine for 3 days. During this time they worked literally side-by-side, and Maxine was alienated in front of everyone.She berated an employee for slicing cheese wrong. She would take every small mistake or occurrence as a slight against her and her business and her livelihood, and would berate you, degrade you, insult you, and let you know that if her business suffered it was your fault. She would escalate every little mis-hap into a catastrophe, and play the victim and make you out to be a villain. Even if you apologized, you weren’t “sorry enough”. There was no amount of placating that would work on her because it doesn’t actually matter what the issue was.Chelsea frequently blurred the line between Employer & Employee in an unprofessional way. She would have all her staff on social media and be friendly and text and want to be friends outside of work. And then she would use what she’s learned about you against you later at work, if she felt like it. She’s gossiped about employees to other employees and then turned around and done the same to that person. This isn’t an exhaustive list of her wrongdoings by the way. Overall, a very toxic and volatile work environment!!! The thing is, I don’t buy that she cares about the jar of flour. Just like I don’t think she cared about slicing cheese correctly. She’s just a narcissist who enjoys keeping the people around her scared and constantly vying for her approval and appeasing her to keep their jobs. It’s especially insidious and ironic in this case because her whole personal “brand” online and on the surface is like, I’m a cool boss, I’m a punk and I care about social issues, when she’s actually just a capitalist pig who would sell a human being if it meant she got $3.50 richer. Is she like this because she grew up rich and went to private school? Is she compensating for not having any friends in her life? Or could it be some sort of personality disorder? I’d wager it’s a mix of all 3, but hard to say !I’m making this post as a public service announcement to the good people of Ottawa; I’m also hoping this story can offer a valuable lesson for those of you who might have a boss like this. I want to warn others, and stop future abuses from happening. If you work in customer service and recognize these behaviors, I have resources to share with you at the end of this post and would be happy to chat. People like Chelsea get away with their bad behavior when good people stay silent. If you’re wondering why some of us stayed there, I’d like you to keep in mind that Ottawa is (relatively) small, and it’s hard to find a job in customer service. Many customer service workers (like myself) live paycheck-to-paycheck. When 50% of your income (or more) goes to paying rent for your bachelor apartment, it’s hard to contribute to your savings. Being poor makes it very difficult to leave a bad situation. My old boss Chelsea was also an expert emotional manipulator and abuser, fluctuating between treating us very nicely and being very friendly to then treating us like employees who are trying to sabotage her. Her behavior was exactly that of someone “Love-bombing”: flattery, attention, constant communication; mixed in with silent treatment, guilt-tripping, shame, devaluation. These are the reasons some of us stayed longer than was healthy, and I don’t blame any of my coworkers, past or present for simply enduring. If that sounds like a good workplace and place to support, by all means, eat a stale croissant there. But for the rest of you with common sense, STAY. AWAY. .. ********************* Resources: ***If you’re in a similar situation, I want you to know that you have rights in Ontario.The Ontario Labour Relation Board actually does have your back!! You can find a wealth of information online https://ift.tt/WH9NBGS you’ve been wronged at work, you also have up to 2 years from the date of the incident to file. If you are owed money, you can expect quite a delay from the time of filing to processing to getting your money. I know it can be alienating and frustrating to have to go through all this. But the filing process is actually fairly simple. You can expect to have a few follow-up emails and phone calls from a Labour Board officer.Having a support network around you will make it much easier to go forward with taking action; talk to your co-workers! Another common mis-conception is that you need a lawyer, or to go to court, to seek justice. Not true! I would be happy to talk personally about my experience with the labour board if you message me.Employees can phone the Employment Standards Information Centre for assistance in identifying and defining issues under the ESA, EPFNA and PCPA and finding ways to resolve them. Contact the Employment Standards Information Centre at:• 416-326-7160• 1-800-531-5551
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