Having a toxic manager at work is torture. It makes you hate your job even more, constantly wait for the working hours to end and basically forget about work-life balance as the bad mood ‘travels’ home along with you. So while bosses shouldn’t be best friends with employees, having an understanding and helpful boss really increases job satisfaction.

Also, they tend to act like they are above everyone else and can do whatever they want. Well, sometimes, they can quickly fall down. This one manager found herself in a similar situation when she tried to take a portion of servers’ tips, and quickly was reported and fired.

More info: Reddit

Managers may have a bit more power, but being a jerk to employees may decrease it very quickly  

Image credits: MART PRODUCTION (not the actual photo) 

Person shares that new manager was hired and as soon as it happened, she began trying to run the whole restaurant and turned the employees against another manager

Image credits: grendelkhan (not the actual photo) 

There had always been little things that were done by the new manager, but it was never enough to report her

Image credits: Anna Shvets (not the actual photo) 

Until finally, one day, an employee vented to another manager about how she insisted that servers give her their tips, while she’s a salaried employee

Image credits: u/Hotdogwater88888

The whole situation was quickly reported to the kitchen manager and then the owner, and this new manager was fired right after she came back from vacation

A few days ago, the original poster (OP) shared a story online about a new manager that was hired at her boyfriend’s job who tried to run the whole restaurant, demanded tips from the servers and was quickly fired. The post received a lot of attention and just in 3 days it collected almost 10K upvotes and more than 300 comments.

Firstly, the author starts the story by explaining that once the new manager was hired, from the very beginning, the staff could sense that there were going to be problems. She came in trying to change things, causing issues with the schedule and turned the employees against another manager. And while there were complaints from customers, as well as from employees about the schedule, they were never bad enough to report her.

Until one day, finally, an employee was pissed about her behavior and vented to another manager (OP’s boyfriend). As it turned out, the new manager demanded that the servers give her tips, $50 from each one, while she’s a salaried employee. Along with complaints from customers about unprofessional behavior, everything was told to the kitchen manager and the owner.

The OP posted an update sharing that the new manager has been fired and probably she didn’t take it lightly – well, who would? Anyway, probably most of the employees are happier now, as the author shares that she has never seen her boyfriend so happy to go to work.

Community members in the comments confirmed that taking tips from servers is, in fact, illegal and shared their frustration about this manager’s disgusting behavior. “It is illegal for her to take employees’ tips. She sounds horrible and deserves [it]. Servers work too hard for that money to have it taken away by a manager,” one user wrote. “Hope she has to pay the employees back,” another added.

Image credits: On Shot (not the actual photo)

The thing is, it’s hard to just watch and feel helpless when you see your managers taking advantage of their power; however, they have an impact on nearly every aspect of an employee’s experience and determine their success at work. “It’s no surprise that the number one reason why people leave an organization is due to their manager, because their power over your workday can’t be matched,” Leigh Elena Henderson, better known as HRManifesto, told Bored Panda.

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She added that managers can not only ruin your day in a moment by screwing with your work schedule, but they can just as easily terminate you and ruin your career with an organization in under five minutes flat! Also, Leigh shares that instead of going toe to toe with toxic managers, try reporting them anonymously to an Ombuds, HR or even their manager to effect real change.

As we can see, having toxic managers unfortunately is a very common issue. We asked HRManifesto what strategies organizations can employ to foster a positive workplace culture. “There are two important areas that companies who care about people and the employee experience invest heavily in year over year – 1 – Talent Acquisition and 2 – Leadership Development,” she emphasized. 

“Making sure you have sound and solid hiring practices that are built off of your company values and performed by trained hiring managers matters because who you hire and bring into your organization shouldn’t be taken lightly. Investing in a strong talent acquisition team and hiring protocols means you’re able to better screen candidates for organizational fit – keeping bad agents who will harm your culture and turn it toxic off the org chart.”

Finally, a company’s effective communication of employees’ concerns is equally important. Leigh told Bored Panda that organizations can easily start by transparently saying that they take employee concerns seriously and will address issues you report. “As I like to say, respect is honesty and honesty is respect. If your organization isn’t creating a safe environment where communications flow down as well as up, it means that employees feel unsafe to share feedback,” she adds.

It’s crucial to take action and do something after receiving feedback. Distribute it widely and then be open about the steps you take in response to the criticism. Treat your staff members as adults and show them respect for the effort and bravery it takes to provide a personal viewpoint, especially to the leadership.

So, guys, as Leigh emphasized, “Remember, people don’t leave organizations – they leave people. And how your managers treat employees is how your employees will treat your customers!” It’s important to every employee to feel valued, safe and appreciated, thus a toxic work environment not only will influence employees’ morale but the whole work of the company.

And of course, don’t forget to check out Leigh’s Instagram, TikTok, website and podcast!

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