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Well, I Don't Have to Worry Now (sarcastic haha)

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papajgirl

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Remember my post talking about my distress wondering if I should accept a Management job or not over my back?

Well, a new guy was there earlier this week. He hadn’t worked for PJ for a bit, but had been there about a year before in another town.

We got to talking while doing some prep, and because he already knows prep and how to answer the phone (I know the phones, but will need an amplifier because of my ears), that the boss is putting HIM in as the new Asst. Manager (the job offered to me that 3 others are vying for).

Of course, the first thing I felt was relief that I didn’t have to further consider that decision right now…but, once I got home and started mulling it over, a few things came to mind.
  1. I was told I would get a raise, and then be promoted. So now, no raise?
  2. I had been told “lets see how things go” in the way of making sure I’d be someone who would show up (I’ve only been there since October 9th) before promoting me. This guy works a day and is the manager? scratches head
  3. Why didn’t the boss just tell me instead of “sneak” this guy in?
Obviously, if I was a career employee, I’d be PO’d…but I’m very surprised that in the recesses of my mind, even though I’m so relieved I don’t have to deal with that decision right now, I am a little bit confused…I don’t think I’m jealous, but I don’t know if I feel betrayed or hurt or what. I guess that comes with being a lady. LOL

Now, the 3 drivers that wanted that job do NOT talk to the new guy. I do, he’s a young man, but he’s cool, and even if I was in line for that job and a career oriented employee, I am mature enough to see why they may have done that (they’d have to teach me the morning prep, etc and they needed someone now) and have no reason to show any animocity toward him. It’s not his fault, per se.

The one thing that I was looking forward to, and about the only thing, with that job was it would be daytime hours…so I could be home with my family at night. You couldn’t tell it by the way I work, though, that I wasn’t career oriented. I give my 110% every time I work. They’re paying me, so I owe it to them, you know?

So, all that aside…am I wrong to think that the way this guy was brought in was wrong? They weren’t externally hiring for a manager, and it has caused a LOAD of sour grapes among the staff.

I’ll be curious as to the replies.
 
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honestly, i can’t really say how you should feel. i do know as an owner, that if i offered you a position, i would expect a response within 2 days, otherwise i would assume that either you weren’t really sure if you could do it or perhaps not really interested. either way, i would search for someone else to fill the position. this is not a business that affords a lot of time to make decisions.

without knowing all the facts, like what conversations transpired between you and your boss between then and now? frankly, if i was you and if i wanted the job, i would have agreed to do it the next day. if i was concerned that something else was going on, i would have spoken up and asked about the promotion when the other drivers started vying for the job.

from these posts, i wasn’t sure if you were going to do it or not, and maybe your boss had the same feeling, and therefore did what had to be done…just my opinion.

if you really like what you are doing, believe me, other opportunities there will come… next time be ready to take it.
 
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Indecisiveness may have been a clear signal you you AND your boss that the job was not a good fit for you right now. That is how I would have interpreted that from my employee . . . and have a couple of times, to our mutual benefit.
 
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Hey GT…yeah, I can see where I left out some crucial points.
  1. Yes, I had accepted, and the hours were to begin the next week (this week).
  2. I did express my concerns about my back, but the most a lunch has done is $500, so we knew that with me working $2000-$3000 nights, that my back would probably be relieved. lol
  3. The 3 drivers have been wanting this promotion for a while now. It was “handed” to me…and I don’t know if that’s because we’re low on drivers and he couldn’t risk promoting them at the time, or, from my observations, that I was definitely more qualified than any of them right now to do the job.
I should add that it has been “assumed” by my boss’ words since he very first mentioned it, that I had it, but he had not been telling others, and neither had I, to not cause a stir. Up until the new guy showed up and the new guy told me he was offered the job, did I even find out that it wasn’t mine, at least not right now, I guess.

ETA: One more tidbit…on Christmas Eve, I came in to order pizza for the family for our Christmas Eve lunch. Even then, he told me he was giving me a raise and then going to put me on the days/promotion, and I said, whenever you’re ready, I’m ready…so it’s quite clear, even with the other time literally saying “yes, I’ll do it”, that I was to have this promotion.

So, with that being said…what do you think?
GT:
honestly, i can’t really say how you should feel. i do know as an owner, that if i offered you a position, i would expect a response within 2 days, otherwise i would assume that either you weren’t really sure if you could do it or perhaps not really interested. either way, i would search for someone else to fill the position. this is not a business that affords a lot of time to make decisions.

without knowing all the facts, like what conversations transpired between you and your boss between then and now? frankly, if i was you and if i wanted the job, i would have agreed to do it the next day. if i was concerned that something else was going on, i would have spoken up and asked about the promotion when the other drivers started vying for the job.

from these posts, i wasn’t sure if you were going to do it or not, and maybe your boss had the same feeling, and therefore did what had to be done…just my opinion.

if you really like what you are doing, believe me, other opportunities there will come… next time be ready to take it.
Click to expand...
 
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I wouldn’t assume that you aren’t getting the job. Just because that is what the other guy was told, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. You aren’t going to work 7 days a week are you? Maybe he as a 4/3 split in mind, so he has a back-up if things don’t work out for you, and to keep you from burning out or getting hurt.
 
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Have him make good on the raise…if he promised it to you twice. The one thing that I never read was how long did it take you to give him an answer? Alot of the times people in his position won’t wait. These “Battlefield Promotions” happen all too often. The main thing is that your questions are going to turn into resentment. I think you need to ask your boss. Lay it all out on the table. Ask him why. Ask him about the raise. Ask him about the day shift. Is the Assistant Mgr. the only person who works on a day shift? You could possibly end up with a raise (all be it not as large) and day shift without the title and responsibilities.
 
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My experience with Papa John’s managers is that they tend to have been promoted to that position by simple longevity. It is not like they have great expertise in managing.

See if you can just get the raise. Assistant manager at PJs, at least here, is a sorry thankless position.
 
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“Obviously, if I was a career employee, I’d be PO’d.” (pappagirl quote)

…that may be the reason,
they are looking for corporate types that will suffer for a future in the corp. and they do not think you are one of them…the other guy sounds like he is
I would have not gotten the position either,
nothing wrong with not being the corporate type, be patient, other opportunities are there that you cannot see…
that has been my experience,
good luck,

do good work, make good pizza, and stay in touch,
Otis
 
Ok…when I was very first presented with the opportunity, I told him “sure, I’m interested”, but I asked him how he felt about someone with a bad back running the place.

He said he hadn’t thought about that, and said he wanted to give me some time to make sure I could physically handle the demands of the job, even though the lunch rush is much less physically demanding.

He also wanted to see if I was going to be a dependable employee, etc, and those things “come with time” he said.

Then, the other discourses about promotion to that position and raises came up, and he felt I was doing a great job and we both felt that the back, at least for now, wasn’t an issue, so to go ahead and start training more for promotion.

There was never a question that I did not want to accept the position, and there wasn’t any “lapse” in timing of being told what he was thinking about doing with my job to me telling him I was interested.

I was to begin the day shift this week, and noticed I was scheduled in the evening, and then met the new guy that night.

Our owner/op handles the night shift, and we have another asst that does all the “fill in” hours (day or evening), so at this time, from a labor and cost standpoint, if this new guy stays in the position, then the position I was to be given is the one he now has, and all we can afford right now while another asst. manager works “in limbo” waiting for his new store to open.

Now, please don’t take this mini-rant as whining.

I’ll admit it myself, I was relieved in a way…I guess it’s just more how it felt “under-handed” or “shady” in bringing in this new guy, when my boss himself told me that he waited to make sure I was going to be a good employee.

This kid does have PJ experience, but has been in landscaping and got laid off from that before starting here…so how can he know any more about this kid’s potential for sticking around in 1 day than in 3 months from me?

Long story short…when given the responsibility, I am a great manager…it’s just that I wasn’t looking for it right now being I’m a new mom (we adopted 2 kids last year, so working out of the home again is an adjustment), but I would have gladly taken the position for the hours alone, and I guess that is where the shock factor comes in.

Either say yes or no…but don’t have me bide my time, working my patootie off, expecting at least a raise if not the whole promotion, then in 1 day, change your mind just because the kid knows how to prep peppers, onions, and dough when you’ve not been shown.

KWIM?
 
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I think i can give you a little insight from both sides on this one!

I have been in your position before – I thought I was being considered for a promotion (maybe thought I was even a little more than “considered!”) You and I may be a little different in that I have always wanted promotions and leadership positions, no doubt about it. Using “disappointment” to describe how I felt about someone else getting the promotion I thought I had is a huge understatement.

On the other side, I have been the hiring manager for many, many positions. One thing that sticks in my mind is the remark you made to your manager about your back possibly being an issue with your being the assistant manager. When I am in the position of hiring, especially for a management position, and someone expresses a reservation about being able to perform the requirements of the job, that is a giant red flag. All things being equal, I would choose a candidate that had no reservations about their performance.

One company where I worked was fiercely competitive. Managers and employees there were like a wolf pack. Any expression of weakness or less than 100% commitment would have gotten me left in the dust, rejected by the Alpha wolves. The day I left that company was the happiest day in my life, but I learned something: Expressing anything other than complete fitness for a promotion can lose the promotion for you. Granted, my story is extreme, but I think a version of this happened to you.
 
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just out of curiosity, have you had this discussion with your boss, because that is who you should be asking? i can definitely understand where you are coming from, and he should be made aware of how you feel. if something is offered and accepted…i think i would be upset too. also tell him that you are also a bit relieved, but something like this can’t happen again if he expects you to to be a consistent employee.

as i have said before … it is all about communication. good luck and have fun … life is too short to be pissed off
 
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