One More Day: Work VENT!

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Today is our last day of operations at the theme park I work at for this year. For the most part I love it, but I'm so sick of dealing with my crew. I was promoted to Assistant Lead (in charge of a ride) at the very tail end of the season. It was at a ride I did not know, with a crew I had never met.

It turns out I was given a crew that is rather notorious. They basically just don't do their jobs, and being the Assistant Lead, I have to be the bad guy and ask them to do their jobs. It's been a very frustrating season because they just don't listen. We had somebody from another ride working there today because we were understaffed, and on the way out she was telling me the crew doesn't like me very much. I already knew that, but it doesn't mean I like to hear it.

It's just frustrating because the Lead does the same stupid stuff the crew does. I had to ask a girl 5 times yesterday to stop texting while she was working the panel of a ride. I finally get her to put the phone away, and then my partner comes back from break, whips out her cell phone, and starts texting while she is supposed to be working! We are not even allowed to bring our cell phones into the park, much less text while we are working.

My crew also never bothers to come in for their scheduled shifts. I had one day when my entire crew was either very late or did not show up at all, resulting in our rides not opening on time. I don't understand why it is so hard to show up for your job.

I think the biggest problem is that I came in at the end of the season to a crew that was already established, and expected them to do things that the other lead has not expected of them all season (and these are very basic things that they already know about.) I can't wait for next season when I can start out with my own partner and my own crew and make sure that we are on the same page.

It's been a fun season, but also very stressful, and I'm so glad today is the last day.

[tomthebarncat]

For next year find out what the established disciplinary procedures are from your employer. Most companies have 3 strikes and you are out. The first warning is verbal, the second is written, the third is a disciplanary plan to eliminate inappropriate behavior, next is firing/termination. With so many people out of work, it should not be too hard to find hard workers who will not jeapordize the safety of the park guests. Ultimately, your subordinates actions are a direct reflection on your ability to do your job and manage your staff. You are not their friend or their mother, you are their supervisor. I am sorry that you are in such a crappy place with this job but take charge and make them earn their paychecks! Also, from a corporate perspective, if someone gets hurt in the park, a lawsuit could be the very end of the entire business. Keep your spirits up and do some research on how to be a good and firm supervisor, so that you do not end up losing your job. I have learned this lesson the hard way, so I do wish you all the best!

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I know what the procedures are. The problem is that the yare very reluctant to fire people until they build a case against them. My supervisor is aware of the problems, but little has been done. I think a lot of it is the attitude that we are at the end of the season and are already short staffed. The other issue is that many times you have teenagers in charge of teenagers. My partner is 19, my whole crew with one exception (and he is the one person on my crew who truly does his job) are under 21. I think that's the biggest difference between here and Disney. Disney had enoguh older people that we didn't run into these things nearly as much. I know there are awesome crews out there. The crew I worked with first was one. It will also help that I will be given the Lead training. Since I was promoted at the end of the season, I was never trained to be a Lead. I was just trained on my ride and then thrown into the position and had to learn it all as I went. That has to be hard on a crew to have somebody who does not know the ride literally train one day and be in charge of them the next.