Scared for my son's future - **UPDATE Page 3 Post 32

[Mickey'snewestfan]

If management changing what your job duties are from day to day is illegal every executive I work with would be in prison. I don't think I have had the same day twice since I graduated college.

Management changing only the tasks asked of members of the protected class, and then judging them the very first day they do those tasks and firing themm based on the judgement is illegal.

If your employer announced that everyone who was (African-American, physically disabled, over age 50, female, gay whatever) was expected to do 12 cartwheels perfectly before they left at the end of the day, or to create all their written reports in Cantonese, and then fired those who didn't, it would be illegal.

That's essentially what this employer has done -- he's created a task that noone else is asked to do, because it's not a reasonable task, and then given this employee no warning, no opportunity to practice, before he's expected to perform it publicly before a judge.

 

[Mkrop]

I would not want my son working for this manager. He sounds like a jerk. I am sure there are other places that would be a much better fit for your son with more understanding managers.

 

[EllenFrasier]

No, you should help your son fight for his rights.

We have been fighting for him since he entered pre-school, and I am getting weary. I've learning along the way to pick which things are worth fighting for and which ones to pass on.
On one hand I would love to file a lawsuit against IHOP for discrimination against a disabled person or something like that.
On the other hand I want to walk away and just forget it ever happened, chalk it up to being a bad match, etc. which I know in my heart was not the real reason he was let go.

I guess it is self preservation of the parent.

 

[RitaZ.]

We have been fighting for him since he entered pre-school, and I am getting weary. I've learning along the way to pick which things are worth fighting for and which ones to pass on.
On one hand I would love to file a lawsuit against IHOP for discrimination against a disabled person or something like that.
On the other hand I want to walk away and just forget it ever happened, chalk it up to being a bad match, etc. which I know in my heart was not the real reason he was let go.

I guess it is self preservation of the parent.

I have no advice to offer. Just a hug.

 

[Kelrykengab]

I really wish I had some amazing advice, but I don't. He is young and just starting out and something will click with hard work and dedication and the right people. Lots of us struggle at first, right? He is lucky to have such supportive parents.

 

[rgf207]

Management changing only the tasks asked of members of the protected class, and then judging them the very first day they do those tasks and firing themm based on the judgement is illegal.

If your employer announced that everyone who was (African-American, physically disabled, over age 50, female, gay whatever) was expected to do 12 cartwheels perfectly before they left at the end of the day, or to create all their written reports in Cantonese, and then fired those who didn't, it would be illegal.

That's essentially what this employer has done -- he's created a task that noone else is asked to do, because it's not a reasonable task, and then given this employee no warning, no opportunity to practice, before he's expected to perform it publicly before a judge.

I don't agree that it's illegal. By the op's post, it seems like this manager is a jerk but hasn't done anything illegal especially if the Op's state is an at will employment state.

 

[phred52]

OP you are doing an awsome job of parenting your son! Consider this all as a learning experience and move forward.

There is a special young woman at our local Burger King, been there years and years. She sweeps, wipes table tops and restocks. I notice if I happen to eat there and she is off that day....because the dining room is not as spotless as it usually is.... Perhaps your son's job coach could seek out a slower paced position.

 

[DizBelle]

Okay, now I am angry. The job coach took my son to IHOP on Friday morning to shadow him while he did his job duties. We all thought that this would not end with manager wanting to keep him, but I wanted to let the job coach see that my son could do the job or see where he needed improvement.

So what happens? That jerk of a manager changed the way the job was done. He made my son bus all of the tables all alone and bring the dishes in the kitchen, rinse them and reset the tables. Of course, one person cannot do all of those duties themselves. He was there for one hour and then came home. The job coach was like, "oh I see what the manager was talking about now"....???What the heck is that supposed to mean??? I couldn't even do that all by myself. I asked my son if that is the way it usually is, and he said no that there is another guy that helps him by rinsing the dishes in the kitchen. I asked him if he was out that morning and he said, "no, he was there but the manager gave him other duties"....So basically, the manager set my son up to fail on purpose!

What is wrong with people? They hired him knowing he was learning disabled, had a job coach, etc. and then fired him? I was just going to let this go but now I am angry because he mistreated my son by setting him up to fail and making me doubt his ability to do the job. This stinks. If my son was unhappy with this job, that would be a different story. He liked this job, he liked the people and the job coach said the people there were nice to him and seemed to like him.

Should I just look the other way and let this go?

Perhaps being adaptable is part of the job and this was the test for that part of the job? Disability or not, your son can be asked to do the same job to the same standard as non-disabled folk.

Are you really suggesting that one person cannot bus a table, rinse the dishes, and re-set a table? This seems like the exact kind of duty that a busser would be asked to do at a restaurant. Unless I'm missing something.....

I think it is quite a stretch to say the manager set your son up to fail on purpose. Maybe what the manager was doing was setting things up to see if your son could really handle the job.

 

[DizBelle]

Management changing only the tasks asked of members of the protected class, and then judging them the very first day they do those tasks and firing themm based on the judgement is illegal.

If your employer announced that everyone who was (African-American, physically disabled, over age 50, female, gay whatever) was expected to do 12 cartwheels perfectly before they left at the end of the day, or to create all their written reports in Cantonese, and then fired those who didn't, it would be illegal.

That's essentially what this employer has done -- he's created a task that noone else is asked to do, because it's not a reasonable task, and then given this employee no warning, no opportunity to practice, before he's expected to perform it publicly before a judge.

How do you know other bussers weren't asked to perform the same duties that the OP's son was?

 

[taterules]

It seems like he was successful working at a grocery store. Can he trying going back there or applying at a different grocery store?

 

[allison443]

Management changing only the tasks asked of members of the protected class, and then judging them the very first day they do those tasks and firing themm based on the judgement is illegal.

If your employer announced that everyone who was (African-American, physically disabled, over age 50, female, gay whatever) was expected to do 12 cartwheels perfectly before they left at the end of the day, or to create all their written reports in Cantonese, and then fired those who didn't, it would be illegal.

That's essentially what this employer has done -- he's created a task that noone else is asked to do, because it's not a reasonable task, and then given this employee no warning, no opportunity to practice, before he's expected to perform it publicly before a judge.

It might be hard to prove that rinsing dishes is not a reasonable task for a busperson, don't you think? It's nothing outlandish like the examples you gave.

 

[Dreamer04]

Hi Ellen.

I have no words of wisdom, you are wise enough.

No criticism, I'm sure you are your own worst critic.

No advice, as I do not walk in your shoes.

Only prayers, that your strength endures.

Much admiration,

Ursula

 

[kirstenb1]

Perhaps being adaptable is part of the job and this was the test for that part of the job? Disability or not, your son can be asked to do the same job to the same standard as non-disabled folk.

Are you really suggesting that one person cannot bus a table, rinse the dishes, and re-set a table? This seems like the exact kind of duty that a busser would be asked to do at a restaurant. Unless I'm missing something.....

I think it is quite a stretch to say the manager set your son up to fail on purpose. Maybe what the manager was doing was setting things up to see if your son could really handle the job.

I've worked at a lot of restaurants, and the busboys didn't do dishes. The dishwasher did. The busboys cleared and set up tables. Sometimes they'd help bring food out if we were busy.

 

[DizBelle]

I've worked at a lot of restaurants, and the busboys didn't do dishes. The dishwasher did. The busboys cleared and set up tables. Sometimes they'd help bring food out if we were busy.

FTR - she said he had to rinse dishes. Not wash them. Maybe the task was getting them ready for the dishwasher.

Also, couldn't different restaurants have different procedures?

 

[MrsPete]

I would not want my son working for this manager. He sounds like a jerk. I am sure there are other places that would be a much better fit for your son with more understanding managers.

I was thinking the same thing. Sounds like he's had a horrible experience, but do you really want to fight to get this job back? He hadn't worked there a long period of time, so it's not like you have significant backwages or a pension for which to sue. I think you have little to gain.

I suggest you try to get your son to understand that it wasn't a good fit, and it's time to move on.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

It's entirely possible that the person that often rinses the dishes was needed in another area that day. Maybe they got in a delivery, or a waitress was backed up with a large party, etc.. I wouldn't assume it was to set your son up and it doesn't sound like the job coach thought something funny was going on. It could be that this job just isn't for your son. It is a fast paced job and you need to be able to move quickly in restaurant work. It's not about smarts, it's about how quick you can turn the tables over. I have to do different things at work sometimes, things come up, that isn't illegal. There's usually a probationary period for the first few months on a job, and we let people go during that time if things don't seem to be working out. This is only one opportunity, there are sure to be more. Plenty of people try a few jobs before finding one that works out well for both the themself and the employer.

 

[EllenFrasier]

How do you know other bussers weren't asked to perform the same duties that the OP's son was?

Just for the record, he was the only one busing tables and at one point there were seven tables that needed clearing at the same time. I know I would not be able to clear seven tables, reset them and be out in the kitchen rinsing dishes all at the same time!

I have let his job coach know of my concerns and he feels the best thing to do for my son is to move forward. I feel the same way, but I want to know what went wrong at this job so we can stop it from happening again. It is also hard to know if it was my son's lack of skills, speed, or what that caused him to lose this job.

So we move on. Hopefully the next job will be a better match for him and for the employer so he can hold onto it for more than a couple weeks.
Thanks for all for the well wishes and words of encouragement. I do plan on contacting IHOP Corporate to let them know what happened. Not with the goal of getting my son's job back, nor with the intent of getting the manager fired - I just think he should be made aware that he is not treating people as he should be. Maybe he needs some training or something.

 

[Nancyg56]

We have been fighting for him since he entered pre-school, and I am getting weary. I've learning along the way to pick which things are worth fighting for and which ones to pass on.
On one hand I would love to file a lawsuit against IHOP for discrimination against a disabled person or something like that.
On the other hand I want to walk away and just forget it ever happened, chalk it up to being a bad match, etc. which I know in my heart was not the real reason he was let go.

I guess it is self preservation of the parent.

I think that there are some fights worth fighting and some that are just not worth the effort. I believe that this is one of those I would walk away from on one level. I seee that you are going to contact IHOP HQ and I do believe that is the best route. Your DS will learn nothing positive from this manager and all that you have worked to achieve with him could be lost.

I have let his job coach know of my concerns and he feels the best thing to do for my son is to move forward. I feel the same way, but I want to know what went wrong at this job so we can stop it from happening again. It is also hard to know if it was my son's lack of skills, speed, or what that caused him to lose this job.

So we move on. Hopefully the next job will be a better match for him and for the employer so he can hold onto it for more than a couple weeks.
Thanks for all for the well wishes and words of encouragement. I do plan on contacting IHOP Corporate to let them know what happened. Not with the goal of getting my son's job back, nor with the intent of getting the manager fired - I just think he should be made aware that he is not treating people as he should be. Maybe he needs some training or something.

I think that this is best. I also think that posting this on the DIS can have some positive results for another in your DS position. Perhaps someone there will see the discussion and learn from it. Please let us know what how trhe corporate HQ handles this.

 

[kilee]

I want to offer hugs, and I'm sure he'll find his perfect match.

I worked at Denny's for a few years during college as a server. I do know frequently we'd have only 1 bus person on at a time. This person bussed the tables, set them, and rinsed and washed the dishes. It was not unusual to have up to 15 tables going at 1 time. Unfortunately it was a VERY, VERY busy fast-paced job.

It sucks, but at the same time I don't think having him manage 7 tables is out of the realm of normal duties for that job.

 

[FireDancer]

It might be hard to prove that rinsing dishes is not a reasonable task for a busperson, don't you think? It's nothing outlandish like the examples you gave.

And that is the key. Yes, knowing Cantonese to balance a GL isn't necessary but at work I expect my people to stray outside of their normal duties to get their jobs done and I am always willing to do the same.

We had a PBX crash that required a complete replacement. I have administered them before but never installed one from scratch and programmed it from bare metal. Avaya was going to take 4 days to get an installer out so I had them drop ship me the PBX and using my knowledge and the manual (yes, we do read them when necessary) I wired in, programmed, and fully functional the day it was drop shipped. It wasn't something I normally (or ever) do and not something I would normally have done but I did what had to be done and would expect my coworkers to do the same.

If all you know is that you do task A, then task B, then task C and get output D without knowing why you do each step or what each step actually accomplishes you are no more useful then a machine. I have to program a machine to do everything, the advantage of a human is human thought and problem solving skills. If task B fails and you know exactly what that task is you should be able to come up with an alternative way of doing that task to ultimately arrive at output D. Those are the employees I want.

What was described, even if outside of the normal daily activities of a busboy in IHOP, sound like a reasonable expectation to me.

Just my opinion of course, but I hire people and those kinds of skills are necessary if you are going to make it past the 90 day probationary period for me.