So, 16 days since I finished working for the wedding venue. I’ve been looking at every available option for a second hand food van to no avail yet. But the search continues. A little luck can change the world.
To make some money I’ve been freelancing in a few places which due to my inability to say no and my soft spot to help people out means I’ve worked 18 of the last 19 days. I am full of gratitude for the work and it’s helping the transition of salary to being my own business.
Today in work as I knock out a cheeky little sea bass on king prawn risotto dish my mind is full of thoughts, is the risotto loose enough?, do I need to run to the fishmonger next break in service?, I wonder when I get my food van how long it’ll be till I do this kind of dish again?, then from the back of my mind I wonder when my next holiday will be?
It was probably down to the bar I’ve been working part time in. It is still doing well and it’s with the older generation of holiday makers who avoid the school holidays, and why not?, cheaper, quieter and the weather is just as good. The reality of being my own business is I don’t get holiday pay. If I’m off then I’m not making money but I’ve been fully aware of this reality since first considering becoming my own boss.
Holidays in the hospitality business are a strange beast, a dark, shadowy and uncompromising beast meaning even just getting a day off can be hassle. Now let me parallel this to my friend in a call centre.
In the 9-5, 40 hours a week call centre, the allowance is the standard 28 days, the same as everyone. If he wants to book two weeks off in the summer for a holiday in the sun it’s done on a first come basis and as long as not too many people are booked at the same time, and the cover level is sufficient it’s all accepted. “Have a great time, bring me back a straw donkey”. Then off course don’t forget you’ll be shut for a time over the Xmas period and if you book those days off just right it’ll be like another holiday.
Another girl I know who is at a call centre uses her holiday days to prepare for hangovers. And quite fairly she books them off, they are approved and no one questions. This would not happen in hospitality!!. You are expected to work with hangovers, sleep deprivation and any illness that doesn’t involve sickness and diarrhoea. When you book a day off the first question is “why?”. It’s so ingrained from management that the staff start asking and bitching to see if they think it’s a worthwhile absence from work. Let’s get something straight “it’s your right to have a day off every so often and frankly, I don’t give a fuck if you go do lines of cocaine and multiple hookers!!! Turn up after and do your job to the same level and it’s all good.”
I envy that about that world of call centre, always have. Although I’ve been lucky to have a week off in August for the last couple of years (having kids helps) it doesn’t mean I don’t see what happens.
Firstly my holiday allowance is never fully taken, the last year I had 113 hours rolled over,as in February when I said I’ll need to take them in order not to lose them, they let the head chef use his as not to lose the vast amount he had to use. That in fact increased my workload during the supposedly quieter time. The years before I’ve just lost out!.
It is commonplace for people not to use all holidays and then scramble to try to get them used by April but it’s flawed from the beginning. In April the balance starts but you can’t use too many as you haven’t accrued them. Then it’s summer and no one gets time off in summer. It’s game time and bosses seem to think it’s completely unacceptable to even consider time off. Then after summer the student casuals (the nice but dims) go back to college and uni so staffing is tighter so it’s frowned upon to have time off as will leave a bit short, then it’s Xmas and no one is allowed time off, followed by another quiet period. Then it’s April!! So with that being the year, WHEN THE FUCK DO YOU TAKE TIME OFF?.
What the main use of holiday pay is for is to bump up you wages on quiet months but if your salary that’s not really any good. You see holidays where introduced to replace a working day for fun and relaxation but what’s really happening is people are booking the odd day, but for extended time they are being made to feel guilty for wanting some deserved time off this is partially down to companies not staffing properly which leads to staff missing out and staff getting mentally and physically drained.
But chef they cry when would you have them take time off?
Well let’s take a slightly different approach shall we. I don’t claim to have a full answer just yet but I believe I have the first step of a new direction. I would look at giving my full timers a week off each in the summer. Before you start screaming “the summer is showtime, the busiest time” it’s the perfect time. During the first couple of months of the year I would assign which summer week to each member of staff. Fuck it give them a couple of weeks to trade between themselves. Due to the influx of nice but dimmers that are summer staff it’s easier to cover someone being off. You have the majority of the full timers still working, so work should run just as smooth. The casuals just fill the gaps as best as. Give them the more mundane jobs whilst your best do what they do best.
The casuals are normally happy of the extra hours as they want to save for freshers or to hoard before going back to getting up at 10.00am and struggling to get to lectures. So they win.
As well as getting a week off in the summer, when it’s nice, the employee gets a week off in the summer holidays that means they can spend time with their children, visit family who are off, or have a holiday with their mates who are out of industry. That person feels a little win in life. When they come back relaxed and rested it will boost the team, as the new energy is coming back in. And this will happen each week as someone returns. All I have done so far is use up one week of holidays but already the staff will be happier and have something to get excited about. That is only one little change that would make a BIG difference. That one little change was treating staff like humans and not machines. The hypocrisy of seeing management and family members have when they like off is the quickest way to fuck off the deflated, over worked employee who is getting metaphorically ass raped on hours. That makes you think your just a number.
If you want staff to hold your company values then don’t be hypocritical.
Why we are at it why not do this over November and December?. Let people get festive. After a week off to sort shopping, see family and friends, watch Elf and Die Hard (it’s the best Xmas movie) they will come back and inject some spirit as in the summer. But this will be the magical Christmas spirit.
In football you couldn’t play your same team for every week of the season, and do that continuously without risking injury or burnout. Man City, Barcelona,Liverpool all have flexibility by having all positions covered. It doesn’t take away from the team to have a player rested, the team becomes stronger motivated and they adapt the values ingrained in a clubs dna. As long as you have a strong base in anything you can work around it. And to be so tight you don’t think to have a subs bench is just asking for trouble.
So I’ve solved half the problem (Two weeks) and with people booking the odd weekend, bar mitzvah or wedding off it’s got to be getting closer. It’s not quite the solution but it’s a step forward.
When people are happy and relaxed they will work better, if they are happier they will work for a company longer as well as believe and care in the company. This isn’t fucking rocket science.
Well after helping towards solving that problem I think I deserve a holiday. …. I wish
FOOD ANARCHY 