My coworker warned me about our manager's 'favorite employee' system

She told me last month, 'He only gives the good shifts to people who bring him coffee and agree with everything he says.' I didn't listen and just kept doing my work well. Sure enough, I got scheduled for every closing shift this week, while the person who brings him donuts got all the day shifts. Has anyone else had a manager who ran things like a weird popularity contest instead of based on performance?

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brookes376mo ago

My old boss at the diner was exactly like that. You had to laugh at his bad jokes to get the weekend lunch rush. It's such a draining way to work.

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aaronallen6mo ago

That reminds me of an article about emotional labor in service jobs. It called that forced cheer a hidden cost of customer-facing work. Makes you wonder how many smiles are actually just part of the uniform.

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