Quote of the Day: Smile while.
I’d like to pick this one apart:
“I worked at Pret A Manger part-time (Less than a year)”
Well done for leaving early.
“Pros: None that I can think of.”
There must be one thing, just one?
“Cons: Too many. Lack of defined management, finger-pointing, politics and poor organisation. Honestly, does anyone working at Pret ever look happy?
Yes. I looked happy. I’ve achieved the impossible! I looked happy after my brother died. I looked so happy it made me (thr)ill(ed) beyond safety.
“Advice to Management: Spend a shift with employees.”
They do! It’s called ‘Buddy Day’ where an employee from head office spends one day annually in a Pret branch.
The problem is, they come in at 8 or 9am, often being late. The first thing they do is have breakfast, while the “foot-soldiers” in the kitchen and on the shop floor are producing the breakfast they think they’ve earned already, just by showing up.
When I was a Team Leader I made those HQ people change the bins, take out the rubbish and get their fingernails cracked! Sorry HQ, but you entered my world, you’d better be ready to leave it like I am on a daily basis.
If I would have been a manager, I would have demanded for them to start at 5am sharp, or whatever time the first person came in, as this differs from shop to shop. They would have been ready in full uniform to be shouted at and demanded to show some passion and interest early in the freaking morning! They would have been ready to be shouted at and accepted by a manipulated worn out team!
But hey, I decided to not be part of the management team. I aimed to be a leader, not a manager.
I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post.
An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret.
I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review.
Thank you for reading/listening.
Interview:
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Bullied during bereavement in Pret A Manger 