When you make a mistake at work...

[JeanneCake]

I have someone on staff whom, when making a mistake, never apologizes, always frames it as "the lime oil bottle fell in the cooler"; or when adding 6 ounces of salt and 6 ounces of baking soda to a cookie dough "I followed the recipe" (which did not specify ounces or teaspoons; and nor did this member of staff ask before making the dough, and I should mention this person has 15+ years of culinary experience. Seriously on what planet would this much baking soda and salt make sense with 10 pounds of flour?!). Today it was a shrug and "I don't know" when asked where the critical piece of the food processor went to because s/he was the last person to wash it and put it away (it doesn't operate without this little piece of plastic which everyone knows to be aware of and keep track of)

So, if you make a mistake at work - and mistakes cost $ - do you apologize? Stay later to redo the work because of your mistake? Offer to replace what you broke? (I don't mean something gives out from aging - I mean you broke the disher that we've had for 3 years without any trouble with it previously but the first time you use it, it's broken after 15 minutes?) Sweep it under the rug and pretend you know nothing? How does the boss handle it?

I am at my wits end. Long term solution is being formed but short term, I am just venting. An apology doesn't fix the error but it lets me know you realize what you did wrong and acknowledge it. I never yell - what's the point of yelling or berating someone when they've made a mistake? but my patience is severely tested with only two weeks left to go in the holiday madness.

[annabelle]

Do you give written warnings at your place of employment? As to "losing" a valuable piece of equipment, take it out of the person's check. Do you have a policy book?

If it continues, start docking their hours and look for a new hire.

Edited December 7, 2011 by annabelle (log)

[zdunphy]

This is a very good "vent". I find myself in similar situations all the time. It seems, for me at least ,that the younger individuals in the industry feel as though they can succeed by deflecting blame and responsibility - they can't. One thing about this industry is it's black and white truths. If you burn a rockfish - it's evident, if you lose the top to the robocoupe - everyone knows you had it last, if you can't cut it - you either leave or get fired. Long term solutions aside, just start voicing your opinions. If you think that s/he did something detrimental, say so. If you know they did something wrong, punish them. It does no one any good if this behavior continues, and I mean no one. The industry seems to be getting saturated with individuals who won't take ownership and learn from their mistakes. We have to expect employees to be honest, smart and responsible and if they aren't, then they have no place in your kitchen or anyone else's.

[Shalmanese]

As to "losing" a valuable piece of equipment, take it out of the person's check.

I think this is illegal under US law.

[Dexter]

Has this person been problematic since hiring them, or is this a newer development? If it's something recent, then pulling them aside and talking to them might, if not fix, then at least shine some light on the nature and severity of the problem. If they've always been a lousy employee, then moving them to a position where they can't do this kind of damage while you look for a replacement is probably the best course of action (dish washer, veg prep, or just have them deep-clean vents, fridges, etc). 15 years in any industry is more than ample time to know what basic behavior is expected. What you did not say is that they had 15 years of stable employment. (Sometimes a jackass is just a jackass...)

I'd also talk to your other kitchen staff - if the individual is causing you this much grief, I'm positive the others in there are ready to flense them, and will be *happy* to share their feelings.

[JeanneCake]

Has this person been problematic since hiring them, or is this a newer development? If it's something recent, then pulling them aside and talking to them might, if not fix, then at least shine some light on the nature and severity of the problem. If they've always been a lousy employee, then moving them to a position where they can't do this kind of damage while you look for a replacement is probably the best course of action (dish washer, veg prep, or just have them deep-clean vents, fridges, etc). 15 years in any industry is more than ample time to know what basic behavior is expected. What you did not say is that they had 15 years of stable employment. (Sometimes a jackass is just a jackass...)

I'd also talk to your other kitchen staff - if the individual is causing you this much grief, I'm positive the others in there are ready to flense them, and will be *happy* to share their feelings.

Problematic since hiring, which was two months ago. There won't be that many hours available in the new year because things are just slow at that time so the problem will go away; the other kitchen staff is aware and I hear about it. The staff member just doesn't acknowledge the error; if she does ask for clarification, s/he usually gets it wrong and will then say "Oh, I thought you meant this". Even one of my accounts commented on this person, because I have them do deliveries, which is a good thing; you can't do much damage in the kitchen if you're not there. I just can't get over the no apologies, the not willing to stay to do it over again, the no acknowledgment of what you just cost me..... at least with a novice, you expect mistakes and try to anticipate the mistakes and try to prevent them.

[LizD518]

Even though hours will be reduced in the new year and the problem will probably take care of itself, I still encourage you to document all of this and also have a conversation with the employee. If you work for a large company there is probably a system in place that requires a good deal of documentation before being able to actually let someone go. And those systems are in place for a reason since you open yourself up to a wrongful termination claim if you don't document - in writing, with their signature is best. Even if it doesn't result in change, you have it on paper.

It also gives you a chance to lay out consequences which makes it much easier and less arbitrary-seeming to follow through on.

[Martin Fisher]

You can't cure someone of irresponsibilty.

Even if you condition that person to apologize and appear to take responsibility that certainly doesn't mean that they truly care.

How does the boss handle it?

Three written warnings and then a firing.

Edited December 7, 2011 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[gfweb]

Problematic since hiring, which was two months ago.

Let him/her go. Its only a matter of time before a big screw-up.

[gfweb]

You can't cure someone of irresponsibilty.

Even if you condition that person to apologize and appear to take responsibility that certainly doesn't mean that they truly care.

How does the boss handle it?

Three written warnings and then a firing.

If part time I don't think you even need the warnings. Depends on the state of course.

[Dignan]

As to "losing" a valuable piece of equipment, take it out of the person's check.

I think this is illegal under US law.

I think this is incorrect. No cite to statutes or case law handy, but it is generally a state by state answer, with the exception that the deduction cannot reduces the person's pay to below the federal minimum wage.

[annabelle]

I don't believe it is illegal to dock an employee's check if they have destroyed company property. I had an assitant who was a thief and the stolen money was deducted from mycheck since I was his supervisor. (All was well, though. The stolen money was repayed to me in the form of a bonus and the thief was caught and fired.)

As to just firing the person, I think unless you are in a Union shop, you can just fire them. Firing "for cause" can be just because you don't like them. At any rate, if your customers have commented negatively about this person, show them the door.

[Toliver]

I don't believe it is illegal to dock an employee's check if they have destroyed company property. I had an assitant who was a thief and the stolen money was deducted from mycheck since I was his supervisor. (All was well, though. The stolen money was repayed to me in the form of a bonus and the thief was caught and fired.)

As to just firing the person, I think unless you are in a Union shop, you can just fire them. Firing "for cause" can be just because you don't like them. At any rate, if your customers have commented negatively about this person, show them the door.

Laws vary from state to state. California is an "At Will" state meaning the employer sets the conditions of employment and as an employee, you can quit whenever you want if you don't like those conditions and as an employer they can generally let you go whenever they want if you fail to meet those conditions.

However, deducting money from someone's paycheck because a piece of the food processor is missing and they were the last to be seen with it sounds hinkey and illegal to me. The same thing with money "missing" during a shift so you dock the paycheck of everyone who worked that shift. You can't do that. You can't base your actions on circumstantial evidence which is all you have. And if you had concrete evidence, you'd be dealing with the actual culprit instead of spreading the blame over all the shift workers.

And if I were a shift worker and you tried to deduct money from my paycheck for something you can't prove I had anything to do with, you'd be talking to my lawyer. Been there, done that.

Businesses have insurance for a reason. Businesses set up procedures to deal with employees when stuff like this happens...three warnings and then firing them, for example. Deducting money from someone's paycheck for something you can't concretely prove? Not such a good idea.

[annabelle]

This was money that was stolen from a safe in my office. There were only two people who had the combination of and access to the safe when the money was stolen. One was me, and I was off shift; the other, my assistant who was having financial difficulties he was very vocal about. This also happened at a car dealership where a lot of extra legal things take place. My boss, the owner, told me he knew that I didn't take the money and that he would "make me whole" with the bonus. It was part of a set up to get light-fingers to pull it again when he could be caught. And was. And fired. And blackballed. The 80's were fun times.

The OP states that the missing part of the food processor was known to have been used by the careless employee who had been made aware, as had all who worked there, the now missing part was integral to the operation of the machine. Careless employees make for a hazardous workplace and costly repairs and overtime.

Fire her and get on with your life.

[Shalmanese]

As to "losing" a valuable piece of equipment, take it out of the person's check.

I think this is illegal under US law.

I think this is incorrect. No cite to statutes or case law handy, but it is generally a state by state answer, with the exception that the deduction cannot reduces the person's pay to below the federal minimum wage.

From: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/paycheck-deductions-uniforms-cash-shortages-29554.html

Breakage and Cash Register Shortages

If your cash register drawer comes up short or you damage merchandise, can your employer charge you for the loss?

Under federal law, the general rule applies: As long as the employee still earns at least the minimum wage after deductions, there's no rule against charging losses and damage to the employee.

Many states have adopted stricter rules, however. Some states require employers to get the employee's consent, in writing, before they can deduct the cost of broken merchandise or shortages from the employee's paycheck. Some allow these deductions only from an employee who assumes responsibility for the loss.

California doesn't allow these deductions at all, unless the employer can show that the employee acted dishonestly, willfully, or in a grossly negligent manner. California considers ordinary losses and shortages to be part of the cost of doing business, which should legally be borne by the employer, not passed on to employees.

It appears what I was saying was only valid in California.

Edited December 7, 2011 by Shalmanese (log)

[Dexter]

If this has been going on for 2 months (since hire), then you've got an employee that doesn't give a damn about their work. Hard as it may be, I have to agree with the other posters: you've got to fire this person. First, if this person is causing comments to be made by people accepting deliveries, then you have someone out there that is doing real damage to your brand with your customer base. Second, having someone like that in the kitchen is a major blow to morale for everyone that has to work with or around them - kitchen and front of house. At some point, the staff will look at what is clearly a bad situation and begin to question the leadership of management if the situation is not resolved fairly but decisively. Yeah, it's the holiday rush, and that makes it a bad time to lose an employee. However, if that employee is slowing down the work of others (breaking equipment, making anyone repeat work, etc), and not providing a real and tangible benefit, then they are nothing but liability and added cost. (If you need someone that can make deliveries, a post on Craigslist will have 5 eager applicants waiting to meet with you by Tuesday morning.)

[pastrygirl]

If this has been going on for 2 months (since hire), then you've got an employee that doesn't give a damn about their work. Hard as it may be, I have to agree with the other posters: you've got to fire this person. First, if this person is causing comments to be made by people accepting deliveries, then you have someone out there that is doing real damage to your brand with your customer base. Second, having someone like that in the kitchen is a major blow to morale for everyone that has to work with or around them - kitchen and front of house. At some point, the staff will look at what is clearly a bad situation and begin to question the leadership of management if the situation is not resolved fairly but decisively. Yeah, it's the holiday rush, and that makes it a bad time to lose an employee. However, if that employee is slowing down the work of others (breaking equipment, making anyone repeat work, etc), and not providing a real and tangible benefit, then they are nothing but liability and added cost. (If you need someone that can make deliveries, a post on Craigslist will have 5 eager applicants waiting to meet with you by Tuesday morning.)

I totally agree. Having to clean up after someone else's mistakes is much more frustrating than just having extra work to do. If you have other staff that can put in a little more OT for the next three weeks, they might be happy to get some extra money and relieved the problem is gone. Your labor cost will go up, but waste will go down, and you'll be saved any damage this person is doing to your reputation/equipment/happiness.

[JeanneCake]

I agree with the general consensus regarding my employee and knew by Halloween that my choices were to put up with it until New Year's and limit my exposure (having them do washing and delivering) in order to minimize the mistakes until I could take advantage of the slow time and just not bring them back; I found out quite casually over Thanksgiving that my biggest account finds this person "odd" and "weird" and not in a good way either.

What I am curious to know is how do others handle it when a mistake is made? If you are the employee, do you tell the chef or wait for them to find out (depending on the situation, I understand - in a restaurant things are different than in a catering kitchen, retail grocery or bakery); if you really screwed things up do you stay past your shift to make it right or just figure the next person will do it? Some of this is dependent on the kind of person you are and whether the job is at a large organization with lots of staff; or a small business like mine where the buck stops at me - if it doesn't get done, I stay to do it because it's my name on the line. I'm thinking I'm too naive in my perspective that everyone cares about the work they do and wants to do it right. What I've found over the years is that people who worked in a large organization don't realize that burning a pan of macadamia nuts means that someone just lost $30, plus what you are being paid (you were paid to do it twice - wrong the first time and right the second). They tend to not realize what the mistake costs.

[Martin Fisher]

I'm thinking I'm too naive in my perspective that everyone cares about the work they do and wants to do it right.

I can tell you with great confidence that's definitely not the case....not everybody cares!

I think it's obvious that the employee in question is one of those people.

Edited December 8, 2011 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[pastrygirl]

Jeanne, I've been in baking and pastry for 15 years (like your employee), and here is how I roll: when I drop something, I pick it up. When I spill something, I clean it up. When I screw up a recipe, I make it over (unless it can be salvaged in some creative way). If I feel like I was super spacey or not very productive, I may clock out for the last few minutes while I'm cleaning up. If I drop the lid to the robot coupe and it cracks and has to be taped back together, I fess up. If I have down time waiting on something in the oven and someone else is shelling peas, I'll shell peas with them. If the dishes are piling up in the dish pit, I'll run a few loads. Some of this was learned over time, and by working for a strict chef. Some of it is the fact that I do all the pastry, so if the macarons are ugly and cracked, it is obvious who was responsible. Plus, I am a lousy liar and have no respect for liars and lazy slobs. I take my job way too seriously and am rarely happy with anything, even as my coworkers are raving and scrambling for scraps. I always want it to be better, so I'm going to do my best not to serve crap. And on those rare occasions when I make the wrong choice and let something slide (like not properly re-spinning some ice creams after the freezer had been left open all night) I beat myself up about it for days. And you know what? Chefs are sad to see me go, and the restaurateur I currently work for has lured me back twice after I've left town and done other things. During one absence of about a year and a half they went through FOUR pastry chefs, either incompetent or crazy or some combination of both.

Edited December 8, 2011 by pastrygirl (log)

[Broken English]

There's nothing worse than a liar in a kitchen, if you've screwed up, 'fess up.

I totally agree with pastrygirl.

[ScoopKW]

It's been my experience that chefs are so used to lame excuses that many of them don't know what to do when a cook tells the truth. "I broke this. How can I make it right?"

My screw-ups at work invariably involve dropping things. I'm a dropper. When I drop food, I bin it and make it again. No need to tell the chef. Stuff happens. I'm always so far ahead of my orders that redoing part of a ticket isn't a big deal.

My worst "drop" was 5 gallons of hot sauce, which burned my foot. This was three weeks ago and it still hasn't healed completely. You can't hide something like that. Not that I would try.

So to answer your question: If I screw up, and it's going to affect the flow of production, I tell someone -- stat. If it's minor, and involves a couple bucks in food cost, I bin it and move on with life.

And, like JeanneCake, I always find something to do. Nothing is more boring than standing around watching an oven. I'll find something, anything, to avoid standing around.

[JeanneCake]

God, I need to find a way to clone PastryGirl, ScoopKW and the rest of you! In four years I've only had three people fit that description work for me and you can bet that I am doing everything I can to keep my current assistant happy, and growing as a pastry chef. This is the second time I've hired someone with years of experience; the first one didn't work out because the commute was too long for her.

Thanks for your input, I feel better!

[ScoopKW]

God, I need to find a way to clone PastryGirl, ScoopKW and the rest of you! In four years I've only had three people fit that description work for me and you can bet that I am doing everything I can to keep my current assistant happy, and growing as a pastry chef. This is the second time I've hired someone with years of experience; the first one didn't work out because the commute was too long for her.

Thanks for your input, I feel better!

Then perhaps you don't pay enough? My motto -- "If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys."

[JeanneCake]

I'm paying the going rate; I agree on the peanuts/monkeys! This person actually wanted a little more than the going rate based on experience, however pastry experience was non-existent and I pointed that out. I suspect this could be the reason for the not caring attitude. The response I get sometimes is priceless - we have two different types of lemon curd that we make based on what we are going to do with it (add to buttercream or whipped cream or the tart filling); I started to go over the recipes and explain the difference and was interrupted by "why don't I make it the way my family makes it and you can see how it is". That was my first clue that this was not going to end well.....