All the snow we've been having around here in Bismarck, North Dakota this spring reminded me of another incident that happened with the obnoxious manager that I worked with for about three months, and was very glad to finally get rid of. It had snowed on Easter, it had snowed quite a bit, and I had got in and was was getting ready to work when the hostess came up and said "The guy that was supposed to shovel hasn't got here, and the walkways and part of the parking lot needs to be shoveled so the people can get in. Would you go out and do it?" I said "Sure! No problem!" I went and got my coat and boots on.
The cook came up and said "Hey! That isn't your job! Stay out of it! Wait for the guy that's supposed to come in and do it. That's his job. Don't worry about it!"
I said "It's got to be done before we open! Get out of my way, I've got to go do it!"
The cook was very irritated that I went out and shoveled the walks and got it already to be open. Well, the manager came in that afternoon, came right up to me, and he said "Look! You've got to understand something! You're a dishwasher. That's your job description. You wash dishes, that's all you do! We have a janitor that does the cleaning, we have someone that does the yard work. That is their jobs and that is how they make their living, and you're taking their money away from them because you're doing their work! Stop doing their work! It's not your responsibility! You do dishes, that's all you do. That's your job description. You do dishes, you don't do other peoples' work, you don't take their work away from them!"
It was then that the boss came in and said "Hey! What is this?"
The manager said "He shoveled, and it is not his job. That's the yard maintanence man's job!"
The boss said "The yard maintanence man never showed up! He hasn't come in yet. And when he comes in, he's fired! He's done because he didn't show up this morning. He's out of here! He was supposed to be in here to do the shoveling even before Gerald got here! All of the yard wasn't cleared out. Gerald did what he could but he only had time to do part of it. So don't be hollering at Gerald!"
The manager said "Why won't you let me manage? You have to let me delegate work. You have to tell the people that this is your job, and this is somebody else's job, and these people have a right to make their living! He's taking other peoples' work away from them!"
The boss shook his head and said "I don't want to hear this crap! This isn't a union shop! We have to do what needs to be done here when it needs to be done! Now, leave Gerald alone! I told you before to leave him alone, don't bother him, he knows what he's doing!"
"No he doesn't!" the manager screamed. "He doesn't understand job description! He's a dishwasher, that's all he is! That's all he's supposed to do!"
The boss said "I told you, I don't want to hear this! Gerald does whatever needs to be done, and that's how things are done here! Now leave him alone!
The manager went off all in a huff, and the cook was glaring at me all afternoon! But the boss kept smiling at me and said "If there's any more shoveling, Gerald, you can do it!" This made the manager and the cook even more irritable, but I didn't care at all!

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains
or slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take
but as for me; give me liberty or give me death!
( Patrick Henry )