"KEEP OUT OF THE TRASH!"
By; Gerald A. Polley

 

 

Things going on at work have reminded me of another incident with the obnoxious manager we've been telling about. It is still so hard to believe that so much happened with this man in so short a period of time. Silverware, dishes, and glasses were disappearing. I was pretty sure they were going out in the trash at night, though the manager swore it was not a problem. We had a magnetic ring on the trash cans that was supposed to catch the silverware, but I had a feeling the night people weren't using it. So the boss started telling the night people not to dump the trash, and each morning I would take a fresh trash can, put the magnetic ring on it, and go through the trash. As there was usually four or five cans it sometimes took awhile! But the results were astonishing! I found plates, cups, glasses, knives and forks, sometimes even utensils. I would set them all out in a bucket and write down what I found and gave it to the boss. He started posting notices each night what was being found and telling the night people that this had to stop!
I came in one morning and found that the trash cans had all been dumped into the 50 gallon drums out back. Though it was still quite cold I went through the process of checking through the trash out there, finding the usual amount of stuff. I put it in the bucket, wrote it all down, and put the note in my pocket. I went to do some other things and I found that the bucket of stuff had been run, and the stuff put away. I asked the cook who had done it, and he said he had, and I was not to tell the boss that I had found anything. When the boss came in I told him what was going on. He immediately told the cook that if he touched the stuff again he would be fired, and he told the night people that if the trash was dumped again they would be fired.
The manager came in in his usual ugly mood and immediately went in the office. "This damned childish snitching is going to stop!" he screamed. "The night people don't like it, and I don't like it! They are going to be trusted and no one is going to spy on them and recheck their work!"
"As long as I suspect that stuff is going out in the trash," the boss answered, "the trash will be inspected. Why aren't the people using the magnetic collar at night?"
"It's in the way!" the manager snapped. "It slows them down. It's a nuisance! There's not that much silverware going out."
The boss took my note and slammed it on the desk. "Twenty pieces of silverware is too much!" he snapped. "Three cups, two glasses, four small plates...it's too much! It adds up! How in the hell do they miss cups?"
"If this continues," the manager snapped, "the dishwashers are going to leave. They don't want a little child snitching on them to get in good with the boss! This has to stop!"
"Fine!" the boss answered, "Let them leave! I don't care!"
"Grrrr!" the manager screamed, "I can see I'm not going to get any reasonability with this." He came storming out of the office and stopped by the dish machine. "Be an adult!" he roared. "Stay out of the trash!"
"Go to hell!" I answered.
Slowly the amount of stuff going in the trash slowed down and finally stopped completely. But it was after we had three new night dishwashers, and after the manager was gone.
This is a problem I have had several places I've worked. This wasn't the first time. It always amazes me when people are doing absolutely stupid stuff, completely ignorant stuff, and expect other people to risk their jobs, refuse to do what the boss is telling them to do, to protect them. Time and tme again I have had other employees scream at me "Why do you have to be so honest? Why can't you leave other people alone?" My answer is always the same, "You just said it! I'm honest, something you will never understand!"

 

THE END

 

 

 

Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel,
even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves.
( Albert Einstein )

 

 

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