I started my new job working as a pastry chef for jones the grocer, an Australian chain that sells "gourmet food for everyday living," on January 30th. I resigned on February 24th.
I went into the whole experience bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, beyond excited that here I was kicking off my new career as a baker, making it happen in Abu Dhabi of all places. I knew I'd bitten off a mighty big chunk o' bread, diving into a professional kitchen with no professional experience, but I was certain I'd learn quickly and that my Energizer Bunny stamina would ultimately conquer the 6 days/week, 9 hours/day schedule I'd agreed to. And even though I embarrassed myself multiple times in the first couple of days (Uh, how the heck do I attach this whisk to the mixer again?), it didn't take long before I was arriving to work and immediately knew what to do (Displays full? Check. Sufficient back-ups in the chiller? Check. Production list? On it.)
What I didn't expect--and what was the main motive behind my leaving so quickly--was that jones would sadly employ the same exploitative work practices as many other Abu Dhabi entities. I couldn't ignore it: my pastry coworkers' stories of having to work 12-16 hour shifts for 3 months with not one day off because they were short-staffed; another colleague who was told in his Skype interview he'd be working 5 days a week, 50 hours maximum, and who instead worked 50 hours in his first 3 days (and was on a 6-day schedule like everyone else); my Muslim steward friend who was ecstatic that he was moved from the kitchen to the bakery area, because in the bakery area he was allowed short breaks to pray, while in the kitchen he told me his boss "would cry if he asked for time to go pray."
It was so disappointing it made me cry and yell on multiple occasions. I tried to advocate for myself and my coworkers to no avail. Finally, on what would become my last day of work, the owner came up to me and asked me how I was doing.
Me: Fine.
Owner: Are you happy?
And I just couldn't lie. Me, who tends to avoid conflict at all cost, I told the owner what was what. I ran home (literally) that night and knew I had to resign, which I did the next morning. An excerpt from the email:
I've spoken with a few people at jones since I sent this email and was told that it opened up quite the can of worms. I was told by the general manager who was genuinely appreciative of my candidness that they are going to work to rectify the under-staffing issue as soon as possible. More importantly, he said they are going to take a long, hard look at jones's values to make sure their profit margin and customers' satisfaction does not come at the expense of their employees' happiness and health. I hope so much that they make good on these promises.
And while I am still kinda mourning the fact that my baking plans are put on hold, I'm looking forward to: a) working remotely for Watershed, the most bad-ass, do-gooding consultant company of all time; b) spending more time with Adam and my Abu Dhabi friends (I missed you guys); c) baking! At home, that is. Bagels, fruit loaf, and banoffee pie are just a few things on my list of recipes to master.
I went into the whole experience bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, beyond excited that here I was kicking off my new career as a baker, making it happen in Abu Dhabi of all places. I knew I'd bitten off a mighty big chunk o' bread, diving into a professional kitchen with no professional experience, but I was certain I'd learn quickly and that my Energizer Bunny stamina would ultimately conquer the 6 days/week, 9 hours/day schedule I'd agreed to. And even though I embarrassed myself multiple times in the first couple of days (Uh, how the heck do I attach this whisk to the mixer again?), it didn't take long before I was arriving to work and immediately knew what to do (Displays full? Check. Sufficient back-ups in the chiller? Check. Production list? On it.)
What I didn't expect--and what was the main motive behind my leaving so quickly--was that jones would sadly employ the same exploitative work practices as many other Abu Dhabi entities. I couldn't ignore it: my pastry coworkers' stories of having to work 12-16 hour shifts for 3 months with not one day off because they were short-staffed; another colleague who was told in his Skype interview he'd be working 5 days a week, 50 hours maximum, and who instead worked 50 hours in his first 3 days (and was on a 6-day schedule like everyone else); my Muslim steward friend who was ecstatic that he was moved from the kitchen to the bakery area, because in the bakery area he was allowed short breaks to pray, while in the kitchen he told me his boss "would cry if he asked for time to go pray."
It was so disappointing it made me cry and yell on multiple occasions. I tried to advocate for myself and my coworkers to no avail. Finally, on what would become my last day of work, the owner came up to me and asked me how I was doing.
Me: Fine.
Owner: Are you happy?
And I just couldn't lie. Me, who tends to avoid conflict at all cost, I told the owner what was what. I ran home (literally) that night and knew I had to resign, which I did the next morning. An excerpt from the email:
Hi all,
I am extremely disappointed to give my official resignation from jones the grocer, effective immediately. In my very short term of employment, I have found jones to be unprofessional, dishonest, and disrespectful of its staff, and I do not wish to continue to be a part of this kind of work environment. Mr. Owner [changing names here, not for their sake, but 'cause you never know what'll get you in serious trouble in AD], you seemed genuinely surprised at my complaints during our conversation yesterday, so I offer you the following explanation.
When I was interviewed, Mr. Executive Chef told me that I could "work 3, 4, or 5 days a week," which I now interpret as a flat-out lie. When I received and signed my contract that stipulated "The Employee shall work a maximum of six days / Fifty Four (54) hours per week, including One (1) hour’s break each shift of nine (9) hours or more," I naively assumed that 6 days a week/54 hours per week would be just that--a maximum--and that I would negotiate a 4-5 day/week schedule upon starting as was discussed during my interview.
I accepted my 6-day schedule because I had hoped to learn as much from this opportunity as possible. Within 4 days, my hours shot from 9 to 10-12. In the first week, I raised my concerns with HR and was told they would be flagged to the necessary people. Two days later, I had to write an email (which I thought was confidential, but was not) because no one had yet followed up with me. The next day, Mr. Executive Chef told me that, even though my contract said one thing, I was going to have to be flexible and work extra hours because "we can't treat you differently than any other employee."
Which brings me to my concern of equal weight, which is that other jones the grocer employees are taken advantage of and made to work much longer than their contracted shifts. I asked a colleague yesterday on a scale of 1 to 10 how happy he was at jones, and he responded despondently with a 2, citing 14-hour shifts as his main complaint. Other employees have said they were also told in their interview that they would be working a certain number of days and hours per work, only to arrive and end up working much longer shifts. And I have been told by numerous people that no one complains because if they do so, they will be fired and consequently forced to leave the country--a consequence that thankfully doesn't force me to remain silent about how wrong it is to exploit employees in this way. I and others have been told that more staff will be hired and this issue will be remedied, but from what I've been told by many employees who have been with the company from its inception, under-staffing has always been a problem, and I don't see this getting any better with three new locations set to open. The fact is, it is cruel and inhumane to exploit the economic hardships of others, requiring them to work 70+ hours a week with barely a break or face deportation. I know this is common practice in Abu Dhabi, but I honestly thought jones would be different. A slightly larger profit margin is not worth the harm you inflict on the lives of your employees. You can tell yourselves that they have it better than they would elsewhere, but this does not excuse the fact that you choose your own greed over their well-being.
***********************I am extremely disappointed to give my official resignation from jones the grocer, effective immediately. In my very short term of employment, I have found jones to be unprofessional, dishonest, and disrespectful of its staff, and I do not wish to continue to be a part of this kind of work environment. Mr. Owner [changing names here, not for their sake, but 'cause you never know what'll get you in serious trouble in AD], you seemed genuinely surprised at my complaints during our conversation yesterday, so I offer you the following explanation.
When I was interviewed, Mr. Executive Chef told me that I could "work 3, 4, or 5 days a week," which I now interpret as a flat-out lie. When I received and signed my contract that stipulated "The Employee shall work a maximum of six days / Fifty Four (54) hours per week, including One (1) hour’s break each shift of nine (9) hours or more," I naively assumed that 6 days a week/54 hours per week would be just that--a maximum--and that I would negotiate a 4-5 day/week schedule upon starting as was discussed during my interview.
I accepted my 6-day schedule because I had hoped to learn as much from this opportunity as possible. Within 4 days, my hours shot from 9 to 10-12. In the first week, I raised my concerns with HR and was told they would be flagged to the necessary people. Two days later, I had to write an email (which I thought was confidential, but was not) because no one had yet followed up with me. The next day, Mr. Executive Chef told me that, even though my contract said one thing, I was going to have to be flexible and work extra hours because "we can't treat you differently than any other employee."
Which brings me to my concern of equal weight, which is that other jones the grocer employees are taken advantage of and made to work much longer than their contracted shifts. I asked a colleague yesterday on a scale of 1 to 10 how happy he was at jones, and he responded despondently with a 2, citing 14-hour shifts as his main complaint. Other employees have said they were also told in their interview that they would be working a certain number of days and hours per work, only to arrive and end up working much longer shifts. And I have been told by numerous people that no one complains because if they do so, they will be fired and consequently forced to leave the country--a consequence that thankfully doesn't force me to remain silent about how wrong it is to exploit employees in this way. I and others have been told that more staff will be hired and this issue will be remedied, but from what I've been told by many employees who have been with the company from its inception, under-staffing has always been a problem, and I don't see this getting any better with three new locations set to open. The fact is, it is cruel and inhumane to exploit the economic hardships of others, requiring them to work 70+ hours a week with barely a break or face deportation. I know this is common practice in Abu Dhabi, but I honestly thought jones would be different. A slightly larger profit margin is not worth the harm you inflict on the lives of your employees. You can tell yourselves that they have it better than they would elsewhere, but this does not excuse the fact that you choose your own greed over their well-being.
I've spoken with a few people at jones since I sent this email and was told that it opened up quite the can of worms. I was told by the general manager who was genuinely appreciative of my candidness that they are going to work to rectify the under-staffing issue as soon as possible. More importantly, he said they are going to take a long, hard look at jones's values to make sure their profit margin and customers' satisfaction does not come at the expense of their employees' happiness and health. I hope so much that they make good on these promises.
And while I am still kinda mourning the fact that my baking plans are put on hold, I'm looking forward to: a) working remotely for Watershed, the most bad-ass, do-gooding consultant company of all time; b) spending more time with Adam and my Abu Dhabi friends (I missed you guys); c) baking! At home, that is. Bagels, fruit loaf, and banoffee pie are just a few things on my list of recipes to master.
