7th Sep 2023

Well...

It's been a few years since my last update, and quite a bit has transpired. Since January 2020, our journey has seen the national lockdown in March/April 2020, during which Maki and Ramen held strong. In 2021, Maki and Ramen secured a prime spot in the new St. James Quarters, with yours truly being crowned Branch Manager of that flagship establishment. I put in the hard yards, but there were some twists and turns.

My employer, Teddy, scheduled two events specifically on my days off, both with a hefty 50% discount. This turned my peaceful days into utter chaos for my staff. The audacity was that Teddy tried to pin the disarray on my supposed lack of organization. Fortunately, I'm not one to shy away from transparency. My work orders from the higher-ups were an open book, with both the Head of Kitchen and Head of Sushi in the WhatsApp group chats, privy to all the event planning for my branch. While we knew an event was on the horizon, the specifics were conspicuously absent. I showed my entire team the messages, and they stood by me, telling the higher-ups to own up to their blunders instead of shifting the blame onto a manager who had no say in the timing of these events, especially on my day off!

In hindsight, it seemed like someone had a vendetta against me, and my back had a bullseye. To this day, the "who" and "why" remain a mystery. From the get-go, I had been clear with my team that the company was evolving, and new opportunities would arise. I encouraged them to seize those opportunities, with no hindrance from me.

Fast forward to August 2021, and my branch was pulling in a whopping £60K gross per week for the company, while the other six branches combined couldn't match half of that. Teddy decided to have a little chat with me, wondering why I was only clocking in for five days a week instead of the originally agreed-upon six.

Firstly, our agreement was made when things were fresh, and staff needed training until we had a well-oiled machine. My contract explicitly stated I wouldn't exceed 48 hours per week. But here I was, routinely pushing 65-75 hours a week on a salary, and I wasn't complaining. I made sure my team had their meals and breaks. In fact, they often stayed an extra 30 to 60 minutes after their shifts, voluntarily, to help me out without me even asking, certainly those were also clocked time as I would not have my staff work for free.

Despite my reasoning, it was like talking to a brick wall. So, I proposed a solution: if you're not happy with my work schedule, then adjust my monthly salary. I was tired of the endless conversations. His response? Teddy told me our branch's success was all thanks to the media team doing a fantastic job attracting people. I looked him dead in the eye and asked if my team or my efforts had played any part in it. His response? "Heh heh."

That very evening, the accounts department called me, inquiring if everything was okay between Teddy and me, as he had requested to reduce my monthly salary by a cool £400.

I handed in my two weeks' notice, took all my accrued holidays, and bid that place farewell.

On my last day, Teddy paid a visit and had the gall to ask why I was leaving and if the branch had become too much for me to handle. He even floated the idea of returning to my old branch. To which I graciously replied: 1) Get lost. 2) No thanks.

November 2021 rolled around, and my wife had already left Maki and Ramen back in August, returning to her previous employer in the city centre. I decided to join them on a temporary basis, as they were in dire need of someone to oversee the Japanese Restaurant. Fast forward to today, September 7, 2023, and I'm still here. It's a far cry from the hectic atmosphere, with fewer, more experienced staff.

In retrospect, maybe I should've considered legal action against Teddy for contract breaches and the unauthorized salary reduction. But my eagerness to escape that nightmare was stronger than any potential legal victory.

The moral of the story? When life throws you curveballs, slow down, and seek help. I might have missed out on a generous payout for unfair treatment, but sometimes, peace of mind is worth more than a courtroom battle. 🏛️💼💥