So I used to run a winery...EDITED. Now funny.

[Harpua3]

Okay. Long story short as the title implies I used to run a winery. I didn't sign up for a manager position, not asked if I wanted it, but rather told I was going to be doing such after the last manager quit. Not a knock per se about the owners, quite the opposite. I like the owners alot that's that.

So after a year and a half of not liking my job/ role in the company I sat down with the owner and discussed that I liked my old job alot more... Which was working in a brewery and doing winery work, not babysitting monkeys or employees as others called them. We decided to try and hire someone to fill my role, and I would resume essentially my old job.

So new girl gets hired, all is good to start. She SEEMED really positive and a hard worker, things are looking up... One would think...

At first it was only me that got treated like shit by her.
Example one: I took a vacation day, she told everyone including the owners that I was a no call, no show...
#2: she had a friends father pass away and after I was willing to switch shifts around to cover for her, she told everyone I wouldn't help her out in a time of need....
#3: we get a shifty after, well every shift. It's one of OUR house made beer and wines. NOT the 8 dollar meads from Michigan. She has been told this rule over and over again, yet still gets away with it.
#4: Yells at me for not completing HER work from Saturday on my Monday shift...
#5: can't find coverage for one of our busy days here on derby day and says she will close early bc she has plans... Without asking the owner...instead of you know, doing your manager duties and just working it...

There are many, many, many more instances. And it's not just me now. People are giving up shifts, she can't replace them and the work environment has turned into making people miserable. The owner has been made aware of some stuff, more is to follow...but any advice, other than murder suicide?. I like this company and my job, but not in this situation. I'd rather not look for a new job bc of some dumb bitch ( I said it!), but really turning unhappy with this going on... Any light bulbs popping up?

[rickfc]

Well, if you don't want to look for another job and you like the place/owner, etc, then you should give the owner a fair chance at fixing it. If they fix it, great. If not, then you should probably look to make a move elsewhere.

[Purge]

She wants you.

Go to her. Complete her world.

[Harpua3]

Well, if you don't want to look for another job and you like the place/owner, etc, then you should give the owner a fair chance at fixing it. If they fix it, great. If not, then you should probably look to make a move elsewhere.

He is aware to some degree. But, that being said... I could get her fired by telling a few things... Do I want to do that, yes. Do I want to be THAT person though?

[Harpua3]

She wants you.

Go to her. Complete her world.

Also, she must be 300lbs... My wife would be mad if I cheated on her. My wife would kill herself if I did that horrible thing. And... She's 300lbs...btw, I couldn't find the " throw up" icon...

[metallicorphan]

I was actually expecting some Arrow in the knee joke when i read the thread title

I think that things will eventually run their course in time,and she'll be let go(i guess depending on really how bad the environment is with her around)..in the mean time,talk with your fellow workers,and talk about her behind her back and how much you hate her and come up with interesting death/embarrassing scenarios for her,it works to jointly hate her  

or tell your boss you want your old/newer job back,so he wont be needing Hell Bitch anymore...depending on how much you really hate her(you hate her more than your old job??)

How long has she now been there for?

[Harkonis]

Well, if you don't want to look for another job and you like the place/owner, etc, then you should give the owner a fair chance at fixing it. If they fix it, great. If not, then you should probably look to make a move elsewhere.

He is aware to some degree. But, that being said... I could get her fired by telling a few things... Do I want to do that, yes. Do I want to be THAT person though?

You really either need to be that person, or put your tail between your legs and walk to another job.  You really should just stand up for what's what.

[Soulchilde]

Nothing will kill a workforce like a bad manager.  You shouldn't feel bad if she isn't being an effective manager & supporter of her employees and informing the owner that she is killing productivity and morale might be the best thing you can do. 

[Purge]

Nothing will kill a workforce like a bad manager.  You shouldn't feel bad if she isn't being an effective manager & supporter of her employees and informing the owner that she is killing productivity and morale might be the best thing you can do.

For the company? Yes.

Also, that puts you back into the role that you might not WANT to do, but clearly you already do it.

[rickfc]

Well, if you don't want to look for another job and you like the place/owner, etc, then you should give the owner a fair chance at fixing it. If they fix it, great. If not, then you should probably look to make a move elsewhere.

He is aware to some degree. But, that being said... I could get her fired by telling a few things... Do I want to do that, yes. Do I want to be THAT person though?

You really either need to be that person, or put your tail between your legs and walk to another job.  You really should just stand up for what's what.

This. You already mentioned that she's made not only you miserable, but everyone else that works under her as well. Whether you want to be that person or not is secondary - if you want to continue working there, it is your responsibility to bring these things to light.

[Roman]

You state that you hold your boss in high regard and the feeling must be mutual based on the decision to make you the manager and then also accept and respect your request to be 'demoted' back to your old position.

Based on the above and your desire to see the business continue I would suggest that you bring this to light now. Keep emotions out of it and present the facts. Facts cannot be dismissed as easily as 'what you feel' or 'what you heard'

You can certainly express your concern about morale - but be prepared to face the consequences from the people under you when you speak  on their behalf. To this end you can call an informal meeting and explain that you are going to the see the 'boss' and that you would like to bring up the morale factor - if they agree then move ahead with that point. Do not discuss what you plan to discuss with the boss - keep the agenda to the morale topic. Keep it clean and simple.

If they are not comfortable with you discussing overall morale - then you can always touch on the topic without being specific in the hopes that your boss is the accountable type who will take what you 'infer' and run his/her own investigation into morale. You could say that your morale is impacted and are unable to speak for the rest but state that you know that the staff have a vested interest in the company's success and morale is just one component of a well oiled machine............ leave it there.

You could also suggest that if the decision is to remove her from the position that you will assume the role in the interm while the search for a replacement is underway. THis will again re-inforce your commitment to the company and the staff.

If after you bring these concerns to the table and nothing is done - than you have your answer and it is time to move on.

[Blackjack]

I'd echo most others here. I'm sure we can all relate some story about either a co-worker or supervisor who made our lives miserable. In some situations like that, I simply "outlasted" the person and the higher-ups eventually realized the person was either incompetent, hateful, unreasonable or some combination thereof. In a couple cases I left as soon as I could line up another job.

If you're good at your job, there are lots of wineries and breweries out there. Just speaking as someone who worked in hellish situations at newspapers for years and years, I can tell you life is too short to spend it working somewhere that makes you angry and miserable every day or for weeks at a time. I mean, in the end, if the place thinks someone like her (as portrayed) is an asset to the company, then it's time to move on, imho.

Also imho, it comes down to whether you think your boss will listen to your grievances about her and do something about it (either fire her, or tell her to meet certain conditions of she wants to remain); or if he'll respond by firing you, or accusing you of something, rather than listening. I've been in a situation where our news staff once had a private meeting with the general manager about our editor's abusive behavior that was supposed to be confidential; instead, the GM took notes on every grievance we aired, and gave it to the editor, who had a subsequent group meeting with us that did not go well.  

It might also come down to whether you think the boss telling this woman to clean up her act will work (i.e., that she's willing to change), or if it'll just make things worse.

I have on occasions worked with two people who couldn't stand each other, to the point they'd use me or someone else as a "conduit" because they literally couldn't be in the same room together or say a word to each other without getting angry. And at least in one of those situations, the two people finally came to an understanding, and eventually even learned to enjoy working together (this was a reporter and photographer). So I think it's possible, but if this person is the dragon lady monster, such an outcome seems, well, unlikely.

[Harpua3]

Thanks for the extremely well thought out responses to all. Really, some great comments. So, I'm actually thinking of getting two others and having all three of us go talk to the owner. It will be pretty hard to ignore or dismiss this activity when 3 people step forward together. I'll keep you all apprised. Thx!

[Harpua3]

So things played out and I'm out of job in the near future. Lovely.

Either the owner A: doesnt believe me or B: doesn't care...about the following...

Marijuana use prior to shifts.( I'm all for pot, just not prior to your work, your own time is your own time, this is not)..

Illegal transactions. IE, giving alcohol away in a flashy way in front of who knows who.

Pissing off every single employee, about 40 of the 60..

I could go on and on but I'm really sick of it.. Not worthy of my time now. So I was told she can't stand to work with me( bc I told the truth to the owner!). I might* be needed around, literally.. So what's my game plan? I'm trying to stick it out for as long as possible, hopefully I can snag a new job quick. I have some leads. We have a three strike policy, I have one write up in 3 yrs. last week by her, surprise...there are employees there with 5 to 10 or so...not stretching that at all...oh boy...

She threatened other employees... Like I said I could go on and on...

[Scuzz]

Where are you that a company under the same roof has a winery and a brewery? Did this place just open a restaurant in a certain location? Just curious.

[rshetts2]

The problem with you "stepping down" is now youre seen as bitching about the position you didnt want.  In hindsight it would have been better if you hadnt been the person approaching your boss about this.  It seems your rapport with your boss wasnt as strong as you thought.  Youre pretty much screwed now, especially if they keep the current manager.  Best be looking now because you certainly will be in the near future.

[Harpua3]

Where are you that a company under the same roof has a winery and a brewery? Did this place just open a restaurant in a certain location? Just curious.

Cleveland. Im looking for new work as I really don't have another option...

[Isgrimnur]

I hear that Texas has a few.  No lake effect snow, either. 

[CeeKay]

I hear that Texas has a few.  No lake effect snow, either. 

true, but it's Texas 

aren't there some wineries up in the islands?  you could always go up there

[Isgrimnur]

We're also not as swing-y as Ohio.  We're pretty blue in the major cities, redneck out in the country.

[Harpua3]

I hear that Texas has a few.  No lake effect snow, either. 

true, but it's Texas 

aren't there some wineries up in the islands?  you could always go up there

There are, might look into that. Sending out resume tomorrow to beverage distributors in Ohio that specialize in craft beers. I'm not doing this dance anymore;).

[theohall]

I hear that Texas has a few.  No lake effect snow, either. 

true, but it's Texas 

aren't there some wineries up in the islands?  you could always go up there

There are, might look into that. Sending out resume tomorrow to beverage distributors in Ohio that specialize in craft beers. I'm not doing this dance anymore;).

One question:  Aren't distribution and brewing/making wine two different fields?

[Purge]

Depends on how small a shop he was working for.

[Harpua3]

I hear that Texas has a few.  No lake effect snow, either. 

true, but it's Texas 

aren't there some wineries up in the islands?  you could always go up there

There are, might look into that. Sending out resume tomorrow to beverage distributors in Ohio that specialize in craft beers. I'm not doing this dance anymore;).

One question:  Aren't distribution and brewing/making wine two different fields?

They are, but certainly closely related. In the same, I hate this word but, "biz".

[Harpua3]

Interview tomorrow! Excited and scared all at once. I'll keep you good people of GT posted!

[rickfc]

Interview tomorrow! Excited and scared all at once. I'll keep you good people of GT posted!

Aw, you're not telling CeeKay about it?

[Harpua3]

Wait a minute... Are you calling cee Kay  NOT a good GT peep? How dare you! I am going to bed not sure of what to think of this situation.

Btw, I have a eating disorder... I eat way too much!!! That is all.

[Harpua3]

Had a second interview with the same company and I got the job! Wow, 6 weeks at home is suprisingly NOT fun!

[Azhag]

Nice! Grats

[metallicorphan]

excellent news,well done

[Razgon]

Had a second interview with the same company and I got the job! Wow, 6 weeks at home is suprisingly NOT fun!

Congratulations!

Now is the time to play all those wonderful games you never had time to because you were running a winery ;-.)

[Harpua3]

Thanks much. Yeah, in my downtime I've been trying to clear out my backlog. Now that I have another 5 or 6 days before I start it should be easier to get through some it. You know, cuz I have a job again and I'm not super stressed out;).

[Roman]

congrats! Great news to end the summer on!

[Calavera]

Had a second interview with the same company and I got the job! Wow, 6 weeks at home is suprisingly NOT fun!

Congrats! Is this the one in Cleveland? Because if it's Great Lake Brewery that awesome. Dortmunder Gold FTW!

[Scuzz]

Had a second interview with the same company and I got the job! Wow, 6 weeks at home is suprisingly NOT fun!

Congrats......can you tell us where?

[Harpua3]

Cavalier beverage distributing, its a microbrew and other "fine" beverage distributer here in ohio and also kentucky and indiana. Looks to be a good company to work for in the long haul. Ah, I missed work .

[Harpua3]

Had a second interview with the same company and I got the job! Wow, 6 weeks at home is suprisingly NOT fun!

Congrats! Is this the one in Cleveland? Because if it's Great Lake Brewery that awesome. Dortmunder Gold FTW!

Funny enough, I am wearing a glbc shirt right now!

[Harpua3]

I could have posted this elsewhere, but it belongs here;).
 So, after all of this time away from my old job...my buddy wanted to meet me for a beer. He suggested the above place I used to work. I have friends that obviously still work there, so sure it would be nice to see them, so we met up.
Had a nice time, saw some people i care for, all in all, it felt alright. Skip ahead to yesterday when I'm having lunch with a friend from there that still works there and I found out this tidbit of info.
She tells me the asshole mentioned above, whom caused me all these issues, wanted me thrown out! She said I was making her uncomfortable!  I literally didn't look at her or say a word...obviously the owner said no, that is rediculous. But wow, if they didn't know she was crazy then, they HAVE to now. I think it's kinda funny that for what ever reason, I get under her skin that much for absolutely no reason.
Maybe I need to visit my friends up there more often, and of course make her squirm!!!

Karma my friends.

[Purge]

Wait... aren't you gay?

Spoiler for Hiden:

... or maybe it was Harpua2. I get you guys all confused.

[Harpua3]

Wait... aren't you gay?

Spoiler for Hiden:

... or maybe it was Harpua2. I get you guys all confused.

Wtf? Lol. Who is Harpua2? Nothing wrong with being gay, but I am very attracted to vaginas.