Even if you love your job, I think it’s fair to say that the main reason most of us work is to put food on the table and afford to have a roof over our heads. If groceries were free, I don’t think many people would be heading into the office every day for fun. And there’s nothing wrong with admitting that! But there is something wrong when the jobs that we work can’t even fund the bare necessities.
Earlier this week, one retail worker shared a troubling conversation on Reddit where their manager scolded them for not being able to afford food before their shift. Below, you’ll find a screenshot of the insensitive exchange, as well as some of the replies frustrated readers shared, so you can decide for yourself how you would have responded to this unsympathetic manager. Then, when you’re finished reading this piece, if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring content from the Antiwork subreddit, look no further than right here!
After being unable to afford food before their shift, this employee was scolded by their manager for showing up “unprepared”
Image credits: FabrikaPhoto (not the actual photo)
Image credits: LowerFreedom
Image credits: DragonImages (not the actual photo)
The worker later answered a couple questions about the situation, providing background information
As we all know, food is one of the first bases we need to have covered to feel safe and secure. It breaks my heart to know that anyone in the world goes hungry, but especially when a person has a stable job, there’s absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t be paid enough to afford sustenance. And yet, this issue is even more common than we may realize. According to the USDA’s annual food insecurity report, in 2021, one in ten American households has struggled to feed their family over the past couple of years, and over 5 million families have reported skipping meals or cutting down on portions due to being unable to afford any more food.
Rapidly increasing inflation rates certainly haven’t helped anyone who already had a hard time making ends meet either. “The climate breakdown and Russia’s war in Ukraine are pushing up food prices, and the cost of groceries in July was up 13.1% compared to last year, with the price of cereal, bread and dairy products rising even higher, according to the Consumer Price Index,” The Guardian reports. One in four Americans already rely on federal nutrition assistance through programs such as food stamps and free school lunches, but without raising wages, millions of Americans will continue to be left without access to stable meals every day.
And while the manager in this particular story might not have the final say over how much their employees earn, they’re still a human being who should be capable of showing empathy. If they’re doing okay financially, perhaps they could buy this employee a loaf of bread, some peanut butter and jelly, and some other basic staples to get through the week. It’s cruel to force an employee to work hungry, and if this manager is so concerned about giving the best to the customers, they should treat their employees with the same respect. As a manager, they can also express their concerns about wages to higher-ups in the company. They might not be authorized to give everyone a raise, but it’s possible that something could be done to prevent any employees from going hungry.
Perhaps, this employee can qualify for a small raise. But it would also be helpful to have snacks or meals available at work, in the breakroom, to ensure that everyone is always taken care of. The boss might be authorized to buy breakfast, lunch or dinner for their employees once or twice a week, which can go a long way for people who can barely afford to make ends meet. According to WorkLife Partnership, public policy and politicians often refer to minimum wage as “starvation wage”, so it’s no secret that millions of workers are struggling to get by.
“Food insecurity poses an invisible challenge for employers because it impacts the health of their employees as well as workplace productivity,” WorkLife Partnership writes. “In order to be healthy and productive at work, access to safe, nutritious food is a necessity. Chronic diseases such as diabetes and other health conditions can occur as a result of food insecurity. Employees in poor health are more likely to miss and be distracted at work. Time that is lost when employees are absent or not fully productive comes at a cost.” If you or someone you know in the United States needs help accessing local food assistance programs, please reach out to WorkLife Partnership right here to seek assistance. Nobody deserves to go hungry.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Have you ever had to deal with an insensitive manager like this? Let us know how you would have responded in this situation, and then if you’re interested in checking out another r/Antiwork article, we recommend reading this one next.
Many readers were furious about the exchange, calling out the manager for being insensitive
However, not everyone believed the manager could be held responsible
The post Employee Is Scolded For Coming To Work Hungry, Despite The Fact That They Couldn’t Afford Food first appeared on Bored Panda.
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