Adam L.
Google
I come here almost every day — some mornings, some afternoons — and everyone is nice! Except, unfortunately, the morning manager who is consistently rude and disrespectful to her employees.
She yells at everyone, sometimes from across the room. The nice man who doesn’t speak English gets it the worst.
All too often, people stay silent. But silence doesn’t help anyone, not even her. It tells people what they’re doing is OK, keep doing it.
Most of the staff here are young. This is their first job. Maybe they haven’t learned how to speak up for themselves yet, or the many reasons why they should.
Bullies never go away. They just get older, louder, and sometimes promoted. Standing up for yourself doesn’t mean being mean back (that’s how you lose). It means picking your head up, looking at them, and saying — calmly, with composure: “Please don’t talk to me like that. It’s not okay.”
You might be surprised how often a line like that — delivered the right way — can change things.
It tells the person what they’re doing is wrong. It shows them you won’t be intimidated (even if you are), and reminds them that people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Sometimes it’s a wake-up call for someone who truly didn’t know any better — because no one ever told them. Sometimes they get defensive, deflect, but come back a few days later and quietly pull you aside to apologize, because you were right. And, sometimes, they just keep being a jerk and that’s how they live their life. But at least now you’ve taken a target off your back. They leave you alone and move on to someone else, and if they do, maybe that's someone you can help speak up for themselves, too.
To the nice people here, making my coffee and smiling through it all: keep up the good work. Just don’t let your smiles mean you also stay silent — because that’s how more people end up like her.