-training for new hires is bare bones and in some cases nonexistent.
-management is under-trained and under-resourced, and their stress spills over onto the employees, making a fairly easy job incredibly frustrating and tense.
-intense micromanaging and passive aggression are management's preferred communication styles.
-no appreciation for hourly employees, even though they are the ones interacting with customers on a daily basis and have so much knowledge, both about tea and insight into what customers want. smith would rather hire new employees over and over again than retain the skilled and knowledgeable staff it already has/had. unsurprisingly, turnover is high.
-management claims to value employee input but this has consistently been lip service only. nothing changes.
-schedules are inconsistent, change on short notice, and sometimes are set outside of employees' availability without checking if it's okay beforehand. if that doesn't work for you, you're treated as if you're the one being inconsiderate.
-managers often side with rude and/or abusive customers rather than employees out of fear of poor yelp reviews.
-employees were repeatedly told to ignore fire marshal's safety instructions in favor of what was convenient to the company, specifically regarding propane storage indoors.
-i could go on, but this paints the general picture. what could have been a really enjoyable job became an obstacle course of 1) trying to read the minds of management and anticipate their moods to avoid being treated like a disobedient child, and 2) coping with a company trying to grow too fast and expecting the most from employees while providing minimal-to-no resources and support. unfortunate, as the tea is quite good.
