Hotel Guest Livid Seeing Front Desk Employee Drinking In A Bar After Work, Files A Complaint Yet Ends Up Being Put On A ‘Do Not Reserve’ List
Finding the proper work-life balance is one of the most important tasks almost every employee faces. In fact, in life there should always be a place for both hard work and rest in order to restore your powers and not burn out emotionally. However, not everyone actually thinks so…
If a person consciously neglects their own rest while working hard, well, that is their own choice. But it’s a completely different matter when someone denies another person the right to relax after work, as happened once with the redditor u/Jdawger_.
The author of the post once decided to relax at the local bar after his shift at the hotel front desk
Image credits: Rodrigo_SalomonHC (not the actual image)
One of the clients saw him downing shots and left a negative review, claiming the hotel had “very poor choice of staff”
Image credits: u/Jdawger_
Image credits: Marcus Herzberg (not the actual image)
Image credits: u/Jdawger_
The manager, however, sided with the author, got in touch with the client and found out she thought front desk staff shouldn’t consume alcohol even off the clock
Image credits: John Matthew (not the actual image)
Image credits: u/Jdawger_
The review was removed by corporate and the arrogant guest was later even placed on the “Do Not Rent” list
So, the Original Poster (OP) says that he has been working at the hotel front desk for over three years, and has never received negative reviews during this time. With the exception of one case that happened a few years ago, when the author of the post was still in college.
The author says that after his day shift, he decided to go to the campus pub with friends – just to unwind. The guy did not change clothes – he just took off his nametag and removed any attributes that identified him with his job. Long story short, he remained in his checkered long-sleeve shirt and black pants. The OP and his friends had a good time, downing shots and drinking beer, and then his roommate drove him and his car back to their apartment.
A few days later, it turned out that one of the hotel guests, whom the OP had met on the front desk earlier in the day, left a negative review, claiming that “a member of the hotel staff was drinking at the bar.” The manager demanded clarification from the author of the post, and he said that all this was true – but he was relaxing after hours, having removed everything from his clothes that could associate him with the hotel.
It turned out that the client simply remembered the face of the front desk agent, and she, in her own words, was firmly convinced that people in this position should not drink at all – either during work or in their free time. However, the OP’s manager did not think so, and the review was removed by corporate, the entitled guest was put on the DNR list, and the boss herself invited the author of the post to the same bar that evening, and even bought the first round.
Image credits: RODNAE Productions(not the actual image)
In fact, work in the hotel industry is very energy-intensive, and is often associated with strong emotional stress, which employees “dump” by various methods. For example, a survey of London chefs by Unite union in 2017 showed that 51% suffered form depression due to being overworked, and 27% said that they drink alcohol to see them through their shifts.
Furthermore, in a 2018 study on mental health in hospitality workers by The Caterer, 71% said they experienced a mental health problem at some point. Of these, 51% had sought help for it, and 56% said their employer wasn’t aware of it. As you can see, the original poster did the right thing by relaxing after hours, and his boss was also right by supporting an employee in a conflict where the guest was definitely wrong.
“Of course, in their free time, a hotel employee has the right to relax the way they want – as long as this does not violate the laws and does not interfere with the people around,” notes Yanislava Goncharenko, a PhD and associate professor at the Department of Tourism and Hotel and Restaurant Business at the Odessa National Economic University, who was asked by Bored Panda to comment on this story. “If, while relaxing in a bar, an employee changed his uniform or took off his nametag, then, in theory, there should be no complaints at all.”
“Of course, the guest also has the right to be dissatisfied if they do not like something, but in this case it is up to the manager to get in touch with the client and explain that the employee did not violate any rules,” Yanislava Goncharenko states.
People in the comments mostly sided with the original poster as well, stating that demands towards hotel staff not to have any recreation at all look really arrogant. “The guest sounds like the kind of person that thinks school teachers should never be seen in public except at church,” one of the folks in the comments aptly noted. Be that as it may, commenters are pretty happy things worked out this way.
In any case, when a manager sides with an employee in a conflict with a customer, when the latter is clearly wrong, this is a good sign for the employer. Otherwise, it could turn out the way it did with this worker at a small diner, whom the manager scolded right in front of a wrongly dissatisfied client. And if you have also come across or witnessed a similar situation, please feel free to share it in the comments below this post.
People in the comments mostly supported the author, claiming that he had every right to relax after his shift
I don't understand why people think others should stop being human just because they have a job. Absolutely wild. And I don't agree that social media changes anything. Post whatever you want. As long as you aren't hurting someone, I don't see why people care.
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At one restaurant I worked at, employees got a shift drink. Everyone from dishwashers to hostesses could sit at the bar (in work clothes) and have a free drink. The customers became friends and we had a great time. I like businesses that are proactive in protecting their employees.
I was a hostess and we all got one free drink after shift. Then we had to leave because they didn't want us drunk in front of guests. Place across from us had the same rule. Shortly after the drink you would see us crossing the street to the other restaurant while passing their staff from the other restaurant crossing to our place.
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I had a job that insisted we represented the business 24/7. I told them if we have rules of what we can/cannot say, do, post, etc while off the clock, then I need to be paid 24/7, not just my scheduled shifts. They dropped it from contract immediately.
The respondent who was a night auditor having a beer at 6am is no different than Joe Blow 9-5 having a beer at 6pm. Source: former night auditor, me
This is why bars open at 7am, and they always have a group of third shifters come in when they're done at work. People are different, shifts are different, the world needs to run.
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I totally get why they were put on the do not rent list; they tried to get an employee fired for doing something they didn't approve of, off site, off the clock, that was 100% legal. I would want that kind of client. It makes for a hostile work space, and with how hard it is getting good employees, not something a company should risk.
My mom works the desk at an extended stay. One day the fire alarms went off and the hotel had to be evacuated. Some stupid woman decided that was the "best" time to demand my mom move the women's elderly mother to a different room.
Worked for an ordinary UK bank but in a posh well to do area and, and at that time we had uniforms for work, a customer complained that she had seen staff (at lunchtime) walking outside in uniform eating chips, that it reflected badly on the bank and its staff that she expected better of the people who dealt with her account, we thought I was hilarious however.... The head cashier was a complete people pleaser and a customer is always right no matter what type of person, so we were then told that if we went out at lunchtime for food we had to be seated in a cafe, restaurant or such like and not walking in the street eating so as not to offend any customers!
Man, they can f right off. If someone is on an unpaid break they can do whatever they please. You cannot tell them where they have to eat unless the company is paying for it
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Anyone that would make such a rediculous complaint is a customer that will be a giant pain in the a*s over nothing in the future and its probably a good idea to put on the dnr.
Exactly. But I wouldn't even call that kind of person a customer. Because they're not. They're a *liability*.
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Makes sense legally it sounds like harassment and if the guest did it once they're likely to do it to someone else so to prevent the incident from happening again it's best to be done with the individual. The Company is supposed to protect it's workers private life otherwise it can lead to some people potentially quitting over further incidents.
Not every business "needs" every single customer. That person who complained sounds like their blood type is "B negative." It's not my business to be cattle dog for an off duty employee. I would say if that employee is not overindulging and behaving responsibly has earned their downtime. Leave them be. Don't be a poster child for what's wrong with our world.
I wonder where the review was posted that they could have it removed? I had a member of my staff receive a review for rudeness, which had some legitimacy to it, but the review included specific descriptions of the staff member, including her first name, and hurtful words like "chubby" and "bad hair" and "pock marks." Yelp refused to take it down entirely, and Trip Advisor only redacted her first name, and invited me to provide a response (which I did, and scolded the customer for using hurtful language that didn't have anything to do with the actual complaint. And BTW, it wasn't just like I hit the "report" button one time and gave up. I spent A LOT of time via email and phone trying to convince them to remove the review because it was really causing the staff member emotional distress knowing it there were publicly available remarks about her online. Last thing, her coworkers decided to review bomb the sites to drive the review way down the page.
I didn’t know that DNR was a thing. So is the person told they aren’t allowed to stay there or do the just get a denied from the computer/person?
They aren't allowed to stay there. Often used on guests who trash the room, skip out on paying, or otherwise cost the corporation money. But if someone's a big enough jerk enough times, they can get it too.
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While working on cruise ships we got a complaint about off duty staff being off the ship and seen around the island. Like, this is why we do this job! We are not prisoners of the cruise line!
A good friend of mine works at a mid price hotel in Glasgow. He doesn't drink. At all. Therefore, the big boss, in his infinite wisdom, has put my friend in charge of the bar. It makes a strange sort of sense.
Sweet little Caribbean seaside village. Cold winter at home. Former guest who spent her stay studying and going to town is indignant that she cannot return because my boring (didn't speak with her beyond Good Morning) old self is in the way. Uh. Sorry. She doesn't get to pick the other guests. You were fortunate that management took your side.Hate to be in her way but reservation is for two more weeks. How people are. It doesn't even have to be about drinking.
The general public is getting worse, incredibly rude and disrespectful, they act like that because management bows down to them, enables them, it is nice to see this fool got put in his place. If ALL management did that, maybe the public would learn their behavior wont be tolerated...
No.fun for you, work slave! Time for fun means you could be working more *cracks whip* WORK HARDER IN THE PLACE I AM RELAXING!
I was a nurse and a family member of a patient who had been discharged about 3 weeks before reported that she'd seen me drinking. They checked all the cameras in the ward and only ever saw me drinking coffee or diet coke. When they eventually got round to asking me, we worked out that I was at my sisters hen party when she saw me so yes, I was doing shots but def not at work!
I don't understand why people think others should stop being human just because they have a job. Absolutely wild. And I don't agree that social media changes anything. Post whatever you want. As long as you aren't hurting someone, I don't see why people care.
Load More Replies... At one restaurant I worked at, employees got a shift drink. Everyone from dishwashers to hostesses could sit at the bar (in work clothes) and have a free drink. The customers became friends and we had a great time. I like businesses that are proactive in protecting their employees.
I was a hostess and we all got one free drink after shift. Then we had to leave because they didn't want us drunk in front of guests. Place across from us had the same rule. Shortly after the drink you would see us crossing the street to the other restaurant while passing their staff from the other restaurant crossing to our place.
Load More Replies... I had a job that insisted we represented the business 24/7. I told them if we have rules of what we can/cannot say, do, post, etc while off the clock, then I need to be paid 24/7, not just my scheduled shifts. They dropped it from contract immediately.
The respondent who was a night auditor having a beer at 6am is no different than Joe Blow 9-5 having a beer at 6pm. Source: former night auditor, me
This is why bars open at 7am, and they always have a group of third shifters come in when they're done at work. People are different, shifts are different, the world needs to run.
Load More Replies... I totally get why they were put on the do not rent list; they tried to get an employee fired for doing something they didn't approve of, off site, off the clock, that was 100% legal. I would want that kind of client. It makes for a hostile work space, and with how hard it is getting good employees, not something a company should risk.
My mom works the desk at an extended stay. One day the fire alarms went off and the hotel had to be evacuated. Some stupid woman decided that was the "best" time to demand my mom move the women's elderly mother to a different room.
Worked for an ordinary UK bank but in a posh well to do area and, and at that time we had uniforms for work, a customer complained that she had seen staff (at lunchtime) walking outside in uniform eating chips, that it reflected badly on the bank and its staff that she expected better of the people who dealt with her account, we thought I was hilarious however.... The head cashier was a complete people pleaser and a customer is always right no matter what type of person, so we were then told that if we went out at lunchtime for food we had to be seated in a cafe, restaurant or such like and not walking in the street eating so as not to offend any customers!
Man, they can f right off. If someone is on an unpaid break they can do whatever they please. You cannot tell them where they have to eat unless the company is paying for it
Load More Replies... Anyone that would make such a rediculous complaint is a customer that will be a giant pain in the a*s over nothing in the future and its probably a good idea to put on the dnr.
Exactly. But I wouldn't even call that kind of person a customer. Because they're not. They're a *liability*.
Load More Replies... Makes sense legally it sounds like harassment and if the guest did it once they're likely to do it to someone else so to prevent the incident from happening again it's best to be done with the individual. The Company is supposed to protect it's workers private life otherwise it can lead to some people potentially quitting over further incidents.
Not every business "needs" every single customer. That person who complained sounds like their blood type is "B negative." It's not my business to be cattle dog for an off duty employee. I would say if that employee is not overindulging and behaving responsibly has earned their downtime. Leave them be. Don't be a poster child for what's wrong with our world.
I wonder where the review was posted that they could have it removed? I had a member of my staff receive a review for rudeness, which had some legitimacy to it, but the review included specific descriptions of the staff member, including her first name, and hurtful words like "chubby" and "bad hair" and "pock marks." Yelp refused to take it down entirely, and Trip Advisor only redacted her first name, and invited me to provide a response (which I did, and scolded the customer for using hurtful language that didn't have anything to do with the actual complaint. And BTW, it wasn't just like I hit the "report" button one time and gave up. I spent A LOT of time via email and phone trying to convince them to remove the review because it was really causing the staff member emotional distress knowing it there were publicly available remarks about her online. Last thing, her coworkers decided to review bomb the sites to drive the review way down the page.
I didn’t know that DNR was a thing. So is the person told they aren’t allowed to stay there or do the just get a denied from the computer/person?
They aren't allowed to stay there. Often used on guests who trash the room, skip out on paying, or otherwise cost the corporation money. But if someone's a big enough jerk enough times, they can get it too.
Load More Replies... While working on cruise ships we got a complaint about off duty staff being off the ship and seen around the island. Like, this is why we do this job! We are not prisoners of the cruise line!
A good friend of mine works at a mid price hotel in Glasgow. He doesn't drink. At all. Therefore, the big boss, in his infinite wisdom, has put my friend in charge of the bar. It makes a strange sort of sense.
Sweet little Caribbean seaside village. Cold winter at home. Former guest who spent her stay studying and going to town is indignant that she cannot return because my boring (didn't speak with her beyond Good Morning) old self is in the way. Uh. Sorry. She doesn't get to pick the other guests. You were fortunate that management took your side.Hate to be in her way but reservation is for two more weeks. How people are. It doesn't even have to be about drinking.
The general public is getting worse, incredibly rude and disrespectful, they act like that because management bows down to them, enables them, it is nice to see this fool got put in his place. If ALL management did that, maybe the public would learn their behavior wont be tolerated...
No.fun for you, work slave! Time for fun means you could be working more *cracks whip* WORK HARDER IN THE PLACE I AM RELAXING!
I was a nurse and a family member of a patient who had been discharged about 3 weeks before reported that she'd seen me drinking. They checked all the cameras in the ward and only ever saw me drinking coffee or diet coke. When they eventually got round to asking me, we worked out that I was at my sisters hen party when she saw me so yes, I was doing shots but def not at work!
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