Double Standard

I think maybe an anonymous forum would be more appropriate for this blog, but I'm going to go ahead anyway and write it here because I feel it needs to be said. This is something that goes on way too much in Corporate America, and it's no wonder people get so fed up and quit their jobs.

There's an issue of double standards, and my workplace is no stranger to that. In fact, it happens on a daily basis; even several times a day. Some people are "allowed" to do certain things where others are not. In my case, there's a clique, and if you're not in that clique, you don't get the privilege of "breaking corporate rules," so to speak. Me? Well, let's just say I'm nowhere near being in that clique, nor would I desire to be. I'm quite content befriending people who don't back-stab and are accepting and courteous of others.

I had a situation tonight where I happened to sit down at our desk for a minute to relax while one of my coworkers was sitting at the computer. It was nearing the end of my shift, and there wasn't much to do. I'm not trying to justify my slacking off, but it was only for a minute, and that was all it took to get yelled at. My store manager came up and noticed this, and she was fired up:
"I am going to blow a gasket if I see you guys sitting at this desk again! I don't want to ever see another Baby Depot person on this side of the desk ever again!"

She continued to spout off comments, but I just walked away from her. Keep in mind that this was completely directed at me, but at the same time, it wouldn't have made a difference if I were sitting on the opposite side of the desk. This woman just plain-out doesn't like me at all. She gets pleasure out of making stories up about me and telling lies to my department manager to get me in trouble [She's guilty of this with other people]. Lucky for me, my manager believes my word over hers most of the time, which makes it much easier for the truth to be revealed, as she enjoys blowing every situation out of proportion to make the story sound more incriminating.

I completely take fault for sitting at the desk while on the clock. That was probably wrong, but heck, we've all done it. We're not machines, for crying out loud. Even management and the associates in the clique do it. What's funny is that they sit in that office for hours, eating their McDonald's and chatting the day away while they're on the clock, but if we sit down for one minute at the desk, we're threatened and scolded like two-year-olds. Figure this one out.

Another great example is this: We're not allowed to shop on breaks or while we're on the clock. Ok, that's fair enough. I'm hardly at risk of breaking that rule since I don't even shop where I work, so I think I can criticize on this one. On Saturday, I was changing our garbage while talking to one of my coworkers. He was sitting at the computer, and I saw our store manager walking over, so I warned him, but he didn't seem to care and still kept sitting. She came up to him and said, "Walk the floor and wait on some customers." No sooner had that come out of her mouth than she went over to the youth department and began shopping for her daughter...on the clock. It seems to me that you're not doing a whole lot of customer service while picking out clothing for your kid.

My point is to lead by example. If you want your associates to obey the rules of the company, you do the same. I know this will never ever happen in any company. As long as there are businesses in this world, there will always be double standards, but while a lot of people just put up with it, I refuse. I've seen management break rules everywhere I've been (it's almost obligatory anymore), but when you let some associates (people who are supposedly on the same level as me) break these rules with you--just because they're in your little teenage-like group--but not let others, then you're bound to have a revolt. On top of that, they gossip about us just like a bunch of adolescents who never grew out of their high school phase. Unfortunately, that's a whole other issue that would take up an entire blog by itself.

Whenever I happen to leave this place, I'm writing a letter to our store manager and sending a copy to corporate because there's no need for this to go on. Children could run the store more smoothly than this. Now, whether my letter would make any difference or not is beyond me (most likely, it will do nothing), but it's better than not taking any stand whatsoever. I'm willing to speak for all those in this company and any other company that feel like the "pee-ons" (that was deliberate, yes) because they either choose not to participate in the hierarchy of the corporation or they just don't fit into it by nature.
We're all people. Our only differences are our backgrounds and personalities. Can't we just leave it at that and abandon the childish gossip and authoritative ego trips? Yeah, you're a manager. So what? When I was assistant manager at my last job, I knew enough not to treat my employees like garbage. I thanked them for their work everyday, and I tactfully and maturely reprimanded them when they slacked off. I didn't speak to them as if they were my children. That gets you nowhere, and it's unprofessional and immature. I may be "a kid" to you, but I'm certainly not stupid and/or naïve.
If everyone followed this code of conduct, it would be so much easier to get along with our fellow coworkers.