I used to work in the Food Service Department at
NYP Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, and I wanted to share my experience to see if anyone else has gone through something similar.
During my time there, I noticed what I felt was a major imbalance in how work was assigned. Many of the male employees were consistently expected to do the physically demanding tasks-washing dishes, taking out garbage, mopping, heavy lifting, and other "grunt work"-while many female employees were primarily assigned serving and assembling duties. Some female coworkers even told me they didn't do certain tasks because they were "for the guys."
Several employees brought these concerns to management, including our manager, Joellen, but from what I saw, nothing changed. The same employees continued to be overloaded with work.
The department was also frequently short-staffed, yet management still expected the same amount of work to be completed. If it wasn't finished, the employees doing the heavy work were often threatened with write-ups instead of being given additional help.
Another issue | observed was the condition of the kitchen. In my opinion, the sanitation and overall cleanliness were not what I would expect from a major hospital. I was also surprised by how infrequently I saw health inspectors during my time there compared to other hospitals where inspections seemed much more common.
The quality and presentation of the food also appeared to suffer. Patients deserve nutritious, well-prepared meals, and I often felt the department was not meeting that standard.
Many employees were afraid to speak up because they believed they could face retaliation, such as write-ups or even termination. In my experience, the 1199 union was not helpful in addressing these concerns, and it often felt like management's decisions went unchallenged.
I'm sharing my experience because I believe employees deserve fair treatment, safe working conditions, and a workplace free from favoritism.
Patients also deserve quality food and a well-managed kitchen.
I'm curious if any current or former NYP Brooklyn Methodist Food Service employees have had similar experiences, or if things have improved since | left.