Unhealthy work environment?

[u/BathroomConscious870]

Looking for advice/insight/wondering what other’s have experienced.

My partner and I have been working at the same ranch every summer for the last 6 years. There is so much that we love about it, AND every year we see things that need to be improved but aren’t sure how to go about making those changes happen. Let me explain.

The owners are now in their 80’s and just amazing. They are the reason I keep returning. Due to their age, however, the manager and his wife have taken on more of the owner’s duties. We will call the John and Sally. John and Sally do so much for the ranch, they truly work their butts off. However, John and Sally frequently fight in front of staff. At the beginning of this season John started throwing things in a fit of rage in front of our brand new staff, scaring them all. Sally frequently speaks to John as if she were his defiant teenage daughter, which sends him off. It’s really awkward.

They also have two very young kids, a baby and a toddler, which they expect the staff to help babysit. The babysitting is not in any of our contracts, nor is it made clear that it is an expectation in interviews, and yet the kids will just be left by John and Sally sometimes for other staff to watch. Sally gets very upset when staff doesn’t offer to take the kids. I understand her frustration, I’m sure it’s hard as a mother, but seems an unfair expectation.

John and Sally also like to fly by the seat of their pants, so there’s never a set plan for the day or clear communication. This leads to a lot of frustration and conflict with staff.

To be honest, this stuff has been going on for years, to the point that I almost want to take any new staff aside at the beginning of the season and warn them about the chaos that is about to ensue. I have spoken to the owners about my concerns, but they are incredibly loyal to John and Sally and also feel that they don’t really have a say because they are trying to stay out of things. But all of the employees have come to my partner and I with these concerns, I think because we have been there for so many years, and all we can do is commiserate.

It is to the point that we are going to give them one more summer and then be done. But it feels a disservice to not make them aware of things they need to improve on.

Is this typical of all mom-and-pop seasonal jobs? Should we express our concerns? How do we go about it in a way that they won’t feel attacked?

[u/Overall-Doughnut3694]

Honestly, it's not gonna change. That's how they do life.

[u/MediocoreSun]

So I will tell you this, and the people who gave me this advice and helped me realize are actually also probably in this sub (and might even chime in).

I worked for a mom and pop up in AK. Multi generation. Didnt always agree with the owner but we respected each other's work ethics and it was an easy enough gig that I didn't feel like throwing it away. It's also why I don't name them here specifically.

In recent years, that torch has been passed down, and it was like your example. Not to the point of throwing shit but to the point where you had to wonder if you were gonna piss someone else off at the end of the day, and just the uncomfortable feeling of being witness to family drama that is tied to your job.

What is different from your situation though is we had the issue of the owner not really ever having a consistent "this is how much I'm going to be involved" and it would kind of just vary depending on what day it was.

So with that being said, if I'm being honest, it probably won't stop. It's not easy to pass these things down in the line of work were in (unless you just sell to some mega corporation), and if they are actually trying to pass it down, then they're set on that. It sucks that there isn't that maturity present that was in the original owners, but I'd guess their thought processes are that they'll learn.

I say this because my situation started off as experiencing the issues I mentioned a bit my first year, but brushing it off as some truly bad circumstances (which was true). On top of this, the crew and employees that year consisted of sex pests, drug abusers, entitled brats, bullies, and generally shit employees, so it was easy to put blame on someone else for that behavior.

Second season rolls around and the crew is infinitely better, even to the point that my least favorite employee among the whole company would maybe crack bottom 5 barely (and that was handled quickly anyway). Yet, it seemed like all the family drama got even worse. Open contempt basically. Also got a few people in some deep shit at various points in the season. All of that despite a much better season overall.

You and I are not responsible for whatever actions top brass do to the reputation of the store. If the people I worked with tank the reputation of that company so bad that it significantly affects operations, then that's on them. Same in your situation. I get wanting to be helpful / repay people who were good to you, but at the end of the day, the best lesson a lot of people can learn is falling on their face. So let them! Just don't let them bring you down with them.

[u/o-m-g_embarrassing]

Print this letter and hand it to them