‘Even If Your Dog Dies… Prove It': Olive Garden Manager Fired After Rant About Time Off Goes Viral
An Olive Garden manager has been fired after an internal rant to employees found its way to social media and went viral.
According to KCTV5, the manager of a Kansas Olive Garden ripped into team members over time off, telling workers that if they planned on calling out for work, to basically "go look for another job."
While it is their job to make sure employees show up to work on time, this Olive Garden manager took things to the extreme in a letter that was acquired by KCTV5.
According to the news outlet, the letter started off with the Olive Garden manager addressing the uptick in employees calling off, issuing a very direct ultimatum.
We are no longer tolerating ANY excuse for calling off. If you're sick, you need to come prove it to us. If your dog died, you need to bring him in and prove it to us. If its a "family emergency" and you can't say, too bad. Go work somewhere else
The manager also managed to give props to themselves in the midst of the letter, proudly adding that they hadn't missed one single day of work in their 11 years at Olive Garden.
Do you think I want to be here until midnight on Friday and Saturday? No. I'd much rather be at home with my husband and dog, going to the movies or seeing family. But I don't, I'm dedicated to being here. As should you. No more excuses or complaints
It didn't take long for the rant to leak, and social media did the rest.
Some people couldn't believe a message this insensitive and unraveled could possibly come from someone in a management position—let alone a manager of a popular franchise like Olive Garden.
Others felt that this manager should be praised for their zero-tolerance approach.
Darden, the company that owns Olive Garden, confirmed to KCTV5 that the restaurant had "parted ways" with the manager who wrote the letter that was sent to employees. A spokesperson for the company says the message did not align with the Darden company values.
We strive to provide a caring and respectful work environment for our team members. This message is not aligned with our company's values
See the full story here via KCTV5.