Work. It’s a part of life. Most individuals will have a job at some point in their lives. Many people will work for most of their lives, to pay bills and support themselves and their family.
In a perfect world, your job would be something you love, but for lots of folks, sometimes a job is just that – a way to get by, providing for oneself. Especially for students, a first job might be far from what they dream about.
Do you recall your first job? Maybe it was something you enjoyed or maybe it was something you disliked. One transgender Starbucks worker recently mentioned that his position at Starbucks is not his ideal role.
In a video shared on Twitter later on, this employee hid in the stockroom while working and spoke directly to the camera about issues with the manager, the schedule, customers and how there’s no union. He also talked about being “misgendered” by customers and having to work long hours while still studying.
What does he mean by long hours? We’re talking an 8 hour shift here! The employee said: “I’m a full-time student. I get scheduled for 25 hours each week; on weekends they put me all day from open to close! I’m on the schedule for 8 and half hours both Saturday & Sunday.”
While trying not to cry, he expressed wanting to quit Starbucks but many commenters thought this story was silly. One comment said: “Do I feel sorry for this young spoiled kid? No way! At 17 I was overseas with an M-16 doing 12 hour days or even more! Bad food & weather plus dangerous conditions were part of it too; some best times ever & friendships that last forever.”
We’ve all been there: worked too much and been unhappy with our jobs. But one Starbucks worker went even further with his complaints by making a movie that went viral in the stock room.
With tears in his eyes, he talked about how hard it was for him to work long hours and go to school full-time. His work week was now 25 hours, and he had two 8-hour shifts on the weekends. It was clear that he was about to snap.
But did he need to be comforted or given some tough love? The comments part was split up. Others backed him up and told him it was okay to be angry, while others told him to stop being “soft” and deal with it.
It can be tough to work long hours, especially if you are also studying. But should we tell everyone about it, or should we just grin and bear it? The video of this Starbucks worker going popular made people talk about work-life balance and the problems we face in modern life.
We might need to change how we feel about work and help each other through our problems. We’re all in this together, after all.
Another person replied: “I think the world is getting softer… Never seen so many babies crying together like this! This world owes us nothing; work hard & climb up until you find an easier position/job.”
Not everyone thought complaining about an 8 hour shift was silly though; many defended the Starbucks worker. For instance one wrote: “He can be upset at Starbucks & his bad manager who isn’t doing enough! People keep mentioning his shifts but working while being a full-time student is exhausting!”
Another commenter added: “25 hrs weekly plus being in school is tough! We always talk about work/life balance & mental health yet when someone clearly needs help we judge them instead.”
So what do you think? Did this Starbucks employee have good reasons to complain or do you believe venting like that was silly?