I'm not going to sit here and try to talk myself up... but let's just say it's important to me to be helpful. Some call it being a kiss ass. But I just like to make peoples' lives easier when I can. No big.
But in order to get my point across about something said to me today, I'll need to give a little bit of back story.
When it gets really busy my manager is pretty good about jumping in and helping. But sometimes it calls for her to make sandwiches. And I know she hates this part - since she does it so rarely it's hard to remember the recipes and you tend to be really slow at it when you don't know it off the top of your head... then you get all flustered as it just gets busier and the line gets longer. So if I've had to step away from the sandwich counter to help at the meat counter for instance, of course I'm going to try to get back to my station as soon as possible. When I do I always offer to take over for her, no matter what stage of the sandwich she is in. And ESPECIALLY when the order is for a certain kind of sandwich that is a p.i.a to make.
She often walks around mumbling about all the work she has to do. Sometimes being very specific about a particular task. I aim to be a problem solver. So I often ask if this or that kind of assistance would be helpful. If she needs to go back to the warehouse for something and I'm not in the middle of something, I'll offer to go. If I need something off the frozen load she just brought up and parked in the freezer unloaded, I might go in there and unload it- since I'm in there removing a box or two anyways.
Etc. Etc. Etc. I'm always right there to help. I do way more than my position describes. I stay as long as she will let me in order to get something done if I am in the middle of it. I'm not the type to stand idle for the last 15 minutes of my shift because I don't have enough time to finish a task I might be able to start. And I don't take one of my 10 minute breaks 15 minutes before my shift ends either. (Yes, I work with people like that!) And I'm ALMOST always available on a day off if she needs me to come in.
Today was a hellish day. We were over in hours so the two ladies we had, besides myself, working the am shift to pump out some catering trays that were piling up were sent home early. Then at about noon my boss noticed that two of those trays were due TODAY and the ladies had not seen them so there were not done at all. She was saying she was going to have to do them herself when she got back from lunch. So I offered to slice the 12 lbs of meat for her while she was at lunch. I had gotten most of it done for her but not all. So in order to make it easy I offered her my back stock of meats that I make subs out of, since it was the same kind, thus her having to cut even less yet. Then she needed cheese. I don't normally slice my own cheese, that's the job of another one of the am ladies. But I had needed it and didn't want to wait for one of them to do it, so I had sliced it myself the day before. I offered this to my boss as well since it was the same kind the trays called for. No big. I'm happy to give it up if she needs it. When she finished taking the amounts of each item that she needed she was saying, 'Here's your meat back'.... 'Here's your cheese back'. So hopefully you can now imagine my amazement and confusion when she then said to me, 'I'm so good to you!'
And I really don't think it was tongue in cheek because she was 'giving me back' MY meats and cheeses. Maybe. I mean, anything's possible. But sarcasm has never really been her humor style. So it really gave me pause. And I really really really wanted to say, 'YOU are good to ME???' But I figured it wasn't worth it. Let it roll. Whatever she meant is par for the course with her. She's the type to tell you that ,'I've made bonuses twice off of you guys.' Yes, with those exact words. '...off of you guys." And then also be the type to not give us little incentives, buy little Christmas gifts, maybe have a yearly party... etc.
Oh well... C'est la vie.
