Toxic work places

Let's start with some history. Over the years I've always worked in food, mostly fast food. My first job was with McDonald's, I stayed with them for about five years, maybe close to six?

This first job wasn't a terrible experience. Did I love it.. not even close. But it wasn't a toxic environment.

I later ran a Subway as a GM. Again did I love this job, no but I loved most the people I worked with. When a job transforms from working with coworkers/employees to feeling like your working with family.. that's when you're in a decent position. You may still not like the job itself but the people around you make it better!

With that said.. It will make it even harder to find happiness at work once people start to leave. Which is what happend to me. Once I lost one of my best employees it all fell apart. And eventually I ended up leaving barely a month or so after.

Now let's get to the toxic work places.

After subway I briefly worked at a vet as a vet assistant. Nothing interesting in this one since it was for about a month. I then went off and started working at a McDonald's once again, giving up the option of working at Pizza Hut as a GM. Why?? Because it was something familiar, something I already new. That and I was practically promised to be quickly moved back up to an assistant manager position by the end of the year.

All started good, about after a week it all came back to me. I hadn't worked at McDonald's for about four years. And things always change in fast food. So by a month in I was promoted to shift manager which meant that in about another month I should have either been promoted again or evaluated and given a chance to work on any issues. This is not what happened in my case..

The work connection between the GM and myself was fine until I started making her kitchen workers work extra, than they were used to. And they started complaining. I explained that they would just be standing around while we were busting our butts up front. She didn't believe me, and would continue to get complaints from them when we got out late due to the fact they got permission not to do the extra tasks.. how does this make sense? I'm still not sure..

about a month of constant follow up on things that I would rarely do or miss, atleast compared to every other shift manager. I had enough. It wasn't just a every week or other day.. no it was every day something was wrong. Now let me clerify.. it was about every other week until I went above her head since she wasn't giving me any answer on moving me up. And the district manager set up a meeting.. which I thought would be between me and him.. to my surprise she was also in this meeting and would constantly try to throw me under the bus that had no reason to be brought up. She would say I would try to avoid being up front by helping kitchen too much though I would only help till they have a couple orders left and then go upfront and go back if they needed me again. I couldn't help that she would just sit in the office listing to her phone.. even when yelling for help.

So this gave me insight... she wasn't going to promote me, and now I was a target. Which started the everyday follow ups, which led to more stress and anxiety and then emotional break downs. The few things I learned from this is that if you are basically promised a position and you get nothing but silence from them afterwards and it's been months... you're not getting it and they are just using you. Along with if you continue to be the hardest worked and follow rules and do your best.. and yet you still are the most talked to... you've become a target and they want you to leave.. only because they envy something and can't fire you because they have no legit reason. So you're options are stay and see if you can mentally take it and hopefully you stop being a target or in my case and what I recommend.. get the hell out of there. There should be no reason that a job should put that much stress and pressure on a person. And you don't deserve it and they don't deserve you.