Our Boss Loves Making Empty Promises

I worked for a restaurant, and our boss loved making empty promises about giving us restaurant shares.

The boss said we would start with zero shares, but we could earn 0.01% for every two hours of overtime, covering someone else’s work or saving the restaurant 1,000 bucks.

I suggested she write this down in an official document and have someone track it properly.

She just smiled and told everyone to work harder. She never actually put it in writing.

The experienced staff did not believe her, but one prep cook took it seriously. At the end of the year, he went to the boss to claim his shares.

The boss said, “Sorry, the head chef told me there’s no official document, so it doesn’t count. You can’t claim any shares.”

The prep cook worked hard all year and got nothing for it, so he took his anger out on me. The day before I was going home for the New Year, he killed me with a knife.

“If you hadn’t said it doesn’t count without an official document, this whole restaurant would’ve been mine!”

I lay in a pool of blood. When I opened my eyes, I was back to the day the boss first made those empty promises.

“Young people need to work hard. If you work hard, you’ll be rewarded. At the end of the year, I’ll give out shares based on how much each person worked. Everyone will get a bonus!

“Today, Kaden cleaned the restroom without being asked. He’ll get a 0.01% increase in shares at the end of the year, and I’ve noted it down. Everyone should follow his example.”

Jennifer Tadley, our boss, was a woman in her forties. She wore a lot of makeup, and we could smell her pungent perfume when she walked by.

Looking at everything around me, I realized I had been reincarnated to the day Jennifer first made those empty promises to the staff.

In my past life, Jennifer asked me to stay behind after the meeting. “You’re the head chef, so you need to set an example. Next year, when I open a new restaurant, I’ll have you manage it.

“For every two hours of overtime, covering someone else’s work, or saving the company 1,000 dollars, you’ll get 0.01% more shares. I told them this, but for you, I’ll double the rewards.”

Hearing this, I asked her to write down the policy and give everyone an official document.

That way, if she changed her mind, we would have proof.

Jennifer took a sip of tea, looked at me, and said, “I need to figure out how to write the document. You can go back to work for now.”

I did not say anything. I figured I could work harder once she actually sent the document.

It was fair to earn more when someone worked harder. I did not ask Jennifer to write the policy in front of everyone because I did not want to put her in a difficult position.

After weeks of waiting, there was still no official document for this policy. However, I kept hearing her promise Kaden more shares.

Kaden Lowe, the prep cook, worked overtime every day. He earned 3,500 dollars a month but chose to take 2,000 less. He also worked extra jobs like washing ingredients, cleaning, and running food. After a year of hard work, he asked Jennifer how many shares he could get.

Without hesitation, Jennifer threw me under the bus. “Aaron said that without an official document, the rewards don’t count. So, you can’t get any shares.”

Jennifer was all talk. No one took her seriously, except for Kaden. Asking for shares was impossible. Everyone was just thankful she paid them their salary on time.

Kaden realized Jennifer had been tricking him for a whole year, yet he blamed me for everything. As I locked up the restaurant and headed home, he killed me with a knife.

Given another chance, I was determined to make sure this foolish employee and dishonest boss paid the price!