Front Desk Clerk Quits – And Leaves A Note

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About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. That guest’s advice was right. Companies won’t promote an employee who is willing to do a bunch of extra work for free. But so many people fall for the old, outdated notion that if they work hard and make an effort for the company, the company will reward them.

    They will not.

    Good luck to that front desk lady in her next job.

  2. Great letter.

    Most of us who have decades of experience in the “business world” know that oftentimes it is the incompetent or underqualified employees that are promoted.

    “The Dilbert Principle is a concept in management developed by Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, which states that companies tend to systematically promote incompetent employees to management to get them out of the workflow.” In real life, the Peter Principle simply does not hold true.

  3. Exhibit 1A for “why do we have a labor shortage right now”.

    It ain’t government stimulus, it’s greedy as f corporations who treat employees like heap, replaceable cogs that they only want to squeeze as dry as they can before moving on to the next.

    All while calling them “heros” and “essential workers” in their PR campaigns.

  4. Well that would be quite the surprise for a guest. Glad it seems this one was understanding. Definitely wish the front desk clerk well. But good to her for sticking it to the management.

  5. Not surprised. I’ve personally experienced this as well. When you become irreplaceable, you are irreplaceable. Management whether sit on it then promote. They always say that well, they promote the position to see what’s out there, then they see someone they like, they hire. They created an awkward situation environment, and they feel “hey we got new blood and still has a great worker to be managed. That’s what MBA school crap they teach. Stupid theory and psychology mumble jumble.

  6. As a former airline ground operations / customer service supervisor, I feel for Millie. What happened to her is all too common. I wish her well in the future. If I owned a business, I’d hire her on the spot. Employees like her are worth their weight in gold to a business. However, she’s learned a valuable lesson. MissMarirose stated it perfectly.

    Over the decades, I’ve noticed the gradual devaluation of customer service employees by both managers and customers. CS is a brutal line of work. No one gets paid enough to be treated badly at work by customers. In my years, I had things thrown at me, was spit at, had people try to hit me… This must end.

  7. If this is how she faces rejection for a job she’s shown how immature she is. Leaving a note is unprofessional and I’m sure her managers saw glimpses of this type of behavior that disqualified her from a leadership position. People in the workforce

    Suck it up. Grow up. If you don’t like your job, polish yourself and your resume and apply for another. Instead she embarrassed herself and her managers. Karma is a bitch and guaranteed if she stays in the industry she’s run into the same people again. Typical millennial that has to get likes and go viral. Everything has to be made public

    People don’t understand that there is a right and a wrong way to address a grievance or concern.

  8. Ceddit isn’t working for me right now. Anyone able to identify the hotel so I can avoid it in the future? There’s mention of it being a Staybridge Suites but I can’t find anything to identify the specific property.

  9. I hope Milly sends this to the corporate office. Do we think Brian will do anything but shred it? Nope.

  10. @jamesb2147 – There’s a zip code on the piece of paper in the lower right. 50266 – West Des Moines, IA. That would be my guess.

  11. Another sad example of how in the USA today, workplace loyalty is a ONE WAY STREET. (She works her derriere off for her employer, gets bupkis for it.)

    Good for her. I’d hire her in a millisecond. (She’s such an outstanding employee that the Latin prefix for “one thousand” was named for her! )

    (BTW “Mets Fan in NC”, you clearly have a minority opinion, obviously never in that situation yourself which MANY people have been, hopefully you’re not anyone’s boss. “The photo went viral on Reddit, with over 9.4 thousand comments. Virtually all replies (and 9 out of 10 above) were in agreement with Milly, … “)

  12. Mets Fanin NYC. You are way off base regarding this. Her comments were professional and down to earth. This young lady put up with way too much and this is her way of speaking out. Couldn’t disagree with your comments more. Maybe you are “Brian” in disguise! You also might want to pick a new baseball team!

  13. @jamesb2147 The property is the Staybridge Suites, West Des Moines, IA.

    @Mets Fan I am guessing that Millie doesn’t care about the hotel industry anymore. Management in America are cruel, cunning, egotists who routinely treat hourly employees like dirt. There is a similar behavior in most Fortune 500 companies’ management teams. Use people in any way possible to get ahead. Lie to your employees about their value and then compensate as little as possible. The “Great Resignation” isn’t a myth, it is happening because of these behaviors! But I am guessing that you are disconnected from this reality. Also, your grammar and punctuation are poor…

  14. Whatever happened to two weeks notice? Y’all are really defending a woman who just rejects her responsibility this way?

  15. @brteacher

    You live in the past. The vast majority of hourly employees give NO notice. Especially true for millennials and Gen Z. That behavior has been caused by the poor treatment of employees. Treat employees as if you need them, not like a necessary evil.

  16. @brteacher

    If the laws in most states feature at-will employment, why should 2 weeks notice still be a thing? It’s only fair, the employer can fire someone on the spot and is not obligated to pay 2 weeks severance.

  17. I would like to hire Millie if she is still looking for a job. We treat employees better than most hotel companies (then again that is true for most employers except fast food).

  18. @Red

    Exactly! Companies treat employees poorly and then expect the employees to treat them better.

  19. I’ve worked in an organization that has over 300,000 people. I personally have over 500 in my structure. Been in the business almost 30 years

    I can count on two or three fingers how many employees have been fired on the spot. I can also tell you with absolute certainty that there are a lot of employees that think they’re rock stars but are difficult to work with, entitled, feel their problems are their employers problems etc. I agree quality employees are worth their weight in gold and should be valued and fairly compensated. It’s a two way street. Most posters are always “pro the little guy” but everyone on this board has work with a “little guy” that was an absolute slacker and thought he was a star. The letter that was dropped for the customers to see was grandstanding and done to embarrass the company and Manager. No one really knows if what she says is true or her perception of true and everyone is jumping to take her side.

    The issue was between her employer and her. Bringing customers into it is like bringing children into an argument between husband and wife

    Totally inappropriate

  20. @Mets Fan

    Since YOU have “been in the business almost 30 years” and obviously management, YOU are the problem. YOU think that YOU know it all! Management covers for management in every company that I have worked. Managers can be absolutely rotten and the employees have no recourse, other than quitting. Being in management, YOU have no idea what hourly employees go through on an everyday basis. Managers like YOU, hide behind YOUR doors and dictate policy, but have no clue about what is actually going on, in the day to day operations of YOUR organization. Millie had grievances and Brian ignored them. Is that tolerated in YOUR organization?

    Also customers should know whether or not there are shady management practices in an organization that can affect them. I should be able to give my business to an organization that earns my trust! For example, no lodging establishment should have a woman be the only employee on site. This is a serious security issue! Is Brian’s job performance not a concern here? The “Great Resignation” is happening because of these attitudes and policies.

    YOUR management mindset is disgusting! I wish I knew who YOUR company is, so that I can avoid using them.

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