Employee Breakdown
As Henry comes out the guest room on the second floor who was on the phone with her boyfriend completing a work order Henry saw his boss approaching him. This man's gruff demeanor was well known to the employees, and no one was ever excited to see him walk up let alone have a conversation with him.
"Hey, you!" the boss barked as he got closer. "Why aren't the exit signs up in the hallway on the third floor yet?"
The maintenance man bristled at the tone. He had just finished a work order on the second floor, and he was on the way to put the exits sign up. He didn't need to be talked to like a child by a man who didn’t even know what materials you need to do the job.
"Don't talk to me like that I talk to you like man I’m a man and you gonna talk to me like a man," Henry said calmly. "I know what I'm doing, all I need are some longer screws and the signs will be up in no time. But the way I don't appreciate your tone."
The boss's face turned red, and right when he opened his mouth to respond, Henry quickly turned around and walked away and didn't stick around to hear it. As he was walking away the boss said loudly I’ll get somebody to do it. Henry says “yeah because we know you can’t do it”, knowing he going be in trouble Monday but feeling proud of himself for standing up for himself.
Later that day, the boss was sitting on the patio to get out the heat, Henry made his way up to the third floor. He saw that one exit signs hanging bye a wire and snitched it down, feeling satisfied that he was doing his job well despite the boss's attitude.
After snatching the exit sign down. Henry was walking to get on the elevator, he saw from the first floor his boss telling him to come here.
30 minutes later
"Hey," it doesn’t take you thirty minutes to come from the third floor to the first floor. He continued with anger in his voice, “why did you snatch my exit sign down like that”? Henry says “first, again talk to me with respect. Second, I had to take the stairs and I like to take my time walking down stairs. Third, I took the sign down because it could fall and hit a guest in head just like I’ll hit someone in the head after constantly being disrespected. The boss walked away madder than when he walked up. After witnessing that conversation one of the hotel workers said "Thanks for standing up to him. He talks to all of us like that, and some are like you, some are too scared to say anything."
Henry smiled and patted her on the shoulder.
"Anytime," he said. "Just remember, he might be your boss and doesn't have any power over you unless you give it to him."