What it means to be a âManagerâ
When you think of being a manager--some would say they get to do whatever they want, whenever they want. Some would assume that their title gives them the privilege to do whatever they please. While it maybe true, itâs also important to show your team that you are on their side; no matter what. My experiences with managers have varied. I have had some great ones and some not so great ones.Â
One story, in particular, is from my very first week at Banana Republic. Like every retail job, you find your strong skills and you build your weak skills. I have no trouble speaking to people, so that was definitely my strongest skill. My weakness was the lack of patience I had for ignorance. That said, I was using my strong skill of speaking in Spanish to help these two ladies with new outfits. I walked up to these ladies and proceeded to help them. They were so happy with my taste in wardrobe. I noticed my Visual Manager watching me and assumed she was just observing my customer service. Because of that, I made sure I showed nothing but respect and honesty with these two customers. As Iâm walking them to the fitting room I noticed my Visual Manager walking over to me and yelled at, âYou canât help your family.â After responding that they werenât, I apologized to the customers and offered them a 20% discount.Â
âYou canât help your family.âÂ
HOLD UP, WHAT? WHAT? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?Â
Me: (Speaking to customers while walking them to the fitting rooms)
Visual Manager: You canât help your family!
Me: (Turns around in disgust) No......
Visual Manager: Oh, do they just speak the same foreign language?Â
Those words will never leave my head. After it happened, I spoke to my General Manager and she did absolutely nothing. She claims that I didnât care but I did. I did care. As a Hispanic woman, I care about how I am treated by my fellow coworkers and managers. I donât expect much but I do expect respect. My Visual Manager never apologized nor did my General Manager. In fact, they gave me a four cent raise.Â
Thatâs how Banana Republic dealt with this ball of ignorance. I stayed until I couldnât do it anymore. My visual manager treated me like a foreigner. She made me feel dumb. Meanwhile, my General manager had no care for me. She didnât care about anyone but herself. She protected someone that made me feel uncomfortable and dumb.
I moved to another company and I have never been happier. Loft is amazing and filled with love. I am treated like a human being with thoughts, feelings, and respect. Leaving Banana Republic was easy because I knew I didnât want to stay with a company that protected a racist, ignorant human being.Â
BEING A MANAGER is about respect. Itâs about treating your team like warriors. Itâs about understanding them and seeing them as the best people ever. They are there for hours, on their feet, and most likely thinking about the many things that go on in their lives. A job should be a safe place not a place you feel uncomfortable and threaten. I will never work for a company like that ever again.Â
So, know this, if you are mistreated at work--stand up for yourself. Donât drown yourself in disrespect and make sure you keep your head up. Being a manager is about respect and if your manager doesnât follow that, leave. Itâs the best thing to do.Â
