Off The Record

Starbucks Employee Breaks Down Crying After Being Scheduled To Work 8 Hours

Published on January 18, 2023

Work. Truth be told, it often happens. The vast majority of people will hold paid employment at some point during their life. The vast majority of individuals will spend the vast majority of their life employed, toiling away at a job day in and day out to make ends meet and provide for their families.

In a perfect world, you’d love what you do for a living, but the reality is that for many individuals, work is simply a means to an end, a method to make ends meet. The reality is that many people’s first jobs are not what they had hoped for, especially if they are still in school.

What about your first job out of school? Perhaps it was something you really enjoyed. Could have been something you really disliked. A transgender worker at Starbucks recently spoke about how his current position is not ideal.

This Starbucks worker complained about their management, their schedule, their customers, and the lack of a union in a video that was posted to Twitter. The employee filmed himself while hiding in the stockroom. This worker also complained about having to work long hours despite being a full-time student and being “misgendered” by clients.

This worker’s idea of a “long” shift sounds like what? In this case, an eight-hour shift is being discussed. “I’m a full time student. I get scheduled for 25 hours a week, and on weekends they schedule me the entire day, open to close. I’m on the schedule for 8 and a half hours both Saturday and Sunday.”

Trans Barrister has meltdown because 8 hours is too long to work on a day… pic.twitter.com/IfVSzZ4G0w
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) October 30, 2022

The Starbucks worker broke down in tears while explaining why she wanted to leave her job, but many commenters deemed her narrative ludicrous. There’s a post here that asks, “Do I have any sympathy for this young spoiled kid? No. At 17 I was overseas with an M-16. 12 hour days OR around the clock. Bad food, bad weather, dangerous conditions, etc. some of the best times I can remember & friendships that have lasted a lifetime. Grow up kid.”

Another person replied, “I feel like the world is getting softer by the second… Never seen so many babies cry collectively. This world owes us nothing. Work hard and climb the ladder until you can find a position/job that beats you up less. Simple.”

Unfortunately, not everyone shared my view that whining about an 8-hour shift was completely uncalled for. People rallied to defend the Starbucks worker. Among the comments was this one: “He’s allowed to be frustrated at Starbucks and his crappy manager not pulling their weight. People keep bringing up his 8 hrs shifts but working a job on top of being a full time student would be tiring. He’s having a vent, so what.”

Someone else said, “25 hrs a week,& being a full-time student is stressful! We all talk work/life balance, better mental health,& recognizing the signs, but when someone clearly needs it, then we judge them, call them weak, & shame them. Seriously? When are we going to learn? Shame on us, not them!”

To what extent do you agree with this Starbucks worker’s complaint, or do you find their outburst to be completely ridiculous?

Do you think this employee is right? Please SHARE this article with your opinion!