Letter to the owner about the state of his company. Consequences?

LegacyUser

Hi all,

So I am currently working in a bar full time, been here a year or so and am at supervisor position. We have 3 sites and we have an operations manager looking over the 3. To say he's a joke is an understatement. I won't go into it but the business is failing and it's all down to him...solely. He's conned his way in and he's fúcking it up big time. I was offered assistant manager and turned it down. Reason I gave was that I was seeking work in a different field (which is true) but reality is I can't work with someone of his calibre (bad mouthing me to other members of my team purely to validate himself, allowing the person who racially abused me to go unpunished, etc.). I have't really confronted him because I know I won't be here too long (hopefully) and he can be pretty vindictive. I know the advice would be to just leave but I wouldn't leave without another job lined up.

Anyway, I may have a job lined up in a completely new sector, saying goodbye to hospitality for good (Huzzah). The owner of the business is clueless to what's going on. Our Operations Manager feeds him full of lies about why things aren't working out as well as they are, mainly blaming us. Our chef is the best I've ever worked with, produced the greatest menu I've ever had the pleasure of seeing and put us on the map as one of, if not the best place for food. Well he's leaving now, and it's 100% down to our Operations Manager. Getting in the way, stopping any advancement, anything to make it look like he's relevant. In short, he's playing pub, it's all a game. He hasn't a clue what he's doing but he likes the idea of what he's doing.

When I leave, I will have no ties to the company at all. I won't even need a reference from them. I want to let the owner know what's going on through a letter. I will be careful about not putting any here-say in it and I don't want to just vent. The business is going to fail, purely due to this guy.

Can anyone think of any potentially bad outcomes to this? Morally, ethically or otherwise? I just want to give the owner a summary of my tenure in his company, telling him things he probably doesn't know. But I don't know what the potential repercussions are, to me or the rest of my colleagues.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Meathlass

Would you have a sit down meeting with the owner instead to outline your concerns. Don't make it personal about the Operations Manager, just say the mistakes you see in the business. If you could get the chef to back you up it's better.

I wouldn't do this though if I had to live and work in a small area where the Operations Manager is also and be prepared for the owner to give you short shift.

gandalf

Meathlass wrote: »

Would you have a sit down meeting with the owner instead to outline your concerns. Don't make it personal about the Operations Manager, just say the mistakes you see in the business. If you could get the chef to back you up it's better.

I wouldn't do this though if I had to live and work in a small area where the Operations Manager is also and be prepared for the owner to give you short shift.

I'd think this would be a better approach than just sending a letter.

One thing to watch out for is to ensure the Operations Manager is not related to the owner or has a relationship with them that is outside the sphere of the business.

I do think it is commendable that you are prepared to give feedback to the owner eventhough you are leaving the industry but I would be seriously concerned that the owner is not able to see what is going on with their business anyway. Like Meathlass says I wouldn't make the Ops Manager the focus of your conversation I would make the shortcomings in the business as you see it. If the owner is any kind of good business person they should recognise where the issues are and deal with them. If they can't see this just be thankful you have sorted out a position elsewhere.

LegacyUser

Thanks everyone for your replies. The owner does not live locally, I've only met him once, briefly, so a sit down is out of the question I think. The problem is that I do think they are mates, but at the end of the day the owner is the one with money invested in it and it's all been pissed away. Loads of other bars like ours are expanding faster than anything and we're stagnant. It is down to the OM's actions and nothing more. So many people have come forward, ready to lead and he stops them in their tracks, then comes back 6 months later with their idea claiming it as his own. The problem is that he's the direct link to the owner and he fills him full of nonsense. I don't live near him and I'd never see him again so I don't care about any repercussions from him at all.

I'm going to sit on it for the moment though and I'll tell you why. Myself and my manager closed up last night and had a few drinks. Just as I was ready to go, I see downstairs the OM's mate trying to get in (the two of them were in earlier having a drink). So I open the door and the OM and his mate stroll in and upstairs. We're under strict instructions not to have anyone in after we close and in he walks with his mate, locked.

Anyway, I know my manager is drunk as well and I feel there's something about to be said so I make my excuses and go (tried to tell my manager to be cool but he's a brick wall). I get a text an hour later from my manager saying that he's been sacked for calling the OM a cúnt. Apparently he has a half hour video of the OM giving him a torrent of abuse. I've never gone into work early before but on my way in now. I'll keep you posted. This pub is like a soap opera!

Meathlass

I'm revising my earlier post based on above. Stay well out of it OP. If the owner and the OM are mates there's nothing you can do. You don't seem to have a hands on relationship with the owner at all so I'd just leave it. Some people have to learn the hard way.

whippet

I worked in a load of pubs / hotels etc when I was a student and they all have the potential to be a soap opera.

The fact that in many places staff can have a drink in the workplace after hours and after shifts does not help matters. I actually stopped even having a quick shandy after shifts as I had pain in my arse with the nonsense that could go on and fuelled by drink a seemingly harmless difference of opinion could escalate quickly to a nasty situation.

My only advise would be forget about - if you put something in writing be prepared to stand in front of a court and substantiate every single claim you make .. while it might not happen if they are mates, potentially anything written down can come back to bite you in the arse.

I think when you try to write down facts with no embellishment or emotive language the tone of your letter will probably be totally different to what you are currently thinking!

A lot of what you are thinking of writing is emotionally charged and your opinion not hardened fact.

ongarboy

If the owner is not clued in enough to recognise incompetence and fails to see through bull, a**e licking and cover ups, then you have to leave him suffer the consequences of his poor overall running of the business.

As you are about to move onto a more pleasant chapter in your life, I would close the last one and just move on. I would probably advise differently if you were forced to stick the current job out of necessity but you will gain nothing by opening a can of worms now.

LynnGrace

ongarboy wrote: »

If the owner is not clued in enough to recognise incompetence and fails to see through bull, a**e licking and cover ups, then you have to leave him suffer the consequences of his poor overall running of the business.

As you are about to move onto a more pleasant chapter in your life, I would close the last one and just move on. I would probably advise differently if you were forced to stick the current job out of necessity but you will gain nothing by opening a can of worms now.

Agree with this. It's decent of you to want to let the owner know, but I'd be inclined to let him find out for himself.

Best of luck in the new role.

wmpdd3

I have done this in the past especially places that treated me really well and the fact that I grew up in a business.

But in this case, no, say nothing. Its not worth it.