Safety should always be the top priority in almost any job, and this is especially true for jobs at train stations.
What happens when a manager tells a new employee to do something that improves safety a little bit but causes all the trains to be delayed?
This is exactly the situation the man in this story had to deal with, but in the end he managed to put his boss in his place.
Read on to find out all the details.
I had just started working as a safety officer/customer service representative for one of the major railway companies.
You can imagine that this is basically like herding sheep and is not very effective.
Safety is the most important thing.
People have to go somewhere, but I would rather they didn’t die in the process.
One of the bosses was transferred to my station during his probationary period; the police description of this guy as an asshole couldn’t have fit him better if he’d tried.
Ugg, I hate people like that.
It looked like he had been dreaming of wearing a meaningful badge for the last 40 years, and by God, he was going to use it.
On every platform there is a yellow line on the floor, a few meters from the edge, which indicates where you are not allowed to walk so that you don’t become the train’s doormat due to the turbulence.
Simple things. When a train arrives, everyone has to stay behind it.
No problems so far, this is literally my job.
For weeks he had been a pedant, insisting on his method but disguising it by saying that “it came from headquarters”. But on this particular day his intention, whatever it was, came out with full force and he made no secret of it.
If a train has stopped and there isn’t a whole bunch of people at the door, we usually don’t mind if one or two people (you know, the Londoners who don’t want to wait) stand by the door. It’s efficient at least.
The train had stopped, three people were waiting for the doors to open, which they did, and the train left.
This guy literally starts screaming from across the platform in front of the other passengers and is giving me hell.
Security yes, but that was obscene.
I am sure that the railway company knew what it was doing; an unscrupulous manager was not necessary.
So he decided to make his own rule
“If you’re going to pass this probationary period, I want to see everyone behind the yellow line for a full 30 seconds before you signal the doors to open. If even one person moves, talk to them about safety and wait again.”
“To be clear, the 30 seconds will be reset every time someone isn’t listening and goes too far.”
“Did I stutter?”
Do you have something? Oh, you’re really sweet, kid!
I bet the passengers were CRAZY!
To be honest, I spent more time watching the clock that day than anything else.
Remember, it is for your safety!
Plot twist? Two-track station, one into the city, one on the way to London.
There is no getting around it. If a train is delayed, nothing moves.
About two hours later, the nerdy manager actually comes running down the platform.
You would think the manager would figure it out.
“What the hell are all these delays?! Headquarters is killing us!”
“I’m just making sure we stick to the 30 seconds, boss! I’ve never had so much feedback on safety!”
“The feedback I get is that we now have a bottleneck at this station with almost ten trains.”
“First of all, you have a bottleneck that is not our fault. Secondly, I am only doing exactly what you asked.”
His face turned serious as he realized what had happened.
“Well, then you can talk to the area manager and explain it to them, because he will be here in about fifteen minutes.”
“He’s coming here? HAH! DEAL!”
Has he turned as white as a sheet? Yes.
Did he try to stop me from meeting the area manager? Yes
Was he successful? No!
This guy has been causing trouble from the start.
What followed was a conversation of about twenty minutes between me and the area manager, during which I discovered that this manager had been transferred more than once for “various reasons.”
The meeting between the two lasted no more than 90 seconds.
Then a very embarrassed looking manager slowly crept up to me and said in the quietest voice ever, “You are doing a good job, I trust you to handle the onboarding process at your own discretion” and then immediately scurried away.
He’s moved on from the matter now, but apparently it was a personal request this time… I don’t know why.
Why does power go to so many people’s heads?
Let’s see what some people have said in the comments on this story.
Precisely.
A hint would be nice.
He really should have realized it.
The difference can be subtle. lol.
He did exactly what he was told.
People in power should not seek power.
If you enjoyed this post, also read this story about an employee who took revenge on a colleague who repeatedly gave his work suspiciously low grades.
