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Topic: How to deal with this stafff issue?

Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 10-10-2005 01:51 PM

quote: Amanda Jones
they don't want this job as their main source of income just to suppliment their current income.

True, for kids can get a better starting wage with wage incentives after a 90 day probation by flipping burgers, filling drinks, and yelling though a mike taking orders at "Greasy Macs", than shoveling popcorn, cleaning toilets and tearing tickets at almost any theatre.

About the only thing that keeps them at the theatres is the free popcorn and soda, free movies and a pleasant atmosphere like they're a part of something, since raises is almost a heathen thing to think about and what are incentives-another bad word in some circuits.

Can't get this with a "grindhouse" operation, you'll go through kids like the plague.

-Monte

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Amanda Jones
Film Handler

Posts: 92
From: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 10-10-2005 01:56 PM

Very true Monte. I had an employee 2 weeks ago come and ask for her job back because though she was making more at her current job she was miserable. Since she was a good employee and gave notice I rehired her.

One of our problems as well is that we don't stay competitive with other theater chains. The AMC 10 minutes from us starts out at $6.25 an hour. Heck when my old theater locked its doors for the last time we were paying $6 an hour to start out with.

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Matt Fields
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 545
From: Ohio, United States
Registered: Jun 2005

posted 10-10-2005 02:14 PM

In general theatre floor workers get paid little because theatre work a) takes little skill or knowledge, b)takes little manual labor, c)is in a comfortable enviroment.

The same could also be said for the "thread jockey" projectionists who are taught little more than how to start a movie.

Of course, it is foolish to just have thread jockeys in the booth.

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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99

posted 10-10-2005 03:25 PM

quote: Brad Miller
Jim, the fact that you are horribly twisting my words around to give the impression that I feel it is *optional* for a staff member to follow a request (or in your case demand) from a manager is really over the top. You seem to think that "respect" means to follow an order from a superior. I suggest you gain a better grasp on the word.

I don't think I was twisting your words by asking a question. As I explained in an earlier post, I am examing this from the perspective of staff respect for the position and the chain of command - not the individual in the position. A staff that respects the chain of command will follow instructions that come out of the chian of command. A staff that does not respect the chain of command will pick and choose what to follow and will generally do what they want to do.

Honestly Brad, what is wrong with that view? You imply that I am some ego-manic for articluating it, yet, when I ask you if you support the converse of that, you say I am horribly twisting your words. You have never once stepped foot into one of my theatres, yet, you seem to be insisting, quite confidantly, that I am an egotist who runs around shouting demands.

In all truth, the disagreement here seems mostly one of semantics and not one of substiance. As a manager I am sure you expect your staff to do what you ask of them regardless of whether they like you or not. As a manager I am sure you would agree that staff doing whatever they wish is harmful to the business and cannot be allowed to continue, regardless of whether the staff likes the manager or not. Respecting your superiors personally is, in my view, what ultimately determines if you will stay at a job or seek other employment.

Actually Brad, if you look at the first comments that both of us made here, they really aren't too far apart at all:

quote: Jim Ziegler

If that is their attitude, then management is not out of line to take the position that their paycheck should be thanks enough and removing perks such as free movie passes for a week or so should send an important message.

The problem though seems to be that you really need a break room or area where they can eat. Make it a closing responsibilty to clean it and have the managers check it every night.

quote: Brad Miller
Now yes there are times to remind them who is in charge, but this situation does seem like a fairly minor problem. I agree that simply assigning a person every night to clean the break room will in most circumstances solve the problem, and if done daily won't take them more than 10 minutes max.

Not really all that far off from what I can see. Let's just call it good and move on.

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Brad Allen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 688
From: Evansville, IN, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 10-10-2005 04:17 PM

Amanda, your chain has always been cheap. They were cheap 30 years ago when I wasted the time to go to an interview for a managers job.

They only wanted the manager to work 70 plus hrs per week at that time. Be in the theatres office EVERY morning @ 9am so they could call the manager. I told them thanks but no thanks.....then muttered, "your nuts" under my breath. [Big Grin]

From the looks of the local theatre here owned by your chain, they haven't changed their ways much over the years.

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Dominic Espinosa
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1172
From: California, U.S.A.
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 10-10-2005 05:12 PM

Amanda, I don't want you to think I'm trying to steal your thread but I think this issue falls into a similar category to yours so in the interest of house keeping I'll add to it my "issue" as yours has drawn close to a solution already.

Now, here's a question for you guys.
How do you approach a superior about doing something blatantly wrong?

I've been running my booth for over a year as close to Film-Done-Right as possible. My new GM came up to check it out the other day and I explained how we do things, after which he proceeded to thread the leader backwards, he WAS going to thread the projector and motor the leader out but I stopped him.
He then proceeded to thread the lower magazine roller and drag my leader across the floor back to the platter. After being told to just bring it back and skip the roller.
Then to add insult to injury I'd already explained that we thread up, not down. So he threads down and puts the leader all over the floor for a second time.
That's where I'll stop before I rant too much.

Now, how do you tell someone who's got 12 years in the business compared to your 3.5 that he's doing it all wrong?
This is of course in regards to more than just threading, but I just used this one incident as an example.
Thanks.

--Dom

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 10-10-2005 08:17 PM

First be careful with your wording. Technically if he got it threaded such that he wasn't scratching the film and got it on screen he didn't do it "wrong", he just did it "poorly" or did not use the "better way" or "in the best interest of the presentation". Essentially his show that time may have looked fine, but from this point on every time that leader is used again, it will transmit more and more dirt into the roll, and eventually dirt turns into scratches, even if there is no misthread. So while yes he did do it wrong, so to say, be careful about using a hard absolute term like that with a superior, which brings me to...

Second, it all depends on the person. If he's got a huge ego and thinks he knows everything, there is nothing you can do to correct him...he is just a bad manager. If he is approachable, then just try and explain why you have worked to get everyone to do things differently. The key word here is "why". If you cannot tell him why he shouldn't let the leader touch the floor, then you really don't have an argument, it's more of a situation where "this is how I was taught". It's like the people who think "the soundtrack has to face towards the screen when traveling to the projector, but the soundtrack has to face away from the screen when traveling away from the projector". Threading like that is retarded and holds no merit as there are reasons as to why that isn't the best way to do things (but that's been covered before).

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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99

posted 10-10-2005 10:07 PM

Brad is right on Dominic. If you explain why you are doing it that way your GM should be accomidating.

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Dominic Espinosa
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1172
From: California, U.S.A.
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 10-10-2005 10:31 PM

We'll certainly hope so, guys.
What I just plain don't want to see happen is the hard work that myself and my assistant have put into putting on the bets show possible go to waste because of a single "old school" mentality.

Since we're now playing their movie sub-run I've seen so much more buildup in the projectors. Hopefully they'll be open minded to the concept using the FilmGuard and media in their booth on NEW prints.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 10-11-2005 01:00 AM

One thing that always bugs me is why most chains wants their managers to "live" at the theatre 45 to 70 hrs a week? Don't these owner know that managers DO have a life outside of the theatre?

I know some circuits that DEMAND that their managers are to be there between 45 and 65 hrs a week, or get a pretty good ripping from the home office - whom those idiots spend only 35 to 38 hrs a week there...

Shoot, when I managed, I played the cards right to where I wasn't giving any company any extra time than needed...and got away with it.

..it's a go-figure thing...

-Monte

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Amanda Jones
Film Handler

Posts: 92
From: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 10-11-2005 01:57 AM

All salaried managers at our chain are required to work 45 hours a week to make their salary. During non-peak time we all work about 45 but during peak time it ends up being 50-55. Its really not that bad. If you properly train your staff to get the concession stand close correctly and in a timely manner and if you utliize your shift managers to their fullest potential then we can get 45 hours a week during peek periods.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 10-11-2005 04:02 AM

Now, back to your original topic: Have you figured out a way to get the employees to quit eating in the locker room, or if they do eat, to clean up after themselves?

If your a supervisor of sorts, have you presented this to the main manager on recommendations, for you seem that this is the manager's responsibility for location cleaninless.

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Dan Suomi
Film Handler

Posts: 53
From: Aurora/Oswego, IL
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 10-11-2005 08:53 AM

I noticed that no one mentioned the part about Amanda's theater making the employees eat in the receiving area. I don't blame them for not wanting to eat there. We have a receiving area here and the compactor is there in the same room as well. I wouldn't eat there if my life depended on it. I would eat in the locker room too.

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Amanda Jones
Film Handler

Posts: 92
From: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 10-11-2005 01:05 PM

Our receiving area is just a big room connected to the concession stand. Our compactor is outside behind the building next to the loading dock. The only thing our receiving area really houses is a some shelves that hold our extra popping salt and popcorn salt for the customers, coffee condiments, and all the Haz Mat books. This is also where the elevator is.

I now have my night usher go in and check the locker room at the end of his shift and our complex threatened to revoke pass privledge if you are caught leaving trash in there.

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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99

posted 10-11-2005 02:44 PM

quote: Monte L Fullmer
One thing that always bugs me is why most chains wants their managers to "live" at the theatre 45 to 70 hrs a week? Don't these owner know that managers DO have a life outside of the theatre?

My salary is based on 50/hrs per week.. I susually exceed that during the peak times, but end up around 45 in the off peak times.

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