I work in a restaurant in Nevada and one of the managers has called me a "f---- in" idiot on several occasions. Also, the employees were told by management that only small dixie cups were to be used if we wanted to have a beverage while on shift. One employee used a full size glass with her beverage in it and one of the managers put vinegar in her drink, (the manager admitted to doing this and told the rest of us that if she found any more employee drinks in anything but the mandatory small dixie cups, she would put something in that beverage. I had been given an energy drink earlier in my shift from a distributor who wanted me to try it and give my oppinion to him later. Several hours later, when things were slow, I decided to try it, only it was warm, so I put the drink on ice in a full size glass. Later I found that my drink contained salt and garlic in it. I confronted the manager about this situation and her reply was, yes I put those things in your drink, and I warned all of you that I would do this if I found anyone using full size glasses for their beverages. Is this illigal for her to do? What if I was deathly allergic to something she put in my beverage. These manager don't seem to have a clue about proper management. What can be done to stop these childish actions and vulgar remarks? I have kept a log of all incidents and witnesses to these facts. respectfully, cc

1. Obscene language. Not illegal (stupid and childish, but not illegal) unless the language was sexual in nature AND directed toward you BECAUSE of a protected characteristic of yours (most generally, you gender or sexual orientation). Even so, one such comment wouldn't generally reach the level of an illegal "hostile working environment".

2. Putting vinegar in cups as discipline/punishment? Not illegal, because vinegar (or salt, or garlic) is not a normally a toxic substance, but how old is this guy? Three? :eek:

If there is an owner or HR representative you can talk to, I would encourage you to speak with them. However, if they choose to do nothing, I'd be high-tailing it out of there and fast. :rolleyes:

Agree that this guy sounds immature but it isn't illegal. Not to over generalize but it isn't uncommon to find poor management skills in the restaurant industry. However, jobs in the restaurant business are usually plentiful due to high turn over so there isn't much reason to stick around a bad situation for long. You can try appealing to another manager or the owner but you can't force this guy to change his ways.

As for puttingthings in your drink, I suggest you follow his directives and not use anything but the dixie cups at work.

I agree. Why would OP submit themselves KNOWINGLY to this? If it is required that you not use a full size glass, why would you ignore your boss's "order"? If you had not ignored it, you wouldn't have reason to be mad. You knew what the consequences were. Since you thought what was going on was illegal, I think you expected to be able to "throw" it back in the manager's face, but it backfired on you, instead.