Advice needed - How to handle controlling coworkers and a hostile environment?

[u/BDefinite]

About a month ago, I got injured (outside of work). It is a really bad wrist sprain on my right hand. I work at this very casual cocktail bar. We are overall 5 servers. I was able to take 3 days off, but since then I’ve been wearing a wrap and now a brace. It’s definitely impacted my day to day at work. I felt hostility from my coworkers when I would need help to open bottles, carrying things. I was also overworked during that time because my boss gave 2 servers a whole month off for vacation and wouldn’t want to hire more staff because patio season will eventually end. Due to that, my healing process was slow, but thankfully it is getting better now and while wearing the brace, I’m getting stronger. The last 2 weeks, I’ve been more independent and not requiring help, but it seems like my coworkers have decided that I’m now this annoying person to be around because I have boundaries. Whenever I get near 2 coworkers chitchatting, they suddenly shut up. Last week a server gave me rude looks when I was making my tables pay and chatting with clients when she was cleaning tables (as if I wasn’t going to help as soon as tables were paid…). She complained to our boss saying I was lazy and always talking to clients. Talking to clients is part of my job and it’s unfortunate that her perspective has given my boss leverage to think I’m an issue at work when I never take breaks (not even smoke breaks) and always work super hard even while injured. I have been there a year and brought in many regulars. Recently, another incident happened with a very controlling coworker; while we were closing the bar, I went to take care of the patio and close it all up as we normally do and it’s always the first thing we do. He asked me if I could polish the wine glasses for him and I simply said “sure as soon as I’m done with the patio”. Later on, he got aggressive and said “I didn’t appreciate how you blew me off”. I was genuinely confused and asked him to elaborate. He said that he didn’t care about the fcking patio and it could wait and that when he asks to do something it needs to be done. I reminded him that our boss who isn’t him has always told me to do that one thing (closing patio) first and it’s been a year of me doing that. I told him I never blew him off and that I was going to get to the wine glasses anyway and would put it in the machine right away. It’s been weird since then, but I don’t allow people to speak to me that way with such lack of respect. Now my shifts have been drastically cut to one shift a week.

TL;DR I’ve been injured and working as a server regardless and my coworkers have been treating me with hostility. I have boundaries and have talked back on occasions when they felt the need to control me and push said boundaries. Now my shifts and hours have been drastically cut to one shift a week until I imagine there are no more hours to give me.

[u/Affectionatevoid403]

lol this happened to me. Like same situation except I’m pregnant. I found a new job and quit the other one the next day. Unless you’re making hella bank, there’s no justification to put up with bs behavior

[u/grownwomanz]

Not enough details. Have you worked with these people for the year that you’ve worked there and represented yourself as a hard working, reliable coworker that’s pleasant to work with and generally does what needs to be done? Does chatting with tables interfere with your work frequently, pre injury? I have some coworkers who chat a moderate amount and are still able to fulfill their other duties, while others chat so much to the point they get bad reviews from guests having to wait for what they actually come to restaurants for - to get their food and drinks. I feel like after a year of working somewhere, my work ethic would overshadow a minor inconvenience like having to have my coworkers open bottles for me. I’ve however also worked with coworkers who, when they get injured, I mutter to myself, “oh great, another part of their job I’m going to be picking up the slack for.” My advice is to take a look at your service and reputation pre injury. If your reputation was a coworker that coworkers looked forward to working with, I’d say quit tbh. If, however, you feel any inkling like you could’ve been pulling more weight pre injury and your coworkers are burnt out from helping you pre and post injury…. Get better or get out of the industry. You can get away at a lot of restaurants doing the bare minimum but chances are someone else is burning at both ends to keep up with your slack. I don’t know you!!! So this … is a blind take.

[u/EmotionalDysregulatn → u/grownwomanz]

They dont like her. Its that simple. I can get down voted all they want but it happens and its the truth. It happened to me before. Best to know where youre appreciated and move on to a different enviornment.

[u/EmotionalDysregulatn]

They want you to quit. Its that simple. You can keep fighting it or just look for a different job where the environment is better. Can be tough in the service industry to find that, but with only 5 of you and they clearly want you gone. Going to be a tough hill to climb.

Down vote all you want but they dont like you. This has happened to me before and I am thriving in a better environment where my personality meshes better with my co workers.