For my worst working experience, I would have to say it’s working in the Cantonese Restaurant in Hong Kong due to the following reasons:
- Lack of motivation
- Theory X of management
- Unpleasant working environment and lack of benefits
We have learned in class about intrinsic rewards and extrinsic rewards, and the Cantonese Restaurant that I worked at neither provided them, the workers there were not motivated and were not clear about the company’s goal. Their working attitude showed that they were there just for meeting the working hours and to earn money. So I do not get motivated to work there because there isn’t anything to get me motivated.
The manager used theory X to manage the workers and I understand that. As the workers are not motivated, how could the managers assume that they like the work and give them more freedom? However, I personally prefer the theory Y management style because it allows the workers to think critically and contribute the company in their own ways after fully understanding the company’s goal and committing to the work. I do not like working under strict rules because I think flexibility plays a huge role in building trust between the company and the employees. We do not have a lot of freedom working in there and I don’t feel that I am part of the company either.
The third reason is the dirty environment and lack of benefits. I remembered I used a towel to wipe my hands and the manager came up to me and said that the towel probably is even dirtier than my hands. And for the provided lunch, the quality was just as bad as you could think of. And we are not allowed to have breaks between working hours. So it’s not a fun experience at all.