Working at Caffe Nero??

Eh... I wish N@f4w350m3 words were true since I work there. Let's see:

"Caffe Nero provide 1/2 hour breaks for under 18s every 4 hours and 20 minute breaks every 6 hours for over 18s. These breaks are also provided with free food and drink from the store. I will be shocked If you can tell me any other hospitality establishment that consistently provides this."

False. up to 6h there is no break nor food or drinks at all. for over 6h there's one sandwich and 2 drinks between water and coke.

"According to some you dont get paid for over time at the store closing.. you get 30 whole minutes to close the store!! If you take longer than this its probably because you are incompetent and incapable of decent labour. Seriously, who cant clean a coffee machine, a dishwasher and the floor in half an hour.. especially when there is TWO of you doing it."

False. We don't get paid for overtime. Never. And those 30 whole minutes are absolutely not enough for cleaning a coffee machine, a dishwasher and the floor since you have to add two toilets to be bleached and mopped, muffins to be moved in their box, trash to be removed and all the cups/jugs/equipment to be washed belonging to the last customers. Especially when there is ONLY YOU doing it as the other person is in the office counting the tills and filling the paperworks.

"In regards to progression, store and area managers are constantly on the look out for "rising stars" (this, for all you work shy/lazy people means someone who is great at their job, customer service, cares about the company etc and therefore will become great managers. Not for the people to strive to work at mcdonlads or want a job where you can skive off, not give a damn and go home early.. yeah folks.. you will never get employed) and they will be helped to climb the ladder within the company using appropriate training courses which involve travel, which is also completely paid for, leading to running your own store or area or becoming part of the team at head office, all of which are incredibly highly paid jobs with lots of bonus's."

False again. I became shift leader in basically no time copying the answers from a colleague's book despite those answers were almost all wrong. Payrise? few cents per hour. Incredibly high paid jobs at head office? That at least explains why anyone out of head office, including managers, get between 11k and 14k per year.

"All in all I believe that Nero is a fantastic company to work for and for the unfortunate lot who didnt think so I reckon its because they have no idea what a days work involves, have no people skills and probably dont work at all now. Benefits much?"

I do work there. And I have friends in different nero shops, baristas and managers. Oddly enough, we all share the same opinion. Probably you work for a caffe nero in a parallel universe.

In addition to all of this, I'd like to make you aware of the fact I once fell sick after 1h into a shift, got fever and asked my manager to substitute me for the day. Manager reply was "nobody is available" and made me work for 9h, the entire shift, despite my fever. Even customers were saying "you shouldnt be here, go home". At shop's closing time, I stated I was going home and manager complained about me not doing my part of cleaning. Unbelievable.