UK Restaurant Employee Fired For "Using Phone" At Workplace

A woman in the United Kingdom, who worked at a restaurant, has claimed that she was fired from her job for "phone usage", as per a report in the New York Post. The incident occurred just after she had completed two weeks at the eatery, Toast, which is located in Manchester. 

Twenty-year-old Sophie Alcock told Kennedy News that she secretly made a video of herself getting fired by her boss who said that she had "the worst day of work he'd ever seen". She told the outlet, "The way he fired me was so unprofessional, and he couldn't provide me with a just cause."

Ms Alcock said that she went to the eatery on July 6 and informed the owner, Matt, that she was probably "distracted" because she was "anxiously" waiting for her college results. She asserted that it was her first and only encounter with Mr Matt and that at the time he appeared to be "fine" with her work ethic.

"He didn't say I wasn't doing my job properly. I got out every order on time," she said, adding that a rumour also circulated among staff members that she was getting fired for her "attitude". Ms Alcock said she found it "weird" when another chef asked if Mr Matt had approached her. "I half-jokingly said, 'No, am I getting fired?' and they said, 'Yes probably,'" Ms Alcock told the outlet.

Further, she emailed the owner to confirm the rumours. However, they turned out to be true and was confirmed to her that she was "no longer required ... to work at Toast." She told the outlet, "He couldn't be bothered to do it face to face."

She then approached her ex-boss and recorded the argument, in which he stated that she had been staring at her phone for "four hours". Ms Alcock opened the screen-time tracker on her phone to refute his accusations and claimed that it revealed the phone had only been used for two hours and 40 minutes that day. She also mentioned that much of the screen time occurred before and after her shift hours. "I was on it for about an hour, 10 to 15 minutes every so often, and I took two breaks to go outside. If I was on my phone in the kitchen, there were no orders," Ms Alcock told Kennedy News.

Additionally, she claims that Mr Matt criticised her "for eating" during her shift, which included breakfast when she came in and lunch afterwards. Not only this, the 20-year-old also asked the restaurant owner whether he "always interrupts women" when they talk since he interrupted her frequently throughout their tense conversation.

"It wasn't really a conversation, it was me getting upset and him saying he didn't like where the conversation was going. He basically said I was lazy, and it was the worst day of work he'd ever seen, but everyone I know will testify that I'm not a lazy person. I'm not saying my shift was perfect, but I had extenuating circumstances. He could have told me how he wants his kitchen run, but he just fired me." she argued. 

According to the outlet, a spokesperson of the restaurant confirmed that she does not work there anymore. In a statement, the restaurant said, "Over our six years as an independent high street cafe we have striven for a great atmosphere for customers and staff alike, but accept that this has not been Sophie's experience. We have made contact to see if she would like to discuss her concerns further and we are taking on board her views and reviewing improvements we can make. Sophie is being paid for the hours she worked. We wish her well in the future."