LOS ANGELES, CA— Local roaster Brian Mendez has received some pushback this morning after requesting four days off in January; even more troubling, our sources say he’s not alone in this experience.
“I asked for a week off in January, you know, giving them a couple months notice,” he told our reporters. “My manager was like, who’s going to cover your shift? You’re the only one who can roast.” According to Mendez, he hasn’t taken a day off in over three years, as he’s been the only roaster the whole time.
So why did Mendez think this time would be different, we asked? “It’s my sister’s wedding,’ he told us. “My whole family is going to be there and I haven’t seen them in years. I was really excited.”
We talked to Mendez’s manager Ron Stackton about why Mendez received pushback. “We don’t have any other people who can roast,” he said. “Technically I could do it, but I haven’t done it in years and it’s not really my jam. So we really need him here.”
A recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that more and more roasters are receiving moderate to severe pushback when requesting time off—78% of all roasters in the US, as of last year.
“I worked through a flu and four colds last year after trying to call off and receiving pushback,” Seattle roaster Ben Hame told us. “After that, I talked to more roasters and found out it’s a really common issue.” Hame asked his company to train one of the production team members in roasting and received pushback, after which he didn’t try again.
While reports show that this issue is most common for roasters, production team members also received pushback at an almost equally high rate of 72%.
“I’d really like to see my family,” Mendez sighed. “But after receiving pushback, I just don’t know if I’m willing to ask again. What if Ron gets angry?”
And so, for now, Mendez remains silent.
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