I got hired on at a hotel to work behind the front desk. i was told I’d be answering the phone, giving out hotel keys, doing paperwork, etc. What I wasn’t told was that on the third day, they’d leave me completely alone to run the entire hotel by myself from mid-morning to 11 pm.

I wasn’t trained for everything I needed to know to run the ENTIRE 300 ROOM HOTEL! BY MYSELF! AFTER THREE GODDAMN DAYS/ 12 HRS. TOTAL OF TRAINING!

Sorry, I went all caps, I still just don’t know what they were thinking. They didn’t tell me they were going to abandon me for almost a full day until I got there on my third day for more training to be told;

“Surprise, Dru! I know you’ve only had 12 hours of training total, but you’re in charge today and double surprise– this will be your job from this day on! You’ll be working totally alone from this day on, in an unfamiliar job with no help and no way to ask questions when our 300 hotel guests come to the desk with complaints and needs!

I know we haven’t told you half the stuff you need to know about RUNNING A HOTEL BY YOURSELF, but I trust you’ll wing it without screwing up my business… Now, don’t mess up, we’re counting on you!

Why are you hyperventilating? Bye bye, now! I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow!”

So, the first day they leave me alone, I have about 50 hotel guests standing at the desk all talking and asking questions at once, of course about things I wasn’t told anything about. Some of them were sympathetic, others were just furious (I didn’t blame them, really!

Who leaves a new employee alone to run a hotel after 12 hrs training with only half the stuff learned?

I’d be mad too if I had to get into my hotel room to get my business suit and couldn’t because the manager didn’t train the new hire to make new keys!) I’m just about in tears because I can’t give half the people standing there what they need or want and feel so much pressure that I was just sweating and about to cry…

…And then this lady, this hotel guest, reached across the desk and took my hand in hers and said;

“Sweetie, it’s alright. Just breathe. It’s okay. I know it’s overwhelming, but you’re going to be okay.”

And I just burst into tears. It was the stress and then having someone be that nice to me when I couldn’t give her what she needed, I just dissolved into tears and when the crowd saw me crying and the few of them who knew about my situation started whispering among themselves that I was left there with almost no training to do the job I was trying to do, they eased up.

I’m still grateful to that unnamed lady.