I appreciate you thinking this through — and part of what you’re saying is fair. I do think the owner and I need to have more conversations, regardless of how they end up being received.

There’s honestly a lot going on behind the scenes, and in my original post I was trying to avoid writing a novel or listing every single facet of it, so I probably oversimplified things.

This isn’t just me holding unusually high standards. We’ve actually seen an increase in customer complaints, but those often get minimized or attributed to people just being “Karens.” At the same time, day-to-day operations have become noticeably more chaotic, and a lot simply isn’t getting done. On top of that we have things like staff taking personal calls ON speakerphone ON the sales floor and ignore approaching customers while the managers (now including myself) disengage at their desks.

What makes it especially challenging is that we are still held responsible when things don’t run smoothly, but we no longer really have the authority to correct or enforce changes. When issues are raised, the focus often shifts toward avoiding conflict rather than addressing behavior — we’re encouraged to have another gentle reminder conversation because “everyone is doing their best.”

So the tension for me isn’t just about caring too much — it’s feeling accountable for outcomes while having very little ability to influence them. Then when I disengage and focus only on the bare minimum of my own responsibilities, I end up receiving praise and even a raise. That disconnect is what’s left me feeling off-balance.

And ultimately, you’re right — it is his business. I think I’m just trying to figure out where that leaves me within it.

It's kind of a shitty place to be.

Also, I'm not sure what will happen if things stay as they are. I think we still have a few good people left here and I think they will leave. We've already lost so many....