Day 150 - 07 Jul 95 - Page 57


     
     1
     2        So the idea was to maybe take a far broader, long term view
     3        to make sure that the Floor Managers did not solely and
     4        exclusively do some of these administration exercises.
     5
     6   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I am not sure I am understanding you.  Is
     7        what you are saying that the Manager was giving jobs to
     8        Floor Managers, like Simon Gidney, who knew the store,
     9        because he knew they knew how to do a particular job,
    10        rather than going through the extra work of showing a
    11        Second Assistant Manager how to do it; is that what you are
    12        saying?
    13        A.  If I could give you a really good example on that?
    14        Simon, for example, in doing the scheduling would know the
    15        crew very well.  Perhaps a newer Assistant Manager coming
    16        in with only a few months experience would not know the
    17        crew, would not know what hours and their flexible work
    18        times, for example, and so the easier option would
    19        obviously give it to Simon.  He would not -- the new
    20        Assistant Manager, if it was me, I would not have to learn
    21        and find out what people's new availability was.
    22
    23        So, therefore, there was a danger that the easier option
    24        was to give it to someone who knew those details of when
    25        people were available and so on and so forth.  So, I
    26        just wanted to prevent that.  That would not mean that the
    27        Floor Managers could not do those tasks, but they could
    28        certainly improve the training of a brand new Second
    29        Assistant coming into the restaurant who would have to
    30        learn these skills.
    31
    32   MS. STEEL:  So the Second Assistant Manager had not worked his
    33        way up from within that store?
    34        A.  No.
    35
    36   Q.   Where had they come from?
    37        A.  I think at the time there was a guy called Kevin
    38        Harrison who we recruited externally, so to speak.
    39        I cannot recall what his background was.  So, in order, for
    40        example, to make sure that Kevin got the proper training,
    41        it would have been easier to give it to Simon.  I believe
    42        he may well have been there from the very first day the
    43        store opened, so would know everyone's availability
    44        probably backwards; whereas Kevin would have to come in,
    45        for example, and learn about all that.
    46
    47   Q.   At this time, were the First and Second Assistant Managers
    48        sitting around doing nothing or were they getting on with
    49        others things?
    50        A.  No, that is not to suggest they were doing no work. 
    51        They would have, perhaps, an over view, if you like. 
    52        I think the First Assistant was, may have been responsible 
    53        for payroll.  They were -- again, Assistant Managers were
    54        shift running as the Store Manager would be shift running;
    55        but on days, for example, if there were a First Assistant
    56        and a Second Assistant present on a same shift, then we
    57        would be looking for one of those Managers to be doing some
    58        other administrative tasks.  So that is not to suggest that
    59        any of the salaried Managers were sitting around doing
    60        nothing and all the tasks were performed by the Floor

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