I remember being really excited for my sixteenth birthday because it was the day I was old enough to have my first job. I also remember immediately applying to Regal for my love of movies and the joy of getting my whole family together to see films we had been jittery out of anticipation for. After being bought out by Cineworld things slowly began to deteriorate. I’ve been with Regal since I was a sophomore in high school (I am now a sophomore in college). The beginning changes our new owners have made were irritating but I’ve always been good at adapting and I’ve always created a positive outlook, giving Cineworld the benefit of the doubt and hoping to see this company thrive. This past week, Thursday to be exact, myself and my fellow coworkers, who I’ve come to know well and enjoy the company of, were informed of the reconstruction of roles. Based on my theaters’ “complexity” we are allowed one general manager, one deputy general manager, one associate manager, and three “team leaders”. I’m sure this is consistent with many other locations as well. The previous organization consisted of one general manager, an assistant manager, and a handful of full-time managers and part-time managers. “Floorstaff” has remained the same and is still part-time. As a part-time manager who juggles being a full-time student at a four-year college along with my management position and a second job, it is extremely heartbreaking to hear that my options consist of demotion or finding another job. I have always prided myself in my work; instead of going on school-leave I come back multiple times a month, and now every weekend, to work at Regal. Yeah, the pay is nice, but what I loved more was the experience I was obtaining and the constant challenges that bettered me as both a growing adult and employee. With these changes and my new options that I will be forced to choose between, I find it completely degrading and disrespectful that a company would make an employee with outstanding work ethic step down to a position that flatlines my skills and talents. Before, I had held a respect for the company because I thought they were working towards lifting us up out of the ashes Regal Entertainment Group burned us into. Saying I’m ashamed and frustrated with this new company is the understatement of the year. I have lost all respect for the individuals who are meant to lead us, and I have come to find out that out of the management team at my location, I hold one of the best review averages if not THE best review average. And I know that this average is due to all the work I have put in; I can’t remember the last Christmas I spent with my family, or the last Thanksgiving. I can’t remember the last New Years that I celebrated with friends. I’ve sacrificed time with the amazing people I have in my life for a company that has little respect for their employees and no respect at all for the ones that are also trying to obtain an education. On another note, the amount of hours I have stayed after my shift to deep clean for corporate visits is a whole other task that stands here to further provide evidence for my work ethic, yet they reward me with the term “demotion”. I once loved this business and I once stood by its constant changes proudly. But this is not something I can stand by. The new company has been poisoned with a sickening greed and they care little to none about the staff who have been nothing but committed to the business.
