Company's 'Stop Crying' Sign in Employee Bathroom Stuns Internet

A man has stunned the internet after sharing an image of a sign located in his employee bathroom.

On the mirror a decal reads: "Employees must stop crying before returning to work," before adding, "And wash your hands."

A server living in the Metro Detroit area, Jason, shared the picture on the subreddit r/ServerLife. Alongside the post he wrote: "In the employee bathroom. Not meant as a joke."

"Management is nice enough on a personal level, but somewhat inadequate in other ways," Jason, who preferred not to use his surname, told Newsweek. "The sign I posted is located in our employee-only bathroom in the back through the kitchen, with the bathroom itself being super hot, dirty, and about the size of a closet."

"The sign itself is definitely not a joke as far as I'm aware," he added, explaining that is has been there as long as he has worked at the restaurant.

Stories from the inner workings of restaurants and working as a server often pop up online, from the man who was accused of costing his colleague a $500 tip to the employer who slashed server's $15 wages because their tips were "too high."

The sign in the bathroom left people baffled online where Reddtiors shared their reactions.

"I'll cry when and where I want thank u," said emelanar, while another said: "If this is really not meant as a joke I'd tell management to shove it."

Others couldn't believe that it wasn't just a joke.

"Nah but this looks like something one of us would put up as a joke," said one commenter. "Our spot is the supply closet and we joke that you have to add your name to the waitlist to use it."

Another Reddit user said: "These stickers are common. There's one in like every dive bar bathroom within a five mile radius of my house."

"Honestly, hardly anyone ever uses that bathroom due to it's size and condition, so the sign being a joke would make little sense given the bathroom's squalor and low traffic," said Jason.

According to statistics gathered by career site Zippia the U.S. restaurant industry made over $800 billion in sales over 2022, with forecasts estimating there will be over 15.5 million restaurant workers in the U.S. by the end of 2023.

But alongside the industry's success sits the stress and fast pace of the restaurant environment—something Jason is all too familiar with.

"I firmly believe [the sign] was placed there due to the high frequency of truly stressed servers working long hours and trying to consistently hold it together for their tables amidst the constant chaos," he said. "Eventually, people crack. And it makes sense. The restaurant and bar industry is notoriously chaotic and unorganized—at least in my 10-plus years of experience I've noticed as much."

While he said he saw the funny side of the sign, he said he could imagine not everyone would be amused.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they found it downright offensive, actually, and indicative of management's ignorance and insensitivity to the stresses of the job," said Jason.

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