Well after debating whether or not to drop the hammer on our Honduran friend Willie, I thought about everything that has transpired over the last 8 weeks with this chimp, and decided 'screw it', submitting the following performance appraisal to the captain, as well as the director of personnel operations at the corporate office.
Willie is getting off the vessel in less than 48 hours, but I seriously doubt he'll be returning to this ship
Adios motherfucker
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December 20th 2016
Attn: Captain XXXX XXXXX
CC: Director, Operations Integrity
RE: Assistant Cook/Utility 'Willie'
From: Rotary Chief Steward MC
Dear Captain,
As per our conversation, I'm attaching this review of my assistant cook/utility Willie, in addition to his performance appraisal submitted that was provided by the company.
As I mentioned, its necessary to document several incidents I personally observed regarding Willie over the course of the last (8) weeks which aren't included in the aforementioned document.
The assessment I submitted on other various aspects of his job performance are accurate, fair, and unbiased, however the specific items I want to discuss concern his general demeanor and attitude, which have been noted on his performance appraisal as 'unsatisfactory'.
Before I proceed, I'd like to clarify for the record that Willie's overall performance in terms of his assigned duties, punctuality, food handling abilities etc as indicated on my review, were for the most part, 'satisfactory'. The main issue I had concern his volatile temper and multiple outbursts.
The motivating factor for deciding to submit this footnote was simply to illustrate certain instances where he demonstrated hostile, in subordinate, violent, and even threatening behavior. I harbor no personal grudge against Willie, and debated whether or not to even submit this letter, but after careful deliberation, ultimately decided it was necessary.
Despite his job performance, I found these episodes to be disturbing, and felt it was important to pass on the relevant details to yourself, and the appropriate channels at the corporate office.
1) On or about November 15th 2016 shortly after a very busy lunch, Willie flew into a rage and suddenly began throwing and kicking various items in the dry storeroom, apparently agitated because the galley floor had been scattered with a few food particles.
2) On Thanksgiving morning, during my holiday meal prep, I asked Willie to use a decorative leaf lettuce wrap on the serving bowl of a crab salad he was going to include on the salad bar. His response was simply, 'No, I'm not doing that'. I was surprised at his blatant refusal, not sure exactly how to respond, opting to complete the task myself without further comment.
3) On or about December 5th after being instructed not to use the garbage disposal by the Chief Engineer due to mechanical problems, the 'wet trash' bucket was full to the brim after breakfast and lunch. When Willie picked up the bucket realizing it was very heavy, he again flew into a rage screaming obscenities, and cursed me out directly for not instructing him to dump it earlier.
4) On December 17th while preparing for breakfast, I realized we were out of paper towels stored in the galley and asked him, 'Willie, do you know where the paper towels are ?' and he flat out ignored me. I repeated it a 2nd time, 'Willie, do you know where the paper towels are?' and again, he ignored my question. The 3rd time I asked him, he instantly charged into the end of the galley where I was working, putting his body and face within a foot of mine, and started literally screaming 'do not f**k with me !' at the top of his lungs pointing his finger within an inch of my face. I chose to walk away rather than to risk escalating the situation and risking physical injury.
Since the most recent episode (item 4), we have not exchanged a single word, primarily because I felt threatened by from what I can tell, are serious rage and anger management issues.
His reluctance to take direction, suggestions, or adhere to my requests made it impossible to communicate, and I decided it was best not to engage him at all.
As a department head, I chose not to bring these incidents to the forefront earlier simply because I knew Willie was scheduled to depart the vessel in Singapore on 12/24 and opted instead to focus my attention on meals, provisions, inventory, menu preparation, and other components that define my position and responsibilities aboard this vessel.
I completely understand that after several months on board a ship, crewmembers tempers can flare to a certain degree. But specifically in Willie's case after being threatened and cursed at on multiple occasions, I found his behavior, temper tantrums, and hostile attitude completely unacceptable, and felt compelled to relay my thoughts in detail for future consideration.
Regards,
MC
Chief Steward
........