Pizza Hut manager threatens employees trying to evacuate Hurricane Irma

Outrage has spread across the country over a Pizza Hut manager in Jacksonville, Florida. A memo to employees went viral as Hurricane Irma ravaged the state. The memo read:

“To all team members: As Hurricane Irma approaches Florida, I wanted to send this note. Our #1 priority is the safety and security of our team, But, we also have a responsibility and commitment to our community to be there when they need us. With that said, I/we need some guidelines in place to ensure both of those expectations are met.

• As a general rule of thumb, we close stores 6-12 hours before the storm hits. Or night before if a daytime storm.
• Let RGM know if you plan to evacuate and when you plan to return after the storm.
• If evacuating you will have a 24-hour period before storm “grace period” to not be scheduled. You cannot evacuate Friday for a Tuesday storm event!
• Failure to show for these shifts, regardless of the reason, will be considered a no call/no show and documentation will be issued.
• Please prepare NOW. We have plenty of time to prepare. DO NOT wait until the day before the storm to get supplies. You need to make sure you are ready NOW.
• The expectation is that all TM’s work their schedule until storm related store closure (unless evacuating), then a 24 hour period will be given.
• Again, failure to show for these shifts, regardless of the reason, will be considered a no call/no show and documentation will be issued.
• In the event of an evacuation, you MUST return within 72 HOURS.
• Please proved the RGM with a good contact number so that we can:
• Contact all TM’s and ensure you safely made it through the storm.
• Contact all TM’s and inform you of the condition of the store and when we will begin operations again.
• After the storm, we need all TM’s available to get store up and running and serve our communities as needed.”

While the manager didn’t want employees evacuating Friday, many Florida highways became gridlocked as early as Thursday, preventing people from evacuating the storm. Pizza Hut released a statement saying they don’t dictate when people may evacuate or return from natural disasters. They say they have spoken with the manager involved to resolve the issue.

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