Confessions of a Burned-Out FOM: When Raises Shrink and Night Auditors Vanish
Let’s be honest—if you’ve ever worked in hospitality, you know some days feel like you’re starring in your own dark comedy series. If you haven’t, buckle up, because this tale from r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk is a whirlwind of commutes, missing night auditors, and the type of raise that would insult a gumball machine.
Imagine for a moment: You’re a Front Office Manager (FOM) with almost four years in the trenches. You’re driving 45 minutes back to your hotel after already working a morning shift. Why? Because your night auditor, who’s always eager for hours—except when it really counts—has called out yet again. Oh, and the grand finale? That long-promised $1.25 raise turns out to be a whopping $0.25. Hospitality: the industry that just keeps on giving.
The Hospitality Hustle: Burnout, Bosses, and Broken Promises
Our FOM, u/jfrito43, paints a vivid picture of life at the front desk. After nearly four years, burnout is setting in—especially with a GM whose professionalism is more “shrug emoji” than “five-star service.” As jfrito43 laments, “He tends to not be as professional as I'd prefer and that has a cascading effect on basically the entire staff.” When the top sets the tone, you get a symphony of sighs and eye rolls.
But the real kicker isn’t just the management. It’s the endless cycle of covering shifts, juggling staff quirks, and trying desperately not to let things fall apart. Jfrito43 describes driving back to the hotel for a late shift, then gearing up to work a normal morning again. It’s the kind of schedule that makes you question whether you’re managing a front desk or running your own sleep deprivation experiment.
And if that wasn’t enough, our hero is haunted by the Ghost of Shift Schedules Past: “In 2025 there was a lot of times where I dropped the ball and had my front desk people working super long shifts. I think that's not okay and I'm trying to rectify that.” Growth! Progress! Or at least, the intent to avoid burning out the next generation.
The Curious Case of the Eager (But Elusive) Night Auditor
Every workplace has that one employee who’s always hungry for more hours—until the moment you need them most. Enter the night auditor: ambitious, eager to learn, always asking for more time on the clock. Except, as jfrito43 vents, “this night auditor who pleads for more hours on your regular basis calls out at the most inconvenient times.” It’s a hospitality classic: the employee who wants the job, just not tonight.
And as fate would have it, there’s no backup. The GM? In the hospital (but, as jfrito43 dryly notes, “he wouldn't cover it anyways so he's out anyways”). The rest of the staff? Stretched thin or training new hires. It’s a perfect storm—one that every FOM knows all too well.
Redditor u/Poldaran chimed in with some gallows humor: “Call the nearest scrapyard and ask what the resale rate is for copper wire. Even if you never do anything with that information, having that information is strangely calming as you put up with shit at work.” Sometimes, the only thing left to do is fantasize about alternate careers—maybe one where a shift call-out just means you get to sleep in.
A Raise? More Like a Razz
And then, the coup de grâce. After all the extra work, all the late-night drives and early-morning shifts, the promised $1.25 raise arrives—except, oops, it’s actually just $0.25. Not since Scrooge McDuck have coins felt so heavy.
Redditor u/NocturnalMisanthrope didn’t mince words: “A quarter? What, are we living in the 1980’s again? What, is that like a 1% raise? That’s fucking insulting.” They even suggested holding the line for a real raise: “Are you in a position to tell them, $1.00 minimum or you walk?” If only the job market were as simple as laying down ultimatums.
The OP, ever the wit, replied that it felt “more like 1800s France.” At least the sense of humor is intact—considering the only thing shorter than the raise is management’s memory.
The Emotional Toll—and the Power of Community
Beyond the jokes and the venting, there’s a genuine sense of camaraderie in the r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk community. Hospitality workers know the struggle: the long hours, unreliable staff, and the near-mythical “good raise.” When someone vents, others chime in not just with sympathy, but with practical advice and commiserating humor.
And that’s the real secret weapon for surviving hospitality: the ability to laugh, to share, and to know you’re not alone. Whether you’re calculating the resale price of copper wire or just swapping stories, there’s strength in numbers—even if your paycheck doesn’t show it.
Conclusion: Misery Loves Company (and Good Stories)
So, the next time you’re handed a raise that barely covers a pack of gum, or you find yourself covering yet another shift because your eager night auditor ghosted you, remember: you’re not alone. The front desk may not always be glamorous, but it comes with a community that knows exactly what you’re going through.
Have your own tales of hospitality horror? Drop them in the comments below—or just let us know: what was your most ridiculous “raise” ever? Misery may love company, but it also loves a good story.
Original Reddit Post: Whenever I think being an fom gets better, it doesn't