Oakham Café workers are feeling pinched for shifts after prolonged renovations.
They have been sharing shifts with the staff of the Ram in the Rye since the beginning of orientation week.
“The Ram has absorbed the staff of the café, so it’s really over staffed,” said an Oakham House employee, who wished to remain anonymous.
Oakham Café was scheduled to reopen by the start of this school year; however, its reopening was delayed due to “severe rotting and damage to the main floor in front of the service counter,” said Michael Verticchio, general manager of Ryerson Student Centre (RSC) in an email interview.
“Everyone’s really frustrated and the café and Ram staff are upset because people are losing hours,” said the employee.
“One of my co-workers is only scheduled for one shift a week. She’s having a hard time with this as a student,” she said.
The Oakham Café operates out of the RSC, which is overseen by the Palin Foundation, a not-for-profit organization.
Despite its prolonged closure, the RSC wanted to keep its entire staff and give them “as many hours as possible,” Verticchio said. “However, even with the Ram in the Rye opening earlier for breakfast, our staff haven’t enjoyed as many hours as they are used to working, which was inevitable,” he added.
The shift shortage has prompted some staff to search for other jobs, according to the café employee.
“With the Oakham Café ’s imminent opening, everything will be returning to normal for the remainder of the academic year,” said Verticchio.
The café is set to reopen and staff hours will return to normal this Friday.
Olivia Chandler is a Master of Journalism candidate at Ryerson. She is a news reporter at the Ryersonian and works as an Editorial Assistant for CBC News Network. Her interests include politics, fashion and the environment.