Month: March 2022

I saw that my previous comment re: recording bullies got some loving. I thought I’d share what happened when I directly intervened to stop bullying at a different company. I worked for a small company on a small team. The manager was a bit unhinged. Her husband filed for divorce, she was suffering from health issues due to his infidelity. She would say out loud to men who were standing with the women “this isn’t a conversation for the men. Butt out.” Mind you, it was work related so that was very sketch. She said many times “I’m going to get A to start drinking again.” A was an alcoholic in recovery. Another team member and I went to the VP to share our concerns, first insisting that our current manager not provide our annual review because we were sure she would retaliate. The VP assured us our conversation was…

When the pandemic started I was working for a cycling studio in the cafe. They closed down but still had myself and another girl working without clocking in saying they'd pay us a “bonus” for the hours. Well jump forward a few months, my roommate and boyfriend are both displaying symptoms of COVID and so I call in and go get tested. Because this was before testing was readily available it took much longer to get results and you were called with results rather than emailed at the time. My employer was pissed I missed work and demanded documentation of my test (I had told them I got results over the phone) and so this time I told them the state doesn't require documentation for missing work due to COVID and was immediately told we were parting ways over text. I requested my last paystub and informed them I expected…

Nothing annoys me more at work than when your manager tries to tell you that you spend more time at work or at home like it’s something to be proud of

Every time I think about going back to work on Monday, my stomach knots and I feel miserable. We won't even talk about my anxiety. The story (some details obfuscated for my protection): I am a [minority] in a [majority-dominated] industry. This isn't my first job in this field, but it is my first job in this field in the last n years, and there are specifics to this particular industry with which I am not experienced at all. I made this abundantly clear more than once during my interviews. I have a horror of people misrepresenting their skill sets and I do not do that myself. First red flag: I was lied to when hired. I applied to and interviewed for one position, but during the offer process, I was told I didn't meet HR criteria for that role, and instead was offered a level below it. I took…

Many good friends of mine have ended up exposing Union Busters (People paid to disrupt workers organizations) and organizing local unions in some pretty major companies. Currently we are fighting for Cannabis Workers Unionization on the East Coast. Any stories about resistance to Unionization at work? Or any good stories about succeeding in setting them up?

So I’ve been slowly but surely pushing the idea of unionizing my Store with my coworkers and some seemed all for it, others weren’t really educated on what unions were or what they did so I took it upon myself to explain. Well a store nearby unionized and my coworkers read in an article that their benefits, insurance, raises and the like would all be done through the union. They told me that the company gives pretty decent benefits, which is true if you work enough hours to actually qualify. Anyway they’re not at all on board with the idea of their benefits being provided through the union because they became convinced they would be worse and the dues they would have to pay wouldn’t be worth it. And besides, they argue, we get 3-5% annual raises. Well that means nothing with inflation! And cost of living! I attempted to…

Think about it – You have experience in a field and apply to a position beneath your skill level/entry level because you need a job or like the company and are willing to make the sacrifice of being bumped down a level title-wise. Even though you'd know the ins and outs of the job, you're turned down because you have too much experience. Wouldn't your experience make you the best candidate for this job? Wouldn't your experience make it so you'd be a valuable asset to the company and enable you to grow? When I get rejected for being too “overqualified” it makes me think that there is no upward mobility. You'll be hired as an associate and they'll expect you to be an associate for as long as you're there. If the person above you leaves? Good luck getting promoted, they'll either hire outside the company, or dump all…