America’s labor market is fucked. Lack of healthcare, paid time off, maternity leave, shit wages etc. etc. the list goes on. However, in the six companies I’ve worked for I’ve never been treated as poorly as the people on this sub have. It is ATROCIOUS how horrible so many employees on here have been treated. Not only is it immoral and wrong, it is downright illegal in some cases. i’ve never experienced anything remotely close to what even the most “mild” posts I read on this sub share.
My bosses have always been fair and understanding. I have hated how little the pay is at times, my benefits and PTO allotments have been laughable compared to EU, but I’ve never been disrespected the way so many on here have been. So far no company has been openly deceitful to me or not been understanding of my issues.
My current company is the best yet. I am given 18 days of PTO per year, and this is supposed to include sick, personal, and vacation. However, I have never once had a sick day docked from these 18 days. My boss and company trusts me that I am not taking advantage of the system. I have unfortunately been out sick 7 days already this year (4 of them were due to mental health). This is much more than usual, but it has been a rough year so far. I haven’t had one day taken off of my 18 yearly days. I was open with my boss every time, and told her why I couldn’t work. When I had no sleep the night before she understood and said no problem. When my depression was worse than usual and I couldn’t get out of bed she understood and said no problem. This company treats me the best yet like I said, but all 6 of my companies so far have treated me in an at least similar way.
My pay isn’t where I’d like it to be (it is competitive with the market though), and I still think 18 PTO days are not enough, but I’ve always had very understanding bosses. Also, for what it’s worth I do not have a degree or trade/special skill.
I always thought they just “had to” be so understanding, because if they weren’t they would be open to lawsuits. Until seeing this sub I didn’t realize how bad so many others have it. Basically, I’m wondering if I just got extremely lucky? Is how my boss and company treats me now rare? I’m only 27 and still new to the working class and am very ignorant to how other companies treat their employees. So I really don’t know what to expect in future roles.
I’ve never really viewed my current job as exceptional, and have even recently considering looking for greener pastures. But if I get a new job will I likely be treated significantly worse than I am at
My current job? Thank you all! I can’t wait to see the changes this sub brings to the USA work environment!