So, I work at a place that preaches about mental wellness and the dangers of burnout…while paying us all far below the industry average and maintaining writers and editors because none of us can afford to quit our job without another position lined up. We're worked weekends, past our scheduled hours, and run so ragged that by the time we get home, we're too burnt out to do anything other than cook and sleep. Despite that, I'm still trying to line another position up as best I can.
I try to spread my 10 days of PTO out throughout the year, since we don't get holidays off, but even if you've saved it, there's a 90% chance that you won't be able to use it. Either you don't give a long enough notice (let's be honest, who knows when they're going to be burnt out or have a bad week?) or there's no one to cover your article output for the day.
Unfortunately, my grandfather suffered a pretty bad fall this past week and I'm headed down there to take care of him Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I submit a PTO request using the bare minimum language – because frankly, they don't deserve my skills and they don't pay enough to know what's going on in my life.
It takes them two days to respond. At this point, I've already decided I'm going down to take care of my family no matter what the response is.
I won't post it here because doing so will give away my position, name, company, etc. and I can't afford to lose my job right now, but the gist of the message was
“Hi [NAME],
In the future, we'd appreciate 30-days advance for non-emergency requests. Making careless requests like this shows a concerning level of disrespect for your superiors and fellow writers. However, we're making an exception and approving your two days of PTO. In the future, please be mindful of the effect your actions have on the team and company.”
To which I FINALLY GOT TO SNAP BACK AND EXPLAIN THE SITUATION, ENDING WITH A LOVELY,
“I don't see why you have to know what's going on in your workers' personal lives, and you should be mindful of the effect your emails have on the team.”
Anyway, it's a small victory and it doesn't help all the stress or mental breakdowns or insufficient pay, but I thought I'd share. Here's hoping for better days.