I work for a startup, currently doing the job of 2 people and step in for other roles when needed. I had my yearly review last week and it did not go well. I’m a single mother of a 2 year old who goes to daycare. During one of the peaks of the pandemic my sons classroom closed for 2 weeks due to high exposures. I worked from home during that time and thought I was doing what was right for the company. I did everything that was asked of me and didn’t miss any deadlines during that time.
My review was 4 months after that and I scored a “Needs Improvement” on my job performance because of this. I asked what I should have done differently and they told me that I should have taken PTO (which means abandoning everything I would usually do and it would be waiting for me when I got back) or had a backup sitter come to my home. I rebutted that I wasn’t comfortable asking someone to care for my child who may have been exposed to Covid and risk spreading it. I also reminded them I’ve had 2 nanny’s in the past that quit with little to no notice and that’s why my son was in daycare anyway.
They gave me a .75 raise and put me on a probation period for 6 months. I’m now taking courses for a career change, should be done in 4-6 months, and dreaming of the day I resign.