Tl;dr fresh out of college ~ stepped up to run a multimillion dollar warehouse at 22$ an hour, 60 hours a week for empty promises.
I was working as the warehouse coordinator in a prominent software company in my area. I was using it as a go between while I worked on finishing my degree and getting more certifications; I was hoping to step into a project coordinator role either there or somewhere else.
A couple months into my contract with the company my supervisor (the warehouse manager) had to step out for a few months due to a medical emergency. I was thus asked to step up and run the warehouse (despite being a few months into the role and industry).
Prior to my boss getting hurt (literally the week before), his bosses talked to me about stepping into a coordinator role sometime over the next few months. I had been working hard and they wanted to reward me.
So once he got hurt it seemed to me like I had to step up and fill his role and if I did it well then that coordinator role would be a given.
So ofc when he got hurt I stepped up and I stepped up eagerly. I ended up running a 40 million warehouse, working 60 hours a week, while training a new employee and learning how to do the job on the job for 22$ an hour. (They gave me a 2$ raise from 20)
The pressure made me physically and mentally sick but I somehow pulled it off and carried our company through a couple months with no major issues or profit losses until my supervisor was on the mend enough to step back in.
What’s funny is that after he came back, all offers of a promotions disappeared. I started getting the cold shoulder from people and I was expected to continue to shoulder the burden between running the warehouse, helping my supervisor to assimilate back in and also finding a balance back to a semblance of normality.
It took a little bit for me to connect the dots and I realized how they took advantage of me.
There was never an intention for promotion. They used me. And I suffered for it.
I was working 12 hour shifts, moving a million dollars in product a week while having to deal with the pressure of never having done something like this before. I had to learn how to do everything with an enormous amount of product flowing in and out the door daily while supervising and teaching a new employee.
Understandably I quit once things leveled out.
Thankfully it’s worked in my favor and I can the experience to add to my resume but it’s left me incredibly jaded. I don’t doubt that this is a common business practice and I would caution and invite everyone young and old to think through what it is you’re being asked to do.
What’s funny is that I’ve reached out to ask for a reference and been left on read. LMAO
Good luck