Hi so my job at a company has pretty much turned into a call center. We’re a startup and about 6 months ago, they silently replaced all upper customer service management. Since the new leadership took over, they’ve changed everything and made it a nightmare place to work. It’s never been a “call center” before and our work wasn’t being closely micromanaged and watched, we had the autonomy to manage our time with emails and phone calls, within reason.
They’ve recently started a “workforce management” department and In the last week, they’ve had everyone on phones all day every day. Managers are no longer allowed to approve your leave or assignment for the day, it must be workforce management.
And now, if you’re not available for more than 5 minutes, you’ll get a ping from your manager. I’m scared to even go to the bathroom. Everyone is unhappy and these decisions are coming from upper upper management. They don’t listen, they don’t care, they didn’t even introduce themselves. It’s awful and our Glassdoor reviews have tanked this week. The company has completely abandoned their values.
What is strange is that there isn’t a hiring freeze, they’re still bringing on new associates, who will be “phone only.”
My questions are these: 1. Is making working conditions so terrible a strategy for them to avoid layoffs and instead force people to quit? What would be the benefit? No unemployment or severance? 2. I plan to give my 2 weeks’ notice in about 3-4 weeks. Am I legally entitled to my PTO payout? How do I find out if they do PTO payouts? If I give my 2 weeks, can/will they fire me on the spot?