Long post, sorry.
Important context: I'm currently on a waiting list for an ADHD assessment. I took steps to initiate the referral after I was let go from my previous job. I hadn't passed my probation despite two extensions and in the field I work in (veterinary), untreated ADHD unfortunately meant I was a liability. I don't begrudge that employer for letting me go and they have said that I'm welcome back once I have a treatment plan in place.
Anyway, for this role, I interviewed for a full-time receptionist in another vet surgery. I was open and up-front with them about my current circumstances because I wanted them to be aware that my brain works differently and I need to do things in a particular way to be efficient. They seemed understanding and appreciated my honesty, and I did a couple hours of shadowing a couple of days later. Boss emails me the following week and says they have offered the full-time role to another candidate, but would like to offer me a part-time role to cover reception when the full-timer is not working. Basically 2 hours a day and possibility of overtime if the full-timer is on sick leave or annual leave. His reasoning was he wanted me to have extra time off to recharge and recover.
I wasn't thrilled with it, but decided it was better than nothing. We booked a telephone appointment for a couple of days later to discuss details of the role, and when we spoke, he then said he'd like to offer me the full-time role as the other candidate had dropped out. I was happy with that – more hours = more money – so I agreed.
He didn't have a contract for me to sign when I first started. I'd ask him at least once a week for the first month and a half if my contract was ready, and he'd say he was working on getting it to me. There were two other people who had started about a month before I did, and they still hadn't received their contracts either.
Then, at one of my reviews at the end of November, boss drops the bombshell that they were going to start advertising for a new full-time receptionist. Turns out he never intended for me to be permanently full-time – it was just convenient that I was able to step up and fill that gap until someone else is available. He stuck to his line about wanting me to have time off to recharge, even though I've been working full-time hours for 2 months at this point and he's got no concerns.
I told him that I was happy working full-time, but his mind is made up: whether I like it or not, I will be part time. I live 30 minutes away, and the drive can take as long as an hour if there is lots of traffic, so I'd need the hours to be worth my time and petrol and I tell him that I'm not working 2 hours a day. He has suggested 4.5 hours a day, which I'm still not sure is worth it.
And then after this, he finally gives me a contract, but it's a full-time one, 40 hours a week. I didn't know what to think about it – if the contract is actually worth anything because he doesn't intend to stick to that anyway, or if its worth everything, like he's given me this full-time contract so legally he has to stick to it? Also this is sketchy – parts of my contract are basically 'Refer to Employee Handbook', except no-one knows where the handbook is? Like no-one thought 'hey, this is important, maybe we should keep it safe somewhere.' So I have essentially an incomplete contract.
The latest straw has been my probation. My probationary period is 3 months, and I had that review at the end of December. No concerns raised, neither boss nor line manager have said there's anything they're worried about, they're happy with how I'm working, and they finished with 'let's have another catch-up in a month's time'. Well, stupid me, I didn't twig at the time what they meant by catch-up.
They've extended my probation by a month. When I asked why, line manager said: 'We should hopefully have a new starter by then, and we can discuss the part-time role in more depth.'
Hindsight is fantastic, because I feel like a massive idiot for telling them about the ADHD. They have a convenient line so they can fuck about with my hours, and as I don't have an official diagnosis yet, I can't say that they're discriminating against me.
My best friend and several family members are telling me to talk to Citizens Advice, while my parents are telling me to go along with it for a couple of months, enjoy the shorter hours and start looking for a new job once I hit 6 months here, just to have something lengthy-ish on my CV.
A new full-timer has been confirmed as of today, so my hours are gonna go down soon. I'm so done