I’m new, I’ve been there just this past month.
My training will be about 6 weeks. And my co workers are “a family,” which is what my boss said. This particular co worker who I’ll call B is roommates with another co worker who I’ll call B2. C will be the non angry co worker who was just there.
And the other co worker is just close to those two. They all have a strong relationship. It was fine the first few weeks.
But today… it all blew up. Basically, what I’ve observed is everyone goes on their phones when there isn’t any work. Theyll sit on their phones. Text. Do whatever.
So in turn, during downtime I’ll do this to. Any way, we have to follow a list of tasks. I’ve been taking the reigns and my co worker has now moved on to shadowing. However – at every place I’ve trained, when it gets busy, the person training still has to HELP.
B wasn’t. I shrugged it. But then, I decided to commit the ultimate sin. I asked my co worker if they could do a side task we needed to get done so I could focus on doing the everything else.
This particular task is literally just calling other companies (like 7) and asking for their rates. It takes 5 minutes but it was getting close to late and I needed to help the people in front of me. I’ve done this task everyday I’ve been training. So I truly didn’t think it was gonna cause thei.
B does the list but it’s awkward. Next thing I know, B grabs the checklist and this whole thing starts. Caps is when B is yelling. Keep in mind **B is just my co worker. Not my boss. None of them are. I’ve learned all the tasks and B even noted that.
B – “So me and C are here to just watch you. You're supposed to do the whole list and we're just supposed to watch you. Also, you have to go put your phone in your bag and keep it there until breaks.”
Me – “Okay but can I ask why it hasn't been like that the last 3 days. I'm just confused because I'm just doing what looks like is okay..”
B – “BECAUSE we're training you. We're not being trained. YOU HAVE TO LISTEN.”
Me – “I understand but you guys are on your phone as much as I am which is only when there's no clients and we're caught up.”
B – “We can do that because we're not being trained, you also asked me to complete things that YOUR supposed to be doing. You're supposed to be doing all of it.”
Me – “I know I'll be alone eventually but because there's three of us I didn't think it'd be a big deal for you to do the rate calls.”
(I had done everything else on the checklist. Besides print downtime that was already done. But I know how.)
B – “You're supposed to be doing everything and you asked me to do that. Now Are you gonna put it away?”
Me – “I don't care about the phone rule B, but you've never told me this rule and now your yelling at me about it.”
B – “YOU CAN EITHER GO HOME OR PUT IT IN YOUR PURSE.”
She Kept cutting me off.
I told B that she you shouldn't talk to any co workers like that regardless of any disagreement.
I asked her “Why wasn't this rule told to me the last 3 days you've been training me?”
B2 – “It's common sense.”
Me – “You guys are leading by example, I've never once been on my phone when anyone was training me. Im doing what everyone else is doing. Without issue up until now.”
B – “I don't know why that rule wasn't told to you.” About the phone in the back thing.
After more back/forth B back tracked and said “Because your training it goes in the back.”
And I told her “you said it was a general rule?”
B – “No I didn't it's because your training! YOU NEED TO STOP GIVING ME ATTITUDE. YOU CAN EITHER PUT YOUR PHONE IN YOUR BAG IN THE BACK AND KEEP IT THERE OR LEAVE. Do you WANT to go home?”
I just gave her a look of shock.
B – “Alright, that's it, go home. You need to go.”
Me – “you're yelling at me I'm not having an attitude. I don't mind the rule it's not about that. The past 3 days I've been doing what everyone else is. How am I supposed to know something that wasn't told to me? I didn't know I couldn't check my phone on downtime. You're not treating me like a co worker.”
B2 enters – “it's common sense to not be on your phone when someone's training you.”
Me – “I'm not on my phone when anyone is training me. If that was the case I don't think I would know how to do anything at this phase of training.”
B2 to B- “It's beating a dead horse.”
Me – “You keep talking to me differently then you talk to everyone else.”
B2 – “Oh my god. You need to listen.”
Me – “I'm telling you that respect goes both ways, you're not being respectful. You're talking to me like I'm a child.”
B2 – “I'm talking to you like I'm an adult.”
Me- “I am an adult. I'm not a teenager.”
B2 – “Then act like one!
This is after B2 watch B immediately turn to yelling loud enough that clients heard. And I’m being the “child”? I went outside and just cried. Having people gang up on you in that way would make anyone cry.
I KNEW though whether I listened and closed my mouth, they wouldn’t have treated me any better. I asked if B would ever talk to C like that, she said “I didn’t have to!”
I talked to the real boss. Who did not want me to leave. Said she wishes B wasn’t training in general. And said she shouldn’t be talking to anyone like that. ND said the rule is phones are supposed to be on the table. A small one in the back. B just didn’t want to get in trouble for not following that. I ended up going home, boss said it was fine. Now I’m home and sad.
Who cares if we check our phones on downtime at our minimum wage jobs? Co workers like this who treat other co workers WORSE then a boss are part of the problem. Now, the rules will become even stricter because B called the manager first, forcing me to tell my side so I didn’t get fired. Which is that ALL of them use their phone at the same rate I do. I feel so bad. I don’t know what to. I need the money. But the whole staff besides my boss now hate me.