Work for small business. I work IT and CNC programming. Been salaried for 5 years, when I began to have health issues. I was hospitalized, asleep for days at a time recovering with fever and vomiting. This whole time I’ve never had any benefits. No PTO, no Sick Days, no 401k, no insurance, nothing.
I worked an average of 58hrs a week for 3.5 years (paid for 40) and the moment I miss a few weeks (scattered) due to illness, it then becomes unfair and I was demoted to hourly but nothing changed about my duties.
Loyalty didn’t matter, work ethic didn’t matter, tenure didn’t matter. Yet the owners relative misses all the time for non illness to run people around and go to doctors visits and ball games and still salary and without the history of putting in the time.
Fuck your employers. Do what’s best for you. They don’t give a fuck about you, regardless of what they say to your face. I can guarantee you that regardless of what they say, they will move against you when it suits them. Go get yours and fuck them.