While celebrating my bday a week ago I was informed by my brother (who I got this job through) that I was fired. No word from my supervisor, no warning, nothing.
I was hired in January, 2020 as a machine field service engineer. I had zero experience (aside from my engineering degree) but was given a chance thanks to nepotism. Yay. I made it work as best as I could with a little knowledge I had.
Ironically enough, on my last day (didn’t know it was my last day) I was having a conversation with a coworker who was wondering how I have managed to “make it” when I hadn’t been given a work laptop which is the only way to have access to resources required to do my job (manuals, forms, contact info, etc.)
Then he asked me when I did my week-long training class that all employees complete at the beginning of their employment. I said “I’m still waiting on that.” My co worker thought I was being facetious.
I had just finished a job that took me longer than average because I felt and was unprepared on my own and because I didn’t have all the tools I needed to complete the job/installation. My supervisor wasn’t happy with me because the owner of the shop where the installation took place complained about me taking too long, on top of the fact that I was repeatedly asked to take time from the installation to complete other unrelated tasks.
Then the same supervisor wasn’t happy with me not logging my hours properly on an application. An application that is very new and super glitchy. Everyone knew this. I wasn’t going to log any hours until the issue was solved literally because it wouldn’t show anyway. Instead I sent the hours a different way so that they would still be on record and not cause any issues. I work 8-4. My supervisor tried to call me at 6 PM to reprimand me, but I was on the phone for over an hour with my auto loan company solving another issue, this was before being on facetime with my doctor who was giving me test results to tell me I don’t have to worry about having cancer. Hurray.
But alas, I was told to put up with my supervisor‘s loud mouth and condescending attitude because “he’s just Italian” (none of my Italian friends behave that way, so that excuse pissed me off even more.) And I knew that if I stood up for myself, which I always did in the past, it would make my brother (who is now behaving the same way towards me) look bad… so I stayed quiet.
Well, I’m currently trying to get unemployment and even though I won’t be getting enough to make ends meet (that’s if I get anything at all), at least I don’t have to be treated like a piece of shit. I will no longer be sent to do jobs I am unprepared for, working in conditions that are not only unsafe but are beyond horrible too, like working in +95° F Florida heat/humidity while also not getting paid enough to even afford a studio, not even in the ghetto.
My actual boss, who I never got to meet in person, called me this morning (a week after being fired) while I was sleeping off the stress-induced fever I have now. Not sure what he wanted. He didn’t leave a voicemail. There’s nothing they can say to me now to make me feel better or even want to go back. If they want someone who better fits in, they can hire an “Italian.”