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Antiwork

Gas-lit/Guilt-Tripped by Employer for REDUCING hours.

For background context, I work for a private company operated by 5 staff members (including the owner). The job and people are great and everyone gets along, but the job itself has incredibly high expectations that include: – constantly changing schedules – inconsistent and spur-of-the-moment ideas from management – work that is required to be done off the clock, unpaid. – communications at all hours of the day – a constant demand for consistency when it comes to quality of work based on customer feedback (sometimes they like you, sometimes they don't) I've been at this job for nearly 5 years and am basically considered an assistant manager. The job itself has no clock in/clock out time, it has been established that it's our own responsibility to set those boundaries BUT to deliver our absolute best every day…which requires preparation the day prior off the clock. Not surprising to say…


For background context, I work for a private company operated by 5 staff members (including the owner). The job and people are great and everyone gets along, but the job itself has incredibly high expectations that include:
– constantly changing schedules
– inconsistent and spur-of-the-moment ideas from management
– work that is required to be done off the clock, unpaid.
– communications at all hours of the day
– a constant demand for consistency when it comes to quality of work based on customer feedback (sometimes they like you, sometimes they don't)

I've been at this job for nearly 5 years and am basically considered an assistant manager. The job itself has no clock in/clock out time, it has been established that it's our own responsibility to set those boundaries BUT to deliver our absolute best every day…which requires preparation the day prior off the clock.
Not surprising to say that I'm finally beginning to burn out to the point where it's now affecting my mental (and physical) health; this job is not a salary-based one and is not heavily relied on for cost of living – I just use the job as a career stepping stone. So I figured that the best thing to do is to reduce my hours, because at the end of the day I do enjoy what I do.
Upon speaking to my employer, who I am also good friends with (the boundary between friend and employer has definitely been blurred), I state that I need to take a step back and reduce my hours as I'm not feeling my best as of late and cannot give the company my best, which it so heavily demands. I tell them that I still want to work for the company but to focus more on another branch within it. I gave 4 weeks notice, and even agreed to coverage in the AM role when absolutely needed.

My employer was not happy.
They stated that “they cannot force me to do what I don't want to do, but on a personal regard they are very disappointed for letting the staff and the community down.”
After I explained my reasoning for reducing my hours, the reply was “okay, I see what you're doing. I get it. I'll make the arrangements.”

Prior to this conversation, the owner stated in a meeting that if we ever needed a break or to take a step back that it wouldn't be a problem and they would support that decision. However it seems that I am being reprimanded for taking that up?
I have given everything to this company in terms of energy and time and I don't feel that what I'm asking is unfair or selfish.
How should I move forward with this?

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