Help! I've found myself in a weird grey area!
My entry-level job recruited me a year ago and I signed on to my role with the agreement that they would be flexible with my school schedule. It's been a year and I've asked about pay raises a couple of times, each time being met with hostility. The first time was when I was given extra work, the second time was after my first annual review. I had my year review and no talk of a raise and when I questioned that — it resulted in a meeting two weeks later with my boss and the director of operations notifying me that my hours would be cut. Apparently, they didn't like my tone and they think they're doing me too many favors by being flexible with my schedule. For the record, I didn't have a negative tone. I speak directly and openly and that doesn't always get received well by people who dont handle confrontation well. I digress…
The good news is that I'll be graduating from college this winter and I'm already on the job hunt. The bad news is that I'm only allowed 3 days of work per week. Usually, despite my school schedule, I fit in 4-5 days — so my schedule isn't too difficult.
I'm curious if this is retaliation. Does anyone have insight about what I can do? I asked in the meeting if I was being punished for asking for a raise and they assured me that's not the case. However, cutting my hours means less money and less money has a negative impact on my livelihood. Call it what you want, this isn't a good thing.
I must also point out that I've got nothing but positive feedback in all my quarterly reviews, I'm always on time, and I'm super friendly and communicative. I live in a moderately HCOL area and barely get by with my hours as is. I dont get holiday pay or bonuses — which is my fault for not negotiating. Regardless of my understanding that my bosses aren't my friends and they dont actually care about me, I've been a reliable part of the team and it's a huge bummer that I'm being treated like this.
Thanks in advance for all your advice.