Yaama (hello), fellow anti-workers.
So, in 2022 and early 2023, I was working for a small architecture/design studio that was Indigenous (Australia) owned. I was the community engagement coordinator, designer, AND researcher.
Now, I loved my job at first, but as time passed, I kept being told I disobeyed company rules that were never once explained to me. All I was told was (and this is important for later) that we ALWAYS pay people for their time when doing community engagement.
As time went on and my soul was crushed, my mental health took a deep dive, so much so that I ended up in the psych ward. Now, before this, I was told to organise some community members from inner Sydney to walk on a development site to discuss what they would like from the development and how it can benefit the community.
Now, my boss & I were constantly butting heads. I think this may be because of our different upbringings; she was raised on a farm with her wealthy dad, I am from social inner-city housing so what we thought was best for our communities was just not aligned.
Now, I get people I’ve known for years and have grown up in the community. I was still in the hospital when they visited the site, so I found out my boss had no intention of paying these people because they rang me asking for the money, even going so much as to threaten me (all good, just another day in the hood). I was sent screenshots of my boss's messages, and she told them I would pay them out of my pocket.
So, whilst I was in hospital, I decided that I was going to quit. No matter how much I needed the job, it was not worth it anymore. So, I got my medical clearance and sent it to HR. I heard nothing until that evening, and it was an email stating I was fired and that everything that went down at the site was my fault despite my boss telling me when I started that we ALWAYS pay people for their time.
Anyway, I’m now at a less fucked job with co-workers I love.