I'd been working for this lab for about 8 or 9 months when I was fired. Initially I was hired to work in two particular departments, had a signed contract, everything. During the interview process they mentioned that they were hoping to do cross training as some of their other departments were growing and needed a little back up sometimes. That would come at my discretion however. I was free to choose what I would and wouldn't take on. Inherently I asked about raises involving increased work responsibility. They told me that they usually only did yearly raises but that under extenuating circumstances, they'd considered it at any time. Before I was hired, there was no room for growth. Which was the main reason they only did raises once a year.
Fast forward four months or so. At this point I'm fully trained, basically to the teeth in the two departments I was brought on for. Have been for a couple months. We have two to three people absent from one of the departments over the course of two months. Mainly covid related stuff. Meaning we're very short staffed, doing a lot of overtime, etc. I stepped up. Rearranged my schedule and was doing a large portion of the needed OT each week. When things finally slowed down, they asked me specifically to take on more responsibility. Get trained in more departments. I accept, knowing that at that point, I'll ask for a raise. I may have made the mistake of not asking for the raise up front, but i also don't regret my actions. After about a month of training, basically done with everything, right about to actually start working in the departments I ask for a meeting to be setup to talk about a raise. In the meeting I'm told how vital my role is, how everything I've done hasn't gone unnotice but that “it would be unfair to the rest of the employees to give me a raise.” I was asking for $2/hr. I let the meeting end, while expressing my frustration with the decision but moving forward.
At this point, I start making a game plan for how I'm going to react. I don't Initially intend on putting in my two weeks, but I do start looking for jobs.
I end up having to stay out for work because my partner tests positive for covid(PCR). A couple days after the meeting. During the week or so that follows I test negative for covid twice, once a few days after my partner came down with it, and once a few days after after my partner was no longer sick and tested negative herself. All within seven or eight days from when she initially came down with symptoms.
The company decides they want to keep me out for an extra week “just in case”, which was their own internal regulation. I agree, under the condition that I'm compensated for my time out (obviously). They reply with “we'll see what we can do”. The thing is my state has covid sick leave benefits, have since the beginning of last year. And I'm aware of that. I end up having to argue with their HR that they even exist (major red flag). After almost a week longer of being out, a few days before I'm supposed to return, I get an email with a run down of the sick leave benefits.
At this point, I feel pretty disregarded by the company, am actively looking for something else. I come back to work on a Thursday. Friday, just before I leave I schedule a meeting with HR, stating that I wanted to talk about my workload.
The following Monday, I sit down with their one HR rep(this company is relatively small), and tell them that since I was brought on for just these two departments, and I was denied a request for a raise, that I was going to be unable to do more work than I was hired for. I haven't signed anything saying I'll take on the work in the new departments, just a verbal agreement. I'm told by HR that's not a problem and that they appreciate my directness. I move forward, knowing I need a new job, but not feeling like I'm going to get fired either.
The next day I get an email from one of the admin. This particular admin has been a direct cause of somewhere around 8 different employees leaving since I started. They're integral to the company, will never be fired, and treat employees any way they like. I was later told by HR that the only reason his job exists was to mitigate issues between this admin and others 🤦️.
Anyways, this admin emails me asking me all these questions like “why do I think I don't have to do such and such work” that “in the contract it says the company can move me around departments if they see fit”. The second one is true, but it also says in the contract, “within reason”. The whole email very threatening like.
Ultimately hiring and firing has nothing to do with them, they don't actually have that power at the company. But i didnt know that at the time. I feel threatened by their action, and so I set up another meeting with HR. This also isn't the first time I'd had issues with that admin. Most everyone did. They would complain about anything they could about any employee they could, even though they spent a total of a hour in the lab over the entire week. Their demeanor was unlike anything I'd experienced before.
In my meeting with HR I explain how I feel like my job is threatened, how after all these issues with this admin, that I feel harassed by them. I ask to not have to interact with the admin, and for any communication to go through HR, which was agreed.
The next day I get an almost identical email from the admin. I email HR. They tell me that I have to respond to the admin's email, that there shouldn't be an issue. I respond saying that I wasn't refusing the integral parts of my job that I was hired for, but that I wasn't willing to take on work in three or four other departments without adequate compensation.
I then email HR telling them again I feel harassed by this admin, that I don't appreciate how the situation was handled.
About an hour later I'm asked into an office, and subsequently fired.