So I work for a startup in the remote call center. I do the work of, literally, six people, and I still have hours and hours of downtime every day because volume has dropped since the pandemic. Most of my coworkers' jobs mostly involve shaking their mouse and staying active in slack. The company did 3 back to back massive layoffs with no warning earlier this year, and the other day we all got an email that basically said “there's not enough work so some of our employees are going to be dropped to part time. You can use your pto or take it unpaid.” Everyone panicked and we didn't find out for 3 days that it wasn't our department. They just let everyone be afraid for half a week.
On top of the constant fear tactics and mind games, no one but the C level got raises this year and I make the same money as my coworkers despite doing several jobs. When I brought this up they basically laughed at me and said you have to be “flexible” and “a team player” when you work for a start up. To be clear this company is 7 years old and worth $1.6 B.
I'm also in the process of getting a certificate to make me more useful, but they promised reimbursement for the class and test which was then mysteriously denied by the higher-ups, conveniently after I had already paid over $400, more than half a paycheck, for the class and test. On top of that, despite this certificate practically doubling my workload, they were very clear that I would not be getting a raise. I literally have to travel to Ohio to get this cert which they also will not pay for. The reason stated is that it's “a reasonable driving distance for a one-time travel requirement”. It's 7 hours away by car and I drive an '06 ford.
We're working on the absolute bare minimum number of employees and since I have so much responsibility including closing alone, if I take a day off, several people have to change their schedules and I always get guilted about it. God forbid I go to a wake (most recent pto).
Anyway, I think I'm finally sick of it. I make $21 an hour, not great but not completely terrible, but the constant fear of losing my job, being basically the only useful person on my team, not getting a raise, the company culture of blaming the chaos on being a “startup”, the abysmal communication, being guilted about pto because they didn't staff adequately, and the fuckin thing with the cert… I think I'm just done.
I don't have a degree so I'll almost certainly be taking a cut in pay. Most places around here hire at $15 an hour, but honestly losing a few hundred bucks a month might be worth my peace of mind. I'm looking to distance myself from remote desk jobs and looking into something more physical, probably stocking. Or maybe using this expensive ass certificate to work in the field. I want a job that's just a job, instead of a stressful career. I want to live my life, not work myself to death at a desk in my childhood bedroom for pennies.
Does anyone have any experience transitioning from a stressful and unstable “career job” to a more relaxed “just a job” job? It makes me sooo mad that working 40 hours a week at one of the highest paid call centers in the country still doesn't mean I can afford to live. If I didn't have the safety net of my parents house I would literally be homeless with a 40 hour a week desk job that pays $8 an hour over my state's minimum wage. Switching jobs will mean making even less but I can't take it anymore. I feel like I'm selling my soul to a company that doesn't give a shit if I live or die lmao