For context, I work for an in home healthcare company that helps people with disabilities be as independent as possible. Things like personal care, household chores, transportation to doctors appointments, etc.
I work from home for my mother and have only one coworker. (60sf)
Oh. My god.
Things were fine when I started. Despite the fact that I’m doing intense work (anyone else in this line of healthcare can understand the difficult, stressful and sometimes dangerous things that go on) I was started at $9.90 and am only now making $12/hr. I work from 9am to 8pm 3-5 days out of the week (mandatory every other weekend) and 2pm to 8pm 2 days out of the week. Any doctors appointments or vacations my coworker takes days off for are put on my schedule without a phone call or even a notice, I just find out when our schedules are mailed in, but I haven’t been able to go to the doctor for even a checkup in almost 3 years because of a lack of a car or a stable ride, and having to REQUEST the time off and hope they will cover my shift.
Which they never have. Ever.
They have never accepted a single request for time off, other than the day after my 21st birthday which they made me make up for the weekend before despite the fact it was supposed to be paid vacation. Every sick request is denied because “this is “workers” day off so they can’t, and we don’t have anyone else in that area.”(though they have people only 45 minutes away and make their employees with cars jump all over the county) even when I had a MINISTROKE, the supervisor on on-call told my mother (couldn’t talk for myself) that she was supposed to stay in the main city but left to have fun in a different county with her boyfriend, so I had to figure something out. They seemingly short me on my overtime (for example working 6 hours of overtime and only being paid for 3) and have told me to my face they don’t like to pay overtime. My coworker hates me and can call the office whenever to complain about things that have nothing to do with my job (again, I work in my home.) and then they come to me and complain, and tell me basically to ensure things that don’t have to do with my job are done for my coworker when she comes in, and have started doing surprise visits in a blatant act of mistrust and disrespect to “make sure I’m doing my job.” They allow her to make giant mistakes like forgetting to GIVE MY MOTHER HER MEDICINE, and give me notes about things I need to clean in MY HOME, and demand I return something as simple as a washcloth, claiming they are “hers” because she bought them for my mom YEARS ago.
The main boss of the building has denied me time off even just an hour after watching a beloved family cat have 3 seizures and die while looking into my eyes, claiming “it was just a house cat, get over it.” IT?! Again, not once have they accepted time off.
They started me at the max hours despite me putting down 5 less, punish me by docking pay or passive aggressive phone calls when THEIR faulty app doesn’t work (Made for clocking in/out), are currently nagging me to pay almost $40 to renew my CPR license online or I have to do it in office, even though I DONT HAVE A CAR, and can’t afford to throw $40 at something like that, my paychecks are the only way our home doesn’t lose utilities and I can eat and barely buy necessities like bath products.
I have no money saved and no way to take care of my health as my position has no benefits. I want to move out but there are no better jobs in my area and working a “normal” job isn’t in my cards due to my mental and physical health that I can’t get help or treatment for. Even just a bug infested 1 ROOM (not bedroom, ROOM) apartment above a bar with a communal bathroom and shower in my town (not at all an expensive area) is 1 1/3 my monthly pay. (2 checks per month, so more than one check)
It’s honestly making my health worsen more and more with the not so great conditions and stress all around. There’s no way for me to grow and improve in this environment. 3 years of work and not a penny saved or anything to show for it.