I work for a gas station chain that runs throughout New York state. I work the overnight shifts 10pm to 6am. We have 3 people who work these shifts. It's a 2 person shift with a register and a deli counter. We're in a slower area of town because of steel mills and other factories near by. So it's mostly workers or travel traffic.
Less than 50 customers a night spread out over 8 hours with the first 2 and last 2 having the most customers as it's the end and then start of a day for people. This store can easily be run by 1 person and only isn't because of a “town mandate” requiring 2 people or so my managers and district manager have told me.
Yet time and time again I've worked alone. call out after call out. they straight fire my coworker without a back up and I have to work 11 days by myself. And yet when I tell my district manager I'm to ill to come in and I can't work she tried to throw this shitty mandate in my face.
I respond with a “I've worked dozens of shifts alone we know 90% of the people who shop with us and it's so slow we have hours without customers some days.”
Oh and if you assume she responded with a “I understand get better and don't worry about it” you better get of this sub reddit now.
No she replies with a ” I'm sorry you've had to work alone but mandates are mandates and unless you have covid a fever is nothing to cry about so unless your going to get a covid test you'll be coming in tonight” as if she can decide for me how sick I am. Even if its not covid I wouldn't be coming in still.
I couldn't even call out when my brother tried to kill himself because I was threatened with being fired. I had to take a knife out of his neck man. I spend 30 hours awake going from hospital to my house cleaning up blood. I found a part of his neck on his floor man a lil piece it had me fucked up but nope still come in cause I can't afford to lose my job.
These managers don't understand im a person too they use rules and mandates to try and guilt or threaten us to come in for shifts. But when they get sick or have emergencies they have none to question the validity of it. They give a quiting magnager a week of vacation as she quit yet I can't even get a vacation request.
I'm extremely exhausted with this working structure and I want it to end.