I've been working for this company for almost 5 months now and until today, have not called out for a single day yet. The pay wasn't good and the job was high stress (part time cooking instructor as an afterschool program for elementary kids), but I still showed up every day, put in so much time and planning and energy and tried my best to always make it fun for the kids.
It snowed all night last night and through this morning – below freezing temperatures. I was driving to my morning job on the highway, going slow as f, and my car still slid and lost traction a few times. Another car completely spun out 5 feet in front of me. Couldn't tell what lane was what, the exit I take for morning job was still completely covered in snow (literally blended in with the hill its alongside).
I knew that if the weather stayed like this, I was not gonna make it to my afterschool job. My commute there is 30minutes of backroads, steep hills, and tight curves. If the paved highway looked like this, I couldn't even imagine what the backroads look like. F that. So I called out. I told my boss I didn't feel safe driving to work in these conditions.
She got upset and said to me “so are you gonna call out every time it snows? When we hired you, you told us you had a reliable mode of transportation.” I just said something like “yeah”, and that was that. My contract for this place ends in two weeks anyway.
That was it. But still. It made me so mad. I've driven to work in the snow before, but not like this. Like she was the coolest and friendliest boss I've ever had yet and I just wasn't expecting that from her.
It goes deeper. I'm tired af of people disrespecting me, treating me rudely or with condescending remarks, tired of working all the damn time and still being poor. I thought this boss would be respectful of my safety which is why I told her the truth in the first place. Sick of being seen as an employee, a moneymaker, as compared to a human being. It made me feel undervalued. Like if you saw those hills and saw those roads you would understand. I hate when people make me question myself and question my judgement. No fucking job is worth getting in a car crash over. And no fucking boss should be expecting that out of their employees.
Ugh! I'm not from a snow state, but come on. Like I don't think I overreacted by calling out. She made me feel like I was overreacting and I hate that. She made me feel dumb and small and it felt like she was calling me a liar when she said I told her I had a reliable car. It's a small thing but it freaking got to me.
Opinions on this are welcome, agree or disagree, as long as theyre kind. Would you drive 20 miles on icy backroads, over steep af hills, for work? For $60? I want validation but I also want genuine honest opinions.
I'm so sick of putting work over my own health, my own safety, my own sanity. I'm sick of being poor and underpaid. I have plans to work remote and part-time only soon – that way I can just live in my freaking van and travel and not have this bs be my primary concern anymore.