Terrible title I know but this whole story is going to be a jumbled mess so I apologize in advance.
Recently as of the last sixth months I had started working at a marketing firm as a designer. This is a small family business that does a variety of things for a handful of clients across the nation. Regardless I don’t want to give away too much information as to doxx myself or the company. As for why I made a throwaway account.
While working there I’ve dealt with nothing but hardships. I wish I kept a running log of all the things that has happened in the time that I have been there because honestly I could write multiple instances and situations that most people simple would not have put up with.
In short it is the most dysfunctional place I have ever worked. In the time that I’ve been there my boss or the owner of the company has failed to be anything but a scattered brained narcissistic control freak who has used lies and deception to keep his chaotic business afloat. I guess that really wasn’t in short but it gives a small insight into the situation. I don’t want to go through and list every complaint I have with the man or every situation I have had to put up with but I did come to /antiwork to get opinions on the current matter. IF need be that I tell more of what has happened I will. But to keep this from being any more of the novel it is already turning into I will wait.
So… I’m actively on strike right now I guess or on the verge of just quitting. And the best way to explain how I got to this Friday is to start on Monday when I think this whole situation really started.
It was either this weeks Monday or last weeks Friday. But I had went to cash my two checks that I had received from my boss. I get paid every week and happened to have Fridays check and the check from the week before to cash. My boss has told me the way “I’m supposed to” cash/accept his checks. But at this point I was just going and getting them cashed at his bank (for multiple reasons). While I was there getting them cashed they were able to take the recent check but they could not cash the one from a week ago. At that moment I was annoyed but this hadn’t been the first time that I have had other issues with being paid. So I went on my way to work that day and told our HR/Accountant that I couldn’t cash my check. That was Monday when I told him about the check not clearing. I was told it would be fixed and figured it would be fine. Comes Tuesday and I go to work and don’t think much about my check. Id cash it when Id have the time because typically I don’t have the time to stop by his bank. Wednesday comes and I wake up to a text from one of my coworkers telling me the power is out. Let me give you some context as well. A day or so prior the energy company came out to our office and told us they were going to turn off the power if the bill wasn’t paid… and this isn’t the first time the power had been shut off because of the bill not getting paid. I will say come to find out that the power was not off from lack of payment but instead had been turned off by one of the “not quite right” employees my boss had recently hired.
With all that being said Wednesday morning I had some time to not have to be in the office and wanted to make use of it. So I ran to try and cash my check and of course still couldn’t cash it. And with the promises in text from my boss that I would be able to cash it the following work day. So at this point I’m furious. I call my boss with what one could say an attitude but imo rightly earned. I told him that I would not be coming in until he could pay me. And because I had an attitude that day he did not want to do anything to fix the situation. He simply rather put his own emotions over the situation and strain things. So Wednesday I didn’t go in.
Thursday, I still didn’t really know what to do and knew the only way I could get the check situation fixed was by going to work. Though I did try to get it cashed before going to the office. Of course still couldn’t. Mind you on one of these days i was even written a new check and they wouldn’t cash that one either. I went to work not knowing what to do anymore and feeling very stuck… but still very upset and not willing to put up with it anymore. I think I had got to work around 9 but before going in I called my boss and he surprisingly answered. Had a very long and partially upsetting conversation with him but the main point was he told me he would have my money in cash to me in an hour. I stayed there for 2 and a half hours and heard nothing from him about the money, what he was doing, where he was. Because he was not at the office. He almost never was at the office.
It is Friday and my boss needs me. Im well aware of how much he needs me. I am his only graphic designer and I’ve pretty much just walked out on him for the last two days. Its been a very annoying, difficult, tiring, position to be in. I told him that I did not feel valued or cared about by him and truly I don’t know how well I can trust him just based on the things I know and have yet to say. At first he tried to spin the situation on me and make me feel bad for not putting up with it all anymore. And In my own self put down I don’t know if I’ve been perfect either. If judge and jury had the full story. But I know he’s been far from a good employer than I have been a bad employee. Regardless here’s the reason I came here.
I’ve told him parts of my grievances and at one point brought up how I don’t feel valued and then I hit him with the fact he even promised me a raise. He came back at me with some bs imo opinion… but he stated he’d give me a dollar raise. I couldn’t answer him yesterday. But I knew a dollar wouldn’t be enough. He still very much needs me and goes to ask me what would be enough first I told him 15 and then he pretty much said he “could agree to those terms if I came in and got the work that needed caught up done. I realized that even 15 didn’t seem like enough for everything I’ve gone through and told him I still didn’t think I could go through with putting up with it anymore. So I told him 25 an hour would be the most id be willing to be there to put up with everything. And so he kinda met me in the middle and offered to pay me cash for whatever hours needs to get things completed and time for him to find me a replacement at 25 an hour.
At this point I’m not really sure what I should do.