This is my wife’s story, not mine…. But she did record her last meeting with management(and she does not Reddit), so I’ll retell this story that has me flabbergasted.
The company we both work(she has since resigned) for is a 24/7 operation that is open on weekends and holidays and is essential to community health and well-being. If someone calls off, someone has to cover their shift willingly or not(at time and a half).
The entire company has a couple thousand employees, but our office has 72 employees, 6 shift leads(2 per shift), 5 shift supervisors, an assistant division manager and a division manager. There are a few ranks above the branch, but I doubt they even know how to get to our office and don’t play into this story.
There are 3 shifts. 6am-2pm, 2-10, and 10-6. We are paid fairly well(32/hr after 6 years) and have decent medical/vision/dental. Old timers like me have retirement health where if we work here for 25 years we get healthcare for life for me and my spouse. My wife hired in later and got a retirement health savings account.
Not that it’s super relevant, but it drives me nuts so I’m going to mention it. All 6 shift leads could do my job. 2/5 shift supervisors could because they took their own time to learn it. Neither the assistant or manager can do this job.
Last week my wife got called into the office. She was getting suspended for calling in sick for the 5th time in a 12 month period(we have little kids, daycare won’t take sick kids even if I wanted to be that parent). She got a write up on the 4th and told any further before July would need to “follow proper procedure” and was told by a shift lead that meant a doctors note. She had a note, apparently didn’t matter and she was going to get suspended.
She mentioned that she is probably just going to resign. Told the manager that none of the shifts were really working great for a family with young kids as early morning childcare is expensive and working evenings or nights means going days without really seeing the kids.
That’s when the manager launched into a speech about how she had worked for 27 years and the first 20 of that was on evenings where she only saw her children twice a week on her days off.
Such messed up priorities. And she’s somehow proud of that. Needless to say, that was my wifes last day working there. The manager was shocked. Also angry she didn’t get a two week notice. And they still haven’t taken my wife off the schedule, she just shows on vacation.