So, I'm currently fed up with my workplace. I'm working in an extremely toxic environment to the point where it is impacting my mental and physical health. I've been here for over a year. I'm exhausted. Every shift, I come home and cry. My coworkers who have left in the past have begged me time and time again to quit, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. To live in this world, money is necessary. However, now I'm realizing that my health and sanity are a lot more important.
At my job, the managers don't allow transfers to other stores. It's a large chain and I won't be specific to save myself any possible trouble. If people decide to just quit and reapply at a different location, the managers at my store will blacklist people when they quit, meaning blocking people from every reapplying with the company. So, essentially, find another job in this job market or you're trapped. Managers scream at each other on the sales floor. The one general manager harasses employees to the point where they call out whenever he's working or flat out quit. They're denying our availability and my department manager, who I considered a friend and knows my personal life, is now using that knowledge against me and manipulating me by making me work on days that are my “relax and do nothing” days – two days a week. They're scheduling us for hours alone on the busiest days of the week. I currently have a second degree burn on my finger because we as employees are so rushed that I didn't have the chance to put on proper gloves before putting food in a 200 degree oven. My general manager didn't provide any first aid for me until I begged for it two hours later, and then proceeded to try to write me up for getting injured when he was the one rushing us to do everything. I was trapped in front of an oven surrounded by a table and two large carts full of food I needed to put into the oven. It's been a week and my skin is literally rotted in the middle of this burn. After getting it, I was told to just go back to work an 8 hour shift as normal even though my work requires mostly my hands. Not to mention, I got into pretty big drama with an old employee and she continues to show up on days that I work with the intent to intimidate/harass me even though she no longer works with the company. I've complained numerous times to the managers, telling them to keep her from the store so I can do my job without feeling uncomfortable or unsafe, but I get completely ignored.
I am giving in my two week notice soon, but I'm terrified. They are notorious for treating employees horribly for those two weeks. Scheduling them to close and then open for 4-5 days in a row, yelling at them for using the bathroom and taking breaks, etc. Just treating them horribly. There is no reason leaving my minimum wage job should feel like a break-up. I'm putting in these two weeks regardless and applying to any job I can, but here's where I'm running into issues.
All of these major chain companies are “urgently hiring,” but they seem to reject everyone. Beggars can't be choosers. Some of us are trying to leave work environments that are impacting us to the point where it causes us personal issues. That shouldn't be so and the majority of the major chain companies aren't any better, but I doubt any of them could be as bad as where I am now. I've gone in to somewhere I applied and asked to speak to a manager and asked them to follow up with my application – being forward is good and shows you're invested and you care. I get home to an email that I am “not wanted” for the interview process. And then these companies complain about unionization and not having enough people to work? Some of us are desperate and need somewhere to go, but why would big companies even care about that? It's a joke. Having to work to survive, only to have your mental and physical health damaged, is a joke. I'm miserable right now. Is it me? Is it my resume? Are my current employers somehow blocking me from leaving? What's so wrong with me that another minimum wage company won't hire me? I'm just done.