Hello, I have been on here for a short time, but let me give a little background before explaining the toxicity I'm about to unfold. Please keep in mind that I am visually impaired and cannot drive. I have to rely on public transportation to get around from place to place. I could do Uber/ Lyft, but it costs a fortune. Sorry, this is long.

Background

I work at a 24/7 fast-food chain location that is always open, and I have worked there for almost two years, starting next month. I have seen so many people walk, straight out quit, or be fired from my location at nearly forty people in the past year. I admire how my boss utilizes employees the best he can with what skills they have. I am a dedicated employee who believes that I will be productive while on the clock if I'm being paid to work. HOWEVER, I do not appreciate the lack of employees and the treatment he's given me. My location is in the middle of downtown, and we only had six employees in the whole restaurant! Two cashiers, two cooks, one manager, and myself (the prep cook/ odd jobs around the restaurant when done before I clock out to leave). I'm in the back for my portion most of the day, where the dishes pile up. Another fellow employee of mine is there before and usually has to leave after I do. We talked today, and he told me how he wants to quit and find another job where he's treated better, and I told him I don't blame him as if I could, I would.

Treatment

Due to my visually impaired eyesight, I have to keep a set schedule (as I rely on public transportation/ others to transport me) which takes me over an hour to get home from my job (generally by 4:00 P.M.). I feel terrible (as I am limited in the help I can give in the work field). Where I live, my workplace is one of the only places that are open all day long, and with my circumstances, I need to keep the work even if it is emotionally toxic and so forth. My boss does not care if you have a separate life from work, expects you to do as he says with no questions and not question him. Since we were so short-staffed today, I attempted to help with the dishes as I wanted to be helpful so the other employee I was talking about wouldn't be required to stay like he's been forced to. My boss decided to jump me because I messed up on some of the dishes I put up (as I thought they were clean).

He's like: “You need to be more careful and pay attention to what you are cleaning as it is a health code violation. I appreciate your help, but you need to check better with what you are cleaning.”

I told him I did check the best I could (or I wouldn't put them up otherwise). I felt terrible for the rest of the day. I was already pressured to do my primary job at mock-speed and then, on top of that, get in trouble for trying to help our already short staff issue. I apologized to the other fellow employee that I wanted to help, but I seemed to make it worse. This isn't the only issue, but this one got on my nerves because my boss is jumping on my condition. He knows full well I am unable to help it. Not just this occasion, I can be working on my job. He'll call on me to run food out or bring it out to the dining room, or if we get this massive flow of people coming in both through the door and drive-thru, he wants me to drop everything I'm working on in the back to help in the front (which I don't mind when I'm done doing the job he hired me for, but when I'm unable to do that is what gets me).

I'm glad to know I can be relied upon, but when I'm being paid minimum wage and trying to do three different jobs simultaneously is not something I appreciate. He yells at me for things I didn't know due to his expectations with dates or something I didn't do. He expects it of me, and he rides my tail on it when I don't. Some mornings I walk in the door, and I'm getting scolded for something I haven't started yet.

Why I am unable to leave:

My boss KNOWS I can't leave this job no matter what he puts through because he knows I cannot afford it. With how hard it is for me to get around where I live, I cannot reasonably leave, and with my circumstances playing into effect, I need to work at a 24/7 place because of my educational side of life. He abuses this very circumstance and takes full advantage of my good graces. So many people have left working their or straight out entirely because I'm not the only one getting treated terribly.

I am a full-time online college student and will be transferring to a university this fall, and I CAN NOT leave this job as when I start my fall university classes, I will be required to be on campus. If I could drive it might be easier, but such is not my life. T_T