I could have sworn there were more hours in the day

[mousme]

Gotta go to work in the next fifteen minutes or so.

Got home at seven thirty, was in bed by eight, got up at 3:30, and now I have to go to work again. The problem with twelve-hour work shifts is that you don't actually get "half a day" to do other stuff, the way you might mistakenly be led to believe. There's at least one hour of commuting in there, closer to two usually. Then in theory one wants at least seven hours of sleep, which leaves one with, in theory, two to three hours to get Other Stuff done.

Today I have to be at work an hour earlier (I'm also finishing one hour earlier tomorrow, never fear). So that gave me exactly eleven hours to drive to and from work, get in enough sleep, get showered and dressed, and go back to work.

I have another two weeks of this, thanks to my supervisor. He seems to have forgotten his promise that I would only have an irregular schedule for two weeks. He also seems to have forgotten his promise to keep me at 40 hours per week, and has me down to 36 hours a week. I *told* him I need forty hours, but apparently he doesn't care about that, or the fact that my work contract specified 40 hours a week.

In his defense, he did try to give me the vacation (without pay) that I asked for. Only, he completely misunderstood what I asked for. I asked for one week, with specific dates. So he gave me three days off, starting on the Wednesday.

*EXPLETIVE DELETED*

The man is either being deliberately mean, or he's just too stupid for words. I told him I wanted the week off to go visit a friend in the US. How the f*ck does he think three days off will help me accomplish that?

So I have to talk to him this week and tell him that I can't do that. Either I get all five days off, or I won't take any time off. There's no sense in giving me a random financial penalty without any payoff. Sorry, whiskeygirl8, but I wouldn't hold my breath on this one.


I can't be the only person to have a job that defies all the laws of common sense, can I?

Comments

[moskevyu.livejournal.com]

I don't think you're the only one. That's amazingly unreasonable of the supervisor to schedule you like that. Especially for a no-pay vacation.

Axey <==== Whose had a good share of unreasonability at work this week, too.

my two bitter bits. . .

[pasley.livejournal.com]

"The man is either being deliberately mean, or he's just too stupid for words"

Hate to say it, but in my pretty vast experience of all nature of non-unionized jobs, it's the former possibility every damn time. It's bosses/managers trying to see what they can get away with that you either won't notice or will be too intimidated to do anything about. Of course, this policy is also incredibly stupid, since its only effect is to cause workers to get bitter and hate their job and burn out that much more quickly, but I guess the thinking is to root out the workers with the "unreasonable" demands, and the workers who have the least bit of a spine, so they're left with the mindless drones or the timid mice who will submit to anything without complaint.

This rant all to say that since you are neither mindless nor timid, since you are a good worker who is (or should be) valued, you also have the right to politely remind your boss what you requested. If you don't, the situation--and your frustration--- will only get worse.

Re: my two bitter bits. . .

[luvenditti.livejournal.com]

anh, maybe, but in my case with the schoolboard it's always been people uncaring about how well they do their jobs and making ridiculous errors, rather than people just trying to be mean. and when I say errors, sweet mary mother of god. I was the lab tech at my old school as well as being the librarian. when, at the end of the year, I had finished my lab tech duties and informed the schoolboard that they could remove that job from automatic payment, instead of ending the task, they ended ME. Just called up my name and deleted me entirely. sigh. I think I've had to visit the schoolboard every summer since I started working there because someone's screwed up my vacation form. One time I actually signed it AT THE WOMAN's DESK .. and she STILL lost it. Mind you, when her supervisor found out about that one, she was in some SERIOUS trouble.

Re: my two bitter bits. . .

[pasley.livejournal.com]

ouch! Sorry you got screwed. But what you're talking about is more bureauocratic, as opposed to one individual making scheduling decisions. Bureaucracy is a very different beast. Working at a school myself, I've had my own run-ins with it, though nothing as annoying as what you describe.

[whiskeygirl8.livejournal.com]

You want I should come and "talk" to him? (Read that in a NY mafioso accent.)

[vureoelt.livejournal.com]

Ouch. That's madness. That's the kind of sloppy scheduling that can result in abusing the employees.