How My Employers Screwed Me Over

Are we all the same to employers? Just another number in the matrix of things? Are we just another way to make money, or do we matter?

I asked myself these questions over and over as I was screwed over by the company I had helped from the beginning. To make things worse, this was a small business, which made me wonder if any business has their employee's needs in mind. It is indeed a two way street, you as the employee are providing the necessary ground work for the company, and they in turn should treat you well. Is that too much to ask in this capitalist society?

It all started when my Mother was asked to help a local business build their image. They were offering her a good amount of money to work for them, and when I came to help for their 'Grand Opening' they invited me to become an employee at their store as well. My main work was helping customers, using the register, and cleaning. Nothing too bad to be honest, we even had chairs to sit in while it was slow.

As the year went on, I had no complaints, besides the lack of help we had. I was the only store employee for the first few months, besides one girl that worked occasionally. Eventually they looked for someone else, and I was able to get my best friend to come work there as well. I was really happy with the situation honestly, and I had planned to stay until I finished college.

The first thing that struck me as odd was when I heard that the few employees that were joining (and doing exactly what I was doing) were making four dollars more than I was per hour. I figured it was just because it was the bosses friend, but it still hurt my feelings because I had been there from the get-go. I just let it go to the back of my mind for a while though, until I found out that two more people who were hired later on in the year were also making more than me. The fact that I had helped to train these people is what irked me the most.

So this time, after much debating with myself, and with my friend, I decided to bring it up to my bosses. Surely I thought maybe they had forgotten, and that all I would have to do is ask. After much stress, I called my boss to talk it over with her. She explained that she hadn't realized I was still at that pay rate, and she said we would meet on the following workday to discuss it.

On this day, as you can imagine, I was nervous. I was happy though that I would be able to support myself more. I felt that they cared about me enough to raise my pay, knowing how hard I had worked, and the fact that I needed the money for school and bills. When we got to the subject of the pay, they told me "we are just going to keep you where you are at, and we will check back in a month," following with "if you ever need a raise at any time let us know," and "you are such a great employee." I thought surely I had heard them wrong, that two such contradicting statements could not be used together. So I waited to check if it had changed over that afternoon on our work app. It had not.

Okay, so a month, I can do that I thought. I had waited this long, I could definitely do one more month. The month came and passed, and I had worked harder than I ever had for them during the holidays, to the point that I got sick on Christmas. I was waiting for the day that they would bring it up, and as the days passed, I realized they wouldn't.

When the subject of if I wanted so many hours came up a few days later, I thought surely, this was when they would tell me they were giving me a raise. I even told them, "no, I don't want this many hours, but I can't afford not to work as much as I have been." They just gave me a weird look, and continued on. I was so devastated by the fact that even though I had brought the subject up, several times, they still ignored my needs, while discussing the half-million dollar houses they were going to be buying in the near future.

They obviously did not care about my well being, and although they made it clear they were doing very well, with one of the owners having a multi-million dollar company in another state, they did not want to hear about my struggles.

Even after this, I stayed, and I only ended up leaving after they started treating my Mother badly. They took away her salary position, and cut her hours slowly. The fact that they got their brand from her is what hurt the most. The fact that they never gave her credit, and took away what she worked so hard for. I really thought maybe I had imagined things with myself, that maybe I was in the wrong for even trying to get a raise. But when they treated her that way, that was when it was over for me.

When I finally left, a couple weeks later, I could tell they did not care one bit. After I told them I had found work elsewhere, they promptly told me that they did not need me any other days, and I could be done once the current work day was over, even though the next day was their busiest. I didn't understand how they could care so little that I was leaving when I had done so much for them.

Even so, it was a hard decision, mostly because I loved working with the other employees there, and I loved being able to see my Mother everyday. Sadly, I had to make the choice to support myself better. I knew in the end that I was just another pawn that they used to build their empire.