The worst job ever

A few years ago, I left a job I got right out of college. Granted neither job is what I went to school for, but after graduation, nothing in the Paralegal field was offering anything more than minimum wage. So I got a receptionist job at a manufacturing company for more than minimum, and the first Mon-Fri 8-5 job of my life.

I was happy there for the most part, and when I was officially hired out of the temp agency, the three month time span before medical picks up, I ended up breaking both of my feet, and had to have reconstructive surgery. My temporary handicapped-ness is a story for another time.

Towards the end of my time at the manufacturing job, we ended up having an active shooter, and afterwards, I was informed that I was essentially the "meat-shield" because their was nothing I could do. I was visible from the road and nothing around me. I asked for a pay raise, because I had been there for almost three years at this point, and was still making the same wage as when I started, and was informed to "just be glad you have a job".

An old coworker of mine directed me to apply for a financial institution call center. He told me it was better money, better medical, and a much better environment, and I will admit, when I first started there, it was a nice environment, but the job was not something I was happy in.

I promoted quickly while I was there, three times in my first year, and each time, I was told the next step up was better. I found.. this was a lie.

A few things that bugged me before 2020...

• you were only allowed to miss 8 days in a rolling year. you missed more - your gone.
• To many managers - all contradicting each other.
• Higher ups becoming to "woke to function" ie: A Native blooded person asked for a powwow with a manger really quickly, and then was written up for using terms that could be offensive to Natives. or one of my favorites, An instructor was being sexually harassed by a trainee who would also make comments like 'Women can't teach they are not smart enough', and the instructor was told by management she could not do anything about it but take it, because her filing a sexual harassments claim against the trainee could offend him.
• only 2 people at a time were allowed to have a day off - but it could take the scheduler a week or more to updated the schedule. So if you looked at the calendar to plan a vacation, its completely free, submit your request, it could (and often was) denied because multiple people asked for the same day(s) off. ( I had one time, that the first 3 days of my vacation was approved, 2 days in the middle denied and scheduled to work, and the next 2 days after that was approved. I was supposed to go out of town.)

When 2020 hit, and Covid came around, things got worse. There were no more fun days to build up employee moral, no more time between calls so people got a mini break, call hold times could be longer than an hour, and the poor reps had to deal with people screaming at them. It was ENCOURAGED to not say anything about possible exposure to covid or symptoms, because if you had already used the covid pay once, you were no longer covered, and in essence could lose your job for being sick.

During the BLM Protests we had (and in no way is this a 'I don't support' I DO support, this was just the time frame) we had associates who would go up to our associates of color and say things like "Why aren't you down with your people?" or on the opposite in would say things like "Fuck all cops, they all deserve to die, security officers too, fuck em all" Now... this got me hard cause my husband is a commissioned officer, and I have grown up with many cops being as my mother as worked at the sheriffs department my whole life. One associate posted a video on his social media, of him in his car during the protests that turned into a Riot, with a line of cops and security officers in the road saying things like "I should just do the world a favor and run them all over." and I could CLEARLY see my husband there.

When I took these complaints to management, I was told it was their right of free speech, and nothing could be done about it, cause it could offend them. When I mentioned it offended me, I was informed that, that in fact didn't matter.

One day, during my time as a supervisor, I carpooled with another member of leadership. I am one of those always early people, and ended up leaving my house late for me, I arrived at her place and she left late for her, we would still be on time. As we left her place, right down the road we witnessed a young girl driving an SUV, who launched it over a center median and into a light pole, we pulled over to help, and informed our bosses we would be late (strike 1 on tardiness). We got to work, and one of my associates was having a massive mental health crises, I had to follow her around all day, even speaking with her therapists on the phone and provided the National Suicide Hotline number to her. When I was supposed to leave for the day, she had a melt down, and a panic attack due to a caller screaming at her and calling her name. I spent an hour trying to calm her down and getting her OK and ensuring that she did not hit her head during her convulsions. I actually got in trouble for this, strictly for the fact I left an hour late. So we finally leave, and me and coworker are driving home, I had to drive past my house to get to theirs, and just down the road from my house, we were witness to a fatal motorcycle accident. We stopped and directed traffic and performed CPR till the police and medics showed up. When we contacted our upper management, we were both told to take the next day off, due to the day being insane and that was a lot to take in. Her day was covered, for some reason, mine was not.

I was asked to take over the Employee Activity Committee, to help bring moral back up, but with massive covid restrictions, I don't know how I did it, with individually wrapped foods and meals, giveaways and fun activities, but I did. But then the manager in charge of it, started flaking out on me. I would try to get her permission for something, and she would be all for it, but never do her part and get higher up permissions, I would reach out and it turns out nothing ever got to them. I had things I did massive research on, that wouldn't go any further than her. Then I started hearing that some discussions were being held in the higher manager meetings, things like "She needs to learn being a Lead/Supervisor means doing more than activities." This comment floored me, cause I always did all of my tasks, and even others tasks. I did work off the clock too.

Only once was I not able to complete a deadline, and that was because my computer completely died and we had to wait for a new one. I was told "then you should have finished everything last week." I was one day late.

We implemented new procedures for limit increases. they all had to be approved by supervisors, to prevent theft and fraud, but if you approved it and the person passed all of the required security precautions, and it was not the legit person, you would lose your job. but if you just denied it, you would lose your job.

I started having issues with my mental health with this job. To the point of locking myself in my bathroom every morning and having to talk myself down from taking my husbands gun and ending it. Work did not care.

they made us wear masks at ALL times in the building, if you removed it and had it below the nose you could be written up, 3 write ups and your fired, and they were strict on what kind of mask you work. I have severe asthma, as well as a few of us. We all brought in notes stating we could not wear a mask at all times in a 9 hour shift, my note even stated I could die... we were all told it didn't matter, we either wore it at all times or we could quit. I had a couple bad asthma attacks.

One day, one of the older gentleman I had worked with for years, we were friends, and always harassed each other, we worked on the same team for awhile, and while he had been in that department for years, I was the only person he felt comfortable and confident enough to ask me questions, and he fully supported me moving to management, he was my work dad... passed away AT work. Three other supervisors who never actually worked with him, and were fairly new, were actually given bereavement time and three days off for him. I was denied and had to cover their shifts. I sat there crying for his loss, while being told to suck it up. I took one day off by calling in sick to help myself grieve, and got in trouble. They brought in a grief counselor for people, I sat down with him for ten minutes before he told me I was selfish for having feelings of sadness and that I am trying to make his death about me. I will never get over that.

It was never in policy to cover tattoos or piercing's, and I have quiet a few tattoos, including eyes on my chest. I know, the head of the call center was staring at my check all the time, I caught him many times. Then one day, the shirt I was wearing showed the eyebrows of my tattoos, no cleavage, and I noticed him leaning over my cubical to talk to me, staring. I made a comment about it. Next thing I knew, he complained to my manager about how I need to not be wearing clothes that show my tattoos, cause it could offend a new person. I filed a complaint with HR when I left about it, and even HR said that was uncalled for, cause it is NOT policy to cover tattoos. Funny thing is my old roommate who is drastically shorter than I am, and VERY well gifted in the chest department, would wear tops so low you could see her bra, and that was ok.

Dress code only applied to people who were not favorites, or were not skinny and pretty. The coworker I carpooled with, wore a skirt that was within dress code policy (there were actually 2 dress codes, and you had to abide by both without knowing it.) and because she is not a skinny thing, she got in trouble for the skirt and had to have her husband bring her slacks to change into. But her boss, who mind you was the one reprimanding her, wore a dress later that week, that was NOT within dress code.

It is policy, if you quit, that sick and vacation pay is NOT paid out, but also, if you put in your two week notice, you are not allowed to USE your vacation or sick time either. If you put in your request for time, get it approved, then turn in your two week notice, your vacation is revoked. Me and a few friends suffered this fate. Also, if your last day is 1 day before the end of the month, no one will tell you that you don't get your incentive bonus for the previous month that you earned. I lost almost $400 that way.

All in all, I am glad I left. For my mental health and for myself. That was one of the WORST jobs of my life, and if it were not for the dear friends I have gained there, I would have regretted working there completely.