America’s spectacularly messed up work culture gets worse by the day. Companies trick job seekers into working for free, refuse to pay living wages, and expect workers to beg for the chance to enjoy toxic customers and managers.
One company took things even further by asking someone they fired to come in the next day for a shift.
Cutting Hours
One baffled (ex) employee shared that their company cut their hours due to overstaffing. The Original Poster (OP) said they were cut to three days per week, and because they couldn’t afford to live on part-time work, they decided to get a second job.
Juggling Both
OP discussed the new job with their manager, who approved their new, slightly limited availability. Because their new job starts early in the morning, OP requested they be assigned a mid-shift rather than a closing shift so they could get a decent night’s sleep.
It was just a request; OP would have worked the close if they had to.
Fired for Asking
Shocked that an employee would dare request a specific shift, the manager fired OP on the spot.
“The GM said they were short-staffed and needed people that could work more hours,” shared OP, baffled at the statement given they were working 40-50 hours per week before their hours got cut.
OP didn’t say anything, but it’s also interesting that a company would fire someone willing to work while complaining that they’re short-staffed.
Called To Come In
The next morning, a different manager texted to see if OP was still coming in to work the closing shift.
A confused OP responded that they’d been fired, and if the manager really needed them to work, they should have waited to fire them until AFTER the shift.
A Pre-Emptive Firing
We could understand the text if the second manager didn’t know about the earlier conversation. In that case, they would have apologized for texting or something.
Instead, the second manager made things worse. According to OP, “She said I was “fired starting next week.”
OP Laughs in Their Face
Some people are so hard up for cash that they’d go to the shift despite the horrific treatment. Luckily, OP’s financial position allowed them to scoff at the audacity.
“If I’m so replaceable, find somebody else to close,” they said.
Users Shaking Their Heads
OP’s story left everyone shaking their head at the outrageous ways companies try to abuse workers. Unfortunately, we learned this attitude is far too common, as many users shared their own tales of similar events.
One person shared that an old job called them months after they were fired to see if they could cover a 30-minute shift, while another said they were fired for taking a vacation, but the boss called weeks later to see if they could cover a shift.
Managers Need To Understand Staffing
The most confusing part about these stories is that most people were fired because they couldn’t work a specific timeframe, but the company was shortstaffed. The ultimatum? Work or you’re fired.
Thankfully, more and more workers are choosing the firing, leaving shocked managers with even less staff. Hopefully, once the surprise wears off, managers will learn to treat the employees willing to work like human beings with lives outside the job.
Source: Reddit