Disgruntled

I have become extremely demotivated at work today. It didn't take much on top of the mayhem that was March to put me over the top.

I ranted several times in March about late hours and long days. For three straight weeks I worked sixty hours a week (ten more than expected) without additional compensation of any kind. That's the curse of being paid salary -- I accept that and I did my duty.

Thursday last week I woke up sick with such intense stomach pains that I couldn't stand up straight. Nevertheless, I arrived at work at 6:00 am and unloaded a semi trailer filled with merchandise. Not feeling any better afterward, I called someone in to provide needed coverage for the day and went home sick at 9:30. I emailed my boss -- the District Manager -- who was on vacation in Florida, to inform him of the situation.

The next day I received the following reply by email:

We should discuss this when I return.

He officially returned to work today and I expected him to call me on it. He never did. Shortly before leaving for the day today, I reviewed payroll for last week. I was enraged to discover that I was being hit for half a sick day for Thursday. Without informing me, this District Manager of mine modified my payroll for the week. Furthermore, the change that he made was against company policy, which specifically states that salaried employees are to be paid in full day increments regardless of whether they work a full day or not.

I lost a world of respect for this District Manager today. Not only was he more than happy to take an extra thirty hours from when he needed it, depriving me of precious time with my family, but he also robbed me of benefit hours that I should not rightly be hit for -- and he did the latter without my knowledge.

But wait, there's more.

While he was on vacation, I also emailed him to notify him that my wife has been scheduled for C-Section on May 3, and that I would be taking two weeks vacation at that time. I've discussed with him on several occasions that I would be taking two weeks vacation when my child is born, so this should have come as no surprise to him.

Today I received the following reply via email:

Will you be returning on the 17th or 18th? YOU must ensure we have a plan to keep the store progressing before you leave.

If I remember correctly, the only worthwhile thing Bill Clinton did as President was sign the Family Medical Leave Act, which guarantees my right to take such time for the birth of a child.

I'm appalled beyond measure! I can't even begin to put it into words. With the two-hour (each way) commute, gasoline approaching $3.00 a gallon, almost no time with my son after working all day, and the strenuous task of running a successful, highly profitable store amidst all the stress, this is the straw that broke the camel's back (a favorite cliche of my mother's). There couldn't be a better time to find employment closer to home. Especially with a new baby on the way. I've already begun aggressively searching.

Joe