Workplace Frustrations & Advice
Hello everyone! I’m 17F and I’d really like some opinions/advice about my job because I’m honestly feeling pretty frustrated.
I’ve been working at the same place since I was 13. It’s a wedding/event venue and restaurant, and I’ve always considered myself one of their harder-working employees.
The first thing that upset me is that I’ve been making $20/hour for years, and this year they lowered my wage to $19/hour because they “need to cut costs.” The biggest issue isn’t necessarily the $1 itself—it’s that nobody even told me beforehand. A dollar an hour adds up, especially when you’re working a lot of hours, so it was pretty disappointing to find out.
Another huge frustration is the difference in work ethic between employees. They constantly hire people who, even after months, still don’t seem to understand what they’re doing. Some employees are also extremely lazy. They’ll sit around or disappear into the back while the venue is absolutely packed, leaving the people who actually work to pick up the slack.
I’m personally a very fast worker. I can usually accomplish in 6 hours what takes someone else 8–10 hours, but I have ADHD, anxiety, and back problems, which means I can only realistically work around 6 hours before I become completely burned out. I’ve been very upfront about that.
The frustrating part is that I feel like I’m being punished for having that limitation. Other employees who are slower or barely work can get multiple 5-hour shifts in a row, while I’m told I don’t get as many shifts because I can “only work 6 hours.” It doesn’t make much sense to me when I’m getting the same amount—or sometimes more—done in those 6 hours.
They also tend to schedule me specifically on the really busy days because they know I’ll get things done. But that often means I end up doing the majority of the work while other people stand around, and then I’m the one who gets completely exhausted.
Another thing that bothers me is that it seems like the good workers get criticized over the smallest mistakes, while people who consistently do less work seem to get away with a lot more.
And finally, there’s the situation with my days off. I recently requested two days off because I was invited to a concert. I’ve never been to a concert before, and I really wanted to experience something new before school starts. My GM didn’t respond to my request. Then she sent out a huge email saying that she’s no longer accepting requests for weekends and that everyone needs to understand that weekends are busy.
What frustrates me is that it feels like that rule isn’t applied equally. Other employees are still getting weekends off, including people who don’t seem to put nearly as much effort into their shifts. Her son also works there and gets days off, which makes the whole situation feel even more unfair.
I understand that businesses have to schedule around their needs, and I’m not expecting special treatment just because I’m young or because I have limitations. I just want to feel like my effort is actually valued and that the rules are being applied fairly to everyone.
At this point, the job that I used to think would be fun has become genuinely miserable for me. I’m constantly feeling overworked, underappreciated, and frustrated.
So, what would you do in my situation? Am I being unreasonable for feeling this way, or would you also be frustrated?