u/eidolaa

25 minutes after the start of my shift, my stomach started acting up, so I ran to the bathroom. When I got back, I found my manager already annoyed. He started interrogating me about stupid things like why I hadn't gone before clocking in. I'm one of the best people working for him, and a lot of people there have said that, but for some reason he always singles me out. So after about 3 hours, I left. Fuck slave labor. Now I'm stressed and not really sure what's going to happen next.

To clarify, when I say I'm not sure what's going to happen next, it's because I have college expenses coming up and I'm still waiting for my student loans to be approved. I'm staying with my parents, so I'm not completely screwed financially. But seriously, you have no idea how bad this place is. They don't even pay us for public holidays unless we use PTO, and you have to work there for about 14 months before you're even eligible to take PTO.

Honestly, this job seems like trash, right?

Update: Woow, I didn’t imagine my post would blow up like this. I read most of the comments, and honestly, I agree with you guys I can’t keep working there anymore.

I also saw this post here on reddit about something called 'cold emailing' to find a job, and I really liked the idea. I’m going to try it and hopefully find a better opportunity soon. I’ll definitely update you all.

Currently, my job is very close to home - maybe exactly a ten-minute drive. I specifically looked for a nearby job after the baby arrived, knowing that my spouse's job often takes them outside our immediate area. Before this, I worked in a large, bustling area, and my usual commute there was about an hour and a half round trip by public transport, that is, if there were no delays.

Honestly, this current job has turned out to be a bit disappointing. My income is around 98k, but health insurance premiums are very expensive, costing me about a thousand dollars every month. When we factor in childcare expenses, there's barely anything left. I understood the salary during the interview, but the poor health insurance really surprised me. I'm seriously considering returning to my old job; I left that job on very good terms. This current job is very demanding, and their pension plan isn't the best. Even some of my more experienced colleagues here suggested I might be better off returning to my old company because their pension benefits are superior. I spent 14 years there and need to complete 18 years to receive all benefits, which means a total of 32 years of service.

That old job was very intense, like being on a high-pressure stock exchange at times. But the financial compensation was much better. I was earning 115k, health insurance costs were almost zero, and the 401k plan was much stronger. I'm thinking of contacting my old manager; I'm sure he'd be very happy if I returned. The problem is, on some mornings now, the baby needs me around 7:15 AM, and I can comfortably get to my current job on time! That was absolutely impossible before. I would have already been on public transport by 5:45 AM or 6:10 AM then...

Is sacrificing that extra time with my family truly worth the financial gains? Moving closer to my old job is simply not an option for us.