Another situation regarding a boss - What do you think

[Wishing on a star]

Okay, I don't usually do this. But I am going to post a very real, but also kind of hypothetical situation based on a very close friend/family.

L O N G.... But go ahead and read if you want to play along!!!!!

This is about a girl who is high school senior, who just turned 18.
She works at medium sized chain store that is a free-standing business. Not like in a mall or even a strip-mall.

Just from comments that I have gathered, the bosses seem to kind of jerk her around a lot. Things like one day they work her over two-three hours... then she won't get any hours... then they will call her in, like she is on-call, and expect her to be there on her day off, when she has worked a few days and is expecting a day off. That kind of thing.

Okay, the other day, on a day that she was not scheduled to work.... after school, while she is babysitting her younger sibling because her parents are both away overnight (which does seem to happen on occasion that they can be away, sometimes for several nights), at about 4:00 in the afternoon, her phone rings and it is one of her two bosses, a guy, saying she is supposed to be at work, and where is she, and she better get there, and she is in trouble, and he is going to report her to whomever the upper/district management is and 'write her up', etc....

Apparently she has been written up before for absolutely no reason, and this is like a constant 'threat' and a part of the ongoing disrespectful treatment.

Okay, so she finally gets in touch of one of her parents, and they tell her to double check the schedule which is accessible to employees online (which he could have messed with) to see if her name is there. It is NOT there. She is not scheduled. But, she is a young and insecure and vulnerable girl, and she is going in anyhow. Her parents tell her to take a screen shot of that schedule to cover her behind.

So, she takes her sibling to a relative's house...

She gets to work, and, because of her screen-shot, this guy has to admit that it was a 'mistake' ... But goes on to insist that SHE is in trouble and he may very well report her and write her up anyhow.

She works till close... after dark.

By this time, she has been texting with my son about this... as he has been a sympathetic ear.
So, we have heard a lot, as she has vented quite a bit to him over the past few weeks and months.

Some of the things my son have heard is how this store does not have security cameras. (What well known national chain store would NOT have security cameras?)
How this guys car has been seen in the parking lot with another employees car, well after closing, with the store seemingly closed up with no real visible lights on.
Stuff like that.

So, now she is being called in to close with this manager. He probably knows that her parents are away.

He is usually the day manager, so he only closes one or two nights a week to fill in....
And it seems that she usually does not work till closing with him.

What is your take on this?????

 

[Hikergirl]

If that was my dd I'd tell her to quit, at age 18 retail jobs are a dime a dozen.
That is too much stress over a minimum wage job and not worth it IMO.

However I'm not really sure what the last part of your post is about.
Is this girl afraid she will be sexually assaulted by him at work?
Not every store has security cameras, and cars being in the parking lot after closing isn't always a suspicious thing. My dd sometimes leaves work with people and they go eat, but only one person drives. The rest of them leave their cars in the parking lot and get dropped back off after dinner.
And, if his car is in the parking lot, who is noticing? Wouldn't they also be in the parking lot way after closing to see it?
Just confused as to what that has to do with anything.
If she is afraid to work with him, then my advice would be the same, just quit.

 

[SC Minnie]

Time for her to find another job. Leading into the retail season she should be able to land one without a problem.

If she is afraid of him after the store closes. She could call a friend/parent after she clocks out and talk until she gets in her car and pulls away.

 

[MouseLover]

I would advise her to quit.

Car in lot late-- prob nothing BUT this is the type of controlling personality I would be leery of.

Could your son or her relative pick her up so manager knows someone is with her?

If she stays, I would stop answering my phone on off days. Also she might want to contact headquarters & inform them. Bet it's not the first time this guy has thrown his weight around.

 

[sam_gordon]

Okay, I don't usually do this. But I am going to post a very real, but also kind of hypothetical situation based on a very close friend/family.

L O N G.... But go ahead and read if you want to play along!!!!!

This is about a girl who is high school senior, who just turned 18.
She works at medium sized chain store that is a free-standing business. Not like in a mall or even a strip-mall.

Just from comments that I have gathered, the bosses seem to kind of jerk her around a lot. Things like one day they work her over two-three hours... then she won't get any hours... then they will call her in, like she is on-call, and expect her to be there on her day off, when she has worked a few days and is expecting a day off. That kind of thing.

Okay, the other day, on a day that she was not scheduled to work.... after school, while she is babysitting her younger sibling because her parents are both away overnight (which does seem to happen on occasion that they can be away, sometimes for several nights), at about 4:00 in the afternoon, her phone rings and it is one of her two bosses, a guy, saying she is supposed to be at work, and where is she, and she better get there, and she is in trouble, and he is going to report her to whomever the upper/district management is and 'write her up', etc....

Apparently she has been written up before for absolutely no reason, and this is like a constant 'threat' and a part of the ongoing disrespectful treatment.

Okay, so she finally gets in touch of one of her parents, and they tell her to double check the schedule which is accessible to employees online (which he could have messed with) to see if her name is there. It is NOT there. She is not scheduled. But, she is a young and insecure and vulnerable girl, and she is going in anyhow. Her parents tell her to take a screen shot of that schedule to cover her behind.

So, she takes her sibling to a relative's house...

She gets to work, and, because of her screen-shot, this guy has to admit that it was a 'mistake' ... But goes on to insist that SHE is in trouble and he may very well report her and write her up anyhow.

She works till close... after dark.

By this time, she has been texting with my son about this... as he has been a sympathetic ear.
So, we have heard a lot, as she has vented quite a bit to him over the past few weeks and months.

Some of the things my son have heard is how this store does not have security cameras. (What well known national chain store would NOT have security cameras?)
How this guys car has been seen in the parking lot with another employees car, well after closing, with the store seemingly closed up with no real visible lights on.
Stuff like that.

So, now she is being called in to close with this manager. He probably knows that her parents are away.

He is usually the day manager, so he only closes one or two nights a week to fill in....
And it seems that she usually does not work till closing with him.

What is your take on this?????

The rule.

Second, I see a boss who is on a power trip, but I don't see anything illegal. Since there's nothing illegal, her choice is to keep working there and put up with the boss's attitude or find another job. Seems pretty simple.

Third, I'm also not sure what the concern is with what I italicized. It's not like there's a law saying there has to be security cameras.

 

[mousefanmichelle]

She should just quit. I am sure she can get another job somewhere else. No job for an 18 year old is worth that kind of treatment and if it were my daughter, I would have told her to quit a long time ago. My daughter was a hostess at a local restaurant and her dad and I went in for dinner one night. Our dd had been complaining about her job saying she does everything for the waitresses. We witnessed it first hand and we told her to quit. She did that night.

 

[HulaHoopy]

She should just quit.

 

[Zim]

My gut tells me this is a predator. He used the harassing phone calls and threats of writing her up to see if she had a victim mentality that would bend to his demands. Now, he's setting her up to close with him? Big nope... she needs to make sure someone is there for her at store closing that night. And then she needs to find another job and someone needs to sit her down and explain that there are some really really dark people out there who will take advantage of these kinds of situations. Maybe this isn't one of those times, but is a lifetime of therapy worth finding out?

 

[Wishing on a star]

A bit more info...
I did have my son ask her if she felt uneasy/scared....
He asked her, right out there, point blank, if she was 'scared'... She said no.
IMHO, she is young and might not have the experience and/or awareness to know that there might be something that she should be concerned about.
Just personally, as Zim just put it, I do think she might have a gullible, insecure, 'victim mentality'. Just based on her past and what I do know about her.

She tries to be a pleaser to anyone who might be in any authority, and she kind of got defensive when asked the question...

Thanks everyone, for chiming in!

 

[Wishing on a star]

Mousefam..... I have actually considered going in for a couple of shopping trips myself. Just to kind of see what I can see to size up the place.

 

[anniemae]

quit. She is young and there are tons of retail jobs. It's actually ridiculous that she has not left yet. Why have her go through all this when she can probably find another job quickly?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Disorganized/lousy managers seem to be rampant in retail & fast food. My nephew was getting jerked around exactly like that. He moved on. End of story.

 

[diznygirl]

He threatened to report her to upper management/whoever - she should do it first. Send the screen shot of her schedule along with an explanation of what happened. And quit. But no way would I quit without also reporting him.

 

[Wendy31]

As her parent, after she double-checked the schedule & confirmed she wasn't scheduled to work, I would have advised her to politely tell the manager that she would not be able to come in on her scheduled off day because she was babysitting and had other obligations. If the manager texts, I would have had her text him a screenshot of the schedule w/ a polite explanation of why she wouldn't be able to come in on her off day.

 

[CinderDuffy]

Lots of RED FLAGS here.

 

[Spencer Wright]

I would look for another job ASAP, and try and leave without escalating or responding to the situation further, in order to avoid burning a bridge with the company as a whole.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Thanks everyone! (ignoring the unhelpful post.... )
I know what I would do if it were my daughter... I agree with most of you guys.

I do not think that her parents are on the same wavelength.
They should be home this weekend???
I will def. be waiting to hear how things go!

 

[Nancyg56]

She should quit. That is not a healthy environment for anyone, let alone a young woman. My daughter was in a situation where an older coworker tried to intimidate her. She worked nights. My son went in and got her, and my dh paid a visit the next day.

No paycheck is worth that kind of stress.

 

[Hikergirl]

Thanks everyone! (ignoring the unhelpful post.... )
I know what I would do if it were my daughter... I agree with most of you guys.

I do not think that her parents are on the same wavelength.
They should be home this weekend???
I will def. be waiting to hear how things go!

Maybe her parents know something you and your ds do not.
You are hearing things 3rd hand. This girls version of getting written up for absolutely nothing may not actually be for absolutely nothing. She may consider whatever it was for as "nothing", but there might be a valid reason for the write up.
Also, expecting her to be at work on her day off (other than recent schedule mistake) may not be a personal expectation for her to be there. I only say that because my dd gets annoyed when her managers ask her to work on her day off, she does kind of have the attitude that they expect her to come in, when in reality they are only asking.


My advice to her would still be the same, if the job is stressing her out she should quit. There are other retail jobs out there.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would tell her to quit. There are tons of retail and fast food jobs out there. No need to deal with the drama.