Dream Job turned out to be a Nightmare- WWYD?

[fifthdimensiondweller]

Hi all,

So here's my situation. About a month ago I accepted a job that I saw as the first step to my dream job (just graduated college). It doesn't pay well at all (I actually took a paycut from my old retail job to take this job), but I figured for the experience it would be worth it. Plus, I thought I'd really love it. It really seemed like a good fit for me, but I've been working for about 2 weeks now and so far it's been giving me a really bad feeling. Here's what's been going on:

I just got my first paycheck, and I got paid for less than half the hours that I actually worked, and I'm hourly (not that many hours on the first check, but still)

I was told today that there would "definitely be some days" where I wouldn't get any breaks at all for 9-10 hour shifts, including no meals (according to my employee handbook these breaks are required at least by my company, but I think there might be a law about this as well)

I honestly don't feel like I've had any training. I've worked with a different person just about every day and I keep getting different directions on how to do certain things. I feel like I'm going in circles sometimes!

On the day of my orientation I (along with several others) was left outside for 20 minutes past the time we were supposed to be there before anyone came to let us in, even though they could see we were outside. Another day, I was almost left outside for 45 minutes past my scheduled time (no one else showed up for work on time), except that our security guard took pity on me and helped me get in. At this point I was left to set up for an event that I'd never done before with only two others who also hadn't done it before (second day for all of us).

I've already been called in once because a coworker felt she couldn't come in because she "needed to spend time with her dog". I think it's awesome she loves her pets, but come on!!!!

I've had to stay at 1-2 hours late just about every day I've worked. Now, I'm not opposed to helping out when things get tough, but I have other responsibilities outside of work that I can't complete if I'm staying until 8 or 9 at night every single day.

On top of all of this, I just found out I'm pregnant. We are so excited for this pregnancy, but the extra stress of this job has been so hard on me. I'm worried that being pregnant will make it doubly hard for me to go long periods without breaks or meals (I haven't told them I'm pregnant yet), and of course I'm worried about the toll all this will take on the baby. I just feel really depressed that this job isn't meeting the expectations I had of it so far. I was really excited about it.

I know it hasn't been long, and I definitely plan to give the job plenty more time before making any decisions about continuing my employment with them, but I was just wondering what advice anyone out there had.

If someone came to me like this, I'd probably tell them to go to HR. The problem is, I work IN the HR department, so I'd be reporting these problems to the very people creating them.

The thing about it is, i really like the work itself, and I like a lot of the people I work with very much. I don't want to leave, because I'm so excited about this position. But... I'm at a loss. I hate to make waves my first week, but I also don't want to get a reputation as a pushover by letting things go.

Any advice out there?

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

Hi all,

So here's my situation. About a month ago I accepted a job that I saw as the first step to my dream job (just graduated college). It doesn't pay well at all (I actually took a paycut from my old retail job to take this job), but I figured for the experience it would be worth it. Plus, I thought I'd really love it. It really seemed like a good fit for me, but I've been working for about 2 weeks now and so far it's been giving me a really bad feeling. Here's what's been going on:

I just got my first paycheck, and I got paid for less than half the hours that I actually worked, and I'm hourly (not that many hours on the first check, but still)

I was told today that there would "definitely be some days" where I wouldn't get any breaks at all for 9-10 hour shifts, including no meals (according to my employee handbook these breaks are required at least by my company, but I think there might be a law about this as well)

I honestly don't feel like I've had any training. I've worked with a different person just about every day and I keep getting different directions on how to do certain things. I feel like I'm going in circles sometimes!

On the day of my orientation I (along with several others) was left outside for 20 minutes past the time we were supposed to be there before anyone came to let us in, even though they could see we were outside. Another day, I was almost left outside for 45 minutes past my scheduled time (no one else showed up for work on time), except that our security guard took pity on me and helped me get in. At this point I was left to set up for an event that I'd never done before with only two others who also hadn't done it before (second day for all of us).

I've already been called in once because a coworker felt she couldn't come in because she "needed to spend time with her dog". I think it's awesome she loves her pets, but come on!!!!

I've had to stay at 1-2 hours late just about every day I've worked. Now, I'm not opposed to helping out when things get tough, but I have other responsibilities outside of work that I can't complete if I'm staying until 8 or 9 at night every single day.

On top of all of this, I just found out I'm pregnant. We are so excited for this pregnancy, but the extra stress of this job has been so hard on me. I'm worried that being pregnant will make it doubly hard for me to go long periods without breaks or meals (I haven't told them I'm pregnant yet), and of course I'm worried about the toll all this will take on the baby. I just feel really depressed that this job isn't meeting the expectations I had of it so far. I was really excited about it.

I know it hasn't been long, and I definitely plan to give the job plenty more time before making any decisions about continuing my employment with them, but I was just wondering what advice anyone out there had.

If someone came to me like this, I'd probably tell them to go to HR. The problem is, I work IN the HR department, so I'd be reporting these problems to the very people creating them.

The thing about it is, i really like the work itself, and I like a lot of the people I work with very much. I don't want to leave, because I'm so excited about this position. But... I'm at a loss. I hate to make waves my first week, but I also don't want to get a reputation as a pushover by letting things go.

Any advice out there?

Trust your gut. What ever you do, keep your pregnancy to yourself if possible for as long as you can.
Hopefully things will turn out OK, BUT IMHO what you see now, is what you're likely going to have to endure.

 

[Disneylover99]

Hi all,

So here's my situation. About a month ago I accepted a job that I saw as the first step to my dream job (just graduated college). It doesn't pay well at all (I actually took a paycut from my old retail job to take this job), but I figured for the experience it would be worth it. Plus, I thought I'd really love it. It really seemed like a good fit for me, but I've been working for about 2 weeks now and so far it's been giving me a really bad feeling. Here's what's been going on:

I just got my first paycheck, and I got paid for less than half the hours that I actually worked, and I'm hourly (not that many hours on the first check, but still)

I was told today that there would "definitely be some days" where I wouldn't get any breaks at all for 9-10 hour shifts, including no meals (according to my employee handbook these breaks are required at least by my company, but I think there might be a law about this as well)

I honestly don't feel like I've had any training. I've worked with a different person just about every day and I keep getting different directions on how to do certain things. I feel like I'm going in circles sometimes!

On the day of my orientation I (along with several others) was left outside for 20 minutes past the time we were supposed to be there before anyone came to let us in, even though they could see we were outside. Another day, I was almost left outside for 45 minutes past my scheduled time (no one else showed up for work on time), except that our security guard took pity on me and helped me get in. At this point I was left to set up for an event that I'd never done before with only two others who also hadn't done it before (second day for all of us).

I've already been called in once because a coworker felt she couldn't come in because she "needed to spend time with her dog". I think it's awesome she loves her pets, but come on!!!!

I've had to stay at 1-2 hours late just about every day I've worked. Now, I'm not opposed to helping out when things get tough, but I have other responsibilities outside of work that I can't complete if I'm staying until 8 or 9 at night every single day.

On top of all of this, I just found out I'm pregnant. We are so excited for this pregnancy, but the extra stress of this job has been so hard on me. I'm worried that being pregnant will make it doubly hard for me to go long periods without breaks or meals (I haven't told them I'm pregnant yet), and of course I'm worried about the toll all this will take on the baby. I just feel really depressed that this job isn't meeting the expectations I had of it so far. I was really excited about it.

I know it hasn't been long, and I definitely plan to give the job plenty more time before making any decisions about continuing my employment with them, but I was just wondering what advice anyone out there had.

If someone came to me like this, I'd probably tell them to go to HR. The problem is, I work IN the HR department, so I'd be reporting these problems to the very people creating them.

The thing about it is, i really like the work itself, and I like a lot of the people I work with very much. I don't want to leave, because I'm so excited about this position. But... I'm at a loss. I hate to make waves my first week, but I also don't want to get a reputation as a pushover by letting things go.

Any advice out there?

New jobs are always stressful. It takes months (IMO) to acclimatize to a new job.

I'd be concerned about not being paid your hours though. You should definitely speak up about that.

What's important is that you like the work and the people you work with. That's huge! Stick it out and see what happens. Congrats on your pregnancy!

 

[ADLFAN]

Sounds like they need a good leader! If I were you, I would hesitate to get in too deep and stress yourself out with work troubles while you are newly expecting. Sounds like this company probably deals with high turnover, maybe they'll be hiring next year again when you are ready to get back to work.

 

[sonnyjane]

I feel like you've kind of already made up your mind, but I will say you absolutely need to speak up about the paycheck issue, no matter what else you decide. Payroll mistakes happen. I am really meticulous about my paychecks and know when payday rolls around, I usually know exactly what it should be (I'm hourly as well). If my pay stub doesn't match, I just let payroll know and they adjust it on my next check.

 

[SMD]

Hi all,

So here's my situation. About a month ago I accepted a job that I saw as the first step to my dream job (just graduated college). It doesn't pay well at all (I actually took a paycut from my old retail job to take this job), but I figured for the experience it would be worth it. Plus, I thought I'd really love it. It really seemed like a good fit for me, but I've been working for about 2 weeks now and so far it's been giving me a really bad feeling. Here's what's been going on:

I just got my first paycheck, and I got paid for less than half the hours that I actually worked, and I'm hourly (not that many hours on the first check, but still)

When did the pay period end and what date did the check cover? It's common for it to take payroll a week to deliver a check from the previous pay period. If you submitted 40 hours for a pay period and were only paid 20 for the pay period, I'd say something, and keep a copy of your submitted time card going forward. It might also be a good idea to document your hours each day and keep your own records.

I was told today that there would "definitely be some days" where I wouldn't get any breaks at all for 9-10 hour shifts, including no meals (according to my employee handbook these breaks are required at least by my company, but I think there might be a law about this as well)

There is no federal employment law the guarantees a break. There may be some industry specific laws, like long haul trucking or airline pilots. I'm in CA, we don't get mandatory breaks, we just have to be paid if we don't get a break, even if it puts us in OT. I often don't get an actual meal break, I've learned to keep some snacks on me at work, like energy bars.

I honestly don't feel like I've had any training. I've worked with a different person just about every day and I keep getting different directions on how to do certain things. I feel like I'm going in circles sometimes!

It's only been 2 weeks. It might be that this company doesn't have clear procedures and everyone tries to enforce their idea of order on others. I worked at a place like that. It was frustrating. But after only 2 weeks, it might be too soon to tell.

On the day of my orientation I (along with several others) was left outside for 20 minutes past the time we were supposed to be there before anyone came to let us in, even though they could see we were outside. Another day, I was almost left outside for 45 minutes past my scheduled time (no one else showed up for work on time), except that our security guard took pity on me and helped me get in. At this point I was left to set up for an event that I'd never done before with only two others who also hadn't done it before (second day for all of us).

Do you have access to the building now? I've started jobs where I was left to wait in the lobby because someone was busy. I've worked at places where the person who was supposed to open the office was late. I wouldn't leave because of this unless they routinely didn't pay me when I was on time and they were late. If it happened for a week before I got my access card, I would let it go. As far as being left to do work on your second day. It happens. They needed help, that's why they hired you. Did they say you didn't do things that you hadn't been trained for and threaten to fire you? If not, again, that's part of any job, not a reason I'd leave one.

I've already been called in once because a coworker felt she couldn't come in because she "needed to spend time with her dog". I think it's awesome she loves her pets, but come on!!!!

This is part of working with other people whether you've been somewhere 2 weeks, 2 years or your whole career.

I've had to stay at 1-2 hours late just about every day I've worked. Now, I'm not opposed to helping out when things get tough, but I have other responsibilities outside of work that I can't complete if I'm staying until 8 or 9 at night every single day.

Are you being paid for the overtime? Was this described as an 8 hour a day job when you took it? Some jobs do expect more than just 40 hours per week. If this was communicated when you were hired, this may not be the right fit for you. If you were told 8 hours, then I'd probably try to find out if this is a particularly busy season or a one time project before taking it any further.

On top of all of this, I just found out I'm pregnant. We are so excited for this pregnancy, but the extra stress of this job has been so hard on me. I'm worried that being pregnant will make it doubly hard for me to go long periods without breaks or meals (I haven't told them I'm pregnant yet), and of course I'm worried about the toll all this will take on the baby. I just feel really depressed that this job isn't meeting the expectations I had of it so far. I was really excited about it.

I know it hasn't been long, and I definitely plan to give the job plenty more time before making any decisions about continuing my employment with them, but I was just wondering what advice anyone out there had.

How you handle pregnancy/work issues is highly personal. You haven't been there long enough to qualify for FMLA, but you may want to keep the job for as long as possible and then see what kind of leave they'll offer, if any, and then consider giving notice when it comes time to leave if you're not going to go back.

If someone came to me like this, I'd probably tell them to go to HR. The problem is, I work IN the HR department, so I'd be reporting these problems to the very people creating them.

The thing about it is, i really like the work itself, and I like a lot of the people I work with very much. I don't want to leave, because I'm so excited about this position. But... I'm at a loss. I hate to make waves my first week, but I also don't want to get a reputation as a pushover by letting things go.

Any advice out there?

I wouldn't advise someone to go to HR about this. Payroll for the paycheck issue. And I'd say check your deal memo about the question with extra hours worked.

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

BUT IMHO what you see now, is what you're likely going to have to endure

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too. This isn't even our super busy season apparently, so my concern is I'm seeing a preview and that things will only get worse as the season progresses.

hen did the pay period end and what date did the check cover? It's common for it to take payroll a week to deliver a check from the previous pay period.

The check only was meant to cover one day, so it definitely wasn't an issue of it not covering the right pay period unfortunately. We get paid weekly so it's easy to tell.

Do you have access to the building now?

A supervisor has to get a key every morning to be let in. So I have to wait for them, and I can't clock in since I'm in the parking lot.

Was this described as an 8 hour a day job when you took it?

No, that's what's frustrating : / . It was advertised as a part time position. Like 25 hours a week type of thing where I'd get, as per the guy that interviewed me (main boss), "at least" two days off a week. It have close to 40 hours this week, and I've been told it will often be well over 40 as well. I only wanted to work part time to get some experience before starting a family, so I feel like this wasn't what I was expecting in that respect. Would be totally different if that'd been what I was looking for, though.

Payroll for the paycheck issue.

Where I work, HR handles paycheck discrepancies, so that's who I'll need to see.



Thanks everyone! The advice is really helpful! It's my first "real" job so I don't know what to expect.

 

[SMD]

If I'd had the job for awhile and I started getting stuck outside and couldn't clock in, I'd say something about that. However, at a new job I'd probably hesitate, because even though they're not supposed to retaliate, let's be honest, it happens. Then again, I've had jobs that were so bad at first, that I honestly didn't care if they fired me, I was already looking elsewhere.

 

[low-key]

if the man says no food, then you dont eat

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

If I'd had the job for awhile and I started getting stuck outside and couldn't clock in, I'd say something about that. However, at a new job I'd probably hesitate, because even though they're not supposed to retaliate, let's be honest, it happens. Then again, I've had jobs that were so bad at first, that I honestly didn't care if they fired me, I was already looking elsewhere.

That's a good point about retaliation. And the thing is, I have never really had a job before that I didn't like. I've always stayed places quite a while until pretty much circumstances outside my control, like moving or the business closing down. I'm not one to make waves. Hopefully it's just a bad first impression and after a few weeks it'll all come together!

 

[DebbieB]

Does this job have your medical benefits?

 

[sonnyjane]

Does this job have your medical benefits?

That was going to be one of my followup questions, along with whether you realistically see yourself working there after your baby is born?

 

[aristocatz]

Do what is best for your baby, first and foremost. I would look around to see what else is out there, job wise, & keep your options open.

 

[CF'er]

I personally would start looking for something else or even go back to where you were before.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

If you're not getting paid for hours worked then that's the first sign you should be looking elsewhere.


Not getting required breaks. Also a bad sign.

 

[DisneyOma]

First paychecks are tricky - they are for the week before the check is cut in every place I've ever worked.

Hourly workers must get paid for every hour they work. Salaried management is a fuzzier group - Bush 2.0 changed language that made almost every salaried worker management, but there's still some protective language in there that might help.

Is there a union in your workplace?

You also must get breaks, by law.

Check your local, state, and federal guidelines. They are supposed to be posted in your workplace.

 

[HeatherC]

Usually, I would say stick it out for a bit and see if things improve. In this case, however, I think what you see is what you will get. Sounds like this place has more of a systemic problem on how the business is run and not just one or two people making things difficult.

I would be out of there.

Congrats on your pregnancy! This is such an exciting time in your life. Don't let a part time job take that away from you.

 

[elphaba91]

I've been in your position before. I took a job in my last year of uni working as a secretary for a family law solicitor in a mid-sized boutique firm. They were advertising for a final year law student with the hope/expectation that it would turn into a graduate lawyer role the next year. As I only had 1 semester left (which I dropped to part time to make a full year) and wanted to practice family law, it seemed perfect.

Ultimately, it turned out to be a nightmare. I was being paid below the award rate and only from 8:30-5:00, despite frequently being asked to come in earlier and practically never leaving on time; I was lucky to leave by 7:00 and it was sometimes even as late as 10.00. This left me with no time during the week for my studying and was a real pain for my family who never knew if and when I'd be home for dinner and would often end up picking me up from the train station late at night.

I also picked up on a fair few clues that no grad job was really on the table (which was confirmed when my replacement wasn't a law student). Plus the solicitor I was working under was a bit of a witch (or word that rhymes with it!).

It got to the point that I would feel sick to my stomach every morning on the train to work, just dreading the entire day and being totally unsure when it would end. After 6 months I just couldn't take it anymore and I started looking for another job. Within a few days I had a couple of interviews. The first interview was for a job that didn't seem ideal based on the advert - 3 days per week of secretarial work at a single solicitor generalist law firm. But the following day I received an offer for 4 days a week, fantastic hours, with a guaranteed offer for a full time solicitor job after finishing uni. While I never would have expected it, it has turned out to be my real dream job and my boss and I have even had discussions about me ultimately taking over the firm when he retires.

So having been there, but without the added complications of a pregnancy (big congratulations!!!), I would be out of there ASAP. A few more things I would be thinking about is what you plan on doing work wise when your baby is born. If you plan on taking a bit of time off then I definitely wouldn't worry about taking a job that you don't believe is a dream role or even a step towards a dream role; there'll be plenty of time for that when you're looking at moving back into the work force. Is there any chance your old job would still be available? Best of luck whatever you decide on!

 

[longboard55]

Its all about building experience. If you are out of school you will take a few lumps because no one wants people with little experience. I would totally do the best you can and if something else better comes up take it. You gain nothing by sitting at home and applying to jobs on the internet. Maybe you will meet someone at this job who moves to a better company and brings you along, happens all the time. The most important thing si to be in the game.

Yes, work sucks, we do it so we can have fun when not working.

 

[Westcoastwild]

When did the pay period end and what date did the check cover? It's common for it to take payroll a week to deliver a check from the previous pay period. If you submitted 40 hours for a pay period and were only paid 20 for the pay period, I'd say something, and keep a copy of your submitted time card going forward. It might also be a good idea to document your hours each day and keep your own records.

There is no federal employment law the guarantees a break. There may be some industry specific laws, like long haul trucking or airline pilots. I'm in CA, we don't get mandatory breaks, we just have to be paid if we don't get a break, even if it puts us in OT. I often don't get an actual meal break, I've learned to keep some snacks on me at work, like energy bars.

It's only been 2 weeks. It might be that this company doesn't have clear procedures and everyone tries to enforce their idea of order on others. I worked at a place like that. It was frustrating. But after only 2 weeks, it might be too soon to tell.

Do you have access to the building now? I've started jobs where I was left to wait in the lobby because someone was busy. I've worked at places where the person who was supposed to open the office was late. I wouldn't leave because of this unless they routinely didn't pay me when I was on time and they were late. If it happened for a week before I got my access card, I would let it go. As far as being left to do work on your second day. It happens. They needed help, that's why they hired you. Did they say you didn't do things that you hadn't been trained for and threaten to fire you? If not, again, that's part of any job, not a reason I'd leave one.

This is part of working with other people whether you've been somewhere 2 weeks, 2 years or your whole career.

Are you being paid for the overtime? Was this described as an 8 hour a day job when you took it? Some jobs do expect more than just 40 hours per week. If this was communicated when you were hired, this may not be the right fit for you. If you were told 8 hours, then I'd probably try to find out if this is a particularly busy season or a one time project before taking it any further.

How you handle pregnancy/work issues is highly personal. You haven't been there long enough to qualify for FMLA, but you may want to keep the job for as long as possible and then see what kind of leave they'll offer, if any, and then consider giving notice when it comes time to leave if you're not going to go back.

I wouldn't advise someone to go to HR about this. Payroll for the paycheck issue. And I'd say check your deal memo about the question with extra hours worked.

I agree about the payroll thing but I dunno if I agree about the break thing. Maybe it's a state law here but there is DEFINITELY a law that they have to give a certain amount of break time. Do you mean you don't get any break at all? I've had jobs that do lunch break and do something weird about the other breaks. But I seriously have had no job over 6 hours a day that does no break at all. And these aren't voluntary breaks- you've got to take them to comply with company rules or laws. Also, If your company has a break policy then someone is probably jerking you around. Do you have handbook?

Congrats on your pregnancy. I realize this is not a perfect world. But I'm not sure you should hold off on telling your supervisor. It's your responsibility to advocate for your health and the health of your fetus. (But possibly in HR, you won't be at risk. Most jobs I've had have involved chemicals or contagions.) I'd say if they are going to fire you over this anyway- I wouldn't want to stay there. It may be your "dream" job, but it won't be a long term prospect for you.