Job Frustration ( LONG rant )

[qtkitty]

I am getting a little frustrated with my job.... its temp frustrations for the most part.

Here last Thursday i got a call from my manager telling me that she was going to work my shift because the work crew that was supposed to come revamp the hotel had showed up that morning and it was dusty and messy. She wasn't sure how long they were going to work so it might also be noisy. Also they had torn up all the tile and started using the breakfast area as a storage area. This ment she wasn't sure how they were going to do breakfast, but she "didn't want customers complaining that there was someone upfront with a baby strapped to her and didn't do anything." ( that comment in its self pissed me off BIG TIME.. because i have done my job to a T just the same as i did before going on maternity leave.)

So i ended up having to work Friday so i could keep 32 hours which ment 3 days smashed together me being DOG tired by the end of it all. Saturday morning my manager came in with the morning shift. I asked her specifically about the comment she had made and asked her if people had complained. She said yeah she had had a lot of people complain. She didn't tell me what about or go any father into that. Then she looks at me closer and goes what is that ( flicking my wrap that i had on.. no baby in it). I told her it was a baby wrap. She said " you can't wear that at the front desk". Then goes on to tell me that once we change signs i will no longer be allowed to have ellen out front with me she will have to be out of sight in the back room. And "If ellen is crying you can take care of the customer and no one knows where the baby is and then after i am done taking care of the customer i can go back and take care of ellen. Atleast she would be here. " I was seeing RED with that one... since i have always done my work with her in the wrap or feeding i have done my whole job right then and there and never been rude to any customers. And i can't help but think if she was in the same situation as i was and had to bring her child to work if it was crying she wouldn't be letting the baby wail in the back while taking care of customers she would be holding it.

And on to the temp part .... they are renovating the hotel... this is meaning a lot of STUPID moves ... atleast in my mind... These people showed up out of the blue supposedly.. on a busy month we can make lots of $ on increased rates.. well needless to say a lot of people are wanting discounts or free stays. Well to make it even better they start ripping up tile work outside then came inside and ripped up tiling with out any tiling to put in its place yet. So the front has been til-less for over a week. So breakfast as been moved into the conference room, so they can't rent that room out now. And we are making coffee in the loby then taking it and putting it in thermoses in the conference room. Not to mention you can't see if anything is low, but if you go in there to check you are leaving the desk empty.

Then they ripped down the old front desk and started assembling a new front desk. The major problem wiyth that is that they do not have the top so again its been like that for a week.. so now we are on a make shift table. The makeshift table started out as a peice of our old table with the til box in it ect so we had a nice area to work.. now it is down to a 18 inch X 5 ft folding table with 2 computers, a card keying machine on it, large hotel phone, and our filing system incase the electric would go out. The printer is under the table, which i just had to fill with paper because it had run out, so i has to wiggle this combo printer outpush this stupid step thing they put in so i could open the drawer to put paper into it. Oh and that step thing is to cover cords.. its 6 inches tall and just wide enough that i have to take a leap over it, because i am scared to step on to it because it wiggles if you do that.

The best part about the most recient makeshift desk there is no locking drawer, so some super smart individual put the til in the backroom on the counter. I came in last night at 11pm finally went looking for the til cause it dawned on me i didn't know where it was. And there it was sitting out in the open in the back room with the lights on. I know Yall are probubly thinking okay whats wrong with that... ONE WHOLE WALL IS WINDOWS. So anyone walking by could see the til sitting there on the counter.

Then to make matters even more wonderful this morning to make coffee since they ripped out the plumbing over there and installed a temp fix you have to hold lean over into the hole where the sink was and hold in this button for the water to go. We have a juice machine here and well to get the juice to come out i would have to hold the button under the counter and push in the juice despenser at the same time. I have already tried to get the top off the concentrate so i could just mix it myself and it will not come off. I guess it doesn't help if the only tool i have is a plastic knife.

To make it even yummier it is dusty and crudy everywhere!

This week my manager knew my grandparents and mom were coming in for the holiday to spend time with me and the baby, because my grandmother had reserved a room when they were here last. So my manager tells me that if i want hours i am going to have to work 2 12 hour shifts during the time they are here. So i am working an 8 tonight have 12 hours come back work 12 leave for 12 come back to work for 12, which means basically my grandparents and mom will be caring for my baby all weekend and i will hardly see her. They are staying here though and tommorrow they want to put up curtain rods and carpet clean our living room so they are going to have me stay here and sleep. Take the baby with them and let her sleep there and while i am working they have her up in their room since its so crudy down here. Although its nice to not have to worry about her i feel strange. My mom the only thing she had to say was that she didn't mind watching Ellen, but she was sorry that my work schedual was so screwed up because she would have liked to have let me catch up on some sleep and get to relax a little since i have been doing so much here lately. This isn't the first time that this has happened that i have worked so much during the time when my mom was supposed to be in. During thanksgiving last year i worked an 8 hour shift then was off 8 hours came back in worked a 2 nights of 12 hour shifts and then an 8 hour. I was so sleepy i fell to sleep while trying to talk to my mom. Right before i delivered when my mom came down to visit i asked for the days off she was going to be here and they were trying to get me to work during that time asking me if i could work at nights ect. I told them no, then i ended up calling off that sunday because of pelvic pain and delivered tuesday *lol*

I always make sure to let my schedual be known well in advance, because i know its hard to schedual around everyone. Yet we do not know our schedual til Saturday or sometimes sunday and they start Monday. Yes i mean sometimes we are calling in on Sunday to see if we work monday.

So i am frustrated.. but i get to bring ellen to work with me for now.. im starting to wonder if they are going to change their mind. Even though the owner has made the comment to Joe when he saw him in Walmart that Ellen was such a sweet baby and soooo quiet. Sometimes i think minimum wage isn't worth the bother, but its income we have to have to just squeak by.

To make it even more fun my mom has made the comment that she would gladly have me and Ellen come live with her ( aka Joe would have to stay here and "take care of himself" ) so that i could get some help and that she is certain that she could find me a job pretty quick. Telling me she knows a fellow teacher who runs a hotel and has been having to run it at nights himself because he can't find any one stable enough to work it. That just makes me feel even worse. then i got the whole thinking on her part of why she thinks Joe is in a wheelchair and that he doesn't help me enough ect ect ect. Then when i tell her he wants to help with the baby but his back keeps him from holding her much she goes good because with his sezures. Grrr MOM!!

I just want to act like a spoiled toddler and start screaming and stomping my feet out of pure frustration and anger and just cause i am spoiled rotten and i can.. dang it.

*hugs myself *

[leezza]

Sending good thoughts your way.....

Sounds like you are having a rough go at things right now.....It sounds like you Mom is trying to help you the only way she knows how, she is frustrated for you and saying things she shouldn't...

Work sounds like everyone is having a bad hair day to me.....the employees aren't happy with all the construction and neither are the folks staying there. This too shall pass.....I would say if the manager keeps being crappy you may want to go over their head to the next person up the ladder.....if you were hired on with them knowing that you were bringing your child they can't change the rules now, especially since you are holding up your end of the bargain.

Good Luck,
Have a great day!
leezza

[Frugal Nurse]

So.. WOW!!! That totally sucks!!!
Do you feel better? did you get it out of your system?


Minimum wage. Just squeaking by. Dear qtkitty, please, your mom doesn't want to see that happen to you or her grandchild. She doesn't want to see you struggle like that.

You need to think about what is in the best interest of the child. Dad can't hold her, can't do anything for her, can't support her, etc... sooo... what does he do?

What does he do for you?
YOU deserve better than that.

Maybe some time at your mom's house will be a good thing.

There are many husbands and wives (is Joe even your husband? I forgot) who live apart at times due to economic reasons.

I think your mom sees something in Joe that you don't see. She wouldn't say or suggest that he not come along unless her instincts were sharp.

You ought to listen to her. I think a lot of us are frustrated that you are trying to hold it all together, supporting him and baby on minimum wage. It CAN'T happen. You are but one woman.

Take the help from your mother.

It doesn't mean that you are divorcing. It just means that for economic reasons you need to regain your footing. Maybeeeee go back to school! Learn a trade to give yourself better opps. Because it looks like you're going to be supporting that baby on your own.

Joe is an adult. He can take care of himself. After all.... he was seen at Wal Mart- by himself. He'll be fine. And if he's not your husband you owe him nothing.

Take your pride- go to your mom's and get yourself together.
Now while the offer is hot. That job is torturous.

Please. Listen to your mother. She LOVES you more than anything in the entire world.

I also know it's not an easy decision. To help you think about it... just think of it as a temporary situation where you are going to get yourself together so that you can have a better life for you, baby and dad.

I sure hope things ease up for you. And I'm real sorry your emplyer treats you like crap. I think the complaints were from the hotel problems and NOT your baby. Don't listen that person. And don't let her break you down.

[perSue]

first kudos to you for sticking it out.
i would've quit no the spot when the manager started saying things.

let me first say you have got it rather good. most jobs would not allow you to bring IN your baby, let alone have you sit with her the whole day w/in the environment.

second, i think a lot of the chaos is equalling stress among yourself, the manager and everyone else... which is why she probably put the demands on you during this time. i'd clarify if 'when all this is done' if she still has the same expectation of baby behind the wall when customers are near.

next, my personal advice: RUN! FAST!

I'd get outta there before anything else goes wrong.
your TOP priority IS your baby... no questions.

I can't say I know your whole personal situation (family, jobs, finances ,etc.) but IF you're able to... I'd stay home, take care of YOU and baby and get another job.

you're wearing yourself out and that's not good for anyone... least of all baby.

HAD it been me??
When the manager told me "you ARE working these hours while your family is in town"... I would've walked right then & there.

My family is FAR more important than any stupid job.
And if a manager can't at least DECREASE hours so you can spend time with ppl who are coming in to town who you dont see often... that's not a manager I want to work for.

Good luck!
Many hugs!

[Michelle68]

I'm sorry you're having such a difficult and stressful time. It sounds like there's A LOT of stress going on around your work place and you're suffering for it. As far as your mom's opinion of Joe goes, sometimes people say things because they are worried about those they love. It doesn't mean she's right, but at least you know that she's coming from a place of love even if she might be misguided. Even if Joe can't hold Ellen or take care of her in the traditional sense, he can show her love and that's very important. Do what's best for you and your family.


--Michelle

[cissylu]

Hug`s qtkitty! you sure do need them. what a mess sweetie.
I don`t know about your situation with Joe are what happened to him.
I do know the way your boss is doing you stink`s and isn`t right.
most places would not let you have a baby at work.
you have to di what`s right for baby first ,your self second , then see what you `ll do about joe.
hug`s and good luck on what you decide.

[Michelle68]

you have to di what`s right for baby first ,your self second , then see what you `ll do about joe.
hug`s and good luck on what you decide.

Very true.


--Michelle

[rudypoo98]

If any customers have made remarks about you having the baby at work I'd say it's because they are jealous they couldn't take theirs to work.Some people complain about everything and anything I know people like that.They would complain if they were hung with a new rope.

[Mom23boys]

Sending hugs your way.

[Katybird]

Well, first hugs to you. It sounds like things are rough and getting rougher. I don't know what kind of relationship you have with your employer but it does not sound like there is going to be a lot of job stability in the future since she has already told you that she had lots of customer complaints about you and then she called you and told you stay home because it was going to be too noisy . That sounds like an excuse on her part. If you only making minimum wage there and your SO is not working and can not help care for the baby, you might check and see if you can qualify for child care assistance. You could try to find a better paying job or even try to see about getting into a school or vocational program that will help you get on your feet and make a good future for you and your family.

If those options don't sound like they would work, could you stay with your Mom and work for her friend until you can save up enough money to get your own place and then let your SO move to where you are? He would have to take care of himself while you are gone or if his disability is severe maybe he could get home health to come in and assist him a few times a week.

I hope that everything works out for you.

[qtkitty]

leezza~ *lol* there is no one above my manager really... the owner he is here a good bit but he never would say anything to anyone.. if he does its through the manager. There is no where else to go for problems.


Frugal Nurse~ i have an associates in Math/Science of course that gets you absolutely no where in this world.. amazingly enough i know people with BA's ect who are working minumum wage or slightly above jobs ( definately below the income bracket they should be making ) because no one will hire them around here.

Before ending up totally in a wheelchair my last few weeks of pregnancy Joe was doing everything at the house .. well except the laundry ( sometimes thats better left to someone who cares about colors *lol*) once his mom came down and he ended up in the wheelchair. His mom coming i am not sure what happened there suddenly he was acting different more depressed like and stuffing his emotions within himself. I haven't been able to break the cycle that she left behind.. which doesn't help when she calls every day. Then wants to talk to me which quite frankly i don't want to talk to her because all she ever says is how im pinching the baby and i am being mean to her ect.

Monday or tuesday we should be getting a call back from his neurologist about the HDMRI he had done Tuesday i think it was. I am really hoping that there is some scar tissue or tumor in his brain that could be a trigger for the sezures. If thats the case then they could possibly use gama rays to destroy the area and possibly control his sezures( possibly as soon as his brain swelling goes down). If not then there is VNS ( Vascular Nerve Stimulator) which is risky has a lot of possible complications and could take a year to maybe control or reduce his sezures. Then he will need knee surgery to fix the damage in it so he can use it again and he needs surgery on his back to take out the disk between L4 and L5 because its deteriorated and squeezing the spine and then those bones fused together. Then he would have to go through physical therupy to get moving again.. and hopefully walking. How long that will take or if it will ever happen i don't know.

My mom thinks that he is playing more of an invalet than he is because my manager here talked to her and told her thats what she thinks is going on. Because my managers mother has all sorts of things wrong with her and she still gets around where as Joe has landed in a wheelchair. Joe helps me out doing dishes, cleans bottles, makes bottles, laundry, cleans the animals cages, vaccumes the living room. Its not a lot and normally i have to ask him to do it ( he veggitates in his head, at tv, on games at times i think because of depression because he didn't used to to that when he could walk), but he can do those things.

I have been trying to get him back into writing ( aka something he can delve into and use his mind and that he can do ) which he has commented before that he would like to do. I even gave him an artical on making money online writing. I have decided what he does with it is his choice though. It would take a long time to see a dime, but he could atleast blog with ads and make a little cash.

He was at walmart by himself because he went to get his coffee and i went to look at fabric to make a wrap from. He has no way to get anywhere unless i take him. There is no transportation where we live. We have no real friends except our neighbor ( he works 8-12 hours a day 5-6 days a week and is a single parent to two teens ) and Mr.S ( he lives up the road and is legally blind and was on hospice not but 2 years ago, but now lives on his own .. Joe was helping watch him til he got bad here). We have no family here.

Basically if i up and left i don't know what Joe would do. No transportation. Living on SSI. It would make it really hard to make it.

perSue~ Oh no. i couldn't up and quit... where else would i get a job where i could bring the baby to work with me and then where would i find a job where i would make enough to put her in child care ( and find a child care i could afford that i could trust ).

The reason that they let me bring her is quite frankly Hotel Front Desk Representative is an easy as pie job, basically a waiting job. You wait for someone to call and make a reservation, come in to buy a room for the night, or check in from a reservation and since this is all for a hotel with 54 rooms there isn't much to do on any shift but sit here and piddle around. Night shift is expecially boring. Doors get locked and stay locked til morning, most often everyone is already checked in by the time i get here no one comes in to look for a room and in the morning no one is waking up til i am getting ready to go home ( except work crews ). I put out breakfast and do daily reports and batch credit cards and thats my nightly work. My manager and her friend who works here as well they bring the friends grandson who is 19 mo to work with them often. Sometimes even have the daughter and grandson. Or my manager brings her teen son with her to work. Which more often then not they are running around the lobby or behind the desk. Other hotels ( which pay better by a couple $ ) in the area allow employees to bring their children on night shift as well. So its not as if i am getting special privileges here.

I didn't want a decrease in hours i just wanted some of those days off or 8 hour shifts those days. I couldn't afford more time off i need the hours. The basic issue is no one working here wants to work weekends. manager and managers friend don't work weekends at all. There are 2 guys working here one of them doesn't want to work weekends and doesn't seem to want to work at all( calls off a lot.. they were going to fire him again but didn't because the other guy was sick for a few days...he has already been fired then rehired him.. which ticks me off but thats another story) and the other has a work record of working 2 mo at each job, so they are wishy washy.

Michelle68~ Thank you

cissylu~ You make a good point.. i have had to start deligating a lot here .. because i know i can't do it all but i have to get X amount done to make everything work. I have a bad tendancy to put myself last... as my mother has said my heart is to soft and i care and want to take care of people to much. She also said that thats what makes me a good mom though too ( awwwww ), but i still can't forget about me.

rudypoo98~ Oh yes yes yes .. i have had alsorts of complaints i have delt with .. you would be amazed what people will complain about to try to get a hotel room for free or a reduced price. I had a lady make me go back to a room with her because she swore up and down the room was a messy pig sty. She pointed to 3 "fuzzies" on a verigated carpet then she tried to pick one up it was the pattern of the carpet *LOL*

We have a contracted rate with a group that is WAY low ( basically 50% our regular rate).. well they (maybe 10-20% of them) still come in and nit pick trying to get rooms for less.. and run all sorts of scams and cons to try and get rooms cheaper. Everything from using one credit card for all the rooms they made reservations for and then saying well they only stayed in one room to their credit card company and getting refunds for all but one room to staying in a room for several hours then saying the beds weren't made. Some have become so bad about doing it yet amazingly return to the same hotel that last time they had such a bad nights stay that we have had to mark them as non rentable. Because if they come and stay with us they will try to pull a scam to get a free room.

Mom23boys~ Thank you

[qtkitty]

Katybird~ I have thought of looking into Section 8 Housing for now... right now ellen is a baby ... she will not be outside playing much least for a year... depending on the housing market and whats avalible maybe we could possibly get a house and not need to worry about that at all, but the rent would be way less and make it easier to survive.Since 30% percent of our income would be about $330.. not the $495 we are paying now for a place that has black mold and leaks in a window Grrr.. my grandfather was here and fixed some of it.. the land lord squirted the black mold a few times with bleach and closed back up the wall with the same panel they had had it covered with before.. Grrr.

There is a program for unemployeed people called work first that has education, programs, and a bunch of other things. I do not know if i would qualify for that since it also give you a one time monitary help for you touse while getting back on your feet. Which i am not sure how the program works 100% for sure its basically NCs Solution to welfare.

[Jskell911]

I have no advice, just some hugs. I know you are between a rock and a hard place. I must say that I am amazed that you are taking a higher road and working at all. Most in your situation might not. You have an incredible plate to work with. I understand your loyalty to Joe. It is not that he did something to have these medical issues. They are just a sucky part of life. You are doing the best you can.

Yes, I believe your mom acted and spoke out of both love and frustration at seeing you struggle so much. No parent wants to see that. As to her attitude about leaving Joe behind, I have no insight into this. Did he and she not get along before the baby came?

[qtkitty]

Jskell911~ They got along great before he got bad to where he was in a wheelchair.. i mean no one could have seen this coming .. he had been complaining of sever back pain for over a year to his previous nerologist she had an Xray( cat scan ) done on his back and said that it was fine.. then ended up finally asking his general Dr if there was something that could be done because the pain was so bad.. the dr sent him to a Orthopetic who did an MRI told him to do Physical therupy and if that didnt work and try pain meds and if that didn't help then they would do surgery... and then sent him to a nerosurgen and pain clinic after failing physical therupy.. the nerosurgen has him on hold for surgery til he gets his sezures under control.... Getting all the doctors sorted out there was difficult because there were 15plus Dr appointments for Joe and i while i was pregnant. Mom started getting flustered then because i was taking Joe to all these appointments and working.

She went to one and of course it was the general dr ( which was having longer waits then normal...we waited 3 hours .. and my water broke while we were there OPPS)she was pissed because i was having to wait to much in drs offices and then work ect. Now she acts as if he has just as many visits, but he will have only had 2 this month when he visits the pain clinic on Friday. She got really smartalicy with me and asked me why his mom didn't come up and take him back and forth or he find some other way to get there because ellen and i couldn't be taking him all over the place. Then why his mom didn't come up and take care of him while he is going to be down after " what ever surgery he is getting". Which she knows how i am irritated at his mom about how she acted there right before she left and how she has talked to me on the phone since.

She is also mad because she was nice enough to go get my breaks done on my car right before i had ellen ( she wanted to make sure ellen was going to be safe ).. and when i was able to drive again i noticed a weird banging in the back of the vehicle.. Joe's mom tried to tell me it was the wheelchair.. but it was only when the breaks were used in certain ways.. my mom went and took the car to the shop yesterday and seems that they got warped because SOMEONE rode around with the emergency break on ( Aka she had to pay again for the back breaks to be fixed ) ... the only one driving when i was laid up was Joe's mom.. So my mom is really ticked at Joe's mom at the moment and has said that she is glad the woman is gone because she came to our house with her hand open waiting for hand outs and had to be the center of attention and didn't give a rats BEEP about anyone but herself.


Geeze i should be a novelest as much as i type *lol*

[Frugal Nurse]

PHEW!!!!!!!!!!!

qtkitty. Good god! I praise you.

This is a very difficult time in your life. To make it even more trying, you're a new mother- dealing with new mom issues. That alone is a scary event. All of us mom's have been there.

I see your reasoning for not wanting to leave Joe behind.

I sure hope they find out what the heck is going on with him. You ever want to come to Boston - I can help you out there. I work closely with the Chief of Neurology at Mass General.

Hang in there.

We're ALL thinking about you. We're ALL sending good vibes your way.