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What would NS do? (employment related, bums need not apply)

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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
I've been working 16 months at this place. Used to work 4 days a week (saturdays always) hitting 32 hours a week. Never had a raise yet, although in Michigan it seems like employers are taking advantage of the high unemployment rate and not giving anyone raises because....what are you going to do? Find another job?

Times are changing, I ask to get my shift switched or some more time off last winter to keep up with school. Well my boss decided to cut a day instead of re-work the schedule so I could get 32 hours still. So I was stuck with 24hr weeks till the end of school.

Fast Forward...out of college, not taking summer classes because I want to make myself as available as I can be for more hours. First month I am getting 35-40 hour weeks, not bad, but I still have to work Saturdays to hit this number or I am getting like 28-30.

Now my shifts are 4pm till 10pm four days a week, and an 8 hour shift, and I have to work Saturdays still.

Getting to the point, my boss has a relative who is my age who works with us also. Hes out of college this week now, and as my shift has been cut back to working 5 days a week including saturdays and only managing 32 hours a week. His shift is at 35 hours a week, working 1st shift, and not working saturdays.
Oh yeah so I ask for this Saturday (tomorrow off) and say can you just schedule me Mon-Friday. I get the schedule and I see I have 24 hours this week....four 6 hour shifts. I tell him I can't afford to take Saturday off if all I am going to get is 24 hours. And this has happened before, you will want a day off...but you still end up getting your regular days off...so it becomes a double whammy. It's like oh I can afford to do that....I'll just work Wednesday.......not the case for me it seems.

Long story short. I've been stuck working 16 months 2nd shift, working almost every saturday, no raise. I think my boss is playing favorites and giving his relative the better shifts. I've been trying to get on days for so long.

Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, both myself and the relative live 45 minutes away from work. So I spent about I dunno 8 hours a week in the car driving to and from work $ 2.50 a gallon.

I've been bugging him and he says hes working with the schedule and what have you, but this is the 2nd week where things are getting a bit unfair.

I am thinking of just pulling my boss aside and asking him whats going on? why can't I work any of these morning shifts, why do i have to work saturdays all the time if I want 30 hours+

How would you guys do this though? How would you approach the situation?


Jun 26 2009 11:55PM
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Cortez
Posts: 507 - Karma: 13
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Jun 26 2009 11:59PM
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Von
Posts: 4869 - Karma: 21
What's the job? What are you getting paid for for doing it? Why is second shift worse than first shift? If it's summer why does it matter if you work on saturday, it's just like any other day.

Beyond that, you live in Michigan you should be happy to have a job, not bitching about the hours you get.
Jun 27 2009 12:00AM
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InkShrink
Posts: 1079 - Karma: 30
Sounds like my job.
Jun 27 2009 12:01AM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
$8 an hour. To work at an ISP. The place I work at is really unorganized, so you do everything. Order internet, setup equipment to be sent out, send out equipment, answer phones, etc etc.

I prefer not working second or saturdays because that is when everything is happening. All my friends work first shift, so having a night of drinks and playing (insert random sport here) doesn't happen.

Saturdays you can drink at work though because no one else is there. Second shift also happens to be less busy.

I guess what I am looking for is my bosses relative who gets these 9-4 shifts. It would be nice if I could switch two six hour shifts per week for 2 of his 7 hour shifts. I feel like I am being singled out here getting all these weak short shifts.

I would rather work 3 days a week at 12 hours a day, instead of driving 45 minutes two times 5 days a week for these weak ass night 6 hour night shifts.
Jun 27 2009 12:09AM
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dguay13
Posts: 372 - Karma: 14
Alright man here's my two cents.

First off if the hours are something that you dont like you need to make the decision if it really bugs you enough that you wanna make a deal out of it. I mean yeah it sucks, but you're still making money, and there is a chance that if you mouth off to your boss about it you may no longer have a job.

If you decide that it is something that you want to go through with (what i would do), you need to approach your boss with the utmost respect and dignity. Ass kiss if you have to, it will do you wonders. Maybe talk to him, tell him how much you love the job, love working for him, but lately things haven't been working out, and you're afraid that if you keep things going the way that they are now, that you may not be able to afford to work there anymore.
****DO NOT THREATEN HIM ABOUT QUITTING. HE WILL FIRE YOUR ASS FASTER THAN YOU CAN SAY I QUIT***

Sorry about rambling, but i went through this at my old job working at sears. I worked commission, and my boss used to put me in the backroom working stock on saturdays, so i was making $6 an hour. When i was on the floor i would usually make double that if not triple, so obviously i got upset. Talked to my boss, got nowhere, and went to the store manager, who then fired me for some bullshit i dont even remember anymore.

Another thing you could try is talk to your boss' relative, see if he is willing to work out maybe switching a day or two a week. This way you can get your way, and he might wanna sleep in a day or two a week. Thats what i would try first off cause if you can avoid pissing off the boss, the better off you are. If he is alright with switching some shifts, THEN ASK YOUR BOSS. Make sure he's happy with it too, you don't want to piss him off.

If all else fails, sit your boss down man to man, and talk to him about it. Just keep your cool, check your feeling at the door, and do it.

Sorry about it being so long, i rambled a bit, little high right now so i think i might have gotten off topic, but i put in proper punctuation so that might even it off haha.

Good luck with it man, hope it goes well for you.
Jun 27 2009 12:28AM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
My boss is aware of my situation. I actually have sent him an e-mail saying hey I know I asked for saturday off, but I can't afford to take saturday off anymore, is there anyway I can still work it?

He's a really flexible guy, and honestly thats the biggest perk of the job.

If I want a week off or three weeks off even....I can get it.

He's working with what he has, and hes not doing a terrible job. It's just I feel myself getting the short end of the stick in terms of shifts / shift length. Then I see his relative get hooked up just how I want to be hooked up, and its like what the heck?

On the positive side, a guy working 21-27 hours a week at the place just quit because he couldn't take working there anymore (I could write a book about how shitty this ISP is to work at). So in 2 weeks time there will be a couple shifts open....

Problem is......knowing my boss he will hire someone to replace him......thus eliminating my chance to get ahead.

I am 23, and I used to make more when I was 15. Now I got a bitch ass job, and I just wish I had it like some of my friends......or hell a lot of ya guys on NS. I read some posts, a few of you guys making BANK in here, especially for your age.

Anyways, I was just seeing what some of you guys on NS would say.


Jun 27 2009 12:43AM
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dguay13
Posts: 372 - Karma: 14
Dude, if you know that there are gonna be open shifts, then get assertive and ask for them. Tell him now before he hires someone new, so you can pick up the shifts that you want and he can hire a new guy for the shit thats left. The new guy is usually the bitch for a while anyways.
Jun 27 2009 12:51AM
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dguay13
Posts: 372 - Karma: 14
I used to make killer money working retail. I worked lawn and garden, so i sold tractors and mowers in the summer and snowblowers in the winter. No joke at 17 i was making $600 a week during the winter, working less than 30 hours a week. I hated my boss so much that it wasnt even worth that much money to stay there. Now im back makin 1/3 of that in just as shitty of a job.

Be happy you have a nice boss haha

sorry for the dub post
Jun 27 2009 12:54AM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
You have a great idea, and it works in the summer time yes.

The ISP I work at....we have a lot of employees in college. So come college time we have everyone looking for 3+ days a week off.  So in the summer time....we can get by with one guy quitting and increase other peoples shifts.

But in the winter time we need the extra person to pickup the shifts that we can't usually fill.

But hey who knows. My work has an ass backwards way of working. Thing's don't make sense.......at all.

You would swear everyone who runs a company is an idiot...and you have no clue how they ever got where they are now.

Jun 27 2009 2:01AM
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jibbinc
Posts: 804 - Karma: 33
i didnt read a word in this thread. so this isnt goign to fit in

Make enought to ski during the summer. ski allwinter repeat
best life plan ever
Jun 27 2009 2:10AM
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BootySpunk.
Posts: 8148 - Karma: 84
Can someone sparknote this whole thread into 5 words or less please?
Jun 27 2009 2:12AM
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@skiinmitch
Posts: 2781 - Karma: 78
i was to lazy
Jun 27 2009 3:00AM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
Looks the guy who quit is already not scheduled for next week.

Look who gets his hours! The bosses relative.

I am going to just come in to work early...like an hour...hour and a half early daily. If and when the boss says something I am going to ask him what the deal is on why I can't get daytime shifts.

Jun 27 2009 1:36PM
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evan25
Posts: 931 - Karma: 20
well i totally feel your situation because i worked 40 hours a week last summer but i had to work almost every saturday and sunday all summer.  but this summer im working for my cousin at our family buisiness and he hooked me up with dope hours and really nice pay(mon-thurs 9-5 at 10$ hr) the only reason i got so hooked up was because my cousin is my boss so it sucks when boss's play favorites with family members but it makes sense because they are family so he usually is gonna hook his own family member up before you.  Just my two cents.
Jun 27 2009 1:48PM
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ski@jaypeak2
Posts: 2802 - Karma: 429

Wow the Boss's relative gets better hours then you?  Welcome to fucking life.  I bet if his dad was the dean of his university he would get accepted over you too.

This bullshit pisses me off so much.  I am a marketing major and when i see these prissy ass girls who dont know shit about anything other then batting their eyelashes and asking guys to do shit for them, and then they get jobs over me because hell its marketing and a cute blonde sells better then me.  It sucks and i hate it too, nothing you can do to change it.  Quit or deal with it.

Jun 27 2009 1:55PM
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Rez4frederick
Posts: 4740 - Karma: 40
Yea tell your boss you want to have a meeting with him and be straight up with him. You have worked there way to long to not get a single raise.

Either keep working there until you can find another job or just straight up quit is what I would do.
Jun 27 2009 2:00PM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
The kid who quit just quit actually, didn't even put in his two weeks.

I figure I will just come in to work like an hour or more early every day, and then if he says something I will ask him to have a talk.

I've been here like 16 months. Some other guy has been here like 20 months. He only works like 12-16 hours a week, but he still gets $8 an hour.

The bosses relative supposedly said when he got hired in that he will not take a job here if he has to work evenings.

I dunno, fuckin sucks. I've been thinking of showing up to work in interview clothes and just playing it off like another day, and if asked say I've been out interviewing.


Jun 27 2009 2:16PM
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dguay13
Posts: 372 - Karma: 14
thats dicey man it could backfire really hard on you
Jun 27 2009 3:42PM
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Abc567def
Posts: 8756 - Karma: 801
I had the same deal with saturdays and sundays just talk to your boss about it and say that you want the work shifts to be equal or to be in your favor due to seniority.
Jun 27 2009 3:52PM
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