I need daytime work. I cannot work late evening hours.
For nearly four years, I have been working part-time as a telephone market research interviewer. The company is about 20 minutes from where I live and all I have to do is take one bus.
Unfortunately, this company's work is at night; they have very little daytime calling. At first, I said that I would stay here until I found a full-time job during the day, then I stopped for a while.
At the same time, I am on Social Security Disability, and I am very limited to the amount of money that I can make each month (gross) without losing my benefits. They require a minimum of 24 hours a week, per the owner's instructions, and the office manager very strictly enforces it. I don't mind helping them out, but I'm very limited as to what I can make, and I have told them this repeatedly. I also will not work on Sundays for religious reasons, and they know this. (They also know that I'm on SSDI as well.)
It is also located in an area where public transportation is imited after 9 o'clock at night. I have to stop my calling at ten minutes to 9 in order for me to get this bus after 9 o'clock. If I miss it, I have to wait about 45 minutes for the next one, and I am not going to be out in that area that late at night. Only about four or five of us take the bus; the rest of them all drive.
One supervisor gets a ride home with her sister; the office manager gets a ride home with her husband, and the other supervisor drives. There is nobody else who goes in my direction who could take me home. I used to get rides home with one of my co-workers (he took both me and two other co-workers), but he has since left the company, therefore, I am at the mercy of this public transportation system.
When they have other survey projects where they call the Central, Mountain, and Pacific states, they will call up until 10 o'clock, but I still refuse to stay that late. I remember being trained on this San Diego health care survey, and the office manager told us that it was compulsory, citing the owner's instructions, that everyboy who was on the survey had to stay until 11 o'clock, and I refused. That is way too late for me!
In the spring and summer, there are also threats of thunderstorms late in the day and at night, and I refuse to wait outside at that time of the night, especially if there's a thunderstorm. I have had a fear of thunderstorms ever since I was a kid. I will take a cab home instead, but the cab fare about $15-$20. But I'd rather get to my front door safe and sound than wait outside and get struck by lightning. There have also been a few times that I have called out for the same reason.
One night last October (a week after my birthday), we were all leaving at 9 o'clock, and there was a very bad thunderstorm going on. I had called a cab and told the supervisor that it would be there in 20 minutes, but she could not wait that long. Her sister was not only there to take her home, but she had to lock up the building as well. Even though they could not wait any longer, I refused to go outside until my ride came (I had gotten a ride with another co-worker). I had to think of my safety and well-being, and it is not safe to be outside anywhere during a thunderstorm. It was quite unusual to have thunderstorms in my area of the country in October, but we went through a week of unseasonably warm weather. Both my supervisor and her sister were mad at me because of this, but I really didn't care. The next day, I told her that I had to think of my safety, and she said that she had to think of her sister. I then told her that they need to hire people who don't have other commitments. That was the straw that broke the camel's back right there and then, and I just decided to look for another part-time job during the day!
If this company is so gung-ho on meeting their clients' deadlines, then perhaps they need to hire people who have their own transportation and who are able to work the extra hours. I can't. If they again question me about leaving at ten minutes to 9, I will tell them again the reasons why, and if they ever tell me that it's mandatory, I will then have to quit.
I'm just using common sense. I will not work out in the suburban areas late at night, and that's the bottome line. And if they don't like, well than that's tough!
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first of all, as a former manager that caught a ride with my co-workers i must say you worked with some idiots. they had no right to leave you outside by yourself. my ride would wait with me and other people if it was necessary. my ride did not complain ever because it is a managers job to look out for their employees.
hmmmm...sorry, but you sound more than a little on the wrong side of this in a number of ways to me. i am suspicious of people who do things for 'religious reasons'. also, if you are well enough to work, but you don't want to lose your disability, that sounds more than a little close to fraud. and you completely sound like one of those people who insist their circumstances be respected despite how they affect everyone else. i think you are more than a small drain on everyones temper and resources, and i am certain your co-workers would be happy to see you go. you are lucky they put up with you as long as they did. they are completely justified and you have no complaints, in my book.
also, it is completely safe to be outside under an awning or a doorway during a thunderstorm. are you honestly saying you were worried about getting struck by lightning? you do realize that lightning strikes are pretty rare, don't you? like almost not worth worrrying about? you should be a LOT more concerned about catching a cold or something (why you should stand somewhere relatively dry)
of all the stories i have read on this and other sites,l yours is the only one where i side with the employer. you are an incredibly rude and self centered person who is lucky to have a job at all. if you worked for me i would have fired you long ago. there are other people who work at that place and your whiny complaints are affecting them. why dont you just quit, or get a job closer to your home. telemarketing jobs CANT be all that hard to find...
or live off your disability. frankly, you have no complaints...your company would be MORE than justified to complain about you, and they would get a lot more sympathy.
It sounds to me like you are not right for the job. You don't sound very flexible and sometimes we have to be in order to work efficiently. I too, hate working nights but I couldn't or wouldn't put all those demands on my employer. Sounds like you are the problem not the company. You should try working for my boss who changes the schedule daily for her family who work with me. Then complain about unfair practices.
You deserve to get fired.