Badly needed update.
My (financial) life changed dramatically about a month ago, and though for the obvious, immediate worst, it's for the foreseeable, long-term best. I got fired from the Auction. The sad part - or great part, depending on your stand point - is that it was for doing the right thing. Mega-bitch Ellen (immediate supervisor) came to her proverbial throne about a year and a half ago.
She was okay for about six months, and then decided randomly and without provocation or just cause to start treating people less than human. I mean that quite literally. She made fun of, mocked and questioned the competency of one employee - in front of other people - about his being blind in one eye. Likewise, again in front of other people, mocked two older gentlemen because of the effects of their age - she even went so far as to say that if they couldn't do the job because they had to use the bathroom too often, she wouldn't hesitate to replace them with temps. She tried forcing us to stay past eight hours when we had plans or, because of extreme cold or hot, just didn't want to. She tried having us do work before we clocked in; she tried taking breaks away from us; she openly verbally abused someone based on a past profession ("I hate ex-cops; they're nothing but attitude and don't work for shit").
Now, HERE'S the sad part. I went to HR and asked advice; they said play the hierarchy, which I did. So I went to Kenny, who is both of ours' boss. He said he didn't see a problem with a supervisor being pushy if it got the job done and inventory was moved. I agreed - nothing wrong with pushing us harder; but verbally abusing, degrading and berating people - especially in front of other employees - was out of the question. He said that he still didn't see a problem with it. I left that meeting and went straight to HR again, explaining everything and told them I wanted a transfer if this was really going to be the situation.
Now, mind you, my favorite fact of all this is that 6 other people, while all this is happening, have gone to HR about this bitch. Maybe about two or three days later, they call me in after everyone has come to her and tell me just to bite the bullet until I get my transfer. "She's not going to change", they say, so I'm best just to lie low. I thought that was unacceptable. At this point I've gained enough...noteriety...to have the AGM call me to his office. Sadly, in this WHOLE SCENARIO, he's the only person who dead-on agrees with me that she is in the wrong. Right about this time, she started writing me up for things that were either fictitious or things so minor and technical that I wasn't aware they were infractions until she wrote me up for them; my theory is she found out I was going to HR about her and attacked me for being a type of whistle-blower.
Friday of that week, he and Kenny call me into the office. Kenny, Ellen and he, I'm informed, have "discussed at length" the matter for three days. Ultimately, it came down to Kenny's decision to keep me or her. He chose to keep her. The good thing about that, though, is that I get almost the same amount by collecting unemployment as I did working. To make it more sweet than bitter, the Auction has to pay for ANY training I receive. I've decided to get trained in medical coding/transcriptioning as,in Mass, you start around 13-15 dollars. I can use that income to then go to school.
I don't want to waste any more time doing menial tasks that bore the shit out of me for people who take advantage of my mental capabilities by denying me personal time outside of the 8 hours I agree to give them. Fuck thankless corporations and individuals who have nothing better to do with their lives than work at a place for twenty-eight thousand dollars salary a year. Glad you have no higher aspirations; personally, I intend to go farther and do more. And you can pay for it, fuckers!!!
Sad, really - one can be punished for trying to preserve and recognize the LEGAL RIGHT to be treated with dignity and as human beings.
She was okay for about six months, and then decided randomly and without provocation or just cause to start treating people less than human. I mean that quite literally. She made fun of, mocked and questioned the competency of one employee - in front of other people - about his being blind in one eye. Likewise, again in front of other people, mocked two older gentlemen because of the effects of their age - she even went so far as to say that if they couldn't do the job because they had to use the bathroom too often, she wouldn't hesitate to replace them with temps. She tried forcing us to stay past eight hours when we had plans or, because of extreme cold or hot, just didn't want to. She tried having us do work before we clocked in; she tried taking breaks away from us; she openly verbally abused someone based on a past profession ("I hate ex-cops; they're nothing but attitude and don't work for shit").
Now, HERE'S the sad part. I went to HR and asked advice; they said play the hierarchy, which I did. So I went to Kenny, who is both of ours' boss. He said he didn't see a problem with a supervisor being pushy if it got the job done and inventory was moved. I agreed - nothing wrong with pushing us harder; but verbally abusing, degrading and berating people - especially in front of other employees - was out of the question. He said that he still didn't see a problem with it. I left that meeting and went straight to HR again, explaining everything and told them I wanted a transfer if this was really going to be the situation.
Now, mind you, my favorite fact of all this is that 6 other people, while all this is happening, have gone to HR about this bitch. Maybe about two or three days later, they call me in after everyone has come to her and tell me just to bite the bullet until I get my transfer. "She's not going to change", they say, so I'm best just to lie low. I thought that was unacceptable. At this point I've gained enough...noteriety...to have the AGM call me to his office. Sadly, in this WHOLE SCENARIO, he's the only person who dead-on agrees with me that she is in the wrong. Right about this time, she started writing me up for things that were either fictitious or things so minor and technical that I wasn't aware they were infractions until she wrote me up for them; my theory is she found out I was going to HR about her and attacked me for being a type of whistle-blower.
Friday of that week, he and Kenny call me into the office. Kenny, Ellen and he, I'm informed, have "discussed at length" the matter for three days. Ultimately, it came down to Kenny's decision to keep me or her. He chose to keep her. The good thing about that, though, is that I get almost the same amount by collecting unemployment as I did working. To make it more sweet than bitter, the Auction has to pay for ANY training I receive. I've decided to get trained in medical coding/transcriptioning as,in Mass, you start around 13-15 dollars. I can use that income to then go to school.
I don't want to waste any more time doing menial tasks that bore the shit out of me for people who take advantage of my mental capabilities by denying me personal time outside of the 8 hours I agree to give them. Fuck thankless corporations and individuals who have nothing better to do with their lives than work at a place for twenty-eight thousand dollars salary a year. Glad you have no higher aspirations; personally, I intend to go farther and do more. And you can pay for it, fuckers!!!
Sad, really - one can be punished for trying to preserve and recognize the LEGAL RIGHT to be treated with dignity and as human beings.