Work sucks, I know.
Taking a little break from a travel blog to write out some frustrations I've been having at work. This week has really been a big pile of shit, and I can only take so much.
I'll just clarify for those who don't know my working situation. I work as a warehouse manager (no job title actually) and have done for about 2+ years, I was unemployed for a couple of months at the time I started and even though I was taking a large paycut I helped out my Aunt and Uncle's business as they were struggling to find someone. I thought it was a short term gig and was okay with having stuff like no guaranteed work hours or sick days, a holiday days, or even a work contract? as it had it's upsides, and I was left alone for most of the day.
Fast forward 2 years, I am only being paid £0.50 more per hour (and this is only because the minimum wage increased and I would be under it), the rate of work has EXPLODED, which was so difficult to deal with by myself. I do finally have holiday days per year due to intervention by my grandma, no work contract, I'm very rarely alone, etc etc. I still don't get payed for sick days.. but in saying that, the last 2 times I tried to take a sick day I was forced in anyway??? it's pretty ridiculous.
(although FINALLY I do have some help now with another coworker to help me, but he annoyingly came after the busy period so it didn't help me that much, and also he gets paid more than me, has a work contract, gets paid monthly etc etc is probably going to be my supervisor soon... hooray!!)
As two of my bosses are my Aunt and Uncle, they fly off the handle at me and go crazy when anything goes wrong, it's like they're talking to their son since him and me are the youngest in the family and quite close. But, you can't scream and yell at your employees like this, I've many bosses but no-one has ever spoken to me like this, even if I thought they were a bad boss.
My Uncle had to buy my cousin a BMW z4 recently just to get him to even speak to him again, and I can completely see why.
My Aunt has even screamed at me and reduced me to tears on one occasion, and my Uncle gets into heated arguments with me because I have the audacity to try to defend myself or explain what happened in each situation.
So this shitty week, to start things off, on Monday I had to wait in late to accept a delivery as it was "so important" that I check that one item was there so it could be installed the next day. Unfortunately for me, the 200KG bath in the delivery was placed on a bad pallet, so I couldn't wheel it in as normal, so I had to spend 45 minutes lifting it onto another one, just to get it in the door. I was completely exhausted and covered in sweat, but the other item was there, so I could go home, and I started to. Halfway there I get a text saying that I need to check other items as they MUST go tomorrow morning first thing. Furious, I go back there to do this and I'm unable to leave until 6:45pm and get home at like 7:30pm..
Then, on Tuesday before I've even walked in the door or sat down I have to quality check ALL the items :| in like 10 minutes, this is so silly and unorganised! on that day and the day after he would just randomly appear to criticise what I was doing or just generally moan.
This is the part where it gets stupid. On Wednesday an item came in with a wrong item code, the customer reference wasn't something I recognised either. So I checked my spreadsheets, and found a customer with something similar and sent an email to everyone asking if this was correct. No-one replied to me, which happens a lot, people just ignore my emails. I knew it was likely to be this customer and I even wrote it on the delivery note I got. But of course, no replies at all.
Then my boss asked me to go get him lunch because he is lazy and asks me this all the time. He is really specific about what he wants and says "salad roll, with salad cream (cheap mayo for idiots) and no salt" this is exactly what he says. He caught me in the middle of doing work, so I walk out to go and get it for him. When I get there they don't even sell salad rolls without some kind of meat or cheese, I don't have my phone with me so I just pick ham since he usually has this. And who cares right? it's just a roll, pick the ham out and eat the salad if you don't like it.
Hahaha, but of course not. He freaks out and starts shouting at me that he doesn't want ham, then I said they didn't sell it without, and what things they did sell, he lied and said he asked for cheese and demanded I go back again. So I bought the wrong one, and walked all the way back again to get another one. Sighhh.
On Thursday the customer complained that she didn't have one of the items (we already delivered some out to her, and more was being delivered later) so suddenly his PA points the finger at me saying it's my fault for not sending it, and all sorts of stuff. Anytime anything goes wrong in the company, it's pretty much a witch hunt until they find out who it was, then it most people's cases it's "oh okay then" when they find out who. But when the finger is pointed at me? it's "FUUUUUUCKKK WHAT IS THIS WHY DID YOU DO THAT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU"
The first thing that was said was "you should have known this code (in the wrong format) was for this customer, surely you should know this, it's so obvious" I did not know this, it was just some random bunch of numbers that could be anything, so that's why I emailed asked first before deciding anything by myself. Then my Uncle came over and started raising his voice to me as always, because I suspect he actually enjoys this.
He was furious about was that it was "so obvious" that the code was for the client and I couldn't possibly have gotten this wrong, and acting like I was lying and making excuses. I tried to defend myself, but he just shouted louder and said I couldn't possibly have not realised it's for this client.
Normal customer codes look like this: 289/002, I got a code on a delivery sheet that was 308002, which could be any code, so I didn't recognise it. So I asked in an email and no-one payed attention or even replied and I get shouted at. The code is really 308/002 but I didn't see that when I looked at it, and we only recently started using codes beginning with 3, so it didn't click in my head. So I asked what it was.
But of course, this wasn't good enough. I'm trying to explain and defend myself, but they just think I'm making excuses. My Aunt does this too, asks for an explanation then gets angry at me for "making excuses" when I'm just saying what happened, which then gets me angry, because I feel like I have no defence and nothing I say is worth uttering.
Another thing my Uncle does is refuse to let me speak, he gets angry and forces me to stop speaking so he can finish, then cuts me off almost instantly when it's my turn to speak. Next he shouted at me (in front of everyone btw) about the item code being wrong, which wasn't even my fault, my aunt writes up the spreadsheets and she made a mistake. The code on the delivery note was XJH and on the spreadsheet it was MX, if a code is completely different I ask if this is correct, because a lot of the time they change their minds about what they want to order, then don't even tell me what it is. But again it was "so obvious" that it was correct and I couldn't possibly have gotten this wrong, but again I had suspected the item was for this client and even wrote it on there!! My coworker (uncle's PA) was also backing up my uncle at this point and the two of them were ganging up on me. I was so worked up I was shaking a lot and really trying hard not to cry. I don't do well in arguments and really start panicking, so this was really setting me off and I just gave up and said "yes, it's all my fault, I'm really sorry" just to get them to leave me alone, but nope. Not good enough.
That just made him more angry and he asked me to explain how I possibly could have done all this and I tried and tried but then they said it was excuses and I should have known they wouldn't reply.
Eventually it finally stopped. That's a lot of stuff I should have obviously known, right? Maybe I should work on my psychic powers.
I just tried to get away and went into the next room, I tried so hard to not cry but I did anyway. It's so hard to not panic but I can't help it.
I would think this would be the end of it, but his PA argued with me on Friday about the same thing, which just got me even angrier. She was saying the exact same stuff, like I should have known this or that, and there's no way I could have gotten the code wrong, like it's impossible. Then I say I didn't see it as a code, and she replies that it's not possible, so I just say I must be an idiot then because I didn't notice. Then she gets angry and says that I'm not stupid, and that I'm smart so that's why it's impossible for me to not notice the code (...uh?) and that I should be more vocal and stand my ground, and my uncle only gets angry because I provoke him by saying stuff like I got the code wrong or I sent an email out asking.... does that even make any sense??? if I was vocal or shouted, he would shout louder and get angrier, if I try to not provoke him and say it was all my fault like I did, he gets angrier... this is an entirely unavoidable situation. And telling the truth gets me nowhere because I'm being disrespectful and making excuses. Bloody hell.
The only reason why she stopped arguing with me is because my uncle walked in, so I just walked out to avoid being double teamed again.
Even writing it all out like this doesn't make me feel better, I'm still angry about it now. And if I think about it, I just get angry again.. I just wasted my whole Saturday writing this rant out too. I really hate this.
I'll just clarify for those who don't know my working situation. I work as a warehouse manager (no job title actually) and have done for about 2+ years, I was unemployed for a couple of months at the time I started and even though I was taking a large paycut I helped out my Aunt and Uncle's business as they were struggling to find someone. I thought it was a short term gig and was okay with having stuff like no guaranteed work hours or sick days, a holiday days, or even a work contract? as it had it's upsides, and I was left alone for most of the day.
Fast forward 2 years, I am only being paid £0.50 more per hour (and this is only because the minimum wage increased and I would be under it), the rate of work has EXPLODED, which was so difficult to deal with by myself. I do finally have holiday days per year due to intervention by my grandma, no work contract, I'm very rarely alone, etc etc. I still don't get payed for sick days.. but in saying that, the last 2 times I tried to take a sick day I was forced in anyway??? it's pretty ridiculous.
(although FINALLY I do have some help now with another coworker to help me, but he annoyingly came after the busy period so it didn't help me that much, and also he gets paid more than me, has a work contract, gets paid monthly etc etc is probably going to be my supervisor soon... hooray!!)
As two of my bosses are my Aunt and Uncle, they fly off the handle at me and go crazy when anything goes wrong, it's like they're talking to their son since him and me are the youngest in the family and quite close. But, you can't scream and yell at your employees like this, I've many bosses but no-one has ever spoken to me like this, even if I thought they were a bad boss.
My Uncle had to buy my cousin a BMW z4 recently just to get him to even speak to him again, and I can completely see why.
My Aunt has even screamed at me and reduced me to tears on one occasion, and my Uncle gets into heated arguments with me because I have the audacity to try to defend myself or explain what happened in each situation.
So this shitty week, to start things off, on Monday I had to wait in late to accept a delivery as it was "so important" that I check that one item was there so it could be installed the next day. Unfortunately for me, the 200KG bath in the delivery was placed on a bad pallet, so I couldn't wheel it in as normal, so I had to spend 45 minutes lifting it onto another one, just to get it in the door. I was completely exhausted and covered in sweat, but the other item was there, so I could go home, and I started to. Halfway there I get a text saying that I need to check other items as they MUST go tomorrow morning first thing. Furious, I go back there to do this and I'm unable to leave until 6:45pm and get home at like 7:30pm..
Then, on Tuesday before I've even walked in the door or sat down I have to quality check ALL the items :| in like 10 minutes, this is so silly and unorganised! on that day and the day after he would just randomly appear to criticise what I was doing or just generally moan.
This is the part where it gets stupid. On Wednesday an item came in with a wrong item code, the customer reference wasn't something I recognised either. So I checked my spreadsheets, and found a customer with something similar and sent an email to everyone asking if this was correct. No-one replied to me, which happens a lot, people just ignore my emails. I knew it was likely to be this customer and I even wrote it on the delivery note I got. But of course, no replies at all.
Then my boss asked me to go get him lunch because he is lazy and asks me this all the time. He is really specific about what he wants and says "salad roll, with salad cream (cheap mayo for idiots) and no salt" this is exactly what he says. He caught me in the middle of doing work, so I walk out to go and get it for him. When I get there they don't even sell salad rolls without some kind of meat or cheese, I don't have my phone with me so I just pick ham since he usually has this. And who cares right? it's just a roll, pick the ham out and eat the salad if you don't like it.
Hahaha, but of course not. He freaks out and starts shouting at me that he doesn't want ham, then I said they didn't sell it without, and what things they did sell, he lied and said he asked for cheese and demanded I go back again. So I bought the wrong one, and walked all the way back again to get another one. Sighhh.
On Thursday the customer complained that she didn't have one of the items (we already delivered some out to her, and more was being delivered later) so suddenly his PA points the finger at me saying it's my fault for not sending it, and all sorts of stuff. Anytime anything goes wrong in the company, it's pretty much a witch hunt until they find out who it was, then it most people's cases it's "oh okay then" when they find out who. But when the finger is pointed at me? it's "FUUUUUUCKKK WHAT IS THIS WHY DID YOU DO THAT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU"
The first thing that was said was "you should have known this code (in the wrong format) was for this customer, surely you should know this, it's so obvious" I did not know this, it was just some random bunch of numbers that could be anything, so that's why I emailed asked first before deciding anything by myself. Then my Uncle came over and started raising his voice to me as always, because I suspect he actually enjoys this.
He was furious about was that it was "so obvious" that the code was for the client and I couldn't possibly have gotten this wrong, and acting like I was lying and making excuses. I tried to defend myself, but he just shouted louder and said I couldn't possibly have not realised it's for this client.
Normal customer codes look like this: 289/002, I got a code on a delivery sheet that was 308002, which could be any code, so I didn't recognise it. So I asked in an email and no-one payed attention or even replied and I get shouted at. The code is really 308/002 but I didn't see that when I looked at it, and we only recently started using codes beginning with 3, so it didn't click in my head. So I asked what it was.
But of course, this wasn't good enough. I'm trying to explain and defend myself, but they just think I'm making excuses. My Aunt does this too, asks for an explanation then gets angry at me for "making excuses" when I'm just saying what happened, which then gets me angry, because I feel like I have no defence and nothing I say is worth uttering.
Another thing my Uncle does is refuse to let me speak, he gets angry and forces me to stop speaking so he can finish, then cuts me off almost instantly when it's my turn to speak. Next he shouted at me (in front of everyone btw) about the item code being wrong, which wasn't even my fault, my aunt writes up the spreadsheets and she made a mistake. The code on the delivery note was XJH and on the spreadsheet it was MX, if a code is completely different I ask if this is correct, because a lot of the time they change their minds about what they want to order, then don't even tell me what it is. But again it was "so obvious" that it was correct and I couldn't possibly have gotten this wrong, but again I had suspected the item was for this client and even wrote it on there!! My coworker (uncle's PA) was also backing up my uncle at this point and the two of them were ganging up on me. I was so worked up I was shaking a lot and really trying hard not to cry. I don't do well in arguments and really start panicking, so this was really setting me off and I just gave up and said "yes, it's all my fault, I'm really sorry" just to get them to leave me alone, but nope. Not good enough.
That just made him more angry and he asked me to explain how I possibly could have done all this and I tried and tried but then they said it was excuses and I should have known they wouldn't reply.
Eventually it finally stopped. That's a lot of stuff I should have obviously known, right? Maybe I should work on my psychic powers.
I just tried to get away and went into the next room, I tried so hard to not cry but I did anyway. It's so hard to not panic but I can't help it.
I would think this would be the end of it, but his PA argued with me on Friday about the same thing, which just got me even angrier. She was saying the exact same stuff, like I should have known this or that, and there's no way I could have gotten the code wrong, like it's impossible. Then I say I didn't see it as a code, and she replies that it's not possible, so I just say I must be an idiot then because I didn't notice. Then she gets angry and says that I'm not stupid, and that I'm smart so that's why it's impossible for me to not notice the code (...uh?) and that I should be more vocal and stand my ground, and my uncle only gets angry because I provoke him by saying stuff like I got the code wrong or I sent an email out asking.... does that even make any sense??? if I was vocal or shouted, he would shout louder and get angrier, if I try to not provoke him and say it was all my fault like I did, he gets angrier... this is an entirely unavoidable situation. And telling the truth gets me nowhere because I'm being disrespectful and making excuses. Bloody hell.
The only reason why she stopped arguing with me is because my uncle walked in, so I just walked out to avoid being double teamed again.
Even writing it all out like this doesn't make me feel better, I'm still angry about it now. And if I think about it, I just get angry again.. I just wasted my whole Saturday writing this rant out too. I really hate this.