Work Woes
This is (apparently) the third week in a row that I've been out on Tuesday. I'm out today because when I woke up... I went directly to the bathroom (didn't pass go) and threw up - blah! Last week, I woke up with a fever and the room spinning - not a good idea to drive a car. As for the week before, I don't remember being out but "boss man" says I was so I can only guess it might have been a migrane (that's the only thing I can think of that I wouldn't necessarily remember later). When I called in this morning I got a very unpleasant reply about my being sick AGAIN. Basically the my boss (who is currently just an acting interum boss - and used to be a captain and before that was a deckhand... and is the youngest of us all...) said that I need to "get over this" as it's the third Tuesday in a row and that he's willing to just schedule me off on every Tuesday (as if I'm not actually sick but have some other plans for EVERY Tuesday) but that it's very hard to find someone to fill in at 7am. I told him I was sorry but I really didn't know what to say and that, no, I don't want to be scheduled off on Tuesdays. He then mentioned that if he couldn't get Robert (one of our parttime deckhands) to do it then the boat wouldn't run since HE couldn't do it himself since he's already running one of the boats today. Now.... I'm not sure about most industries like mine but to have ONE "fall back guy" I find a bit... STUPID. Stuff happens, people get sick, things come up, etc. Someone calls in and the fall back guy can't come in for whatever reason... you call fall back guy #2 - not, well the boat (or what ever) doesn't run! Also... it really seems like he's not taking into account the past THREE YEARS. Yes, I've called in for time off in the past three years, but I've also come in when I was feeling miserable - I've worked with a migrane, dislocated jaw, partially dislocated hip, and just general unwellness... but all that doesn't count apparently since this is week #3 for calling out on Tuesday. I'd certainly understand his concern if it were a Monday or a Friday (or Thursday in my case)... and to some extent I do understand that it's strange... but it's Tuesday!!