You have new business owners, but they seem okay. After years of working without local owners, its hard to imagine having them in daily, but you're excited at the same time.
Until it happens.
The unimaginable.
Despite being promised you would keep your job, only a couple of months in, things start to change. Suddenly you aren't good enough, and what you are doing isn't good enough. Unacceptable comments are made... "You're just a girl, and you're only 23, its not worth us wasting our time and money on you" You are forced to apologise when you've done nothing wrong, and smile and pretend everything is fine, just to keep your job.
This seems to placate them for another couple of months. Until one day you forget to smile the moment they walk in the door. Or maybe you did smile, but they weren't looking. Perhaps you were busy serving a customer and it would have been rude to turn away from them. It isn't good enough. Suddenly you are in trouble again, and slapped with unnecessary labels. "Moody. Uncooperative. Unpredictable." You are frustrated. You have been trying so hard to please, you want to burst into tears and scream "Why aren't I good enough for you?" But it would be no use. So you apologise once more, and try even harder.
At this point you realise that regardless of you do, the chances are it will never be good enough. Maybe they just want you gone? So you start looking for a job. But several rejection letters and a failed job interview later, things start to look up. They are talking to you again, praising you, telling you what a good job you've done, and talking about hoping you'll be around for a long time. You're quickly lulled into a false sense of security. This Jekyll and Hyde attitude was just a
Until it isn't.
Suddenly they won't talk to you again. Wont even enter the shop while you're there. Won't answer their phone. You have to park around the corner and wait in the shop after your shift is finished to talk to them. They accuse you of theft. You're told it would be better for you to tell the truth, and then you can work through it with them. The truth is you aren't a thief, but they don't believe you. A meeting is organised for the next day, but then they make excuses and don't hold the meeting. Day after day more excuses are made as to why they can't meet with you. You don't know what to say to clear your name, because they demand you tell the truth, but believe you're guilty. You can't sleep for days on end, stressed out.
A week later a meeting is finally held. No evidence is produced. You are told that they have decided to keep you on. They say they had considered making your life hell until you quit, but changed their minds. They tell you they also considered getting a professional in to remove you for theft, but changed their minds. They tell you that if it is to happen again, you wouldn't be so lucky. You leave the meeting more confused than when you went in. You know you haven't done anything wrong, but you're being treated like you're guilty.
You're finally recovering from that meeting, and everything seems to have gone back to normal, but this time you're suspicious. How long until it happens again? As it turns out, not long. Less than two weeks and it has started all over again. They won't talk to you, won't enter the shop, won't answer your calls. This time you're in denial. You haven't done anything wrong, but frankly, you've had enough. You've finished your shift and you're about to walk out the door and in they walk. "We need to have an unhappy talk." At this point, you are ready to hand in your notice there and then, but reality is rent still needs to be paid, and the bills are stacking up. You reluctantly follow them to the office.
You're being made redundant
So that is it. They say they are going to back date your redundancy notice, so the letter says they gave you four weeks notice, but you're only getting two, but they tell you if you ever try to claim that they will deny it completely. They aren't going to pay you any redundancy pay. They will give you a good reference and pay out all your holiday pay, provided you don't try to take them to court. If you do, they will deny everything and soil your name. They bring up the theft. And the letters from the meetings. It all falls into place.
They wanted you gone all along.
They wanted you to quit. They were making your life hell, but you weren't falling for it. You stuck in there through thick and thin, and came out the other end without a job. You can't say anything bad about them to anyone, because they will withdraw their reference and call you a thief. It is blackmail. You've lost your job, and there is nothing you can do about it.
You have two weeks left.
Its the day after the redundancy meeting. You're working out your notice, otherwise they won't pay you. You don't smile when they walk in, because you have been fighting back tears all morning. They threaten to can it all, and have you leave that very day because you look "sour". So you have to lie one more time. And tell them you're okay one more time.
Meanwhile your world falls apart.
No comments:
Post a Comment