Night Elf Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 I won't go into details but there are changes happening in the Humane Society Thrift Store where I work. Including me, there are 7 paid employees. Due to politics, the director and manager have turned in resignations. Two of the employees are leaving with them. One turned in her own resignation this morning before she even knew about the changes coming up. That leaves me and a full-time employee who are unsure what we should do. This coworker is going to discuss the situation with her husband tonight and we'll talk tomorrow. Right now the store is closed two days of the week, Sunday and Monday. The Board of Directors wants to open the store on Monday and expects all employees to cover the hours without an increase in pay. I am not sure if my coworker is full-time at 40 hours or not. The Board has also had a hiring freeze on even though we desperately need employees. Because of this upheaval, my only regular volunteer who has been coming in once a week for 4 years isn't coming back after today. She did the pets department which was blankets and towels. We get a lot of those in. Now in addition to linens and crafts, I'll be responsible for pets as well. I'm currently working 21 hours a week and donations have been slow so I've not had a problem keeping up with my responsibilities. If donations pick up, I'll be swamped. We have 3 people who come in and volunteer on a regular basis in the clothing department and one of those volunteers will help me if I need them. Well, I'm going to need her and that makes me feel annoyed because I don't like her a whole lot. I'm going to have her do pets as she doesn't like doing much else in my department. I still don't know if the lady I'm temping for will return. No one believes she is coming back and now with all this upheaval, she may decide she doesn't want to come back. The Board may ask me to go full-time and I don't know if I want to do that. I also have no idea if I'll even like the new management they're bringing in who will be following the Board's rules for running the place. They want us to increase our prices and that's not going to go over well with our customers. I envision us being asked to come in on a Sunday and change all the price tags or else people will wonder why new stuff is being priced higher. Another change is they want us to start counting every item that comes in. Each item we touch has to be accounted for. That's going to take time away from my job to tally up items. It's going to make the main department's job really difficult as they get a LOT of stuff in like dishes and glassware. I don't want to lose my job but it's definitely going to be changing. If I do have to leave my job, I don't think I'll look for employment elsewhere. I started working at the thrift store because of the people and the fact that our proceeds are for the dogs and cats. Now today I found out the Board is diverting those funds to other organizations instead of our own shelter. So us employees are working super hard to make money for other people instead of the animals we care about. It's all crazy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Since you can survive without the money just relax and see what happens. Write yourself a list of bottom line criteria for quitting and feel free to express your feelings about changes. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 I hope it works out okay and you can keep your job. There is always a lot of drama and politics going on at the animal shelters around here, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Change is always difficult, but sometimes it is good. If you don’t want to work more, no one can make you. If you end up not liking the new management, you can politely turn in your notice. You can and will get through this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Play it by ear for now. Why make any decisions before you even know if or how your job will be changing? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 6 minutes ago, Catwoman said: Play it by ear for now. Why make any decisions before you even know if or how your job will be changing? Yes! You never know, the changes, including the bosses, might be for the better. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted August 28, 2018 Author Share Posted August 28, 2018 I emailed the director and asked if the Board said anything specific about part-time employees. She said she'd forward my email to them. I don't like that they want to start opening the store on Mondays. I enjoyed having a weekday off to get appointments done. It seems I'm busy every Monday with some kind of appointment, both mine and my ds. If they insist I work 6 days a week, I won't also work beyond 4 hours a day. I have to have weekday time for things that can't be done on weekends. I'm so upset! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 I hear how upset you are! You can tell them that you are not available on Mondays. You don’t need to tell them why. If pressed, you can say that having Mondays off is one of the reasons you took the job in the first place. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Honestly if they are losing that many employees at once you are in a strong position to negotiate. Think about what you want and stick with that. Consider if you want full time if they offer it. But feel free to say you were hired as a part time worker and that is all the work you are looking for right now. If you can only work 4 days a week specify that. If you can't work Mondays, specify that. There will be some new employees to replace the old and some of those will pick up the slack. Just be clear about what you are and are not willing to work and go from there. Management changes always unsettle staff, but I suggest riding it out and seeing if you are not in a better place at the other side. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 53 minutes ago, Night Elf said: I emailed the director and asked if the Board said anything specific about part-time employees. She said she'd forward my email to them. I don't like that they want to start opening the store on Mondays. I enjoyed having a weekday off to get appointments done. It seems I'm busy every Monday with some kind of appointment, both mine and my ds. If they insist I work 6 days a week, I won't also work beyond 4 hours a day. I have to have weekday time for things that can't be done on weekends. I'm so upset! Why are you getting so upset when you have no information? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 You are "fortune telling" worrying about problems that don't exist. I'm a master at that. When my brain starts to whirl and play those type of tapes over and over, I give myself time to write down my worries (and maybe writing us counts!). Now it's in a safe place, accounted for. Now don't think about it anymore. When you know what really happens you will be able to deal with it. You will be able to say you need to think about it before making any decisions Anyway, that's what I'd tell myself. Maybe it would help you, too. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share Posted August 29, 2018 11 hours ago, Catwoman said: Why are you getting so upset when you have no information? Because I'm losing people I've enjoyed working with tremendously. There is one person left and I like her a lot and if she leaves I'll be alone. They may even have to close the doors until they get a new management and staff. I just don't know. I've heard bits and pieces about the various Board members since I've been there and I don't like what I hear. They're truly clueless on how the store is run on a daily basis. And I do know some things that are forcing the director to leave. Like opening the store on Mondays and expecting all employees to work six days a week. And how they want us to start counting items. And how they want us to price items higher. I just have a feeling it's not going to be the laid back environment that I have come to love and appreciate. Rather than working as part of a family, we'll be working a job like a chore. I don't want that. That's too much stress in my life that I don't need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 1 hour ago, Night Elf said: Because I'm losing people I've enjoyed working with tremendously. There is one person left and I like her a lot and if she leaves I'll be alone. They may even have to close the doors until they get a new management and staff. I just don't know. I've heard bits and pieces about the various Board members since I've been there and I don't like what I hear. They're truly clueless on how the store is run on a daily basis. And I do know some things that are forcing the director to leave. Like opening the store on Mondays and expecting all employees to work six days a week. And how they want us to start counting items. And how they want us to price items higher. I just have a feeling it's not going to be the laid back environment that I have come to love and appreciate. Rather than working as part of a family, we'll be working a job like a chore. I don't want that. That's too much stress in my life that I don't need. It sounds like there is a strong possibility that things are changing in a way that won’t mesh with what you want out of the job. I would encourage you to try to be glad for the time and experiences that you’ve had instead of letting yourself dwell on the negative. I know that’s really, really hard, but you don’t want to poison your good memories of the job. If they have to close until they hire new staff and come up with new policies and procedures, that might be a good thing for you. It would give you time to process it all and decide whether you want to go back and give it a fresh start or not. I’m sorry. I know it’s hard. But you’ve been very blessed to have a job that doesn’t feel like a chore. Most jobs DO feel like that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 14 hours ago, Night Elf said: I emailed the director and asked if the Board said anything specific about part-time employees. She said she'd forward my email to them. I don't like that they want to start opening the store on Mondays. I enjoyed having a weekday off to get appointments done. It seems I'm busy every Monday with some kind of appointment, both mine and my ds. If they insist I work 6 days a week, I won't also work beyond 4 hours a day. I have to have weekday time for things that can't be done on weekends. I'm so upset! First, they can't "make" you work 6 days a week. Once they have a new boss in place, have a discussion with the boss about whether or not your needs can be met in the new work environment. If not, then give your notice & quit. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 (edited) Oh no! I remember how hard it was for you to go on interviews and have to wait, wait, wait to hear back from other places. And I remember how hard it was for you to get started in this job. But once it got going, it was a great fit for you. And now someone is coming along and ruining it all for you. I would be sooooo frustrated/angry/sad about the whole situation. If you don’t do what they ask (working Mondays or full time), you worry you’ll be back out there trying to find a new job. You worry that you’ll be stuck working with people that you don’t get along with. You worry that someone with no knowledge of the flow of the job will try to make it “better” but will actually be messing it up and piling unnecessary work/stress on you. I think these are all valid things to be irritated by. It’s easy to fret and mull over these things, but I’d encourage you to try to let them go. Someone up thread said to consider what things are deal breakers for you and what things you can roll with. Jot them down; (MUST have time off on one of the days of the week for errands/MUST be part time/CAN DEAL with counting all items/CAN DEAL with price increases). Once they’re jotted down, then they won’t spin around in your head as much. It’ll be sorted out. You can always change your list if you’re not happy with it—but get the thoughts out of your head onto paper. And then...whenever you think about it, think of something else. Think about what you’d do with your money if you won 20 million dollars. Where would you live? Would you pay off your friend’s mortgages? What vacations would you go on? Force your thoughts to something benign so that they don’t linger on the what if’s about your job. In a bit of time, you’ll know the new lay of the land. You just have to get there without letting yourself sink down too far. And it’s ok to take a day or two to mourn the changes—the loss of people who had grown close to, the loss of predictability. But after that, force your thoughts to other things. Edited August 29, 2018 by Garga 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share Posted August 29, 2018 Well, it happened! Today, all but two of us walked out. I've lost my director, manager and two coworkers. And the cashier is leaving too but not because of this mess. One of the Board members came in to ask if people would reconsider. Then another Board member came in and basically threw out the director. When he did that, the rest just dropped what they were doing and left. I sent my community service worker to the register to get hangers and she came back in and said I was needed up there. One of the Board members was trying to figure out how to work the register. I stepped in and did it. I spent the rest of the day on the register. I'm glad I didn't have anything in my department to do. We closed the store at 3:00 pm because she had to leave, and me too and the community service worker. That would have left two employees there and they couldn't do that. The Board member, Debbie, said she'd pay us until 6:00 pm. I'm going to stay and so is my coworker. They're trying to fill the positions quickly and she asked if I knew anyone who needed a job. My ds has Aspergers and can't do the whole job in the back but he can be an assistant. I mentioned that to her and she said she'd keep that in mind. I'd love for him to get a job there. I told her I wanted to stay part-time and she said that wasn't a problem but that she would appreciate if I would increase my hours during the holidays if they needed me. I can do that, depending on what she needs. I still won't go full-time but I could do up to 30 hours a week. This is a mess. Apparently there was a bru-ha-ha up front in front of the customers over this. The Board members were acting stupidly and the director and manager were trying to calm them down. I'm wondering what I'm getting myself into working for these people. But I'm willing to stay. In fact, I'm going to talk to Debbie tomorrow about spending more time on the register and less time in my department. I find I really like working the register. The lady I'm temping for is happy about this shakedown and said she now has a reason to come back so she's going to talk to her doctor. She has more medical tests this week but she wants to get back into the store asap. So she shouldn't need me much and I can be the cashier. That's my plan anyway. I feel like I have the upperhand in choosing what I want to do since they need different positions. I'll see what she says tomorrow. If the lady I'm temping for doesn't come back fast, I'll have to stay in my department and can't be on the register. I can't do both anymore because as of right now, the only other person who knows how to operate the register is leaving on Sept. 8th. We tried to get her to stay, at least on Saturdays but she said she needed September to get into a new routine and maybe she can come back in October. What a mess! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 I know how it feels though when you have managed to get a job that fits your temperament and needs and someone goes and changes it. It can be depressing and stressful and make you resentful. It is a blessing though that you are not dependant on the job to pay rent and therefore can walk out if things go too far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 It sounds like you have an excellent plan, Beth! Maybe this will all turn out for the best in the end. I really hope so!!! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 Hey this might work to your advantage! Good job hanging in there so far. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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