How I Spent Independence Day Eve

[Eran of Arcadia]

So, I have been temping at this company for about a month. Last week, they told us all that we would have Monday off as well as Tuesday for Independence Day. But just to be careful, I tried to confirm it. The following conversation ensued:

Me: So, [coworker], we have Monday off, right?
Coworker: I think so. Let me ask [owner]. [Owner], we have Monday off, right?
Owner: No, you and [other coworker] have to come in. We also need the receptionist (that would be me.)
Coworker: I can't believe it! I already have plans! What am I going to do?
Me: (Thinking this is ridiculous - why should the receptionist have to come in if all he will do is transfer people to voicemail all day?) I am fairly sure he is joking.
Owner: No, I am serious. You three need to come in on Monday.
Coworker: Man, I can't believe that.

Nor could I. But I ask you all, was I justified in thinking that the owner was being serious, specifically after he said he was? Was it foolish of me to believe him?

Now, it is an hour-long commute to work. It is a half-hour to wait around waiting for someone checking the windows to unlock the place, when one doesn't have a key. it is two and a half hours sitting around alone in the office, wondering what good it does to have the receptionist and no one else there, including the coworker who seemed sure that we were supposed to work. But apparently both of them seemed to think that the owner was joking. It is a two hour commute back home, since the buses run less frequently during the middle of the day, meaning an hour wait at the bus station.

Now, if I had just assumed we had the day off, I would have been fine. But I have a tendency to make things worse whenever I try to fix them. Thus, because I wanted to be 100% sure, and not fail to show up when I had to (even though my presence made no sense), I essentially lost a 4-day weekend. Again, was it foolish of me to believe the owner wasn't joking when he said he wasn't joking? Just asking is all.

 

[Sidhe]

No the owner is a jerk for doing that to you, national holidays in this country get double time? I wonder what happens in the US. Man anyway that sucks if it was your boss you could put in a complaint but the owner, the guy was really out of line, if my Boss told me to come in Christmas day I would, if she phoned me up and said it was a joke I'd probably feel agrieved to say the least, that's so nasty it's not even funny. Way to encourage loyalty in your workers, lie to them.

 

[MobBoss]

No the owner is a jerk for doing that to you, national holidays in this country get double time?

First of all, Monday the 3rd of July isnt a holiday. I was at work that day too.

Secondly, the guy is a temp employee. Thats generally even worse a status than indentured servant....by that I mean you are easily fired and easily replaceable. Thats precisely the type of person who gets crappy hours and crappy shifts....like coming in on a day that everyone else has off.

Does it suck? Depends on your attitude. I had a choice of either coming in to work or taking a day of vacation. I choose to come in. It was very quiet, only 1 phone call all day, I got a few extra things done I needed to.

 

[Keshik]

I don't believe you were foolish and I think the owner owes you an apology, at least.

 

[Sidhe]

First of all, Monday the 3rd of July isnt a holiday. I was at work that day too.

Secondly, the guy is a temp employee. Thats generally even worse a status than indentured servant....by that I mean you are easily fired and easily replaceable. Thats precisely the type of person who gets crappy hours and crappy shifts....like coming in on a day that everyone else has off.

Does it suck? Depends on your attitude. I had a choice of either coming in to work or taking a day of vacation. I choose to come in. It was very quiet, only 1 phone call all day, I got a few extra things done I needed to.

Ok thanks for the info, but I'm really talking about how he was told they got both days off, then that they didn't and it turned out to be lies, I find that a pretty lousy thing to do. I may not understand your work laws, but I do understand that being lied to is somewhat wrong here?

 

[MobBoss]

Ok thanks for the info, but I'm really talking about how he was told they got both days off, then that they didn't and it turned out to be lies, I find that a pretty lousy thing to do. I may not understand your work laws, but I do understand that being lied to is somewhat wrong here?

Heh, employers retain the right to change work schedules at whim in this country. Perhaps the initial information was a miscommunication. Perhaps the situation changed in the time between the announcement and the actual holiday. Bottom line an employer controls your work schedule. As long as he pays them for the work, its all good.

Dont like how an employer treats you? The simple answer is just find another job.

 

[Sidhe]

Heh, employers retain the right to change work schedules at whim in this country. Perhaps the initial information was a miscommunication. Perhaps the situation changed in the time between the announcement and the actual holiday. Bottom line an employer controls your work schedule. As long as he pays them for the work, its all good.

Dont like how an employer treats you? The simple answer is just find another job.

True, but I would not work for someone who changed his mind on a whim and screwed his workers over at the last minute, I'd like to hear if it was a rational decision or just some stupid indecision, I'm not sure atm, it'd make all the difference I think.

You're right Keshik an apology is in order at least, it seems a little mean.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Well, he called the office today to speak to someone and sort of apologized. I think he really had no idea that I would believe him - no one else did, and he knew he was kidding. I think it was a failure to realize that I would do what he said, rather than actual meanness. He was joking, but didn't make it clear enough. Also, he seemed to think that he had later told me he was kidding, but looks like he forgot to. Amybe if I were better at reading people I would have known he was joking when he said we had to come in. But then, I did think he was joking until he said he wasn't.

Anyways, that is only one of a lot of things I could complain about with this job. Most of them have to do with the fact that clients will often get upset that they haven't received a service they should have gotten, and the one employee who is responsible for taking care of such things doesn't like it when people call a lot to demand these services, and since I am the go-between both sides direct their anger towards me rather than each other.

 

[Left]

I started work on the actual day of the 4th at 5 in the morning and ended at 11 at night. It's not that bad.

 

[Norlamand]

Listening to a bunch of nimrods at my wife's church prattle on about Al Gore's new movie at a church BBQ.

 

[ybbor]

Listening to a bunch of nimrods at my wife's church prattle on about Al Gore's new movie at a church BBQ.

Is it still threadjacking if it follows the actual title of the thread?

On-Topic (I think): I almost think that if that was the entirety of the conversationm and he didn't say anything else to the others (like he claims he did), I would actually guess that the other two knew their boss wouldn't be in the office and just left, figuring the other would cover for them.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

No, everyone can say what they did 7/3, it's cool.

But coworker the 1st really acted like she thought she had to work. But then this morning I asked her if we were supposed to come in, and she said "of course not".

 

[downtown]

Actually Eran, my boss did the exact same thing.

I didnt bother to show up though, because I already had plans, and if I got fired, it's cool, because I have a backup job. (I hate my work). Then....turns out he was kidding.

I do not like that man at all

 

[civ38]

we're at work.. happy INDEPENDENCE day was it... i don't know.. well, some owners do that. i don't know why. kinda freak and weird of them.. i can't see the essence sometimes..

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

@ Erin: You got there. Seems to me you've been a bit naive. People are playing jokes like that all the time. I reckon you should have done more checking before you made such a long journey. Once you've done that, I need you to go to the food store to pick up some Salmon Legs.

@ Sidhe: I think it's a bit of a generalisation to say people who work holidays get double time. It's definately not the case for everyone. Especially if you're contracted to work those days.

 

[El_Machinae]

Most of them have to do with the fact that clients will often get upset that they haven't received a service they should have gotten, and the one employee who is responsible for taking care of such things doesn't like it when people call a lot to demand these services, and since I am the go-between both sides direct their anger towards me rather than each other.

As an ex-missionary, I'd think you'd be a natch :rimshot:

So ... the big question is whether you're going to bill them for the time.

 

[spankey]

I would say that the time spent waiting at the office was billable, and I would submit it on a time sheet. I saw questions about double time from Sidhe. I know of no company that pays temp employees any benefits. If the 4th was a holiday for the office, the temp wouldn't work, but also wouldn't get paid.

 

[El_Machinae]

In Canada, if a legislated holiday falls upon a workday, a temp worker gets paid if he's worked 5 of the last 9 of those 'days'.

So, Tuesday was a holiday. If the temp worker worked at least 5 of the last 9 tuesdays, he'd get paid for tuesday.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

As I'm paid by the hour, I will definitely get paid. I also decided to stop putting lunch breaks on my time sheet - since I always work through lunch anyways, I might as well get paid.

And I did double-check to see if he was kidding - it was when he said that he wasn't that I foolishly thought he wasn't.

El_Mac: one of the things I learned as a missionary was how to take anger towards me (deserved or otherwise) gracefully. The only frustrating thing is that these people often have real problems as a result of what my coworker has failed to do, and I can't tell them whose fault it really is (that would be unprofessional, don't you know).

 

[SupremeC]

When I was a conscript in the army, I often got things like this as well. Most of the conscripts would go see a doctor and take the day off as we were officially sick.

Not sure if that will work for you tho. It's not ethical and I don't actually recommend it unless you were forced to do something against your will, which you weren't, considering you had the choice to quit.