I've been a bit irked about my job at the retirement home. It is a "receptionist" job, but when I describe what I do there to people, that isn't the title anyone would give it. There are some office duties, but there are also many, many more responsibilities, having to do with security, safety, responding to emergencies, apartment manager type duties, etc, etc, etc. A friend of mine who has been a receptionist her whole life recently joined our team there, and she is seriously struggling to keep up with it all and get with the routine.
They pay me 20% below the average *receptionist* wage for the county I live in. And they had me work 3 months of full time hours without ever switching my status over to full time, so I never got benefits. And, I am pretty sure that I heard my boss saying that she didn't see me making a fuss over it, because of my "sweet little voice". I didn't hear the whole conversation, and she could have been talking about someone else. But grrrrrr.
Last week, my more immediate supervisor asked me if I knew yet if I'd be teaching next quarter (no, I don't), and what kind of hours I wanted for December. I told her that unless they were going to raise me to full time status, that I didn't want to work any more than 20 or 25 hours per week anymore, that I was no longer willing to work 40 and not be given the same full time benefits that other employees get.
She went and had a discussion with our boss in the back after that. Later that day she also asked me if I would be willing to work christmas. It's on a weekend this year, and I am not currently scheduled to work weekends. I told her I would have to check with my family. It would be time and a half pay, but time and a half of almost nothing is still almost nothing, and family is just more important. Pooey on them. Someone has to do it though.
I think I won't hear anything more about the hours and full time status until we see if my friend stays or not. Even then they might stiff me. However...if she does stay a full 3 months, even if she quits the next day, they are supposed to give me significant monetary award for her recruitment.
I've been trying to pay down my debt in preparation for nursing school. Getting the second job teaching at a college has helped, but I still had to buy new tires for my car (tread was unsafe), pay for dental work without insurance, etc.
Things are going to move up soon, I think. Things seem to be getting better.
