Having Guilt about Calling in Sick or Ditching work, Friends say I'm being dumb..

[Working Stiff]

Hello,

 

Here's the deal. i'm 25, work at a small business warehouse. There's only 2

main guys(4 of us total in the whole place) in the office who answer phones and take sales orders and

I'm one of them. Actually, I'm more of an assmebler, but they make me answer phones as Back-up

among tons of other duties. I personally think we're very overworked over here,

but the boss won't hire any help. He figures we can handle it all and expects us

to be Multi-tasked kinda employees.

 

My boss is very strict about taking time off, Gives us a hard time about it.

I had a family emergency last year and needed to take leave from work and they used

up all my vacation and since then won't give me any personal days, only a couple of hours

for the Doctor or Dentist every once in a while.....so If i need the day off, I usually have to call in sick.

One time I wanted to leave for two hours because I got offered a weekend position as a

guitar teacher, something I seriously love and have always wanted to do as a career....Well...My boss said I

couldn't leave for that many hours, they needed me here. (even though business was slow)

Needless to say, I didn't get the position.

 

Anyway, There's another position that's opened up and I could go Apply for it during Work Hours tomorrow.

But I'd have to leave mid day after lunch to be there on time, fill out papers, interview etc. Problem is, another employee

is already going to be out and so my Boss has elected me to be the main guy to handle everything, all day long.

That means i handle everything, phones, orders, shipping, paperwork, everything. I hate that he does

that to us. I can't ask for the the afternoon off to go apply, I know he'll say no.

 

I constantly feel bad about asking for days off or time off, because his attitude changes so much

and I feel like he's a mean teacher and i just asked to use the bathroom or something. Yet, It pisses

me off to no end, that he works us so hard and doesn't realize that we have Lives outside of work. Friends tell

me that I shouldn't worry about it and to just Lie about it or call in sick and let the business deal with it, kinda

teach my boss a lesson and to follow mY dream. . .but something inside me would feel guilty, I know. I don't want to stay here

forever, but I also don't want to lsoe my job or cause any problems. Am I worrying about it too much?

 

I really want that second job, Music is what I really want to do. what should I do?

[Teag]

I would call in sick. Your boss is being very selfish to treat you all like that. Look at how he treats you, I wouldn't feel guilty at all. Now if my boss was a nice caring man/women I might feel alittle bad but not for long . Its you dream, go for it, you don't know when you'll have another oppertunity like that. Pretend to be throwing up, or you have a migraine w/ nausea. Thats easy to get away with.

 

Good Luck, Hope you get the job. I'll be rooting for you.

[tiki]

There are better jobs out there. Go fetch one.

[StillHurtin]

I agree, you don't deserve that kind of treatment. I would try my best to take some time off to go apply for another job. Your situation sounds similiar to my H. He hates his job. He also works as an assembler (in an RV factory) and they are very low on staff. H has been there close to a year. His supervisor keeps threatening to fire him if he doesn't get a unit out on a certain time. H can't do the work of the 2 men that are gone, it's impossible to be on the RV in more than one place. My H got sick of being threatened all the time he applied for a different job. He took a lot less pay but I hope he likes it.

[Working Stiff]

Thanks Everyone...

 

Yeah, It bums me out, I try my best and I'm not one to Slack

or be Lazy or do a Bad Job. I've been here almost 5 years now,

Since I was 20. I don't wanna be here forever, but I also don't want any grief

or to be looked down upon. Over the years people have left and BOSS has never

replaced them. He just gets "us" to handle the balance of work the previous employee

left behind and it sucks. I do Shipping, Phones, Filing, Ordering, Assembling, Trash,

warehouse maintenance, he even sent me to get his car washed once, ugh. I still

laugh about that one. I'm the youngest one here (everyone is in their 40's) so he

always says "You're young, you can handle it"...and chuckles. I just play it off.

 

Two other people over here complain about the way it is here, but don't say anything.

I don't really complain, cuz i'm not one to complain, i do what the Boss says and do my best.

But crap, sometimes it gets so overwhelming over here i wanna pull my hair out. I'm get stressed.

 

So here I am today, Working and covering all this work, comtemplating and trying to come up with a good

way to get away from here later on today to get to that Interview. They want me for the position, but

just need to interview me. It would be only on the weekends for now, but would be an awesome foot

in the door for future stuff.

 

 

Thanks for all your advice, I appreciate it so much.

[tiki]

Maybe you can tell the interviewer that you'd really be putting your present employer in a bind if you left at that time. They may admire that, and reshedule it to a more convenient time. Then move on.

[Stone]

I am an employer and I personally think that your boss is not being fair, if you gave notice that you needed to take time off work a few days in advance he should have had no problem with that. Everyone has a life outside of work, sounds you are a valued employee of the company so If I we're you I would bring it to his attention about how you feel if he doesn't like it have a 2 weeks notice letter pre written if needed. That way you are not putting him in a bind, because you will be giving the proper notice and you are bringing something to his attention that he may not notice, ( employers don't know that they make mistakes unless someone points it out)

 

Maby after doing so he will respect you more or maby you can move on but at least you will have done it properly and with regard to the company.

[HokeyReligions]

Originally posted by tiki

Maybe you can tell the interviewer that you'd really be putting your present employer in a bind if you left at that time. They may admire that, and reshedule it to a more convenient time. Then move on.

 

Ditto Tiki.

 

 

Most small business employers will not give a paid leave of absense until all vacation time is taken. Many of the large companies do that too. You can't expect an employer to pay someone for not working --- they couldn't stay in business very long doing that.

 

He may give you a hard time because he knows you are looking for another job. If the other job is a weekend job, maybe they can interview you tomorrow (Saturday). I'm working and the places I've been interviewing with have rearranged their schedule to fit when I can get there -- they understand that I cannot leave my current employer in the lurch and they respect that because they expect that I would have the same work ethic for them.

 

If the prospective employer cannot, or will not, reschedule then you need to ask yourself if the prospect is worth losing your current job and becoming unemployed.

[sumdude]

Sounds like a dead end to me. Start looking for a new job and leave that bum behind.

[Naive]

Let's us know if you went or not.

[Working Stiff]

Well......

 

Lunch time came around and, I told my boss I had a big emergency

and had to leave, that My dad was sick and

I needed to go down to pick him up(my dad really was sick prety bad with the flu)

 

He gave me a "well, you're leaving us in a bad spot, but go ahead and take care

of what you need to take care of".... So I rushed over to the Appointment and

halfway there, my tire blew out. Needless to say, I missed the appointment. But

it's rescheduled for Wednesday, this time at 4PM.

 

I was bummed and a bit pissed. Ruined a good opportunity and left work early and

everything. But.... i'm not giving up. I'm still going to do this and see this dream out.

 

I guess I also have been a bit hesitant to dump on my job is because it's not like I live at home

anymore. I can't quit my job and hopefully find something else, i've got rent and bills and a

soon to be fiance. I'm a responsible dude, but I have dreams. And sometimes I guess Responsibility

and the 'right thing to do' takes precedence over dreams and goals and I second guess things.

 

I'll find that comfort and balance and take care of business AND follow my dream.