Putting my foot down!

I have always been a person that likes other people to like me. I generally go with the flow and will let other people have their way if I don't feel strongly about something. I also try to do whatever I can to help out. In many ways I think this is a great part of my personality. However, I also realize that some people will take advantage of you when you are a giving person.

I learned this quite well with my last job at TJ Maxx. I was extremely dependable and would almost always step forward if there was an emergency where they needed me to come in. (The one major exception was when they called me on my wedding anniversary and asked me to come in.) In many ways I didn't say no when I should have. Anyway, as I posted here already I have been hired at Amazon. When I informed TJ Maxx that I found another job I told them I would still come in 1 or 2 days a week for the 3 weeks I was doing training at Amazon. I also told the store manager that I wasn't going to be available on Saturdays.

Well, my generosity was horribly abused. The first week after I told the manager this she scheduled me for shifts that conflicted with my training at Amazon and also scheduled me for Saturday. I went in and confronted her about this and she changed the shifts around a little. I ended up working there 4 days that week which I wasn't very happy about considering I had told them 1 or 2 days, but I worked them anyway.

The next week I expected that they would obey what I had told them. I guess that was too much to expect. They scheduled me for another 4 days including Saturday. This time I really wasn't having it. I went in and told the store manager that there was no way I could work that much. (It would have been 50 hours between Amazon and TJ Maxx, plus my college classes.) I literally would have only been home to sleep. She said she would have to take a look at the schedule and she would get back to me and let me know if she could reduce my hours. (How generous of her.) She got back to me and said that she could shorten my hours by 9 hours. I told her it was better, but I still couldn't work on Saturday because I had already made plans. She still didn't remove my from Saturdays schedule. (I guess she didn't realize that I was telling her that I wouldn't work Saturday rather than asking for it off.)

After that I just let her a message that said something to this affect: "I can only work one day next week. If you schedule me for any more than this I will not show up. Also, I cannot work this Saturday. I have already made plans and I can't cancel them. This should give you plenty of time to find someone to work in my place. I told you two weeks ago that I was only able to help 1 - 2 days a week and that I wasn't available Saturdays. I have been very accommodating. Please don't continue to abuse by kindness."

Well, I went in to work on Friday and I wasn't scheduled at all for the next week. It was a big relief not to have to deal with their crap and more. I cleaned out my locker and picked up all my pay stubs. It feels great to say that I am finally free of TJ Maxx.

You may ask yourself what the moral is of this rather long story. Here it is: Realize that you deserve to be treated well, and if you aren't being treated as well as you deserve don't put up with it. I finally put my foot down and it was very empowering. I suggest you all do the same.