Jacquelyn's Space

I put my two week notice in at my job Monday. I hate to leave because I love that job–it doesn’t feel like work the majority of the time–but I have to leave because, when it comes down to it, I need more money and better benefits.

My job cut my hours in January…well, cut a day and just 2 hours. I thought it was worse at the time, until I looked at the schedule. I had 4 twelve hour shifts instead if 5 ten hour shifts. That was okay, workable. And I was still picking up an extra day at work most weeks so I was still making about 60 hours a week. That overtime made my paycheck! I picked up an extra job at McDonald’s before my full-time gig to make even extra so I could really pay my bills down and save to go back to graduate school.

But then, March happened. Right as coronavirus hit, the operation’s manager at my full-time job cut everybody’s hours again. All of us non-emergency transport went down to 36 hours a week. I can’t do that!! I was pissed. I told the ops manager as much. He tried to make it seem like it was because of the coronavirus but it wasn’t. Our division had been slowing down since late last year and management didn’t seem to care about our division or didn’t have the know how and/or didn’t have a plan to get new business. He told me he was trying to make the department more profitable and that hours may go up when and if people quit, or when we picked up again. He admitted there was no guarantees though. I told him I would have to look for another job. I mean, this was bullshit. I could see where he was coming from but to cut our hours without notice and mostly because management couldn’t be bothered to figure out how to get more business for the division. Communication has sucked on his part when it has come to what he is doing with the division and I believe it comes from a lack of caring. Oh, I think they care about us as employees, but they (he?) don’t care about the division because it is not profitable. When I hired in I was told it was a minimum wage job because the division was not profitable, the company just did it as a community service, and, well, they needed us to keep a contract they have with a hospital. I was fine with that, especially when getting overtime wasn’t a problems. As soon as he started cutting hours, getting overtime became a problem–well since this operation’s manager took over (mid-year last), getting overtime has increasingly been an issue. A lot of it does have to do with him. I think our division was an easy place to make cuts. In my opinion, that is not fair to us because there was no notice, and because of the timing. How in the hell was I supposed to find a new job with everything shutting down to coronavirus? I told the ops manager as much and more…I told him it was a shitty thing to do.

I was beyond pissed and I was hurt.

Okay, I got past that…mostly. Luckily I have an ops manager I can talk to and he didn’t take offense at my complaints. That is an awesome reason why I didn’t want to leave my job there. But, weighing on me was the fact that I need more money, I need more money, I need more money. So mostly I got over the anger but it was still there, deep inside and I knew I had to make some changes. I had to get serious about that!

I didn’t have much hope though. How was I going to find a good job, a full-time job, when everything was shutting down? Was it even possible to find a new job during a pandemic?

My McD’s gig was cut. They started opening at 7am while everything was shutting down. I was working 5am to 8am, perfect hours for me to work that wouldn’t interfere with my full-time work. UGH. I didn’t want to work at McD’s during any other time.

Again, I was lucky. During the stay at home order, one of our drivers decided to stay at home because she has a kid (over 18 but lives with her) that has a compromised immune system so she decided to sit home most of March, all of April, and the first week of May. Then another one of our drivers hurt her ankle so she was out a couple of weeks. So I’ve still been busting my ass picking up all the overtime I can. Thankfully I’ve stayed healthy.

But I knew this wouldn’t last and I cannot do 36 hours a week at minimum wage.

A friend at work was approached by an organization, one that keeps older adults and the elderly living independently, to work for them. They were looking for drivers to bring people into the day program and to take to appointments. Some of this my current job has been doing for them (this organization has primarily been using MTA). I guess that will stop because the supervisor at this program said they will be doing their own transportation in June and she need 10 drivers all together. Thank the universe my friend let me know about this as soon as he was approached with information. Thank you Brad! I put my application in that day and called the supervisor the next week. I went in for an interview with her, albeit, a socially distant interview. She got the ball rolling for me. I got my paperwork in, my documents for a background check, went for a drug test and physical. Finally I got the email that I was approved to start the job. I got the job.

I am excited! I can’t believe I found a better job during the pandemic. The wages are a lot better and I have hopes that the health benefits are better to. This is a national organization that is run by a huge hospital corporation, that is local and nationwide. So I have big hopes for this job. I think I am making a good decision to leave my current situation to work this new gig.

On the downside, I am leaving a job I love. I am leaving a place I am comfortable. But I feel that our division is being left to die off. So, I must leave. But no more napping at work, LOL. I’ll have less independence. Also, the job I’m leaving gives good bonuses. Most of all though, I am sad to leave most of my co-workers (except Brad is going on to the new job with me so that’s good) and my patients.