I am absolutely furious with my employer.

I’m furious - and incredulous. My employer has a rigid policy, one that I must adhere to, but I feel they've just shoved a boot up my ass.

I have joined a chorus that rehearses at 7:00 PM on Monday nights, in a town that is at least an hour and a half away from where I work. Traffic is extremely unpredictable.

I work 9:00 - 5:30. I asked the attorney whose assistant I am if I could have his permission to work 8:30 - 5:00 on Mondays so that I could have better assurance of being at rehearsal on time. He said yes, and smiled and said “anything for music.”

I then called my supervisor to mention the change in hours, and got an instant freeze. She said that she’d have to talk to her boss and hopefully they’d have a decision before that day of first rehearsal. ~~ A decision? What the . . .

Rehearsal begins this Monday. I got the decision yesterday. I will not be allowed to change my hours one day a week. I was told that this is flex time, and flex time is against policy. She said that things like this are decided on a case-by-case basis and in this case they are denying it.

Case-by-case, my ass. A convenient way of saying "this is only our policy when we say it is." Completely arbitrary.

They felt that given my history - I have called in late because of traffic - they do not believe that I’d be consistently on time at 8:30. Well, except for traffic which I cannot control and which happens maybe once a month, I am on time at 9:00. So why is it assumed that I'd be late for 8:30? That is so fucking presumptuous.

The worst insult was this: She actually asked if I had already committed to the chorus. :wtf: I said emphatically, “Absolutely. I’m not going to build my life based on what my employer gives me permission for.”

I told my supervisor that I felt that this is unfair. I said, emphasizing each word, “it is one half hour one day per week.” Silence.

I told her “I understand the position you’re in.” I do, but I had to dig for the grace to say it. As you can see, that grace is entirely gone now.

I’m just speechless. And I’m bitter.

I'm not ungrateful. Sometimes you just have to rant.

Because it is an issue of employee control, not practical getting work done purposes?
If it is a case by case basis, what kind of cases qualify? If they have given others changes to schedules for optional personal activites, they are treating you unfairly.

My supervisor talked to him before she talked to me. If he was going to overrule he would've done it then.

I don't really know what cases qualify. I would imagine that people with child issues - like getting to daycare on time - would be allowed flex time. That seems fair to me, but my exclusion seems unfair. Shit, I don't know . . .

How utterly ridiculous.

And yet, if you'd gone in and said, "I need to change my hours on Monday so that I could pick up my child", you'd probably be okay.

How unfortunate. I feel your pain. A totally petty decision.

and they were always leaving early, arriving late, leaving in the middle of the day. All of them had spouses and one even had a stay at home husband.

Double standard completely.

The single people can always pick up the slack. :banghead:

Grr.

Of course they could have given you permission for this!

I understand your frustration and anger.

:(

What a ridiculous decision. And regarding the traffic, what do they want you to do--leave for a work a couple of hours early so you can GUARANTEE you'll get there on time? And then sit in the parking lot until it's 9 am? :banghead:

People who make decisions like this are the biggest tight-asses I've ever seen. They take their bitterness out on their employees, and it's just not right. :grr:

Again, I'm sorry--I know how much you were looking forward to singing again. :hug:

When I told my supervisor I was getting married he told me not to let it interfere with my job.

Until then I never thought about a relationship between being married and having a job. I took the corollary of his advice and quit the job.

My immediate supervisor told me that I couldn't have the Friday and Saturday off for my wedding, as I would leave them short-handed as I was already going to be on vacation the following week.

I told not to sweat it, I'd just quit and he could shove the job straight up his ass.

Oh...my God..sob..sob..I ..was ..just thinking that the world was all going to be perfect and everything and then YOU (unorganized person) want to upset the sacred order of things as they should be.
Well...I tell ya..We'll have to call the advisors on this matter and have a few conferances about the matter.