The Student Room Group

unprofessional employer, what to do.

am in a rubbish situation, no idea what to do. this is really long and probably no one will be bothered to read it, if it's confusing sorry i'm in a panic right now.

basically saw an advert for cattery assistant 2 days a week and thought it would be ideal - i'm doing an animal behaviour course in september and need 100 hours work experience so was perfect really.

anyway a week or so later i'm phoned to say i've got the job, come the next day 8-10 for trial and an informal chat basically. due to traffic (every single light is red, you know what i mean) i got there slightly late but i'm talking literally minutes past eight. as im standing outside trying to get in (big scary gates) i see i have a voicemail from the lady (manager), i thought she is probably phoning to make sure im not lost etc, but it was a message from her saying she was assuming i wasn't going to turn up and had changed my mind and if not i'd made a really bad impression by being late on the first day. the answerphone was left at 8.02. i listened to the voicemail properly when i finished the trial and had been given the job and was in such shock at her hostile manner because she had been so lovely to me all the time i was with her.

i took this massively to heart and was really upset, but then thought better of it, i mean to be fair i should have been there earlier. being late was an honest mistake and i think it was a bit of an overreaction, but late is late and it was the first day.

so i worked there this weekend with another lady that works there, just a part timer, she was a lot more chilled out and i quite enjoyed it. i know how to clean the pens out so was fine being left to do that but when there were customers and she was busy she left me to deal with them and i'd not been trained for any of this so had no clue what i was doing. first thing in thde morning on my first day i was told to let a woman in through the front gates (which were closed as the cattery was not yet open - she was allowed to collect her cat early becasue they needed the pen for another cat.) i had no idea how to work the posh electronic gates and did not have it explained to me properly so in a panic just told her the numbers to press and the gates opened.

and now the lady (manager) has just phoned and said there was a massive security breach and a customer was told the code and she blamed the part timer. i said to her im so sorry it was all my fault, she asked me to let the customer in and i didn't know how to so i just got flustered and told her the code. she just kept making out that it wasnt my fault it was my first day, the part timer was lazy for making me do it when i didn't know how... then she started saying the customer had left on their own and let themselves out and this was what they were so concerned about, 'how did she know the code' etc and i just kept saying it was because of me , it was my fault!!! please don't blame her blah blah and she was just like it doesnt add up it was obviously her fault of she didn't let them out how did they get out, to cut a long story short she said the part timer is crap and aside from the security breach thing had left the place in a state and caused a lot of problems for the manager and shes being sacked tomorrow and i will be taking over her role. i tried to argue and she kept going on about how good i was and i'd be better than her. how would she know though, since i was working with the part timer, who she clearly dislikes so don't see why she would then be so trusting of her judgement of me. i feel like a complete idiot, i don't want this woman to get sacked becasue of me and i don't want the responsibility of running a cattery alone when the managers not there (thats what she said id be doing).

what i;m most concerned about is the fact that the manager told me that she was going to sack the other woman (who at the moment has no idea and will work a whole shift tomorrow before she finds out) when i have only just joined the team and don't even know her. i think i've been put in a really awkward position and i've already been upset by her due to the voicemail she left me on the first day. she's so complimentary towards me when i speak to her i think she may just be trying to butter me up and then using me as a skivvy. and how can she just do that to the other woman?

would you be unhappy with this/ what would you do?
or am i just being a bit lame here?
To be honest it does sound like the part timer is a bit to blame. She didn't tell you how to do anything properly and because of that there was a security breach. I doubt they would sack her if she hasn't made mistakes in the past. I can understand that you feel upset because it is a consequence of something you've done but don't take it to heart. As for the phone message I guess you're just going to have to put it behind you.
The manager lady sounds like she has a split personality.

She's nice as pie one minute, then acting unprofessionally the next (slagging off other members of staff to you) flying off the handle because you were 2 minutes late to work on your first day. Yes you were late and you know that but sometimes you just can't help being late, it happens.

You were left to do things you had no idea how to do, no training and made a mistake which is not surprising. You admitted to your manager you told the customer the code yet the boss still wants to sack the part timer. I can only guess she wants her out for some other reason and will use that incident as the excuse.

I wouldn't really know what to do in a situation like this. I would be as nice as I could to the manager. She has already spoke badly about an employee to you so try and keep on her good side. Just agree with what she says, nod, smile but don't say anything bad about other employees as she would probably tell them.

Don't take anything the manager says personally. Some bosses are just plain mean.

Stick it out.
I think you're right, it's just unfortunate as she is the only other member of staff so it's basically me and her. I feel like all I can do is take each day as it comes, but also worried that if I don't voice my concerns the manager will sack the part timer, start training me further and then if I don't stay I will have messed her around which I wouldn't want to do (whereas if I speak up now she can still employ someone else as she had mountains of applications and the position was only advertised a few weeks ago).

I have an interview for Faith on Thursday and I'm hoping finding another work placement for the course won't be impossible so therefore I don't have all my eggs in one basket, if this doesn't work out it's not the end of the world. I'm just in shock at her blase attitude at sacking the part timer who has clearly been there a lot longer than me and I'm rubbish in situations like this because I just get flustered and end up regretting not speaking up more!
I had a phone call like that once - was due to start a shift at 2.30pm, arrived at 2.33 because the bus was a few minutes late. When I arrived one of the members of staff who'd been on the early shift squeezed past me in the entrance, completely blanking me. A couple of hours later I looked at my mobile and realised that she'd rang me at 2.28 demanding to know where the **** I was. She wasn't even the senior there, and she did sound almost aggressive.
However, it's not the only time she's spoken to me like that (or the only member of staff to) and it sounds like your boss is similar. Some are just like that to be honest, they talk to people however they want and either don't realise or don't care how rude they are being.
It can be difficult to do, but try not to let it bother you. Concentrate on the job and the experience you are getting, which sounds very good.
It sounds like your boss just wanted an excuse to sack the other woman to be honest. There is nothing you can do about it, so try not to feel guilty. Although it sounds like you should be careful around your boss, in case she turns on you in the future.
Ignore the voicemail. It was probably her on a bad day or whatever, but she seems to have put it behind her and so should you, if nothing more than to ease friction between you two at work.

I must also say, that it does appear that this part timer is to blame. Sure, you told the number, but you were also new and should have been trained up - it's not entirely your fault. Plus, she must have been on her life at the company to get sacked.

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