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Feel like I'm being exploited at work - what should I do?

Let me first explain the complicated situation I'm in at the minute. I work part time for a company which has various facilities across my county. In July I started at one facility, but within weeks it was closed indefinitely, meaning I've since been doing my shifts at another facility nearby. So although the new place has its own manager (let's call her manager A), I still report to my manager (manager B) from the closed facility. This is important to bear in mind for what I'm about to go on and say:

I've enjoyed working for the new facility up until a couple of weeks back, when very strangely just about everyone apparently fell ill all at once (that's 3 senior employees and 15+ volunteers, to give you context). Manager A is off with norovirus, another senior employee has been signed off for a month, and Manager B seems to have disappeared off the radar. This has led to Manager A begging me daily to take on extra shifts. Now I'm only contracted for 6 hours per week, and given that I have Uni exams going on my availability is limited, but I've agreed to help her where I can, as she really is struggling. Initially I was only to do an extra shift here and there, meaning I'd be doing more or less doing double what I usually do. However she's now asking for 18+ hours, including asking me to work on Christmas eve, which I've had to refuse. I agreed to work 9-5 on the 27th to make up for it, but I'm now regretting that as it's going to eat into my plans with family over Christmas. I know there's nothing stopping me from saying no, as she's technically not my employer, but I feel bad because she has been forced to depend on me. If I don't go in, the place simply won't open.

But I also feel like I'm taking on a lot of responsibility for a bottom-rung worker with so little experience. Last week it was just myself and a volunteer in. As the volunteer has special needs, I can only ask him to do so much, so I had to take sole responsibility for all the cleaning, stocktaking, cashing-up, temperature checks, phone calls, manual handling etc. I can handle it, but it's daunting being given that level of trust without a manager even checking what I'm doing. Something tells me senior management wouldn't appreciate a 19 year old with only a few months retail experience being left in charge of the facility for the day, but that's the situation we're in.

I can't blame any of this on Manager A, as she has been sorely let down by her employees and volunteers, so has no choice but to bank on me. But I think it's unacceptable that Manager B has left me in the dark, without so much as a phone call to tell me what's going on or ask how I'm getting on. I'm sacrificing my time to help someone who doesn't even employ me, but again, she's desperate and I don't want to let her down. But by the same token, I feel I'm being forced to take on more responsibility than I should have at this stage, and I don't feel at all comfortable with the lack of supervision. I don't wish to cause any more trouble for Manager A, but I want some clarification as to why everyone has gone AWOL, and why I am being left to pick up the pieces. Should I talk to senior management or HR about this? Or should I be more assertive with Manager A and remind her that I'm not responsible for the problems that other staff have caused?
I know it's a very strange and difficult situation, and I feel a bit trapped. Though I don't think I'm being unreasonable to think that it isn't being handled very well...

Reply 1

Lifeispainful

HR don't care about you. I used to work for a major german car company, where I got back stabbed from management and HR. They dug some dirt on me by going through my call logs at work and tried to get me fired for a simple oversight. Then they started to play other political games such as getting me fired for a mis alleged sexual harassment case.

Reply 2

bones-mccoy

Only do enough hours you feel comfortable with. I know you feel a responsibility to help out but there comes a point where you have to put yourself first. You shouldn't be doing the work of multiple people, that's not what your're paid for, you're not a manger so shouldn't be expected to take on the manager's workload. It's a tough situation to be in and your loyalty is admirable but you have to stop and think - would other people be so willing to take on additional work to cover you if you were off? If the roles were reversed would your manager do the same for you?

Feel like I'm being exploited at work - what should I do?

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