Employee Refuses to Give up Shifts for ‘Always Broke’ Co-Worker
A woman on Reddit is explaining why she is refusing to give up shifts to her co-worker despite the co-worker always needing money.
"I (21f) am a college student home for the summer. I work at a restaurant as a server. I started here when I was 16 as a hostess. I have a coworker (29f) who is fairly new, so she only gets 2-3 shifts per week. She knew this would be the case when she was hired. Our manager gives more shifts to those with seniority (unless of course we ask for less). Anyway, this woman is constantly complaining about her financial situation. She complains about not getting enough shifts. She also complains about not getting scheduled for busy shifts, which isn’t necessarily true. She always works at least one weekend night which of course is our busiest time. She picks up extra shifts for people when someone wants the day off which is nice of her, but it’s getting to the point where she expects it, and she’s putting people in awkward situations," she begins.
The woman says that the problem comes in when the co-worker makes fun of the younger servers and how they still live with their parents.
"She makes comments about how this is her only job and she depends on this money. She makes 'jokes' about how the younger servers (me and other college-aged servers) are still living with parents so we don’t need the money because all we do is party. If we talk about our social lives, she’ll say, 'ugh must be nice to spend your money on beer instead of bills.' (I am aware that I am privileged enough to not have to worry about financial struggles yet, but I DO pay for some of my own bills). She makes the same comments about anyone who has a regular 9-5. 'Ugh at least you have a full time job. This is just your side hustle!' It’s getting to the point where it’s rude and making people feel uncomfortable," the woman said.
"For example, she sent out a group text last week asking if anyone wanted to give up a shift. One girl told her she could take Tuesday night. Her response was, 'Thanks I’ll take it, ugh I was hoping you’d give me Friday lol.' Coworker gave her Friday anyway because she felt bad," she continued.
The woman and the co-worker got into an exchange when the woman declined the co-worker to work for her one night.
"She texted me yesterday to ask if she could work for me last night. I politely declined, and I don’t think I owe her a reason. (Also, I’ve given her many of my shifts in the past). Her response was, 'Ok thanks it’s just that my phone was stolen the other day and now I’m so broke.' It seems like she is ALWAYS finding herself in unfortunate situations. (Car needs work, bf lost his job, got an expensive parking ticket, etc). I sympathize but it’s also not my (or anyone else’s) problem. I didn’t respond," she revealed.
"I ended up having to work with her during the lunch shift today, and she complained all day about how it wasn’t busy enough and she was in tears by the end of the shift because she didn’t make enough money. I couldn’t help but feel guilty for not letting her work last night because it was busy and I made money, but now I feel like she needed it more than me," the woman concludes before asking if she is wrong in this situation.
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People in the comments section of the post agreed that the woman was not wrong in this scenario.
"She should find another job or deal with management herself to get more shifts. You owe her nothing and should look after yourself. Her problems are her problems and you shouldn't feel guilty," one person said.
"Feeling for another human being going through a tough time is human, and a good thing. Harming your own financial opportunities that you've earned because of it is foolish," added someone else.
"You’re not responsible for her life. She can find another job to make more money," read another comment.
"Encourage her to seek other opportunities or to address the issue professionally with the management. Your paycheck is for your work, not a charity to be handed out. Besides, if management sees you giving up shifts, they might start giving you less, assuming you don't need them. Protect your livelihood," advised a different Reddit user.
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