During the coronavirus pandemic, many people have been forced to quarantine and put their lives on pause while the virus has spread throughout the world. Those who have been deemed essential workers, however, have been on the frontlines during the mayhem to make sure people can get their needs and goods, no matter what. It’s been a hard time for these workers, as the virus has become increasingly dangerous and deadly.
Luckily, essential workers have been getting the utmost praise and rewards.
Every night at 7:00PM across the country, people clap and applaud to support essential workers on the front lines. Restaurants and organizations have also been donating foods and goods to essential workers to show their support.
It seems, however, some essential “bosses” aren’t truly being understanding during this time.
One mother, who is an essential worker, wrote into Reddit about the issues she’s having with her boss. She titled the post, “My boss is making me (22F) pump you feed my son in the bathroom and cutting my hourly pay rate for it and isn’t listening to me when I try to talk to her about it.”
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The mom said she got hired in February and was told that pumping would be “no problem” when at work.
Then, the pandemic hit.
“My job considered themselves essential… so I have been working through the pandemic. And my boss who is a female small business owner has been cutting time off my timesheet for ‘taking too long’ to pump,” the mom said in her post .
The boss started docking her pay by 50 cents an hour.
She wrote:
“When I was hired I was told I would get $9 an hour and I am only getting $8.50 an hour and when I asked why this wa,s I was told it would go up once I stopped taking ‘unnecessary extra breaks’ which [are] my pump breaks.”
The boss also takes days off from work, taking the keys with her, forcing the mom to pump in the employee bathroom.
And, that’s not all. The mom also said:
“I have also been told I’m required to eat during my pump break and will not get a lunch break if I don’t eat then. So that then means on those days I have to eat my lunch in the bathroom or not at all.”
The mom said she isn’t getting the promised hours she was supposed to be receiving.
“I have tried talking to her about it and she gets mad at me. I was promised 40 hours a week when I can here and I barely get to 35,” she said.
Also, she has tried to talk to her boss, but nothing works.
“I am getting super stressed about it and very upset that this is going on and I don’t know what to do. She won’t listen to anything I have to say nor does she care,” the mom said.
Many people on Reddit said that what her boss is doing is highly illegal.
Legally, her boss is required to find a place for her to pump — one that is not the employee bathroom. Also, forcing her lunch break to be in the bathroom while she pumps is disgusting and wrong.
Reddit users said that the mom should speak to a lawyer.
Investigating the business may seem scary, but if the mom wants to make things right, it may be the only way to make sure that her boss understands protocols.
It’s horrifying to think that in a time like this, people are so terrible.
The world is in the middle of a global pandemic and this mom is still showing up every day to work as an essential worker. The least her boss can do is be more understanding.
Remember that, no matter what, you are important.
Ensuring that you are respected and treated fairly at work is imperative to anyone’s sanity. While Reddit may not be the place for everything, it’s always great for solid advice and feedback. Here’s to hoping this mom gets some good legal advice and a lawyer.