When I started in my current job, I was offered two days a week. It's not enough but I hoped it would become more. Within a week, I found out that my counterpart on the other three days would be going on maternity leave. I would have savings to use until she actually took leave and then I thought I might be able to do full time until she returned from leave.
Well, that didn't happen because the facility wants to keep a job share arrangement. When my latest counterpart resigned, I hoped I could at least get three days but so far that hasn't happened.
On the way to work yesterday, a woman driving in front of me slowed to take a left turn. She slowed and I braked, slowed more, I braked more. She almost stopped and still wasn't around the corner. I was braking as hard as I could and the car wasn't stopping on a slippery wet road. It was like a bad dream.
Her first words to me were "YOU HIT ME"
The damage to my car will never be fixed, I just get to drive around in a more beaten vehicle than I already did.
I am responsible for the damage to the other car and have just made the insurance claim.
After that upset I got to work (late) and was called to the boss's office to be told the succession plan for my counterpart who is about to leave (the second person in 8 months) I had hoped that at this change, I might be able to increase my hours but no, the new hire will, again, take the greater number of hours.
It was a hard day and I am getting real tired of hard.
The aged care home where I work is a stone's throw from where I grew up so I have an association with the area and sometimes run across people I knew or knew of a long time ago. One of these was my piano teacher. I was about 14-15 when she taught me. I used to ride my bike to her house and I had to take my shoes off at the door. Mrs H taught in her loungeroom with plush white carpet and baby grand piano. I played half heartedly and she often took phone calls from friends. Mrs H seemed posh and scary.
Now she has pleasant dementia and when I told her I was a terrible student she said " Oh, you were probably interested in other things, darling"
Here she is at the Valentines Day afternoon tea. She saved a piece of cake for her hubby and when he didn't arrive she fed it to the visiting dog. She seems a lot less posh and scary now.
Bugger! I read this earlier before I went out with Phyllis and Kosov, mainly to get a large bag of cat litter. With Kosov driving on his L plates, he attempted a very tight turn in the Aldi carpark and managed to scrape some paint off the side by being too close to a wall. It was my fault. I should have stopped him then either take over or reverse and straighten up.
ReplyDeleteDementia or not, she understands that you probably were interested in other things at that age.
Ouch! Scraped paint is never pretty.
DeleteWhat has surprised me is her kindness and sense of humour. They were probably always there but I didnt see them
What a crappy day for you. I firmly believe that incumbents should have first refusal when job sharing positions change personnel. Is it possible to look for a new job?
ReplyDeleteYour old music teacher might be right, young people are often not ready to learn for a huge range of reasons. Teachers can also be part of that mix. My husband’s first bass teacher was so foul mouthed that he switched to someone with a more temperate disposition! Helen
Hi Helen,
DeleteI have applied for some other positions but not succeeded so for now it's one foot after the other.
I was never a confident musician but a really good teacher might have turned that around.
And yes, there needs to be some shared respect. Does hubby still play?
Hi Kylie
DeleteHe played until last year when sadly he had a nervous breakdown. He is slowly recovering. It was a lifetime of bullying and ptsd from a vile workplace (think tertiary education sector). We are hoping he gets back to it but if not it gave him a lot of pleasure for a long time. Helen
So sorry you did not get the other days.
ReplyDeleteI love what your piano teacher said. Dementia wears so many faces. I'm glad to hear of a pleasant one.
I think dementia is universally awful to watch but some patients seem "pleasantly confused" more than anything.
DeleteWe must be grateful for small mercies
Drat about the car.
ReplyDeleteMore serious drat about your employer who obviously realises they can attract a new hire more easily with 3 days than 2, and they've got you anyway.
But kind of nice about Mrs H. My guess is that she seemed scary to you because you weren't practising very much. As she said, you were probably interested in other things. As if that wouldn't have been obvious! (I was a piano teacher for a few years.) The baby grand and the carpet and the shoes off requirement for you still sound posh though.
Mrs H also lived next to the golf course! Posh
DeleteWhere did you teach, Marcellous?
DeleteIn a boys' private school, Kylie, but I'm too coy and pseudonymous, even now, to say exactly which. A brief account here.
DeleteI'm sorry to read about the accident, and the job. They should really have the decency to explain why you can't have the extra hours, or let you formally apply for them. Sounds a bit off.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how we perceive adults when we're children - sometimes spot on, but often not!
Sx
I entered this role as a redeployed person when another department closed. It's helpful for getting the job but I dont think its helpful when the new team really dont get to choose their new hire.
DeleteAnd yes, my perception of Mrs H couldnt have been more wrong (or maybe I saw a very guarded version)
Hi kylie, just catching up. So glad you have another dog; it's lovely to have company and one just has to ignore what might lie ahead in terms of heartbreak and concentrate on today. (I am giving myself a pep talk there, too, in case you were wondering.) Re the job, does your employer have to leave the third day open for the return of the person on leave? Perhaps if you were willing to give up the third day when she returns, they would give it to you for the interim? It's hard to know what is in management's mind if they won't tell you. I have a somewhat similar situation in my work. I am promised client jobs but then sometimes my boss reassigns them at the last moment and it's annoying. I'm sorry about your car and hope your insurance doesn't go up. From one battered car owner to another, what I tell myself is that no one will steal my car :)
ReplyDeleteThe person on leave would expect to come back to three days, yes.
DeleteThey know i want more hours but I'm not sure they think of making a temporary arrangement so that could be my issue.
I agree on nobody stealing the car! And one more ding doesnt ruin the car because it's already untidy. It's a win-win 🤣😅
By the way, I have endless faith in my ability to recover from the death of a pet, so long as I can just have one to love i worry about later, later
DeleteDamn, not fair at all. I hope things get better for you very soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle! I'm in a better frame of mind today
DeleteI do think it is unfair that you can't be given more hours.
ReplyDeleteI find it frustrating
DeleteOdd that other people keep getting more hours than you. Any idea why that's happening? As Marcellous says, maybe it's about attracting new hires. Very bad luck about the car collision. I wonder why the other driver was going so slowly.
ReplyDeletePeople always take that corner slowly because its tight and a sharp rise. I think she was excessively slow but it was my misjudgement that caused the collision.
DeleteAs if mentioned before, I was redeployed, which i think is a problem. I'm also not a cultural fit in a team of young and attractive professionals
So sorry about the job, Kylie. Is it about cost-cutting (i.e. not having to contribute to pension plans for a full-time employee)? And what an awful day, all told. Poor car. I do hope things look up for you.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
Hi www, they have to pay super for part-time employees. The position used to be filled by one person who was away a lot so they decided to have two share the role so they could have more consistent coverage.
DeleteI think the logic is faulty there but nobody is asking me!
Thanks for your well wishes.
Has anyone explained to you why they're not giving you the hours? It seems a bit rude when you are applying and can clearly take the extra hours.
ReplyDeleteAs for the car accident, people get so aggressive on the road and nasty. I've never liked it. :(
"Operational reasons" It could mean anything. I have learnt that more questions will be shut down so I will wait. Things will change.
DeleteAnger is the easiest emotion to mobilise so I guess it comes out when people are on the road and scary things happen. I didn't like her approach, as if I would do it for fun!
You're responsible for the other car's damage. And your own car won't be fixed.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how you misjudged the situation. But your insurance costs will rise as a result.
Anger is the easiest emotion to mobilise as you wrote wisely (above) and there's so much of
it here too. I was shocked by the rage of the anti-globalists towards Catherine Connolly
the President of Eire.
So pleased to hear you had afternoon tea with your former piano teacher. A gracious lady from her photo.
Hi Haggerty,
Deletei misjudged my stopping distance and misjudged how soon (or not) the other driver would round the bend away from me. Oh well.
Mrs H is gracious and pleasant. Funny how I was vaguely afraid of her, back in the day.