Paid Time Off!!! Um...no. Never mind.

As my first official Day Off post that is not introductory, there was a few things that I was wanting to do. The lack of tv shows on the air that I'm interested in (Arrow just wrapped up it's second season, leaving a dearth of shows I like until Falling Skies' new season sometime in mid-summer). The dangers of Walmart shopping (ran into a really hot girl I used to date and an old manager from a pretty bad job in the same day). I even considered doing it on a book I've been reading, the less than usefully knowledgeable religious Civil War history Upon the Altars of the Nation.

But....no. Payday came around today, and in the first time in months payday had more than $400 waiting for me from my two part-time jobs. So, after getting a discounted PS3 and a few other items I needed (some drinks, the first issue of the Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir comic book series and gas for my car) I decided to check how much vacation time I currently have. 

You see, I've worked at the same place for a year and a half, and besides two sick days and a three day time off, I've never missed work. Sure, only part time, but in January I started earning paid vacation time. Ever so slowly, but last paycheck I had earned over 20 hours saved up. Not a lot, granted, but I just learned that it's based off how much hours your normally supposed to work. So, if you only ever get scheduled, say 20 hours, that's how they work it in and you'd get a whole week off.

I was thinking of using the time off that I've saved up by now. It'd work out to be most of a week. So, I get onto the employee website and lo and behold! There is no longer ANY time off saved. That really makes me angry. The same company doesn't offer part-time employees medical benefits, no raises, no personal days, not a single perk, except for days off. I had been saving up so I could get as near a full week as I could. You know, maybe go on that camping trip I've been meaning to take my little brother out for months now.

Last time we went, it rained only slightly and the entire tent got soaked through. Abandon tent!

But noooo. 

They went all Scrooge McDuck on me, or Billionaire Mr. Howard from Gilligan's Island. I had all that time saved up, and it's gone. The business I work at gets a lot of turnover in employees. Especially among the teenagers that start working there. They don't understand the whole part of responsibility. You say you will work and yet you leave and never come back as soon as you get your first paycheck. 

But a company should be bound to uphold it's end of the contract. If they say you will get raises or paid time off, they better give it to you when you've done your end of the bargain. By breaching said contracts, you open yourself to lots of legal issues. 

They wouldn't want ME to steal from them

Our Loss Prevention lady (the person who watches the cameras to spot items that might have been stolen to figure out who done did the foul deed) has even gotten sued in court for failing to provide evidence (video or otherwise) against an employee suspected of stealing money from the registers. She claimed she had them, but never provided them. 

But the same rules apply, not only as employees of a company but among our daily lives. If we say we will give you something for your efforts, we have to give it. Ebay is a wonderful example of this. If we provide you the funds, we better get what we asked for. Otherwise, you end up getting bad reviews. I will never shop (as a rule) from anyone who has less than 90% approval rating....and that's only if the seller has hundreds or even thousands of reviews. Anything less than a hundred reviews better have high ratings (95% or more) because my money is hard earned and I don't want to fight the hassle getting what I've paid for with money that could have been used for something more productive.

It's good business. And I think I have a right to be angry that they took away my paid time. Now, maybe there is a time frame to use it. Which is a crock. Isn't paid time supposed to be roll over and be able to be built upon? I'd be fine with it....if anyone had told me that was the case. 

Well, there we are. This post has been quiet nicely tied up in the maelstrom of broken promises and dissatisfaction. But, I promise next time that it will be much nicer and uplifting.

Thank goodness for the Day Off!

Update: Since I have made this post, I had gone and checked with management. They said it was a computer error, and it should be back up. But now, since it got back up, I have even less paid hours than before. Can someone just shoot me in the head? If it's not one thing, it's another.