WIBU to just not go back?

[WorkingClassHeroine]

Apologies in advance if this is long and boringly trivial.

I work part time for an online shop. We use a group message to communicate - all of us are party to all communications.

I've been 'allowed' to work partly from home over Christmas due to no childcare. I also have to go in once DP is home and do a few hours at night, usually getting home around 10ish. I don't know when DP will get home tonight (he drives for a living so is at the mercy of the traffic) but I'll be expected to make up some hours tonight, regardless of what time DP gets home.

One of my duties is to order supplies. We are running low on some of those supplies, as I've only been in during the evenings and not using those supplies I didn't know we were low. I should have checked when I was in and forgot, so I did slip up there. In relation to this matter, Boss Man messages me. Here is the exchange (on a public thread, remember):

BM: 'are we low on [thing I won't name in case it outs the company]

Me: 'I can't see from here lol, I thought we were ok and wasn't made aware we needed any'. - Lighthearted tone, 'lol' and the odd smiley are considered acceptable for group messages.

BM: 'Our customers don't know you're at home this week. Please order more [thing] as our customers are waiting'.

This got my back up. He could have worded that any other way such as 'Please remember to keep an eye on this in future' or similar and I would have just put 'Will do, I've made a note, sorry about that' - all would have been fine.

So I felt I was placed in a position to defend myself

Me: 'No, our customers don't but the other staff do and they're the ones using the [thing. Please send me the link to order and I'll do it now'

I then get a call from BM berating me some more for saying things on a public channel which may make my colleagues feel 'upset'. I'm passed giving much of a shit about it to be honest. He can hide behind the 'morale of the team' as much as he likes, but I won't be spoken to like a naughty school girl and not respond in kind. As for 'team morale', this is the guy who fired a staff member that I was standing right next to, as the conversation began with him addressing both of us and then switching straight away to how he was so very generously going to put the other person on reduced hours instead of just sacking them straight away.

I'm minded to tell him DP is going to be home very, very late, and I'm therefore not available to come in to sit in a dingy warehouse until midnight on Christmas fucking Eve. Or am I being a prick?

Bloody hell. You try dealing with my supervisor...
Take a deep breath and let it go.

LumelaMme - it's gone already

Yabu but it's a bit shit you have to work tonight in a dingy warehouse. Are you off tomorrow?
I think you should only decide if you want the job after the holiday season on a day your boss hasn't annoyed you. Not after an instant messaging clash. So until then do what the job requires, think of the reference if nothing else.

I really don't get why you are unhappy. His message wasn't that bad. He stuck to the facts and you got arsey. Are you always like this?

Yep, YABU. It just doesn't sound like you know how to be an employee really. He's your boss.

If it is your job to keep an eye on stock, then yes YABU in that you should have thought to ask your colleagues about stock levels.

However, if he was unhappy with your response then he should have messaged or called you privately, not rebuked you in the group chat. It's what I would do if one of my team members had dropped a bollock, anyway.

YABU, you've been publicly passive-aggressive against co-workers when they failed to cover for your mistake and are thinking of quitting just because you've got the hump. All this because you got a matter-of-fact request from a boss who has gone out of his way to make life easier for you.

Hellochicken - I've been yo-yoing about the job since very early on. Particularly when a staff member was summarily dismissed in my presence (very awkward and uncomfortable and made me feel extremely insecure in only my second week). New duties are added every day without any acknowledgement that extra work takes extra time - and also no acknowledgement that I always arrive early and stay late. There is the assumption that I stay until the job is done, even though extra is allocated at the last minute and also despite me being late to meet my children from school on numerous occasions.

Letting me work from home is very accommodating of them, but also means that I've spent much longer on more tasks rather than just putting in a shift and going home, so they have had more than their money's worth.

Anyway, as I said previously I've apologised to the whole team. I might be a prick, but I'm not a nasty one.

Pocketsaviour that is my point. Me making an error needs to be addressed, of course it does. But I feel making a staff member feel small in a public (it's not truly public, it's invite-only messaging for staff members) forum is a bit unprofessional. And berating me for using the same public forum to retort shows a double standard.

Still seems I'm unreasonable though. Mea Culpa.

Also, it is all staff's responsibility to communicate any ordering needs, I'm the one who actually places the orders, to avoid duplicating work. The buck stops with me on paper, however.

I'm concerned about the lack of payslips and contract .

Seriously.....It's important that your Nat. Insurance is getting paid, in case you ever need to claim contribution based benefits like state pension.

scarlets, I am too. The sacked staff member said they had no contract or payslips in 5 months. I wonder about how much they really do care about their staff. But yes, that is aside to my lack of reason.

The sacked person should contact ACAS, I reckon.

If you can get another job easily then I'd leave it - no payslips or contract and drop stuff on you last minute but expect you to stay late to do it?

It doesn't sound like a job you're enjoying.

"I should have checked when I was in and forgot, so I did slip up there."

So then what was the point of saying that you couldn't see from where you are?

Irrelevant as you were expected to to that when on site!

Why couldn't you just say "OK, will sort it"?

Did you think that your boss doesn't realiuse that you should have checked supplies & didn't?

To be honest, if the message is as read, it would have raised my hackles to. I'm not sure why - I know it's sticking to the facts, but the implicit nasty tone would have made me angry, especially on a group message.

Bobblehat10 - this is my point. It's the tone and the public telling off, the actual issue is secondary. I feel I responded to his lack of reason with even more lack of reason.

I've probably been sacked in my absence anyway - that's not a joke, information about other staff members' attitude and performance has been discussed with me before, I'd rather it wasn't though,

diddl, the point of my saying I couldn't see from where I was, was that last time I was in there were supplies, but if supplies are used up in my absence I'm not sure how I'm supposed to know. But have made a note to contact colleagues (if they are still my colleagues) and ask how stocks are.

But if that's your job, was it up to you to ask a colleague to then let you know?

Did anyone know taht they needed to tell you?

diddl, yes we all know to keep each other updated as to when supplies are running low, or at least I thought that was the case but it seems not. Staff are supposed to let me know if anything is low as the ordering log-ins are saved to my workstation, but I'm also expected to notice a need and order where necessary.

Anyway, I've already held my hands up to being unreasonable in the way I reacted, but I still feel my boss could have handled it better; and using 'team morale' as a stick to beat me with is a bit rich when he feels it appropriate to fire people when other staff are present - because that doesn't have a great effect on morale.

Once again, though, I was obviously being a prick.

Op, you sound like a pain to manage. As a manager, I would prefer to bite the bullet and deal with the disruption of you leaving than having you in the team and creating morale issues. You do not seem happy in the job (and indeed the lack of contract etc is worrying). How about you move on?

I'm not sure how he could have handled it better.

Something needed doing & he just wanted it done!

I don't see why you felt the need to defend yourself tbh.

I was defending myself against being handled like an idiot instead of a staff member who made an error. But I think I've said several times that I concede to being unreasonable.

I'm usually very easy to manage, blueshoes, I'm the one who will take on the extra stuff and do the crappy jobs with a smile.

Still unreasonable though.

I don't think he was talking to you like an idiot though? You screwed up, didn't admit it then blamed colleagues. It's done now, but I think you need to revise your definition of 'tone'.

I think his message was fine and ywbu. I don't think his tone was off at all. I would be more concerned about the lack of pay slips and contract.