To call in sick?

[SharkiraSharkira]

I'm a uni student but also work part time, got a Christmas temp job a few months ago.

Right from the start I told my manager that I wanted to stay on after Christmas if possible and right from my interview day he was dropping hints that he would keep me on. Mentioning what the hours would be like after Christmas, confirming what shifts I could go when I restart uni and so on. So, even though I knew that technically it's a temp job he strongly suggested that I would be staying on.

So for the whole time I've been employed there I've bent over backwards to try and impress, I've taken on all the extra shifts he's asked for, stayed late, come in early, and I was the only staff member to only have Christmas Day off (everyone else had Boxing Day/Christmas eve/ NYE/NYD off too), meaning I would get to see my family at all over Christmas and he knew this. The only time I could see them was before Christmas when they visited and I asked if I could have this day off to see them - he said no.

Now I find out they are not keeping me on. I'm pretty pissed off tbh. I'm so behind on uni work because I was really trying to be totally available over the Christmas period, as he requested, and now I feel like it was all for nothing.

I've not been feeling well the last few days, dp picked up a sickness bug he's passed on to me but I still went in every day I was supposed to. Today though I'm just knackered, in pain and desperately need to catch up on uni work. Wibu to say fuck it and phone in sick?

Well yes, YABU. You might need a reference.

If you are sick then call in sick...being a temp job I'm guessing you won't get paid though?
They should have been more honest with you about likelihood of keeping you on but sadly it's not always that predictable. It's possible they need someone more flexible (no.uni hours), that they don't have as much budget as they thought or that targets weren't met so they can't justify it. And in the nicest possible way, although they said it in the interview, it's possible since then that they have decided you aren't the right fit for them at the company.

Screeching she will still be able a reference, it just states that she worked there, how long for and salary

Will you actually need a reference though? I would say fuck it, big picture is our uni work is more important.

*your!

My manager had already said he would give me a good reference.

He also said they were very happy with the work I had done but that they were looking for someone with specific training that I don't have - I have since spoken to the people he is keeping on (just casually - incidentally they are also both uni/college students) and they have said that they are going to receive additional training when they stay on. So he wasn't completely honest about that.

I suspect it may be an age thing - they are both under 18 whereas I am 25+ so my minimum wage is higher.

I am going in for my last 2 shifts, just having today off!

Would you lose today's pay though? That would be my concern for calling in sick

I'd phone in sick you owe them nothing and they've purposely misled you.
They aren't going to give you a bed reference for being ill for one single shift.
You will be down on money but no doubt you've earned more money than you expected to when you took the job anyway due to all the overtime you've done so you shouldn't notice it too much.
Getting better and getting on top of your uni work is way more important than one shift in a dead end job

Can you do without todays pay is you skip the shift? If so, take the bigger picture into account and stay home to get your Uni work as up to date as you can.

Yes, I get paid hourly so I wouldn't get paid for this shift but it was only a short shift anyway and given the price of the extortionate train ticket to get there I'm not losing much.