AIBU to feel fed up over denied work day changes?

[MassivePushover]

Feeling massively mugged off at work.

I work PT but TBH it’s a FT job in these hours.

The company has me running round like a headless chicken, cross trained in many different areas, and pulled into them very often to cover for others.

Due to feeling really overwhelmed I asked to change my days. Not reduce, just change so I got a bit of a break between days. I literally go home exhausted.

Every time I ask I get told no. My colleagues however, all get told yes. Many of them ask to reduce their hours every time we get a pay rise, so their benefits are not affected. This impacts me when I make a request as e.g. mine was just denied again as we are too short staffed that day as x and y have reduced their hours.

I’m sick of having my requests denied (due to stress and exhaustion at picking up the slack) and others cutting their hours or dropping days.

I can’t leave at the moment, but will start looking.

How do you quietly quit, or pull back when management put it all on a couple of people because others aren’t pulling their weight?

Also AIBU to get annoyed that some people at work get what they want when they hardly contribute and others get screwed over.

what is your current non working day? I know Fridays are always a struggle to get off even on a/l request.

I could have written this nine years ago. I was managing a team and my boss let me do it. I kept saying to his superior boss, this is ME. I'M DOING THIS. They just kept saying, we didn't ask you to so we won't pay you for it (aka they didn't believe me).

So I stopped. I just said No. I did my job. I went home. I made a choice. It was hard seeing everything damn near fall apart.

Within six months the two senior (male) managers directly above me had gone off with stress and I had been asked to step up.
I did so on my terms, on more money than I originally wanted and I said I wanted a serious bonus for being f**d around previously and an acknowledgement they got it wrong.

I got all the above. I worked for them for a year at my increased salary then left to go somewhere better.

Quiet quitting and leaning out. Call it whatever you will but it's a choice. Only you can enforce your own boundaries.

In my experience they know you’ll do it so that’s why they ask you to go above and beyond. They put on you and give you nothing back. You see other colleagues getting away with more and being able to say no and it sucks.

Whilst you are waiting for your exit plan I would pull back on the extras, stop saying yes to covering others. Tell managers “I won’t be able to do that today or fit that in” if they are asking you to do too much. Quietly pull back.

Sounds like some of your colleagues are abusing the benefits system. If they get a rise and benefits are reduced that’s a win for taxpayers. By maintaining their benefits through cutting their hours the taxpayer loses and so do you OP.
Very difficult to prove it’s abuse though.
I would be looking for another job and stating my reasons on exit. If I could keep my mouth shut that long.

Stop being so available.

If your days off are being refused, then get the evidence together and email them professionally

Quiet quitting literally just beens doing your job and not going above and beyond. So, leave at 5pm (or whenever), don't answer emails or calls outside of hours, don't volunteer for any projects or extra tasks (even wheb the room goes quiet and they look right at you), don't go on any work socials or parties or team builds unless you have to. Whenever you're asked to do more, simply say "sorry my diary/workflow/task list is too busy right now and I won't be able to complete this/give it my full attention" if anyone catches you/tries to grab you at the end of the day "sorry, got to rush". This is really hard if you're anxious or a people pleaser, you have to get used to standing up for yourself and displeasing people,they will be annoyed at you, they might even mention it. The trick is doing only what you're contractually obliged to - make sure you can't be disciplined or flagged as a poor performer. You have to hold your own boundaries (your colleagues clearly already do this), don't be annoyed at other people because they've put their own clear boundaries in place - just do likewise.

You’ve spoken about asking for different days etc but have you asked and had a proper 121 with your leadership on the unrealistic expectations and workload placed upon and tried to manage that? If not, I don’t think quiet quitting is the way to go. You need to both ask and give them time to address the root cause of your frustration and resentment - which is completely justified.