A brief background. I have recently come out of retirement as was offered , on what was on the face of it, an ideal , interesting part time position in a field I have good knowledge and expertise in. It involved working two set afternoons per week with set hours.
So I started this job 3 weeks ago and was immediately asked if I could cover some holiday leave this month as "too many staff had booked their holidays ". ( First alarm bell went off at that point...) I said I would providing I was asked a few days in advance and it fitted in with stuff we'd already planned in our personal life . ( Husband is semi retired). My first two days were all day but as it was "necessary for training purposes ", I willingly accepted that and went accordingly. On looking at the rota, I saw I'd been put down for 6 days one week, four another and three half days the next, none of which I'd been asked if I could do, it was simply expected that I would.The area manager also didn't turn up for my training days as she said she would, on the grounds she found herself "too busy " and turned it over to someone who'd been working for the company for 3 weeks and was struggling herself , due to lack of proper training. She was understandably stressed and that impacted on both of us.
However- we managed and by implementing my previous knowledge in a similar role, I was able to fulfil the necessary tasks .
Then- the texts started from the area manager, telling me my shifts had been altered and I was to do such and such days and hours instead,. Wanting to be helpful, I agreed to all the changes bar two, as my husband and I had booked to go away then weeks ago. I also asked if she would communicate with me by email as I find this a better medium for work matters. She ignored my request , continuing to text up to 6 times a day when I wasn't at work and if I didn't reply would carry on texting until I did. I found this unprofessional and invasive of my private life.
On Tuesday of this week, I received a text from her thanking me for my hard work and flexibility and saying she'd heard I was doing very well. On Thursday at 17 56, she texted to cancel my shift for the following day as apparently I wasn't needed. I replied saying I accepted that but would be grateful to stick to the original two half day shifts which I was employed for originally as this constant altering of work was making planning life difficult.
On Friday, I woke to find a voicemail left at 8.45 that morning telling me she would have to let me go as it was not working out for her.
I have never been dismissed during my entire career and feel utterly shocked at the way I've been treated. Friends tell me I've dodged a bullet as it sounds an awful company to work for and they're right buy it's left a nasty taste in my mouth.
Is this sort of behaviour normal in the workplace nowadays ?