Last year, after two years of being a stay at home parent I started working in hospitality. I had previously worked in financial services so this was a different world, but I loved it. It totally brought my confidence back and at the time it was just a part time, two nights a week money top up for me. I never saw it as a part time role though, and when my daughter started preschool after she turned three, I put in hours of unpaid work helping out and planning events and generally assisting with anything I could because I love working. The management there regularly have conversations concerning managerial issues with me, disregarding the opinions of supervisors because they trust my opinions and knowledge more. At my recent appraisal which was glowing, I requested a pay rise as I was on minimum wage. My daughter’s father and I broke up just as my daughter started preschool, and I changed my hours to weekends. No one wants their shifts covered for the few hours I can give on weekday mornings and no nurseries have full time availability until September.
Recently a trainee assistant manager postition came up and I had a sit down with both of my managers about it. They both expressed that they would love me to be able to do it, I’m a natural in the industry and a majority of customers and staff alike already mistake me for management. They then said I would need to commit to 48 hours a week, which I can’t do.
I’ve now found out that two members of staff, who have been on the team less than half the time I have and don’t put in the same kind of effort on a shift as I do, are on a higher rate of pay than I am because they are full time. I was so shocked and gutted I wanted to cry.
Now I’ve been told by one of those staff members, who has been here for 4 months, that they will start trialling as trainee assistant manager when our current one leaves in July.
I know this is because they can do the hours and they don’t have the restrictions of children and childcare, but I’m so bitterly disappointed. It’s soured my entire outlook on working there, any joy I found in work has gone and I feel taken advantage of and overlooked. I’m such a hard worker and I give it 100%, never falling short of standards. I don’t think I can stay there knowing about the inequality of the pay, and how I’ve been made to feel now.
Would you look elsewhere come September when the 30 funded hours for working parents comes in? Is this normal in every industry? I don’t want to sit at the lowest level in every job because I have to leave at a certain time to pick my child up, when I can still perform at top level 😞