Guys.. I dunno what to do. Huge drama at work.

[yawn.3x]

*sigh* I don't know what to do. I'm so worried...

From the beginning: We got a new person at my work hired to be a manager. He was also the scheduler. He was cool. Arrogant, and liked to sit in the office and literally do nothing. But whatever. Pretty nice guy.

On Friday.. Schedule was done poorly. We had 4 guys working (kitchen) and 2 were new. Didn't know anything. Our food order came in (we have to unpack it and put all in the cooler) do the prep, make orders for customers, do dishes, etc.. Doesn't sound like much but for 4 people it's quite a bit when you have to be done by 4-5. So they called the New Manager in at 2:30pm.

I arrived at 4:30pm, and the new manager guy comes up to me, along with several others, "I can't believe i'm paying those 2 guys "x amount of dollars" (he did say the wage, I'm not going to repeat it tho) "They just want to sit at home and have a paycheck mailed to them.

I found that pretty immature since: A. A new girl who's worked there for 3 weeks heard along with 3-4 other people. B. They're 2 of the hardest working employees. C. I ALWAYS thought you don't reveal that information. and D. Those 2 have been with the company for literally 9 years.

So on Sunday, I saw 1 of my co-workers who he was talking trash (which is my KITCHEN MANAGER) and I told him, "Yo the new guy was disclosing your wage, calling you trash, lazy, etc etc etc..." and my manager was obviously really mad. I told him please keep it anonymous I don't want any trouble.

I check my schedule today.. ALL MY SHIFTS are gone. I'm so worried and so paranoid. I have school I need to pay for. Bills, cellphone, rent, car, insurance. I don't know what to do. Can I do anything? Am I screwed?

P.S. I'm planning on calling my GENERAL manager tomorrow morning to have a talk with her, but If things don't go well. Sigh what am I supposed to do?

[King Heffy]

How long have you worked there? What's your relationship like with your kitchen manager? Would he vouch for you? You might be able to make a wrongful dismissal claim (you don't need a lawyer to do this).

Start looking for another job regardless.

[Mr.DirtyDangles]

LISTEN TO HEFFY and man That is tough. The less you say at the work place the better off you will be in the long run I have always found. The more you say the more they have on you Find out exactly what is going on before you talk to your manager. Be very diplomatic but stand your ground. Bosses hate push overs.

[King Heffy]

OP, I fired you a PM, as I`d try to keep any details that could identify you private if I was in your situation.

I'd also recommend recording your conversation with your GM. Keep your cellphone in your lap, mic side up and the quality should be good enough. Assuming you're in Canada, this is legal as one party (you) has consented to recording the convo. (Don't inform the GM you are recording. What you're hoping to catch is an admission that this was a factor in the alteration of your shifts).

[TheMohammadman]

I hope everything goes well for you man. I wish I could help, listen to Heffy.

[TheAntar]

Ya sucks -- but down the road I've learned a big lesson. Work gossip f*cks you. Don't partake. Just listen and keep your mouth shut. Some day having the info might help you. Offload to your non work buds and gf or whoever but NOT other coworkers.

Sooner or later participation in that stuff sours a relationship somewhere and ultimately leads to trouble.

[SabreFan1]

In Canada it looks like if you go a full week without being offered any hours, you can apply for (un)Employment Insurance. According to the Canadian Gov't. website, here are the qualifications:

• http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/application/applying_for_benefits.shtml
• are employed in insurable employment;
• lost your employment through no fault of your own;
• have been without work and without pay for at least seven consecutive days in the last 52 weeks;
• have worked for the required number of insurable hours in the last 52 weeks or since the start of your last EI claim, whichever is shorter;
• are ready, willing, and capable of working each day; and
• are actively looking for work (you must keep a written record of employers you contact, including when you contacted them).

If he kept you off of the schedule then you should file so you can at least get partially compensated if you continue to be kept off of the schedule. In the future just keep your opinions to yourself. It's easy to replace unskilled laborers.

[Chalky]

*sigh* I don't know what to do. I'm so worried...

From the beginning: We got a new person at my work hired to be a manager. He was also the scheduler. He was cool. Arrogant, and liked to sit in the office and literally do nothing. But whatever. Pretty nice guy.

On Friday.. Schedule was done poorly. We had 4 guys working (kitchen) and 2 were new. Didn't know anything. Our food order came in (we have to unpack it and put all in the cooler) do the prep, make orders for customers, do dishes, etc.. Doesn't sound like much but for 4 people it's quite a bit when you have to be done by 4-5. So they called the New Manager in at 2:30pm.

I arrived at 4:30pm, and the new manager guy comes up to me, along with several others, "I can't believe i'm paying those 2 guys "x amount of dollars" (he did say the wage, I'm not going to repeat it tho) "They just want to sit at home and have a paycheck mailed to them.

I found that pretty immature since: A. A new girl who's worked there for 3 weeks heard along with 3-4 other people. B. They're 2 of the hardest working employees. C. I ALWAYS thought you don't reveal that information. and D. Those 2 have been with the company for literally 9 years.

So on Sunday, I saw 1 of my co-workers who he was talking trash (which is my KITCHEN MANAGER) and I told him, "Yo the new guy was disclosing your wage, calling you trash, lazy, etc etc etc..." and my manager was obviously really mad. I told him please keep it anonymous I don't want any trouble.

I check my schedule today.. ALL MY SHIFTS are gone. I'm so worried and so paranoid. I have school I need to pay for. Bills, cellphone, rent, car, insurance. I don't know what to do. Can I do anything? Am I screwed?

P.S. I'm planning on calling my GENERAL manager tomorrow morning to have a talk with her, but If things don't go well. Sigh what am I supposed to do?

Work drama can be the worst sort. I would go to your GM and spell out your concerns but be very careful not to get caught up in the he said, she said. Present facts only and and leave judgement out of that conversation. If you get no love from the get go then it is going to be a bumpy ride. King Heffy has a good point, start sending out resumes, it's never bad to have options if this turns out poorly. I've been a regional manager for 10 plus years and I can honestly say the inevitable outcome of conflict between two employees is almost always one of them either leaving or transferring to another location, in your case where the conflict is someone with a degree of control over your hours, you are at a disadvantage form the start. Keep your head up and don't let people push you around, everyone's task at any job is important or you wouldn't be there.

[Apple Juice]

Ya sucks -- but down the road I've learned a big lesson. Work gossip f*cks you. Don't partake. Just listen and keep your mouth shut. Some day having the info might help you. Offload to your non work buds and gf or whoever but NOT other coworkers.

Sooner or later participation in that stuff sours a relationship somewhere and ultimately leads to trouble.

What if your girlfriend is a coworker?

[prana16]

In Canada it looks like if you go a full week without being offered any hours, you can apply for (un)Employment Insurance. According to the Canadian Gov't. website, here are the qualifications:

• http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/application/applying_for_benefits.shtml
• are employed in insurable employment;
• lost your employment through no fault of your own;
• have been without work and without pay for at least seven consecutive days in the last 52 weeks;
• have worked for the required number of insurable hours in the last 52 weeks or since the start of your last EI claim, whichever is shorter;
• are ready, willing, and capable of working each day; and
• are actively looking for work (you must keep a written record of employers you contact, including when you contacted them).

If he kept you off of the schedule then you should file so you can at least get partially compensated if you continue to be kept off of the schedule. In the future just keep your opinions to yourself. It's easy to replace unskilled laborers.

I don't think you can get EI when you are a student, thats what student loans are for.

[RonMexico]

You seem to have put the cart before the horse a bit here. Why don't you first approach the scheduler and ask why you have no hours this week? If he left you off the schedule on purpose then confront him about the reasoning mano e mano. This is where many employees fail. They fear confrontation when this is exactly what needs to be done. While a few of the people here say to stay out of workplace gossip, I don't think this qualifies as gossip. More than one person was present when the guy was spouting off about the other employees. If the others do not stick up for you, I would hit the road. To be hosed by the scheduler/manager is one thing but to have your fellow co-workers also turn on you is pathetic of them.

[SabreFan1]

I don't think you can get EI when you are a student, thats what student loans are for.

I double checked. Here's a snippet from Loyalist Colleges website:

Students on EI (Employment Insurance) Benefits may be eligible to continue to receive those benefits while attending Loyalist. Their benefit period may be extended if the college program lasts longer than the benefits.

It says nothing about having to be employed before you go to school. There's similar wording on almost all of the Canadian University websites.

As far as I can tell, as long as you pay into EI while you are working then you are eligible. If he wasn't paying into it while he was employed then I would assume he wouldn't get anything.

[Rick Grimes]

What if your girlfriend is a coworker?

Unless you're married to the chick; working with a girlfriend will not end well.*

As for the OP; I've gotta agree with what King Heffy said.

*unless its porn.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Two lessons learned:

Loose lips sink ships.

And don't make waves unless you're on a boat that can't tip over.

You can say all you want about management... If you're irreplaceable. But in that industry you almost certainly are. So if you want to keep this job it's best to suck up to the schedule person for awhile, bear down and keep your mouth shut. If not, then start looking immediately.

edit: The two lessons above are pretty close. Maybe a two-part single lesson? Meh.

[prana16]

I double checked. Here's a snippet from Loyalist Colleges website:

Students on EI (Employment Insurance) Benefits may be eligible to continue to receive those benefits while attending Loyalist. Their benefit period may be extended if the college program lasts longer than the benefits.

It says nothing about having to be employed before you go to school. There's similar wording on almost all of the Canadian University websites.

As far as I can tell, as long as you pay into EI while you are working then you are eligible. If he wasn't paying into it while he was employed then I would assume he wouldn't get anything.

By definition a student isn't "ready, able and willing to work" because they are in school. The only people that get EI while in school are trades apprentices.

[SabreFan1]

By definition a student isn't "ready, able and willing to work" because they are in school. The only people that get EI while in school are trades apprentices.

I'm not a Canadian citizen and the Canadians that I do know all have jobs. I just go by what I read on Canada's Government and University websites.

Unless you can point to something different then I'll go with what I read and not what Prana16 told me through his own version of logic.

I hope that you can point somewhere that shows me that students can't get EI. That would be something interesting to know. I have a weird definition of interesting... lol

[Apple Juice]

Unless you're married to the chick; working with a girlfriend will not end well.*

As for the OP; I've gotta agree with what King Heffy said.

*unless its porn.

Well no, it always depends on how well you manage the relationship right? When you're working together, obviously your attention is on work first and foremost cuz you're getting paid to deliver certain standards that your work asks you to.

[prana16]

I'm not a Canadian citizen and the Canadians that I do know all have jobs. I just go by what I read on Canada's Government and University websites.

Unless you can point to something different then I'll go with what I read and not what Prana16 told me through his own version of logic.

I hope that you can point somewhere that shows me that students can't get EI. That would be something interesting to know. I have a weird definition of interesting... lol

Students other then special cases like trades students cannot get ei.. one of the requirements for ei is that you are ready willing and able to work. That means if there is a job available tomorrow you will take it... a yr 2 biology major isn't going to leave school in october because a spot opened up at Mcd's. They waive the "ready, willing and able" to work requirement for trades because the school is considered part of your job and they want to encourage people to get their tickets. Students get student loans. If students could get on EI and then go to school for a 4 year degree debt free every single person would do that.

I am a Canadian citizen and i've attended more than one university and college. I have both Academic degrees and a trade ticket. Thats just the way it works.

Am I eligible for EI regular benefits?

You may be entitled to receive EI regular benefits if you:

• are employed in insurable employment;
• lost your employment through no fault of your own;
• have been without work and without pay for at least seven consecutive days in the last 52 weeks;
• have worked for the required number of insurable hours in the last 52 weeks or since the start of your last EI claim, whichever is shorter;
• are ready, willing, and capable of working each day; and
• are actively looking for work (you must keep a written record of employers you contact, including when you contacted them).

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/regular.shtml#eligible

Students in the middle or beginning of school are not actively looking for work and are not ready, willing and capable of working each day. NOT eligible.

[SabreFan1]

Students other then special cases like trades students cannot get ei.. one of the requirements for ei is that you are ready willing and able to work. That means if there is a job available tomorrow you will take it... a yr 2 biology major isn't going to leave school in october because a spot opened up at Mcd's. They waive the "ready, willing and able" to work requirement for trades because the school is considered part of your job and they want to encourage people to get their tickets. Students get student loans. If students could get on EI and then go to school for a 4 year degree debt free every single person would do that.

I am a Canadian citizen and i've attended more than one university and college. I have both Academic degrees and a trade ticket. Thats just the way it works.

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/regular.shtml#eligible

Students in the middle or beginning of school are not actively looking for work and are not ready, willing and capable of working each day. NOT eligible.

A friend of mine who is a Physician's assistant went to school and worked every single day. I still have the upmost respect for the guy.

Once again you are falling back onto Prana16 logic. Pointing to the same thing I did and giving it your own definition does not prove a point.

[prana16]

A friend of mine who is a Physician's assistant went to school and worked every single day. I still have the upmost respect for the guy.

Once again you are falling back onto Prana16 logic. Pointing to the same thing I did and giving it your own definition does not prove a point.

Dude .. seriously, you don't know what you are talking about. If by Prana16 logic you mean reality then yes i'm falling onto it. YOU CANNOT GET EI AS A STUDENT, unless you are part of trades or similar training program. period. You have zero evidence to the contrary.. I pointed you to the GOVERNMENT OF CANADA website that explains why.

Care to give a reason why Canadian students are saddled with tens of thousands of dollars of debt when they graduate rather than just getting a job for the summer and going on ei through school with no debt? Can you explain that?