Share the Worst Job You've Ever Had
My worst job consisted of 5 long years at a veterinary clinic with a very disturbed, irrational boss who took on more clients than she could handle. Each day consisted of 12+ hours of psychological abuse, hard (and dirty) labor, no breaks, no sick days, and as much dysfunction in one setting as you could imagine. Aside from being young and ignorant, the reason I didn't quit sooner is because the employee turnover rate was so high that whenever I decided to put in notice, someone else would walk out/quit and I felt "guilted" into staying and covering the extra work. It was an endless cycle of BS.
What Made This Job Your Worst Job - Ever
It starts with the schedule: I was on-call 24/7; my work day started at 7 am & ended "whenever." Sometimes 7 pm, sometimes 10 pm, sometimes 2 am the next morning. My work week was 7 days - NO weekends or holidays off. My boss would over-book both appointments and surgeries, so I was never allowed time for breaks, including meals, & would consistently go an entire day without eating. *Sometimes* my boss would let me grab a snack - which consisted of scarfing down something small & unhealthy WHILE I was working on "sterile" surgical sites.
In addition, I wasn't allowed sick days, so regardless of migraines or the flu, I HAD to be at work. My boss would yell at us (any of the employees) if we were sick, claiming that "SHE never took sick days, why should we?" Vacation days were a joke - even if we were "allowed" to use them, we were called in to work during vacation anyway; it was just so busy that my boss couldn't handle it if any one of us was gone. My boss said that the only reason we were "allowed" to use them is because she didn't want to hear us complain about never having time off.
The pay was pathetic - just a couple bucks above minimum wage. Benefits were also a joke. We were "lucky" enough to receive health insurance & an IRA, but my boss would complain to us about having to pay benefits. She'd go so far as to complain about paying into Workman's Comp insurance, FICA, SS, etc. If someone got hurt on the job, they got yelled at. I once got in trouble for being at the doctor's office too long after *accidentally* being bit by an animal at work. Then, my boss took it even further by complaining about the incident to her clients.
This was a common occurance - she was a martyr who loved to gossip & would share secrets & lies with anyone & everyone, then wonder why no one truly liked her. She'd call you her "best friend" to your face & then 5 minutes later you'd overhear her telling a CLIENT that you "f-ed up" this or that. She'd hand you a decent Christmas bonus check & then 5 minutes later she'd be yelling about how the clinic has no money & we're all so stupid that she has to do everything herself anyway.
I can't fully explain how dysfunctional this place was - not enough characters allowed. Let's just say that NOT one person gave 2-week's notice when they quit - they all walked out or no-showed. I hated leaving my patients behind, but I finally HAD to quit because I started having panic attacks every time I would get ready for work at this place.
Tips and Tricks
- Quit when my instinct first told me to
- Stood up to my boss, for myself & for fellow employees, when she'd get aggressive & abusive
- Reported her unethical, & sometimes illegal, activities to proper authorities (while I worked there, she threatened me if I were to do so, then actually carried out those threats after I quit)
- Finally, I would commit my ex-boss to a mental health institution: she's got serious problems that she constantly projects on her family, her employees, her clients, & even perfect strangers. She has no boundaries & really does need help.
