I'm A Good Person.....

[Scorcher214]

but when I get a text message at 12:45 am asking if I can work that day so some other kid doesn't have to work 7 days in a row (btw, the kid told me he likes his job)...and I have plans to go fishing the next day with a good friend I don't see often...Im not replying back at all. My current expenses are covered, I got my money saved up for the roadtrip, extra tackle is all bought, so i don't need the money...plus I hate my job anyways.

Am I just lazy or would you guys do the same?

[Bass XL]

I'm with you on this one.

[tomustang]

I had a boss call me once, on my personal time... He never heard so many curse words in his life. My time is MY time.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

I dont respond well to texts or phone calls after 9pm. It dang sure better not be work calling that late.

As far as taking someone else's shift, currently I'm all about it. I'm on track to work my 6th straight 28 or 30 hour week. Thanks to the freaking carpet walkers in the office I have now used all my vacation time so I might be able to go to the road trip for a day. Woo freaking hoo. Ive been hearing for two months that works gonna pick up and ain't seen it yet. It might be time to go back to traveling.

[SirSnookalot]

It seems very out of the ordinary that a boss would send a text at 12:25 am., if the content of the message had been important a phone called would have been made during reasonable hours, not the middle of the night. Not everyone answers or even reads a text at that time.

This situation can be approached from many different ways, everyone has a different feeling, I'd give no advice on what you should do. If it were me I'd be asking myself a few questions before I decided what to do. If I hated the job, I'd quit on the spot, chances are I would have done so long before this episode, being miserable in the workplace does not make for a happy life and successful career. On the other hand the the security of a steady income, a commodity that some find difficult to acquire in this economy, may put necessity over desire. No one is indispensable, even your boss if he isn't the owner. Owners just go out of business when business fails, that said everyone has their own pressures to deal with.

When I was an employee I always did what was asked, but I was employee for just a couple of years before starting my own companies, and that's when the pressure really gets tough.

[deaknh03]

My phone goes on silent around 8. My kids are in the house with me so any call I get can wait until morning.

[SDoolittle]

I may be wrong, but I'm guessing that you're not seeing the whole picture here. The other kid may have called him that late to whine about having to work seven days in a row even though he knew his schedule well in advance. Pehaps he was invited to do something, and he's using the seven days straight as an excuse to take off at the last minute. The boss was probably irritated, but agreed to ask someone to fill in. Notice that he didn't tell you that you had to work. He asked you, and he may have asked others. Because he was already irritated with the other kid, and he didn't consider this an emergency situation, he opted not to call and wake people up. He simply sent out a text on the off chance that you were awake and wanted some extra hours. I would have replied with a text saying that I already had plans, but thanks for the offer.

I had a boss call me once, on my personal time... He never heard so many curse words in his life. My time is MY time.

Attitudes like that are what worries me about retiring from the Army in a few years. I have an open door policy, and my Soldiers know that they can call me at anytime to talk about anything. I try to keep it at a minimum, but occasionally, I have to call one of them about something. It would be a very long day for them if they decided to cuss me for calling on their time. Civilian life is definately going to take some getting used to.

[ROCbass]

My job requires 24/7/365 staffing, and it is understood that everyone is always on-call if someone calls in sick. However, just because you may be called at any time does not mean you are required to go in. If I get a voicemail or text asking me to go in and I cannot, I usually call back and say so, but there have been times where I did not and did not feel guilty about it.

[Hooligan]

What's personal time? I've never been in a career that I wasn't available to either my clients, the government, my co-workers, or someone every hour of every day.

I have days off, I still get called. That's part of doing business, I mean, really. Even if you're in the lowest class of blue collar, you're going to get those calls from time to time in today's environment.

[grimlin]

I never answer my phone when my work calls.....I mean NEVER...LOL

[SirSnookalot]

What's personal time? I've never been in a career that I wasn't available to either my clients, the government, my co-workers, or someone every hour of every day.

I have days off, I still get called. That's part of doing business, I mean, really. Even if you're in the lowest class of blue collar, you're going to get those calls from time to time in today's environment.

Could not agree more ! Being an owner, salesman, manager means you have to make yourself available whenever needed, your financial future depends on it. Your employment makes everything else in life happen. The people that take working seriously are the ones that have a better chance of advancement, the ones that say no, are the ones that just may be passed over at promotion time.

[preach4bass]

Here's a solution: Find a job you absolutely love. Then, when you're called, you will want to go to work!

[Traveler2586]

I may be wrong, but I'm guessing that you're not seeing the whole picture here. The other kid may have called him that late to whine about having to work seven days in a row even though he knew his schedule well in advance. Perhaps he was invited to do something, and he's using the seven days straight as an excuse to take off at the last minute. The boss was probably irritated, but agreed to ask someone to fill in. Notice that he didn't tell you that you had to work. He asked you, and he may have asked others. Because he was already irritated with the other kid, and he didn't consider this an emergency situation, he opted not to call and wake people up. He simply sent out a text on the off chance that you were awake and wanted some extra hours. I would have replied with a text saying that I already had plans, but thanks for the offer.

Attitudes like that are what worries me about retiring from the Army in a few years. I have an open door policy, and my Soldiers know that they can call me at anytime to talk about anything. I try to keep it at a minimum, but occasionally, I have to call one of them about something. It would be a very long day for them if they decided to cuss me for calling on their time. Civilian [retirement] life is definitely going to take some getting used to.

X2

The best advice I can give anyone is "if you don't enjoy your job (while you still have it) look elsewhere". Life is too short not to enjoy what your doing for 8 - 12 hrs a day, and who you work with; and it makes for a long day. I rotated in my job, it took me all over the country and the world, some assignments I loved, some were OK, one I ran from the politics; but I love my job and in most cases the people I worked with. Now that I'm retired, I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could. Your in control of your life, make it what you want it to be. And if that means returning to school to get that extra boost, by all means possible do it.

[ww2farmer]

I don't know how many times I have been out fishing and got the "call". I answer every time, I like my job, and I like being the "go to guy" for the things I do. I guess that I am lucky that my job and the lake are 5 miles apart. I fish plenty, and what kind of a guy would I be if I never came in a pinch? They never tell me "no" when I ask for time off, or to leave early etc....

[Bassn Blvd]

I can understand your frustration about being woken up, but that's life. My phone is on 24/7/365. Even on vacation and sick days. Granted it's my decision to work in the unit I'm in so I can't complain. There have been MANY of nights when I get to bed at 1 or 2am and have to be up at 5 or 6am and the phone rings. In fact, I have to be up at 4am and won't get to sleep before midnight tonight but my phone will be on.

Here's an idea. Turn your phone OFF if you don't want unwanted calls waking you up. Or, explain to your boss that you NEVER want to come in to work on your scheduled days off. That way he won't call you to give you a chance to make some extra moey.

[Root beer]

Man, when I was 17 and 18 years old in high school working retail, I got called in a lot. I went every time. It paid off in the end. When I graduated from high school, I told my manager, "do you remember every time I came to work on my day off?" She said, "yes." My reward? I got the entire month of June off after graduation and went on a 7 day cruise, spent a week in Florida, then went fishing at Lake Guntersville.

That winter I was 18, we had a snow day from school. About 6 inches or so of snow plus icy roads. (We live in an area where snow plows are the last to touch.) I woke up at 9am started playing xbox and my mom answered the phone (I didn't have my hearing aid on at the time.) and gave me the phone. Turns out, despite working the night before and driving home in a blizzard, some lady didn't wanna go to work because she was afraid of wrecking her car. I went and cover a grown lady who didn't want drive in the icy road and I live on a backroad... I made it to work on my day off (both school and work!) working cash register, unloading a truck, etc. I do it because i want people to owe me favors, then when they don't return me favors I don't do them anymore favors. It makes working with lazy people bearable. If you ask me come in on my day off and I do, but then I ask for something in return and don't get it, don't bother asking me next time.

[Bankbeater]

if getting calls at all hours is in your job description, or it is part of your job then accept it.

[grimlin]

Could not agree more ! Being an owner, salesman, manager means you have to make yourself available whenever needed, your financial future depends on it. Your employment makes everything else in life happen. The people that take working seriously are the ones that have a better chance of advancement, the ones that say no, are the ones that just may be passed over at promotion time.

But you need to live your life too........This is the reason why more than half the people in this world is stressed out beyond limits.Families fall apart and so do marriages.

My dad dedicated his time in work....I rarely ever saw the man. While I love and respect my dad very much, I still wish he took some of those time off to spend it with me. I realize my mom didn't work,so all the pressure was on my dad to pay the bills. But I'm way more closer to my mom than I ever will to my dad.

When I'm working 58 hours a week, I feel ticked off,angry,moody.....that's no way to live your life. Old people won't admit this,but half of them are that way.....ever wonder why? I can name a few reasons why.

[tomustang]

Attitudes like that are what worries me about retiring from the Army in a few years.

That's a whole different can of worms, it's not an easy transition from going from 24/7 anything can happen situation dedicate your time to the service then just get out. Doing a 180 is more like it.

but that's life.

That's not life, that's life you chose

[tomustang]

if getting calls at all hours is in your job description, or it is part of your job then accept it.

And get ready to bend over and take it. Sorry but If that's apart of the job then the job better come with a cell phone and paid compensation to bother me at any hour of the day, unfortunately that's not the case in non-on-call jobs.

[slonezp]

OP doesn't have an on call job. His boss was trying to fill a spot. I'd be po'd too. I have an on call job. I have my on call schedule 3 months in advance. I make my plans around my schedule, and if something comes up it is my responsibility to get a replacement. If it's an emergency the boss will get a replacement, but emergencys that prevent people from working don't usually occur at 12:45am. The boss was looking out for his best interest because if no one would fill the position the boss would have to do the work himself.

Bassn Blvd, If the phone is off OP will miss the booty calls.

[7mm-08]

While I take pride in my work and do it to the best of my abilities, I fiercely protect my personal/family time and have passed up multiple jobs that would infringe upon that. The thing I hate most about the lack of job opportunites in the current economy is that it has empowered employers too much. They've got you by the gonads for lack of a better term and too many companies are willing to take advantage. That being said, I am lucky to be very close to my boss and coworkers so we will do what's necessary to cover for each other if the need arises.

[Helluva_Engineer]

For the past year, I've been subcontracted to a company that has no respect whatsoever for work-life balance. I typically fall into the "do what's asked of you, you'll get your return" train of thought with my actual company, but not when it's taken for granted. I'm about through with 72+ hour weeks...maybe once every few months, but not every week for a few months like it has been.

[Scorcher214]

Well the boss said nothing when I went into work today about me not returning his text. No problems. If I had not planned some fishing, I definitely would have gone in. But, it was like 70 in march, in Michigan, on my day off....im going fishing.