Schedule troubles...

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So here's the situation...I applied and got hired for a part time job, they said it would be around 3-4 days a week which I would even be willing to work 5 if they wanted me to sometimes. I mean I have been on SSI without ever having had a real job so i was looking for part time to help acclimate myself to working as well as getting off SSI.

Well fast forward my first real week after training...it was 6, 8 hour days...that's 48 hours which I think is technically overtime, now that is not what I signed up for. I was kind of thinking it was just the first week because we were short a person so whilst I wasn't thrilled I just decided to tough it out thinking it would be over after this week. Well looking at my schedule for next week it seems they want me to do another 6 day week.

The 3 to 4 days was ideal with maybe a 5th day from time to time, but that 6th day is too much...I was exausted all day and couldn't quite think straight and also started getting a headache don't think it would have been safe for me to operate the electric slicer for instance if anything on my list had required it. But yeah I am certainly not cut out for overtime work, I imagine my vocational rehab counselor and another employment counselor I have been meeting with would both advise against me working that many hours.

So yeah I've decided I will talk to my manager/boss tomorrow about this, I hope it goes ok. I mean I hope it was maybe just some kind of misunderstanding or mix-up like maybe they got me mixed up with full time applicants or something. But yeah if that doesn't go well and they are going to want me to keep doing 48 hour weeks I am going to have to look for something else...or risk getting hurt at work/being unpleasant at co-workers because I am over-worked/stressed and exausted which I really would prefer not to have. On the bright-side if I do have to look for something else I have a bit more confidence about initially getting a job.

Also I suppose I just hope I didn't screw up too much yesterday, I had to leave before I got one task I was supposed to done...but by then it was 48 hours, a supervisor type person said sometimes when you get off is more of an estimate, but I also kind of figured the higher management wouldn't want to be paying me for over 48 hours so I just clocked out and left. I mean sure if they wanted me to stay a bit later sometime earlier in the week it may have been possible but past 48 hours when I'm supposed to be on as a part time employee something doesn't seem quite right about that.

Woahhhhh -- a 48 hour week is way, way more than "part time" hours. In fact most full time people only work a 40 hour week, and that's considered well and truly "full time." So you are working over and above what qualifies for full time.

I'm concerned that this will affect your SSI -- is everything squared away with that entity, regarding your work hours? Is it a situation where you still get partial SSI if you work part-time hours, but no SSI if you work full-time?

I think it's great that you got hired, but not great that they seem to now be taking you on a ride directly to full time hours and beyond.

That's not cool. You were sold a bill of goods saying "part time" hours and you've been pressed into full time.

You really needed truly part time in order to ease your way into working a job. These hours would be a shock to the system even for someone who had been in jobs before.

I think you should discuss the situation with anyone involved in assisting you, such as your vocational rehab counselor. You really need to speak to any counselor's helping you. I think this company are shorthanded and falsely advertized this position as part time but the real hours are officially definable as full time. They are taking advantage by pressing you into this much service.

I wish this wasn't "the way it is" in fast food and retail-type places. But it is.

They probably like you, so they scheduled you for all these hours. Take that as a good sign that you're doing the work well.

This is exactly why you should be on the "Ticket to Work" program, for situations like this one. The manager might think he/she needs full-time workers, and might not like it that you want to work part-time.

Yes, you should talk to your manager about reducing your hours. Don't tell him anything about any "disability." Maybe hell him/her that you have to take care of a relative or something.

Well I feel a little better, did talk to the manager today...got monday off so it will only be 5 days this week, told him I have an appointment I can't miss, though I didn't 'have' to schedule the appointment for Monday but didn't want to be there 6 days so I told my voc rehab counselor I will meet her then and she confirmed that will work.

Anyways it seems like they are somewhat aware of scedule issues and people getting too many hours, they said next week I should have tuesday and sunday off, hopefully that doesn't then mean 6 days in a row after Sunday. But by then perhaps they will have hired some more people and gotten more organized. Also they said they may start having me come in later and have someone else do the early morning cleaning and some of the food prep so then I wouldn't have to come so early. But yeah hopefully I was clear enough that 6 days in a row is too much...guess I will find out if not I will just have to talk to them again and be more clear.

Seems like the management is having a bit of trouble and very overwhelmed.

I'm glad you found a job & that it sounds like they are trying to work with you on your hours now. I could of worked more hours shortly after I was trained at my dishwashing job but I decided to keep working the shift I was trained on because the shift was shorter & I was supposed to be working about part-time hours total a week but it was spread out over 5 days a week. We become short-handed after a while & management kept wanting me to stay late which was hard on my dad because he picked me up from work sense I couldn't drive. That was part of the reason why I started looking for a different job. I mostly took the dishwashing job for the experience & wanted something with more benefits & more money an hour because I didn't want to stay on SSI for the rest of my life.
I worked over 55 hours a week at my 2nd job at times when I was allowed to make over-time(I was doing floor-cleaning) because I cared about the job & I wanted to better myself. Part of the reason I quit is because I got too stressed out to deal with management being on my back. Anyways... Working 48 hours a week when your 1st start your 1st job is a lot of hours & I'm glad you stuck with it so for. I know dishwashing isn't a glamorous job & I HATED the stress of rush hour but it is still a job & a step towards self improvement & learning what your capable of & i wish you the best of luck with it.

I agree you've done really well, but I still think that throwing you in at the deep end way beyond even normal full-time hours is not cool on their part and you shouldn't have had to deal with such a massive amount of hours straight out of the gate.

They completely misrepresented the work hours and I believe that may even be illegal of them to have done so.

My main concern now is, how long till I get bored of this job and want to do something else. I know if I wanted I could maybe try to move up to other things at this place, but you know...I am not sure if restaurant cooking is really something I am interested in. So I think whenever I get bored of this, I'd probably look to something else maybe something like beer brewing...probably wouldn't hurt to start looking into that now since I don't see job ads for breweries very often. I mean sure there is coors but no way in hell do I want to work there, my boyfriend tried that...and also their beer is an embarrassment compared to beer smaller breweries in this state make, biggest beer factory in the world and all they can make is piss water. I want to make good beer or play a part in making it at least.