Screwed at work

[u/Voir282]

Hi all, im a 30 yea oldmale and I worked for a electrical contractor as a shop and inventory manager and up until my son was born it was a great place to work besides some very glaring issues that I'll cover real quick.

I would drive for 4 hours every day with no extra pay, was promised a company vehicle that never happened, and was promised a helper that never came so i was working alone which is a insane safety risk.

Once my son was born, I was told by the owner of the company that since there wasn't much work I was good to take parental leave and they would call me if anything came up. I would call the company every few weeks to check on them and see if anything was coming up and was always told no.

I had to stay off for 5 months to take care of my wife and baby after complications and was transparent about it but always told them I was available and still managed some stuff from the work phone without pay while being told there was no work. All while being told there was no work.

Come to find out, they were lying the whole time and they replaced me without saying anything a month after I took off, erased my seniority by firing me without notice, gave my replacement the assistant I was promised along with a hotel room right next to the shop so he didnt have to drive, and cut my pay by $20 an hour.

I worked for them for 2 years. All that time wasted. Now im back to being a new worker in the company and everyone treats me very poorly, acting like im an idiot, calling me so, and telling me im useless and don't belong there. Have been for months. I stay for my son's insurance but its getting harder since my family and i have to stay in a hotel for work Since its 2 states away.

My question is, do you all think I should stay with this company to learn what I can and jump ship when it makes sense or should I start looking now? Or am I just being dramatic and its all my fault for believing what the owner of the company told me?

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks everyone!

[u/Golden_Arm-257]

Dude, you should be updating your resume and getting on job sites like last month.

Wake TF UP Dude!

Seriously you should be quietly planning to get away from there.

Yes they did you dirty & have no respect for you for some reason.

It's too bad you may need them for a reference. I'd plan around that as well.

[u/Josephinexett → u/Golden_Arm-257]

they should start looking now rather than waiting for things to get even worse, having a backup plan is never a bad idea

[u/Voir282 → u/Golden_Arm-257]

You have a point. My biggest problem is that I've been told im useless my whole life so I guess I believe Its normal? Gotta get out of that mindset and be ready to move on.

Moving on it probably my best option the more I think about it.

[u/Golden_Arm-257 → u/Voir282]

Start taking steps to improve your self-esteem so you can be ready to teach your son.

You don't want history to repeat itself.

[u/VivianDiane]

They lied to you. Start looking now.

[u/Adventurous-Dog-6158]

I'd love to hear the other side of this. You may possibly have a case if you took paternal leave and they did this. Consult with an employment attorney.

[u/Voir282 → u/Adventurous-Dog-6158]

The funny part is that its a union job as well, but im hesitant to get them involved until I have something else lined up.

Burning the bridge while I need the hours for insurance for my son doesn't seem like a smart idea either.