Just T
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,145 
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Post by Just T on Mar 16, 2015 4:33:51 GMT
First of all...am I the only one who has a teen with job issues? Please tell me I am not! My16 year old daughter has had the hardest time finding a job. She worked last summer as a lifeguard, loved it, and when it was close to summer being over, she started looking for another job. she will be working that job again this summer.
She was finally hired at a fast food place a little over a month ago. She has hated the job from day one for one main reason...she says that no one is nice there. She is a social butterfly, very friendly, very outgoing, has been, but she came home the first week or so saying that everyone she works with is mean, no one talks to anyone other than to boss everyone around, etc. So unlike her...she usually likes everyone.
In the month that she has been there, she has worked for a couple of people who asked her to take their shifts for them as she is a money hungry teen. LOL She also sometimes works alone at night with a guy a few years older than her who kind of skeeves me out, but she says he is harmless. Well, harmless except for the night she called me when I was out of town 4 hours away, and she was at work, and he was in his car on a smoke break and nearly got arrested. Yeah, I was feeling so awesome about her job, then.
So, she is on spring break right now, just ended her first week of it, has one more week. This week, she had 5 hours at work (today). The upcoming week...5 hours, on Saturday. She came home tonight so upset and said that the guy she was working with told her, "oh, when the manager doesn't like you, she just gives you less hours hoping you will quit because she doesn't like to fire people." So my daughter is really upset now, thinking that the manager (who she has only worked with ONCE), doesn't like her for some reason that she has no idea why. She swears to me that she works her butt off when she is at work and has given the manager no reason to not like her at all. She says she has only even seen the manager twice since she hired her.
I don't even know what to tell her to do.
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Post by scrappychick on Mar 16, 2015 4:47:25 GMT
If she hates the job, then she should start looking for another job and give her notice. If she wants to keep working there, she should go in and speak to the manager. Have her ask if there is something she has done wrong, or needs to improve to get more hours.
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Post by scrapperfriend on Mar 16, 2015 4:48:30 GMT
My teens don't have jobs, but it sound like a miserable place to work. I would suggest she look for other work.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:11:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2015 4:53:41 GMT
REmind her the guy could be blowing smoke. Scheduling a teen is hard. THis week she can work 40 hours but once school starts back it is less than that. However, other people are expecting/expected to work their normal amount of hours and not take a cut in hours because your dd is available more.
But if she really hates the place perhaps it is time for her to start looking for a new place. Even if another fast food or another franchise of the same company.
how many hours was she originally scheduled to work without taking other people's shifts? If the manager has always only scheduled her for 5 hours a week she isn't getting her hours cut. She simply isn't picking up extra hours.
etaa: Her age can play a factor in how many hours, what hours she can work depending on your state laws. Is her manager ok with her picking up other people's shifts? She may be about to go over her allotted legal number of hours.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:11:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2015 5:51:42 GMT
My son at 16 wasn't ready to work. Turned 17 and had a job he loved. Turned 18 and got a better job. We have all these teen stores at the mall. Could she apply at one of them?
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luvnlifelady
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by luvnlifelady on Mar 16, 2015 6:13:10 GMT
My DD just recently got a job at Legoland (turned 18 today). It was tough to find something at 16. My DS is only 14, but even last year he was able to work at the Little League snack bar and is doing so again this year. It's good money and great experience especially at his age.
DD does not like working at Legoland. She is out in the sun for a full day shift and this weekend was in 90's! She said she wants to apply at Target but will probably wait now until after our vacation next week. It's a shame more places won't hire 16 year olds, but we found it tough going.
I would have your DD pound the pavement hard (or online want-ads) and also spread the word about babysitting. That is good money sometimes too.
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Post by houston249 on Mar 16, 2015 6:15:14 GMT
Since the economic downfall, the teen job market we knew seems to be a thing of the past.
In general, no one gets let go or even gets fired. The company just doens't schedual the employee if they want them to leave. Another bonus for the company is they dont have to pay unemployment. I am a bit surprised she got a job. Most employers now a days only hire 18 years and older. Employers no longer want to deal with the laws that protect teen/child workers. Why bother with an employee that can only work resricted hours when their are so many adults that can work any hours they want to schedual them.
Both my teens had trouble getting jobs. We live in a good economic area and this was the norm for all of the teens that wanted to work.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:11:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2015 6:53:42 GMT
Since the economic downfall, the teen job market we knew seems to be a thing of the past. In general, no one gets let go or even gets fired. The company just doens't schedual the employee if they want them to leave. Another bonus for the company is they dont have to pay unemployment. I am a bit surprised she got a job. Most employers now a days only hire 18 years and older. Employers no longer want to deal with the laws that protect teen/child workers. Why bother with an employee that can only work resricted hours when their are so many adults that can work any hours they want to schedual them. Both my teens had trouble getting jobs. We live in a good economic area and this was the norm for all of the teens that wanted to work. Firing can result in lawsuits even in "at will" states and the employer has a right to let them go. Not to mention if let go the employer ends up paying unemployment. But if hours are restricted to the point someone finds a different job all that potential mess is neatly side stepped. |
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Post by houston249 on Mar 16, 2015 7:48:21 GMT
Well said voltagain!
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Mar 16, 2015 8:30:06 GMT
It sounds like your Daughter is expecting work, to be a social event. Perhaps, she's not getting more scheduled hours, because she is spending her work time trying to socialize and connect with the others, and not taking the job seriously.
Also, not everyone likes the "happy, social, always "on", bubbly type", perhaps they find her annoying.
I don't mean to be harsh, just adding another perspective.
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Rainbow
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Where salt is in the air and sand is at my feet...
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Post by Rainbow on Mar 16, 2015 12:03:26 GMT
I hope she can find something she likes better.
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ellen
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Post by ellen on Mar 16, 2015 12:03:42 GMT
Can she work as a lifeguard again this summer? If she can, I'd let her quit this job. If she can't I'd have her continue looking for a place a new place to work. My daughter works at a family owned restaurant in a vacation area and they have a lot of 16 & 17 year-olds washing dishes. My daughter did that last summer and this summer she'll be making pizzas and waiting tables now that she's 18. She'll be able to have this job all through college because they are always hiring extra help in the summer.
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Post by anxiousmom on Mar 16, 2015 12:14:44 GMT
Also, not everyone likes the "happy, social, always "on", bubbly type", perhaps they find her annoying. I don't mean to be harsh, just adding another perspective. I am one of those happy, happy, joy, joy kind of people and as embarrassing as this is to admit, I think that there ARE people who are annoyed by me. I know for a fact that people who are not morning people are-I am one who wakes up and from the moment my eyes open, I am awake and ready to greet my day. My mother claims that even as a baby I woke up happy, smiling, and in a great mood. It took me years to learn how to temper that for people who are not really morning people. As an adult, I have learned how to navigate through work environments that are full of different personalities and there are people who don't care for personalities like mine. I think that they feel I am fake or pretending or not genuine...you can't change your personality, but you can change how you relate to others. |
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scrapaddie
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Post by scrapaddie on Mar 16, 2015 12:35:10 GMT
Fast food jobs are not fun.... . And are worse ifpeople are grumpy.... but they really provide l I type time for or socializing.
My dd did not work ( except for baby sitting) til she was 18. We preferred that she spend her time on school and school sports.... paid off much more thAn a job.... she was on two state champion teams her senior year and earned a full 4 year ride for college!! But even at 18, jobs were not easy to find. She ended up at Buckets Corner... a store that sells OHIO STATE stuff, but I believe she was first at a little store she hated.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2015 12:39:52 GMT
Use this as a learning experience - that all jobs are NOT wonderful and that she needs to value her personal worth above money.
For only five house a week, her time is much more valuable than that. I would advise my child to quit and find something else.
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Post by trixiecat on Mar 16, 2015 12:46:05 GMT
How when your daughter sees the manager next time she says something to the effect, "I have been working here for X number of weeks now, how am I doing?". I sometimes think when you take the lead instead of waiting and worrying the outcome is better. If there is something the manager isn't happy about, then hopefully she can fix it and be content.
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Post by bigbundt on Mar 16, 2015 12:50:13 GMT
etaa: Her age can play a factor in how many hours, what hours she can work depending on your state laws. Is her manager ok with her picking up other people's shifts? She may be about to go over her allotted legal number of hours. Yep. I did HR in a state (for a restaurant) where hours were restricted for 17 and under and it was a nightmare. They couldn't work past a certain hour before a school night, they couldn't work certain hours, they couldn't work more than a certain number of hours a week, they had to have a break if they worked longer than so many hours in a row... For even my most conscientious managers it was difficult working around so many restrictions that some just refused to hire minors to not have the headache. Unfortunately some of the most industrious minors were the ones who got us in trouble because their schedules were set to be compliant with the law and then they would pick up other shifts or offer to stay a little longer putting the restaurant in jeopardy for fines from the DOL. This is also a wonderful opportunity for her to see that not all jobs are fun, Fun, FUN! We don't always get along with our co-workers and we aren't always BFFs. Either put it with it or find something else. Sometimes a job is just a job and the only reward you get out of it is a paycheck. Kind of like bad boyfriends, the bad jobs help you recognize a good job when you find one.  |
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Just T
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,145
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Post by Just T on Mar 16, 2015 12:53:53 GMT
She is still looking for another job. She has been from the beginning.
Yes, she is planning on working the lifeguard job this summer, but that doesn't start for another 2 months. She was actually planning on working two jobs over the summer.
Until last week, the least number of hours she has had was 18. One week, she had 25.
"It sounds like your Daughter is expecting work, to be a social event. Perhaps, she's not getting more scheduled hours, because she is spending her work time trying to socialize and connect with the others, and not taking the job seriously.
Also, not everyone likes the "happy, social, always "on", bubbly type", perhaps they find her annoying.
I don't mean to be harsh, just adding another perspective. " Not sure why that didn't quote...
Where did I say she doesn't take the job seriously or expects it to be a social event? I only mentioned that bit about her outgoing personality to show that she is a friendly and has never in her life had a difficult time getting along with people. Most people, adults included, love her. I said in my OP that she swears that she works hard and does her job. Of course I'm not there, I am only going by what she says. I do know that she has been very flexible, took one person's shift the first week she was there, and has traded with people who asked a couple of other times. One time, she stayed an hour late to help close because the person in charge that night asked her to.
I did ask her if people there act like they are annoyed by her, and she said no, that she doesn't talk there as much as she normally does because no one there is friendly. She has gotten used to that and really doesn't much care. She is just upset now that her hours have been so drastically cut and she doesn't know why. I doubt the manager would be annoyed by her anyway as she has only worked one shift with her.
She had an interview yesterday at a local grocery store where she has been trying to get a job for months, and it looks promising. I hope that works out for her as my other kids have friends who have worked there for years and love it. On the other hand, where she is working now...apparently, people quit all the time.
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Post by bigbundt on Mar 16, 2015 12:57:54 GMT
I do know that she has been very flexible, took one person's shift the first week she was there, and has traded with people who asked a couple of other times. One time, she stayed an hour late to help close because the person in charge that night asked her to. I'm wondering if this is the reason why her manager cut her hours. If you live in a state that restricts hours for workers her age, maybe these things flew under the radar of her manager and her manager got in trouble for not being compliant with labor law. Instead of just telling your daughter, this is her way of ensuring that she will never work enough to mess with the restrictions. |
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Just T
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,145
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Post by Just T on Mar 16, 2015 12:58:57 GMT
That's the truth! We have already discussed that, many times. LOL Even with the lifeguard job. She had quite the glamorized view of that before she started, and most of the time, she said it was boring. LOL She did like her co workers and boss, though. This summer, she is hoping to get assigned to a busier pool. She works for a company that hires lifeguards for subdivision pools. Last summer, she worked in a very small subdivision.
That is a great idea. Her reaction was to want to ask the manager if it's true that she just cuts people's hours when she doesn't like them. LOL I told her that was a bad idea, that it would just put the manager on the defensive and probably end badly. I like that suggestion, though.
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Just T
Drama Llama
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Post by Just T on Mar 16, 2015 13:02:40 GMT
I have no idea if hours are restricted for people her age. I know that her boyfriend, who is also 16 and works for another fast food restaurant chain, works tons of hours. In fact, his mom was ready to make him quit because she thought they were making him work too much. That's something to check into though. Other than twice, she didn't pick up extra hours, she just traded, so the number of hours was the same. I doubt the manager didn't know, because apparently, she is really strict about things like that, and everything has to go through her for approval, even if it's a last minute thing. They all have her cell number so that if they need to trade for some reason, they have to ask her first if it is okay.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2015 13:02:55 GMT
My 16 year old has had a hard time finding a job. Due to her age and school many jobs don't want to hire her.
So she went a diffrent route, she babysits and let me tell you she makes good money. She has made herself a great reputation, kids ask for her & parents love her.
She found a job that works around her schedule & also one she enjoys.
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Post by pmm on Mar 16, 2015 13:04:09 GMT
I know in our town if you want to work at the Kroger's you need to fill out the online application AND talk to the store manager. Apparently, at the corporate level the teen applications are weeded out. She might need to go in and talk to the managers at the places she is applying to.
My daughter found her job on the website snag a job.
Good luck to your daughter.
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Post by kelbel827 on Mar 16, 2015 13:06:07 GMT
Do you have a YMCA or a local indoor pool? Year round is good for lifeguards to keep up their skills.
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Just T
Drama Llama
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Post by Just T on Mar 16, 2015 13:06:30 GMT
Oh, she definitely does. I think she has gone into every single place that she applied to online.
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Post by bigbundt on Mar 16, 2015 13:08:18 GMT
What state do you live in?
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Just T
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,145
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Post by Just T on Mar 16, 2015 13:09:51 GMT
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Just T
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,145
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Post by Just T on Mar 16, 2015 13:11:57 GMT
Yes, we do have a couple of different indoor recreation centers. She applied at all of them at the end of the summer.
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Post by bigbundt on Mar 16, 2015 13:27:41 GMT
Your minor labor laws looks like there are restrictions for those under 16 so my guesses above shouldn't be a factor. You know, sometimes our managers are just asshats. Maybe she does have it out for your daughter. Maybe another employee needed more hours and the manager cut your daughter's since you guys are supporting her, i.e. she "needs" it less than the other employee. Maybe she knows your daughter has another job this summer and is cutting her hours in the hopes that she quits so the manager can hire someone whose second job doesn't have to be worked around. Who knows! |
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Post by Fairlyoddparent on Mar 16, 2015 13:44:11 GMT
We are having the opposite problem. My ds has a job at a local fast food restaurant. He's only been there for a month and they keep scheduling him for way too many hours.
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