Movie Theater Makes Teen Work Exorbitant Hours For Thanksgiving Weekend, Her Parents Make Her Quit

Advertisement
  • 01
    r/antiwork u/jmkreno 11h Theatre scheduled 16 year old daughter for 30 hours over Thanksgiving - had her resign
  • 02
    Our 16 year old daughter has been working at a local movie theatre for 5 months as her first "real job". She is the only person that was still working there from the group that started with her at the same time. She was hired with the knowledge that she was only to be scheduled max 16 hours per week and no more than 2 days as she has a demanding school schedule (full honors and AP classes).
  • 03
    Initially when she started they had her one day on one weekend day, usually Saturdays until from 3-11 or 4-midnight and then one weekday, usually Wednesday as she had early release on those days so she could do 3-10.
  • 04
    This schedule was pretty consistent until mid- October as they lost many of their student staff and new people came on. She never missed a day or called in sick during that time. Then in mid-October she was asked to swap a shift with another coworker and she ended up working both Saturday and Sunday from 4-11pm. Well, they must have liked that ad they then scheduled her every weekend with the same shift since mid-October so she hasn't had a free weekend in 6 weeks. She tried telling her scheduli
  • 05
    They didn't like that and told her that in the theatre business, weekends are the busiest days (yes, we are aware) and that weekends need to be available to work. We thought it was very mature of her to stand up for herself and explain her situation. As her parents, we won't allow her to work more than that as school and her teenage years are still the most important thing for her development but she also is earning money to help pay for her car, insurance, and any extra money she wants to have.
  • 06
    Then, she got her schedule for Thanksgiving. We knew that she'd likely work Thanksgiving as that's one of the busiest days, but then her schedule came out today. They had her scheduled for Thursday 2-8pm, Friday 3-10pm, Saturday 4- midnight and then Sunday 4-midnight (yes, she has school the next day at 730am). So not only did they gaslight her weekend concerns, but they decided that as a 16 year old she should work 30 hours in 4 days without any break for Thanksgiving. We told her that wasn't a
  • 07
    She sent her thoughts and concerns to her manager and let them know that effective immediately she was quitting. Some part of me feels disappointed it went down that way, but as a parent I wasn't going to let them railroad my child into a bad situation we weren't comfortable with. Was this wrong? She's a good kid, straight As, responsible and she'll find a new job as all the places around us are hiring.
  • 08
    derbeazy. 11h Good lesson for her to learn. When a job shows you they don't give a about you, let them know it's mutual. Too many company's take advantage of people, don't let her get used to thinking that's something to settle with. :) ... Reply 3.2k
  • 09
    Hey_its_me_your_mom. 3h I got a job at a 24 hour grocery store when I was in high school. My parents fetishized "hard work" and "being the hardest worker in the room." As such, this place took complete advantage of me for the 8 years I worked there. They would schedule me for back-to-back shifts with 4 hours in between to "sleep" and ignore days that I took off and put me on the schedule anyway.
  • 10
    I took off for Prom, and they scheduled me 4-8 anyway. I told my parents and they were like "You need to work if you are on the schedule. You want to be an adult, then be one!" I got my hair done early in the morning, brought my prom dress to work, worked the shift, changed in the bathroom, and joined prom about 2 hours late, having missed going out to eat and leaving my date high and dry for most of the prom.
  • 11
    I regret this so much, I missed out on a lot of my high school activities and the fun I would have had in college for this job, and my parents were so "proud" of me for it. It took SO MANY YEARS to un-do that programming, and it set me up for failure at subsequent adult jobs. I know my parents were trying to instill work ethic, but work ethic without boundaries is pretty much indentured servitude. ... 120 +
  • 12
    palpatineforever. 7h yup. I was wondering what I would read with this. pretty sure in the UK it is illigal for 16-18 year Olds to work that late! not to mention a midnight before school that is atrocious! it is important she understands this isn't normal. that said if places paid better during holiday periods as used to be the norm this wouldn't be an issue. I loved working around holidays ie boxing day etc (always had Christmas off) as it generally paid at least time and a half. being young, ie
  • 13
    OF nemothorx • 11h Sounds like a job/manager situation to avoid. Feel disappointed that the situation went that way, but applaud your daughter for handling it well with communication of concern, and I applaud you for saying enough is enough as soon as it became clear the actions weren't oversight or mistake. I hope your daughter is with you on this - given you said she intended to look for another job I assume she is. Sounds like she could use a little break and get a few weekends back! ... Repl
  • 14
    Broad Disaster_3035. 10h You may want to look into your states child labor laws or even the company labor laws for minors. There's many places that restrict how long of shifts or how many days a child can work. Some places can't keep a kid past a certain hour so 4-12 is so odd to keep a kid at work for that long Reply 4854 ...
  • 15
    ChibiOkamiko. 9h Agreed, in my state, minors can't be kept passed 10pm on school nights. 4345
  • 16
    Trunks91911. 11h You should feel proud, proud that she stood up for herself and that you as her parents knew what should be priority in her life. This is important, the rest of her life companies will continue to try and take advantage of her at every opportunity. This shows her that it's okay to say no, it's okay to walk away, it's okay to look for something that will appreciate not just her work but that she has a life outside of work that is more important than a job. We don't live to work, e
  • 17
    TheEclipse0 • 10h Not wrong. I had similar experiences in highschool, including, yes, working in a movie theater. I was trying to be a good worker and prove myself, and on the weekdays I was working until midnight, and then coming in at 630 on the weekends. These places take advantage of kids like myself and your daughter, and my experience is that staying in these roles is far more harmful than good. Reply 4125
  • 18
    xxdomox 10h · You'd be surprised how many parents out there pressure their children not to quit because they want them to pay up rent early and learn to be responsible on their own. You did the right thing, being there for her when she was clearly about to be taken advantage of. As a parent, you are a very important support pillar for her. ... Reply 241

Tags

Scroll Down For The Next Article