‘My hours were given to 3 different teenagers’: Loyal employee quits job after 6 years as family-owned business cuts her work schedule for young workers

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Apr 4, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

I don't understand why family-"we're a family"-owned businesses take so much heat. They're just being upfront with you about what you're walking into. Ever met a fully functional family? No? Exactly. That's what I thought. If your workplace is going to model itself after a family, expect all the usual hallmarks of dysfunction: favoritism, petty squabbles, and a hierarchy that makes zero sense.  

Take this six-year veteran of a family-owned business, who worked exhausting hours, picked up shifts for her manager's maternity leave, and even walked an hour and a half to work after her husband left her carless. Despite her dedication, half of her hours were handed over to teenagers who couldn't even show up on time. She quit after they cut her schedule down to crumbs and still had the audacity to blame her for mistakes she wasn't even around to make. They said they'd treat her like family, and boy, did they deliver.  

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  • "Quitting my job after 6 years because over half my hours were given to 3 different teenagers."

    "I really, really needed my hours"
    via Pavel Danilyuk

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models


     

  • What did you expect from family? if you’re the six-year-old older sibling who’s suddenly dethroned by the newborn triplets getting all the attention. Or if the family’s patriarch suddenly goes through a midlife crisis and showing up with an inappropriate age gap partner or three, insisting they just get it. 

    When businesses say they’re family, brace yourself. They’re not talking about barbecues and fond memories; they’re warning you about chaos, favoritism, and a very real chance you’ll be left babysitting the triplets while everyone else takes credit for your work.

  • Worked there for 6 years (since it first opened) and worked 42 hours in 3 days. That's 3 14 hours a day Friday-Sunday. Plus, picked up extra shifts. Several times |
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  • worked 2 weeks straight (4 hours closing shifts Mon-Thurs then 14 Fri-Sun) and I even covered shifts for the manager when she had a miscarriage and then her
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  • maternity leave later when she had a successful pregnancy and she's trying to get pregnant again.
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Then, when my husband leaves me and gets a new house and has all my utilities shut off as they were all in his name... I come into work late 4 times (never more
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  • than 10 minutes) because my (soon to be ex husband wouldn't let me get a car) so I had to walk (hour and a half walk to do a 14 hour shift and not allowed to sit
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  • Cheezburger Image 10489799680
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • down then walk home) or hire an Uber, they give 12 of my hours to a teenager. THEN the teenager messed up a lot and they blamed me for it.
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  • I explained to the owner that I got a car and wouldn't be late anymore and that it was the new girl who did those things. I really, really needed my hours now
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  • because my husband had been wasting my paychecks gambling and on phone games (even showed her the bank statements where he was spending nearly my
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  • entire paycheck while I was working all weekend) and left me with nothing and messed up my credit.
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  • F = F7 F8 F9 Fin F11 F12 De T G B < H N 7 ÷ 8 الشاك + delete ù ¶ U I QUIT! DEL 4 enter # return command alt option shift
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  • The regular customers love me so much that one gave me a car for free and another one offered me a job with PTO, paid holidays, and benefits. I get none of that there.
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  • I declined the job at first out of loyalty because they said they'd give my hours back. The next week I come in and my hours were cut down to 18 hours a week... So I called the person who offered me the job and took it.
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  • Over the weekend they got several bad reviews and I got texted about it... I WASN'T THERE! I only opened at 7 and left at noon, all the bad reviews were in the evening.
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  • I can't wait to bring them my shirts and keys and tell them I got a better job and now they're stuck with all the young girls who they gave my hours to and can't call me in when they call in last minute or no call no show.
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  • Six years and I've never once called in. The girls they gave my hours to have all called in and I was the one covered their shifts last minute.... And when they
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  • come in after me they're always 15-20 mins late, sometimes as much as 2 hours. But I get my hours cut for being late??
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  • What a way to treat the most senior employee they had. I'm the only regular employee (besides the manager) that's been there longer than 3-6 months.
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  • Family owned business and we're a family... Yeah, my a
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  • idfc1337 Glad you left!
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  • birdmanrules Glad to hear you took up the offer. was ready to say run girl, as quick as you can and take up that offer. Well done for leaving a bad situation.... Well twice
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  • Princessmeanyface I'm glad you left! They will for sure miss you when you're gone!
    via Princessmeanyface

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management boss workplace-stories hr toxic-workplace manager bosses work PTO managers supervisor workplace Horrible Bosses work-life balance
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