Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Bounced paycheck number 4

Another bounced paycheck. I went home after that. If I don't get paid I don't want to come in. I feel like I do a good job, try to do my best work, I'm reliable and come in on time and try to make a positive contribution. I put up with what can only be described as a hostile and intimidating work environment with off-color racist jokes that turn my stomach and fellow employees who seemed stunned by Stockholm Syndrome. I've put up with it in good humor and detachment and still tried to do my best even without clear requirements or communication. But the lack of a reliable paycheck makes me feel like I'm being used and stolen from so I said that's it for me, turned off my computer and went home.

They called me later and begged me to come back. I told them they don't do business with people who don't pay them why should I do business with them if they don't pay me. They said they would issue a new check and I could come get it, so I did.

When I got there, my boss basically said it was bad form for me to walk out of the office after learning my check bounced. As if it's not bad form to issue a bad check (it's actually illegal.) I told him that if this is a job, I should be paid and if not, it's volunteer work and I'm not interested volunteer work so I will come back when they can issue checks that don't bounce. He said I should have known that the company operates this way. Nobody drives a fancy car, it's a small company, that's just the way it is and I should be more understanding. I could be if I didn't know from the bookkeeper that the boss uses a personal ATM card on the account where payroll is deposited and that it's literally a race to the bank, a race against him going out to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on the payroll.

I feel done with the place. I don't want to go back. But I don't have another job lined up. I am not sure what I should do next. I've been interviewing for a month or so but haven't been offered a job yet. I am considering filling out an application for jobs in Stehekin. I'm considering housesitting at my mom's this summer. That wouldn't be paid work, but I could make it look like work. I'm thinking about how I could break into the glamorous world of barista-ing. I'm responding to dinky little craigslist computer gigs in the hope I can buy time and stay busy until something decent comes along. I'm a web programmer. It should not be this hard to find a decent job.

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