Back to Work

The founder of the company I work for texted me Wednesday to let me know modifications to my program had been approved by the state, and could I start work on Monday, part time. She said more information was inbound, and we could talk about it.

I replied how exciting the news was, I was eager to know more, and part-time was good, because that’s all I have right now.

The next text, Friday, asked if I could do four eight-hour days. I didn’t receive this until late Friday night. Cell service at the Island property is hit or miss (gonna look for a solution to cover a 2ish acre area). I was taken aback… My definition of part-time is 20-hours a week. Don’t know where that comes from, but that’s what it is. I spent time chewing on this before replying, and then did so without discussing the hours.

We talked today. When I said I knew I could give 24 hours a week and could strive for 32 hours a week, but due to the business of mom’s estate, would need flexibility, I got a LOT of pushback. She brought up, again, the 16-hours of bereavement leave I was given, and how she’s ‘said yes’ to my every request. She was unhappy and not able to hear what I was asking for, not able to visualize a way to meet me in the middle. I tried to explain what was on my plate only to have that shot down by, ‘I don’t need to know what’s going on in your personal life, please explain to me why you can’t work 4-eight hour days?’ I tried again. I don’t think she’s lost a parent, much less had to handle their estate, nor the scope of what my mom’s estate entails. To share that my mother has archives of historic importance that need handling, 1350 books, some of great value, that need sorting and distributing, a house that needs selling, a property that needs title transferring, and releasing, the myriad of paperwork that comes, just, with being an executor… And that, No, I’m not handing these tasks over to someone with zero context, because that would take even MORE of my time!

Two things that are really disappointing are: 1) she stated that in June when I said I could only work 20-hours a week she allowed it. She didn’t. She put me back on standby unemployment. That was fine with me! What annoys me is that she doesn’t remember this. 2) Today she suggested I could take time off if needed with vacation time. I’m 99% sure I don’t have any vacation time to speak of because the two weeks after my mom died, she insisted I use my bank of bereavement/sick/vacation hours to log 36-hours a week for each of those two weeks. She doesn’t remember this either.

I understand that we each see this situation through our individual lenses. I can, as a business woman, see things from her perspective. She does not see them from mine. What is known about how we’re going to proceed sounds great, but there are a lot of unknowns. I have zero way to gauge what my work load will be. I want to honor my commitment to this position. I will need a whole lot of latitude going forward if that’s going to happen.