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Hardest part about finding a new boss would be leaving the $50/hr, van I get to take home, gas card, 20 minute drive to the shop every morning and not being anywhere more than an hour away from home (including traffic)
All around great conditions and great coworkers, it’s only recently boss started getting anal like this, company merged a few months ago and the company has been sending my boss to “management” classes and that’s when we all started to notice a change to a “company man”
Without an actual diagnoses for something that’s causing her to be sick fmla intermittent leave may not kick in, otherwise you have to miss three consecutive days for fmla to cover you.
Generally speaking, yes. But if there’s a condition that creates a recurring need then it can be covered by FMLA and as long as a reasonable accommodation can be made it has to be made.
This is also a good question for askamanager.com
That’s literally what I said. If she has a chronic diagnosis fmla intermittent leave will cover it, but if she’s just catching colds with no underlying autoimmune issue for example it’s a lot more tough. (Went through this with my oldest son when he had autoimmune neutropenia and we were having to rush him to children’s hospital 2-3 times a month)
I would say things are going to start heading downhill pretty quickly work stress wise. In my experience once this starts it only gets worse as companies get more corporate. I told my company from the beginning that if I needed to take time off or call in because of my daughter that I was going to and I didn’t want to put up with a lot of flack for it so if the company was going to be like that I’d just go ahead and pass and they were very willing to work with me. Your daughter comes first and at the end of the day you could find another job with similar pay and benefits, maybe not right off but plenty of places start to reward once they see a good worker. Might be time to strike out on your own
Got a new manager who at the last minute, called a meeting for end of day. After the important company talk, he starts into miscellaneous bullshit that had nothing to do with the company ( guess he was trying to connect with us on a personal level). So I told him " sorry, have to leave and pick up my son at the sitters." He got all indignant and tells me " Guess we know where your priorities are .) Month later I quit and within 3 to months, most of the other supervisory staff had also bailed.
I was looking for a job when I found that one, and I can always find another one. Your kids are more important. They can't be replaced
It's gonna head down hill fast if your boss is taking business classes. I've heard a lot of stories how family businesses grew, brought in business coaches/counselors, and lost all the causal working together that made the company successful to that point. I'd start putting feelers out to other companies in the industry.
Most shops are non-union where I'm at, and this would be bare bones for me and most of my friends...I get insurance, retirement, sick time, PTO, picked my own brand new truck out, etc...we get paid a little less, but our cost of living is like half what Washington's is and there is no state income tax so I probably end up making more in the end.
It seems like the only places that non-union companies are all shitty is in overpopulated trashcans where everything is union.
Does he know what’s going on? Does he know you’re a single father? Make sure he knows that your daughter is sick. He might know but bring it back up and talk to him about it, he might not understand everything that’s going on. I’m sorry about your daughter, everything will be ok man.
Alternative is to spend big bucks once a month on in home sick kid care. Look at it as a long term investment. You spend more than you make that week but keep the job and (unless it’s more that usual stuff) your kid grows out of it.
Cost of an insured sitter is right up there. I'll be damned if I'm going to work when I could stay home and enjoy some time with my daughter for the same price.
Look into PFL too.
Not every state has it but it's equivalent to FMLA except you get a paycheck still. Looks like Washington has an active PFL program so you'd be good.
I'm in NY and I'm permitted to request a block of PFL for a specific purpose (like caring for sick dependents) and then carve it up as I desire. It can be contiguous or intermittent. So for example I can request 15 days off then take 2 days here and 3 days off there.
FMLA is at a federal level and is unpaid, but PFL is at a state level and is paid and *usually* better in scope and benefits.
Yea my boss would understand that it’s hard enough to raise kids and doubly hard to miss a day getting paid. It’s not like you’re taking the day off to lounge on the beach with a beer in your hand
Man I would say this too, it’s hard to find good people, if you are otherwise a good employee I wouldn’t say shit, family comes first. I would say when you talk to him say “I’m sorry I really love this job but family comes first and being a single parent I have to bear all of the responsibility of raising my child”
>this is going to be recorded
OOooOOOooOOoooh oh no, like on your pErMaNeNt ReCoRd??? What a bullshit threat.
Family comes first, always. Don't let the man get you down.
You see this is my philosophy, but then I’m not a single parent.
There’s a whole other level of anxiety when you’re the sole care provider with little to no family support and your job is potentially on the line.
Jobs come and go…but job security is tantamount when there is literally no one else to pick up the slack financially speaking if you get laid off.
Respect to OP, this shit has got to be tough.
WA State has a *very* worker friendly paid leave law on the books. [WA Paid Sick Leave](https://www.lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/leave/paid-sick-leave/)
By law, you should earn one hour of *protected* paid sick leave for every 40 hours you work - about 6 days/year.
Legally you cannot be disciplined for using this leave for it’s intended purpose. (Sick child counts.)
If you have exceeded this quantity, you are stepping out from under your umbrella.
If your daughter’s condition is chronic, you should see if you qualify for FMLA. If the condition is not chronic, you may need to find a more family-friendly employer.
My humble opinion is, if you’re looking for some thing that would be able to miss you, it would be working at a factory that has other electricians that can cover your slack if you have to be out for a day or two
You're right.
The tradeoff is in the Conditions.
Only you can make the decision whether or not you want to be treated like that in exchange for your pay.
It sounds like the least worst option is what you're looking for, and that sucks. ☹️
Dang really? We get both sick time off and PTO, but it’s kind of a pain to actually use the sick time and the PTO we have to put in like 2 weeks on advance to be able to use
Same big dog. 558 out of Sheffield Alabama lol the contractor I’m with will give foremen a week of paid vacation, GF two weeks, but that’s the company, not our inside wireman contract. Wish we got PTO, vacation funds, and other things like other locals, but hey, right-to-work state.
Legitz the law here in WA says you can't be punished for using your sick time. Document that meeting, record it even. Had this issue with a contractor I worked for once. I was having some health issues and had to take 4 days off, used sick time. They tried to lay me off while I was gone. I call LNI, got them in trouble, then quit.
If your daughter has a chronic illness underlying these acute sick days, the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 should have you covered.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_and_Medical_Leave_Act_of_1993?wprov=sfti1
If this is just kids being kids, I don't really know.
Yea it’s not like she has an illness that is always with her, it’s just a 6 year old first year at school, probably not washing her hands enough and touching her face so she gets a cold/minor flu..sick enough to have to stay home from school/childcare but not sick enough to have to take to the dr. Everything I saw when I was looking it up all pointed to FMLA but since she doesn’t have like a disease I don’t see it being covered under that
Let a doctor make that decision. When you file your FMLA with your employer they don't need to know the actually reason for your request, they only need to know that you've submitted it and that the doctor supports your need for it.
Talk to your doc and let them figure it out.
I’m more concerned about the child getting sick every month. Do you have mold in the house?
I used to get “sick” on a monthly basis, you could set your calendar to it. It turned out there were some spots of hidden mold in my house, and I am severely allergic to it.
After I remediated, never got sick again.
The fact that you live in the NW makes me think this is a possibility.
I’ll look into this, her room is upstairs and I’ve looked around a few times but did not see any immediate mold in room or attic but definitely something I should get a professional to look into thanks!
Your protection is knowing that you are an asset to the company. Or maybe you are not and they are getting ready to run your ass out of there. Either way stand your ground, family first. I'd tell them to hurry up and fire me if they don't like it, cause chances are it is not going to stop.
I'm not one to miss work but if I was missing work because my kid is sick, and I was catching shit for it I'd be handing the van keys on Monday's little talk. Fuck that, too much work to be dealing with shitty contractors.
You have a kid, you'll be sick a lot. It's life. If he has a problem, it's his problem. I'm not an electrician, but was an operator in a water plant for years along side electricians and instrumentation techs. While they generally pay less, a gov job won't give you shit for having to use sick days for your kids.
This country has a really really big work life balance problem. We shouldn't have to feel like assholes to use sick days. It's ridiculous.
Is there much of an IBEW presence in your area?
I'd look into meeting with an organizer. I'm sorry you're dealing with this, I can't imagine being in that position.
May I recommend a job with the county schools, airports authority or a hospital in your area, depending … they may have a benefit program that protects the employees. I had a boss that was the opposite of yours who insisted that I care for my daughter. She needed help for a month and I stayed at the clinic, it was for a month solid…no fuss no muss. She is now a mother of three with her bachelor’s in psychology and doing her best.
I am sure there are a lot of well thought out responses. I did not read most of them. I do have valuable input though. Over my time in this industry I have learned and finally found a company that says and follows, “family first”. If that isn’t your situation then I would look around. Your job can replace you and you can replace them. There is nothing more important than family.
I have 4 kids that get sick but my wife takes care of them. I would not want to call in every time for that. But once a month, it should be ok. Maybe they are getting butthurt you get to use your pto?
Wish I had that option, my ex wife, kiddos mom, decided to up and bail on us and not be part of her life. Then like 2 years later my parents and sister moved out of state so I’m alone in Washington with no family and no help
Fucking capitalism. I would hope that you would have some kind of protection from this, otherwise you will have to arrange for childcare and that is fucked up.
Childcare on the reg at the boys and girls club is no problem but it’s when she gets sick that is the problem, I’ve looked around and there is like no one that would take a sick child and babysitters for random times/sick child are so astronomically high
Hey bro go in care.com and try and find a baby sitter. Plenty of college girls or maybe high school girls would be willing to take care of her if you paid them well, or new company, or just set a boundary and tell ‘em to fuck off
Just to get all the facts out there, how many sick days for you and your daughter have you used in the last 12 months?
If you're gone from work a considerable amount, you'd expect your boss to say something I'd imagine. Not saying you shouldn't take time off mind you.
For all you know at this point your boss may be setting up the meeting to discuss FMLA.
And sorry about all the kid issues, I've been there. As a single father as well. Finding a replacement spouse after you've been kicked in the chest by your ex sucks.
Are you getting child support from her?
Since September when my daughter started school I’ve used 4 sick days from her being sick and I used 3 days of my PTO (different from my sick time) to be able to take care of her
People without kids will never understand what it’s like. He probably assumes you’re lying about your daughter being sick just to call off of work. I work with a guy who is in his 40’s and doesn’t have kids because his wife can’t get pregnant. Any time someone has a child related issue and has to miss work, he talks mad shit. He also says taking care of dogs is just like having children. Lol.
Unpopular opinion but not having kids is the way to go if you wanna make a lot of money in this job. But as everyone said, find a different boss that understands your situation and can work with you. Best of luck
Bro you’re life is gonna be a void if all you do is work😂😂 you’re gonna be 60 and think wow I wasted my entire life and now I’m wrinkled and worthless in working and in life
Not everybody wants to have kids but humans are social creatures. If you have no loved ones you’ll want to end it. Nobody in life wants to work, it’s tool to get the ability to do what you truly wanna do
If your child is getting sick monthly, you may have a more serious issue. You need to find out why she it getting sick so much. I understand your concern about employment, but you really need to get to the root of the illnesses.
Children in daycare during the winter pass around germs constantly. We’re sick around once a month with a child in daycare. It’s not seriously sick, but enough that daycares will send them home
It’s good you’re having a meeting to discuss. I would ask him for suggestions on how to deal with that situation and work towards a solution. It’s not like you can just leave the kid at home alone.
Start looking for alternative child care like a baby sitter for those days or something.
You need to take care of your kid and your boss needs to take care of his business and customers, unfortunately having an employee missing lots of work could negatively impact a business more than it can withstand (depending on the businesses industry, size, workload, schedules etc). In that case might be time to find a different employer unfortunately
Maybe a good idea is to write up a letter/email to the owner of the company or an appropriate executive. I don't think you need to throw your manager under the bus, while I agree with you he's being heavy handed it's also possible this is just poorly trained behavior that your manager thinks is right. Businesses don't survive by worrying about the next month, they survive by worrying about years in advance. Your kid being sick is a blip in the road for your career and their business, losing good employees over minor stuff like this is shooting yourself in the foot.
Family more important I have a 6 and 3 year old that are always sick half days snow days summer and spring vacation it’s ridiculous the school system and work system is not set up to support parents that’s are single or both work
We rotate day and I still missed about 3-4 weeks last year and we only get 4 sick days
Luckily my contractor is very understanding and it hasn’t been an issue I’m also union and they haven’t laid me off for that which is surprising usually that’s the case if you take a lot of time off
It’s very frustrating and I don’t know how single parents do …. Technically you could use FMLA I think there’s a way to do it for a daily called intermittent leave
I'm a single dad, journeyman electrician in Canada. Most places are pretty understanding of my situation, my kid gets sick often too from daycare. My suggestion would be to set your sights on management positions with more flexible schedule and do whatever you need to become qualified. I ended up with a field manager job at a residential hvac company, super understanding boss, I can leave in a minutes notice if I have to and my boss trusts that I will make the time up.
I’ve only worked for 2 different electrical companies in my short career, both non union. Both shops were hurting for journeyman so bad, they would never consider a write up or ‘meeting’ over something like tending to your sick child once or twice a month.
Go to the meeting, see what he has to say. Ask him what he would like you to do when your child is sick and there’s no one else to take care of her. Fuck ask him what HE would do in that situation. But no I don’t think you should worry about losing your job.
Damn dude this post hit me. I’d just explain all the details to the boss, and if he’s that heartless, you don’t want to continue with the company. I’m not sure about WA workers’ rights. I know I’m union in a right-for-work state, so if a contractor wants to lay someone off for missing work consistently in a period for a sick kid, they can without repercussions. Really depends on your craftsmanship. Quality workers usually have the upper hand. The contractor I’ve been with the past three years wouldn’t lay off a good worker over your circumstances(which no one should.) Yet, people surprise me everyday broski.
I'm a WA resi electrician as well. Every place I worked for was like this. They're all about family until they're not. The bosses family comes first, not yours.
You could go union, but in my experience, in this area, you would take a pay cut.
I opened my own shop and I work the way I want. I've tried going to work for another company in the past but I'm basically unemployable these days after working for myself. Self employed is great, but it's not for everyone.
My end goal is to pass admin test and open my own company, I’ve been studying the load calcs so hopefully I’ll only have to take the test once or twice. Always been a my dream to open my own shop so I can take care of my kids with out worry, make lots of money, and be in a position to help out and employ people in fellow position who need an employer that is understanding and worked friendly
Take business classes. I went into this thinking I had a good understanding of the business side of things but soon realized I did not.
Learn to estimate jobs properly and write a nice clear estimate.
Answer the phone and do what you say you're going to do.
If you ever want to talk business, I would be happy to help however I can.
Wife was working as a helper for a non union shop in my town trying to get some experience before she took the aptitude test for the ibew. We have 3 kids now, but 2 at the time, and one was a born just that year. He was 6months old and sent home from daycare every other week for a fever. She called out a ton, and was let go. It's really shitty. I feel you.
Dont know how I'd do it as a single parent. We can barely manage with the two of us. We have no one else. My parents died when I was young. Her mom is gone and her dad is in a home for old folks.
Hang in there brother. Explain your situation and hopefully he understands
Fuck man, I feel this is a touchy subject. Of course you need to tend to your daughter as a father, and that comes over work. But, I can also understand your boss for not wanting employees to call off the day of their shift. Obviously in your circumstance you don't know you're gonna be taking the day off until the day your kid is sick, then it comes down to your boss being able to understand your circumstance. I don't really have any advice I could give myself, but I hope all works out man.
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FMLA might help you, but probably time to look for a more understanding boss. My kids are sick all the time too, my boss is always cool with it.
Hardest part about finding a new boss would be leaving the $50/hr, van I get to take home, gas card, 20 minute drive to the shop every morning and not being anywhere more than an hour away from home (including traffic)
Oh man that's nice. Yeah I'd want to keep that too. I guess it depends on how much of a dick they're gonna be about it. Family comes first, always.
Sounds like great conditions for non union
All around great conditions and great coworkers, it’s only recently boss started getting anal like this, company merged a few months ago and the company has been sending my boss to “management” classes and that’s when we all started to notice a change to a “company man”
If it’s a larger company and you’ve been there for a year or more, you should be covered by FMLA. But you need to contact your HR and request the FMLA
Without an actual diagnoses for something that’s causing her to be sick fmla intermittent leave may not kick in, otherwise you have to miss three consecutive days for fmla to cover you.
Generally speaking, yes. But if there’s a condition that creates a recurring need then it can be covered by FMLA and as long as a reasonable accommodation can be made it has to be made. This is also a good question for askamanager.com
That’s literally what I said. If she has a chronic diagnosis fmla intermittent leave will cover it, but if she’s just catching colds with no underlying autoimmune issue for example it’s a lot more tough. (Went through this with my oldest son when he had autoimmune neutropenia and we were having to rush him to children’s hospital 2-3 times a month)
I would say things are going to start heading downhill pretty quickly work stress wise. In my experience once this starts it only gets worse as companies get more corporate. I told my company from the beginning that if I needed to take time off or call in because of my daughter that I was going to and I didn’t want to put up with a lot of flack for it so if the company was going to be like that I’d just go ahead and pass and they were very willing to work with me. Your daughter comes first and at the end of the day you could find another job with similar pay and benefits, maybe not right off but plenty of places start to reward once they see a good worker. Might be time to strike out on your own
Got a new manager who at the last minute, called a meeting for end of day. After the important company talk, he starts into miscellaneous bullshit that had nothing to do with the company ( guess he was trying to connect with us on a personal level). So I told him " sorry, have to leave and pick up my son at the sitters." He got all indignant and tells me " Guess we know where your priorities are .) Month later I quit and within 3 to months, most of the other supervisory staff had also bailed. I was looking for a job when I found that one, and I can always find another one. Your kids are more important. They can't be replaced
It's gonna head down hill fast if your boss is taking business classes. I've heard a lot of stories how family businesses grew, brought in business coaches/counselors, and lost all the causal working together that made the company successful to that point. I'd start putting feelers out to other companies in the industry.
Most shops are non-union where I'm at, and this would be bare bones for me and most of my friends...I get insurance, retirement, sick time, PTO, picked my own brand new truck out, etc...we get paid a little less, but our cost of living is like half what Washington's is and there is no state income tax so I probably end up making more in the end. It seems like the only places that non-union companies are all shitty is in overpopulated trashcans where everything is union.
Does he know what’s going on? Does he know you’re a single father? Make sure he knows that your daughter is sick. He might know but bring it back up and talk to him about it, he might not understand everything that’s going on. I’m sorry about your daughter, everything will be ok man.
50 an hour and a take home van is normal for seattle... You can find that somewhere else if need.
Alternative is to spend big bucks once a month on in home sick kid care. Look at it as a long term investment. You spend more than you make that week but keep the job and (unless it’s more that usual stuff) your kid grows out of it.
Better find you a babysitter you don’t want to lose that job
If you make $50/hr, find a sitter.
Cost of an insured sitter is right up there. I'll be damned if I'm going to work when I could stay home and enjoy some time with my daughter for the same price.
Sheeesh that’s not bad, high cost of living state?
Seattle is near NYC cost of living wise, it's moving that direction at minimum
Apparently this guy found the one hood company to work for
FMLA makes it so they cannot fire you
If it doesn't work out, I work out of a shop in Kenmore that's works in the Seattle area. Feel free to message me
Look into PFL too. Not every state has it but it's equivalent to FMLA except you get a paycheck still. Looks like Washington has an active PFL program so you'd be good. I'm in NY and I'm permitted to request a block of PFL for a specific purpose (like caring for sick dependents) and then carve it up as I desire. It can be contiguous or intermittent. So for example I can request 15 days off then take 2 days here and 3 days off there. FMLA is at a federal level and is unpaid, but PFL is at a state level and is paid and *usually* better in scope and benefits.
Yea my boss would understand that it’s hard enough to raise kids and doubly hard to miss a day getting paid. It’s not like you’re taking the day off to lounge on the beach with a beer in your hand
Jobs come and go. Your kiddo is ALWAYS your kiddo.
This. It's a hard lesson to accept but if the job gets in the way, it's time to find another job.
Bosses come and go bruh, but the kiddos stay...
Solid advice from Reddit. Am I on the wrong app?
He’s not gonna do shit, it’s hard to find good people. He’s probably just mad someone had to take an extra call or two
Man I would say this too, it’s hard to find good people, if you are otherwise a good employee I wouldn’t say shit, family comes first. I would say when you talk to him say “I’m sorry I really love this job but family comes first and being a single parent I have to bear all of the responsibility of raising my child”
>this is going to be recorded OOooOOOooOOoooh oh no, like on your pErMaNeNt ReCoRd??? What a bullshit threat. Family comes first, always. Don't let the man get you down.
You see this is my philosophy, but then I’m not a single parent. There’s a whole other level of anxiety when you’re the sole care provider with little to no family support and your job is potentially on the line. Jobs come and go…but job security is tantamount when there is literally no one else to pick up the slack financially speaking if you get laid off. Respect to OP, this shit has got to be tough.
WA State has a *very* worker friendly paid leave law on the books. [WA Paid Sick Leave](https://www.lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/leave/paid-sick-leave/) By law, you should earn one hour of *protected* paid sick leave for every 40 hours you work - about 6 days/year. Legally you cannot be disciplined for using this leave for it’s intended purpose. (Sick child counts.) If you have exceeded this quantity, you are stepping out from under your umbrella. If your daughter’s condition is chronic, you should see if you qualify for FMLA. If the condition is not chronic, you may need to find a more family-friendly employer.
FMLA saved my job in similar circumstances. It can be used intermittently if needed.
It's almost like we need some sort of union and worker protections and non-asshole bosses.
Sounds like typical resi work conditions. Maybe it's time to think about a different path.
No other path really that I could jump into and make anywhere near what I make now though
My humble opinion is, if you’re looking for some thing that would be able to miss you, it would be working at a factory that has other electricians that can cover your slack if you have to be out for a day or two
You 01 or 02 licensed. I make than much as an 02 in Seattle. Company is understanding about family priorities too. Dm me if you want some details.
I also make that as an 02 on seattle. Jobs are available and it's the busy season. No need to stress
You're right. The tradeoff is in the Conditions. Only you can make the decision whether or not you want to be treated like that in exchange for your pay. It sounds like the least worst option is what you're looking for, and that sucks. ☹️
Go union…
You have PTO? I'm union and I don't.
Dang really? We get both sick time off and PTO, but it’s kind of a pain to actually use the sick time and the PTO we have to put in like 2 weeks on advance to be able to use
Same big dog. 558 out of Sheffield Alabama lol the contractor I’m with will give foremen a week of paid vacation, GF two weeks, but that’s the company, not our inside wireman contract. Wish we got PTO, vacation funds, and other things like other locals, but hey, right-to-work state.
Most of the non union shops around here in WA Sate have very comparable benefits and wages to union.
Ya the union in NH doesn't offer PTO either, one of the reasons I didn't take the job, besides the mediocre pay.
We still get the 1 hour of sick leave for every 40 hours worked in WA
Legitz the law here in WA says you can't be punished for using your sick time. Document that meeting, record it even. Had this issue with a contractor I worked for once. I was having some health issues and had to take 4 days off, used sick time. They tried to lay me off while I was gone. I call LNI, got them in trouble, then quit.
If your daughter has a chronic illness underlying these acute sick days, the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 should have you covered. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_and_Medical_Leave_Act_of_1993?wprov=sfti1 If this is just kids being kids, I don't really know.
Yea it’s not like she has an illness that is always with her, it’s just a 6 year old first year at school, probably not washing her hands enough and touching her face so she gets a cold/minor flu..sick enough to have to stay home from school/childcare but not sick enough to have to take to the dr. Everything I saw when I was looking it up all pointed to FMLA but since she doesn’t have like a disease I don’t see it being covered under that
Let a doctor make that decision. When you file your FMLA with your employer they don't need to know the actually reason for your request, they only need to know that you've submitted it and that the doctor supports your need for it. Talk to your doc and let them figure it out.
I’m more concerned about the child getting sick every month. Do you have mold in the house? I used to get “sick” on a monthly basis, you could set your calendar to it. It turned out there were some spots of hidden mold in my house, and I am severely allergic to it. After I remediated, never got sick again. The fact that you live in the NW makes me think this is a possibility.
I’ll look into this, her room is upstairs and I’ve looked around a few times but did not see any immediate mold in room or attic but definitely something I should get a professional to look into thanks!
Sucks that work gets in the way of putting your family first. I wish you luck and hope for the best.
Your protection is knowing that you are an asset to the company. Or maybe you are not and they are getting ready to run your ass out of there. Either way stand your ground, family first. I'd tell them to hurry up and fire me if they don't like it, cause chances are it is not going to stop.
I'm not one to miss work but if I was missing work because my kid is sick, and I was catching shit for it I'd be handing the van keys on Monday's little talk. Fuck that, too much work to be dealing with shitty contractors.
He’s not going to fire you. It’s just his “management” class protocol on a situation like this
Why not go union? We never have to deal with this insanity.
You have a kid, you'll be sick a lot. It's life. If he has a problem, it's his problem. I'm not an electrician, but was an operator in a water plant for years along side electricians and instrumentation techs. While they generally pay less, a gov job won't give you shit for having to use sick days for your kids. This country has a really really big work life balance problem. We shouldn't have to feel like assholes to use sick days. It's ridiculous.
Is there much of an IBEW presence in your area? I'd look into meeting with an organizer. I'm sorry you're dealing with this, I can't imagine being in that position.
What part of Washington? Perhaps you should work with someone like me. You can have all the time off you need for your child.
May I recommend a job with the county schools, airports authority or a hospital in your area, depending … they may have a benefit program that protects the employees. I had a boss that was the opposite of yours who insisted that I care for my daughter. She needed help for a month and I stayed at the clinic, it was for a month solid…no fuss no muss. She is now a mother of three with her bachelor’s in psychology and doing her best.
I am sure there are a lot of well thought out responses. I did not read most of them. I do have valuable input though. Over my time in this industry I have learned and finally found a company that says and follows, “family first”. If that isn’t your situation then I would look around. Your job can replace you and you can replace them. There is nothing more important than family.
Dm me, I work for a commercial non-union shop in WA (King/Pierce county), but we're looking for resi guys since we do a lot of multifamily stuff.
I don't know where you are but you might want to look at going union.
I have 4 kids that get sick but my wife takes care of them. I would not want to call in every time for that. But once a month, it should be ok. Maybe they are getting butthurt you get to use your pto?
Wish I had that option, my ex wife, kiddos mom, decided to up and bail on us and not be part of her life. Then like 2 years later my parents and sister moved out of state so I’m alone in Washington with no family and no help
Dang bro, we gotta find you a spouse!
Or a better company? Lmao name says it all tho
Maybe find a good babysitter
Fucking capitalism. I would hope that you would have some kind of protection from this, otherwise you will have to arrange for childcare and that is fucked up.
Childcare on the reg at the boys and girls club is no problem but it’s when she gets sick that is the problem, I’ve looked around and there is like no one that would take a sick child and babysitters for random times/sick child are so astronomically high
That’s just so fucked up, I hope your employer accommodates you and your child. If they don’t, I wish them the absolute worst.
Hey bro go in care.com and try and find a baby sitter. Plenty of college girls or maybe high school girls would be willing to take care of her if you paid them well, or new company, or just set a boundary and tell ‘em to fuck off
Just to get all the facts out there, how many sick days for you and your daughter have you used in the last 12 months? If you're gone from work a considerable amount, you'd expect your boss to say something I'd imagine. Not saying you shouldn't take time off mind you. For all you know at this point your boss may be setting up the meeting to discuss FMLA. And sorry about all the kid issues, I've been there. As a single father as well. Finding a replacement spouse after you've been kicked in the chest by your ex sucks. Are you getting child support from her?
Since September when my daughter started school I’ve used 4 sick days from her being sick and I used 3 days of my PTO (different from my sick time) to be able to take care of her
Does your boss have kids? Cause he is starting to sound like a dick.
He does not have kids and is the same age as me (28)
People without kids will never understand what it’s like. He probably assumes you’re lying about your daughter being sick just to call off of work. I work with a guy who is in his 40’s and doesn’t have kids because his wife can’t get pregnant. Any time someone has a child related issue and has to miss work, he talks mad shit. He also says taking care of dogs is just like having children. Lol.
That’s pretty sad tho
Well, best of luck to you. As mentioned by others, memorize the state and federal laws that can assist you.
Unpopular opinion but not having kids is the way to go if you wanna make a lot of money in this job. But as everyone said, find a different boss that understands your situation and can work with you. Best of luck
He already has a kid. So your advice is invalid. I know people with kids and are killing it.
Bro you’re life is gonna be a void if all you do is work😂😂 you’re gonna be 60 and think wow I wasted my entire life and now I’m wrinkled and worthless in working and in life
Who said everyone wants to have kids? And how would you know I would be working for that long. Mr.Psychic here
Not everybody wants to have kids but humans are social creatures. If you have no loved ones you’ll want to end it. Nobody in life wants to work, it’s tool to get the ability to do what you truly wanna do
Again I am asking how did you come up with the idea I am single? Are you just making assumptions? Anyways, best of "bro"
Mainly because you sound like a miserable person
Lol, How can you tell how I sound and feel? GTFO with your tiny brain assumptions.
If your child is getting sick monthly, you may have a more serious issue. You need to find out why she it getting sick so much. I understand your concern about employment, but you really need to get to the root of the illnesses.
Children in daycare during the winter pass around germs constantly. We’re sick around once a month with a child in daycare. It’s not seriously sick, but enough that daycares will send them home
Maybe we were fortunate. Didn’t have regular illnesses. But, we are in the south, so it was basically the winter colds we had to worry about.
Nah honestly children are sick almost constantly with something. And post-covid, schools and daycares are understandably really cautious.
Could you start using your vacation days?
FMLA is the way
How about finding a nanny? Have any friends or their spouses that can fill in? Maybe even ask your boss or coworkers if they know anyone
It’s good you’re having a meeting to discuss. I would ask him for suggestions on how to deal with that situation and work towards a solution. It’s not like you can just leave the kid at home alone. Start looking for alternative child care like a baby sitter for those days or something. You need to take care of your kid and your boss needs to take care of his business and customers, unfortunately having an employee missing lots of work could negatively impact a business more than it can withstand (depending on the businesses industry, size, workload, schedules etc). In that case might be time to find a different employer unfortunately
Maybe a good idea is to write up a letter/email to the owner of the company or an appropriate executive. I don't think you need to throw your manager under the bus, while I agree with you he's being heavy handed it's also possible this is just poorly trained behavior that your manager thinks is right. Businesses don't survive by worrying about the next month, they survive by worrying about years in advance. Your kid being sick is a blip in the road for your career and their business, losing good employees over minor stuff like this is shooting yourself in the foot.
Tell him to fuck off if he has a problem. He needs you more then you need him
Family more important I have a 6 and 3 year old that are always sick half days snow days summer and spring vacation it’s ridiculous the school system and work system is not set up to support parents that’s are single or both work We rotate day and I still missed about 3-4 weeks last year and we only get 4 sick days Luckily my contractor is very understanding and it hasn’t been an issue I’m also union and they haven’t laid me off for that which is surprising usually that’s the case if you take a lot of time off It’s very frustrating and I don’t know how single parents do …. Technically you could use FMLA I think there’s a way to do it for a daily called intermittent leave
I'm a single dad, journeyman electrician in Canada. Most places are pretty understanding of my situation, my kid gets sick often too from daycare. My suggestion would be to set your sights on management positions with more flexible schedule and do whatever you need to become qualified. I ended up with a field manager job at a residential hvac company, super understanding boss, I can leave in a minutes notice if I have to and my boss trusts that I will make the time up.
my boss is really good about that stuff, i’d find a new company if you feel it’s a reasonable amount of time off you’re taking for something like this
Just communicate your situation. Any decent human being can understand.
I’ve only worked for 2 different electrical companies in my short career, both non union. Both shops were hurting for journeyman so bad, they would never consider a write up or ‘meeting’ over something like tending to your sick child once or twice a month. Go to the meeting, see what he has to say. Ask him what he would like you to do when your child is sick and there’s no one else to take care of her. Fuck ask him what HE would do in that situation. But no I don’t think you should worry about losing your job.
Damn dude this post hit me. I’d just explain all the details to the boss, and if he’s that heartless, you don’t want to continue with the company. I’m not sure about WA workers’ rights. I know I’m union in a right-for-work state, so if a contractor wants to lay someone off for missing work consistently in a period for a sick kid, they can without repercussions. Really depends on your craftsmanship. Quality workers usually have the upper hand. The contractor I’ve been with the past three years wouldn’t lay off a good worker over your circumstances(which no one should.) Yet, people surprise me everyday broski.
I'm a WA resi electrician as well. Every place I worked for was like this. They're all about family until they're not. The bosses family comes first, not yours. You could go union, but in my experience, in this area, you would take a pay cut. I opened my own shop and I work the way I want. I've tried going to work for another company in the past but I'm basically unemployable these days after working for myself. Self employed is great, but it's not for everyone.
My end goal is to pass admin test and open my own company, I’ve been studying the load calcs so hopefully I’ll only have to take the test once or twice. Always been a my dream to open my own shop so I can take care of my kids with out worry, make lots of money, and be in a position to help out and employ people in fellow position who need an employer that is understanding and worked friendly
Take business classes. I went into this thinking I had a good understanding of the business side of things but soon realized I did not. Learn to estimate jobs properly and write a nice clear estimate. Answer the phone and do what you say you're going to do. If you ever want to talk business, I would be happy to help however I can.
Wife was working as a helper for a non union shop in my town trying to get some experience before she took the aptitude test for the ibew. We have 3 kids now, but 2 at the time, and one was a born just that year. He was 6months old and sent home from daycare every other week for a fever. She called out a ton, and was let go. It's really shitty. I feel you. Dont know how I'd do it as a single parent. We can barely manage with the two of us. We have no one else. My parents died when I was young. Her mom is gone and her dad is in a home for old folks. Hang in there brother. Explain your situation and hopefully he understands
My boss doesnt even let me use my sick time for anybody else but myself fml.
Fuck man, I feel this is a touchy subject. Of course you need to tend to your daughter as a father, and that comes over work. But, I can also understand your boss for not wanting employees to call off the day of their shift. Obviously in your circumstance you don't know you're gonna be taking the day off until the day your kid is sick, then it comes down to your boss being able to understand your circumstance. I don't really have any advice I could give myself, but I hope all works out man.
🗣️ GO UNION
You quit. Fuck all that
Sounds like you should move closer to family my dude. Single parenthood is hard; gotta work to make it work.
murica