in trouble over my hours.. (long one)

[AllThumbs]

hi ladies... sorry i've been gone for so long, i've been so busy.
Feel free to move this if its in a bad spot, but I really need your opinions on my situation!

Ok...so i get to work today and i get a royal butt chewing from our acting manager while the owner is out on sick leave.
I started at this salon back in October, moonlighting while my other salon job weathered the winter so I could make extra income. Well business has been booming and things were doing fine until I returned to school on Jan 15th. I've been in college for 3 years. the first 2 i was in a medical program that has not really benifited me since i graduated but i wanted to finish the degree. Well i started in the fall on my small business management degree and plan to go on to my 4 year degree in this. I think this is a very important thing considering it will benifit me busness wise. I dont need a business degree to own and run a business but i feel like it prepares me to do it well.

so boss lady knows i'm in college and she hires me anyway. They begged me for almost 3 months to come to work for them. literally the manager texting me weekly, come work come work. so i gave in. So by xmas i was slammed making good checks and of course it slows down in january for everyone. Come mid january my classes started back. I took 3 online and the 4th one i had no choice but to do on campus because its only offered on campus and its 2 days a week.

So that put me getting to work at 12. alot of my clients work til 5 so I extended my hours and i've been busting hump working til 7 every night for this boss since october. so boss is out sick and i get a text from manager saying some things are bad and need to change.
When i get to work she starts in on this big spill about how i need to devote more time to work, how they are only trying to help build my book, its all about me blah blah blah (but humans are selfish and its never all about the other person) long story and a screaming arguement later, i got the ultimatum of quit school or quit work.... everything in me wants to pack my stuff and leave today, but i love my clients and most will have no choice but to follow because i'm the only tech in the city, but i don't feel that its right to dump the remains of this on them. manager told me a can't book past 6, but then i loose clients.

I can't come in any earlier because i'll fail school. I'm in a loose loose situation. i've given this boss everything and its still not good enough. I refuse to quit school, but i can't afford booth rent with her, and why would i stay when they dont understand me and vibe with me. but if i go back to my first job then i'm stuck in a assembly line asian salon where they don't want me to have my own clients... i'm so lost and scared for my financial future... ideas?

 

[loubylou]

I would guess that the actual owner knows nothing about this,
could you contact the owner and explain the impossible situation the acting manager has put you in.

 

[persianista]

There has to be a compromise somewhere in this situation.
I only have one little concern, and I may be reading your situation wrongly(it was a little difficult to follow) it does appear a little bit that it has to be all that YOU want. I may be judging you harshly here, and I don't know the other side of the story.
Your business degree will serve you well, but this is a service industry where sometimes we don't have it to suit us.
Try and think calmly about this argument from BOTH sides, then figure out what outcome you would like.
Once it is clear in your own mind, you will find it easier to resolve.

 

[AllThumbs]

i thought about that too but she just came out of surgery and i'm not sure if dumping all this on her at one time is a good idea or not. she's only been home 1 day. I feel that the owner is an awesome fabulous woman but she's spineless if she can't even tell me this stuff herself. The acting manager is a total b*tch that i've worked with before. I know she's underhanded and back stabbing but i don't see how my work is affecting her work? she's a hair stylist. I even asked her "what do you think i should do" and she said "i don't know but you have to do something" I told her, "i've given you all i can give you, i can't not go to school." She even had a list of things she said was from the owner that she wanted to discuss with me. But if there is a problem then why wait until the owner is sick to start discussing it?

 

[AllThumbs]

persianista...i'm not sure i follow what you mean. I would love to be here and be able to work in this salon. I'm not sure where the compromise is. My other salon doesn't flinch if i have to take a test at school and need to be an hour behind. especially if there are no clients books. I understand that i do have to be here to make money, but they don't understand that I can't create more hours in the day for them. as it is i onloy see my son 2 hours a day. I've been working with a severe staph infection in my arm pit because i can't get time off to go to the dr. they are killing me literally.

 

[persianista]

It does sound like 2 jobs and a college course is maybe too much? Especially if you are trying to work whilst unwell.

 

[AllThumbs]

ok i follow you now. yes it is hard. My plan was to transition to this salon and quit the old one once my book was built up. Boss knows about the whole plan and was encouraging me in this. She's spent hundreds up into thousands revamping a room and building and plumbing for me to work here. the only reason i didn't quit cold turkey at the other salon is i am the only job in my family. I have worked in single tech salons before and starved to death but i thrive in the asian salons. I was afraid to leave my family hurting if i couldn't build business here.

 

[FlawlessBeauty]

Why don't you just explain to the manager that you would feel more comfortable dealing with the owner directly and since she is in contact with her she can pass on the message.

If it comes down to it, perhaps you could work from home or go mobile? If you are the only tech around, they will probably back down.

Are you sure this is coming from the owner?

 

[AllThumbs]

well after work tonight i called the owner. I straight up asked her, "Do you want me to show up monday" i told her that the manager and i got into it. I said that we both handled the situation badly and that i took the manager as saying "quit school or quit work" owner said yes she wants me to work there and to come in monday and she'll come and we'll all discuss it. So i'm giving it another shot. I do feel that i reacted badly toward the manager but i''m not the only one at fault.
i'm hoping i can play that card kayliegh. i am the only nail tech within a 20 mile radius, i really want to stay at this shop but not if i have to answer to a manager like this one.

 

[nailzoo]

Can you please try using paragraphs so what you are talking about is easier to understand?

I really want to know what's going on, but one thing runs into another and it's quite confusing.

Or I will give you my advice all written in yellow and a smaller font size so you can see how difficult it is to read

 

[honeycure]

Well reading your other posts, I guess you're gonna talk to her again right?

Honestly, I think I'd stick to my word. You're the only tech in the area, so they need you right? You can make it clear that your school is just as important as your job, and that you decided to work there because you thought there was an understanding about that. If she can't understand that, you can tell her that you won't be able to stay there.

Also, if your clients love you, I'm sure they'll follow you

 

[Martin Duffy]

So as to avoid what happened before, whatever you do, don't go in on the defensive. Don't assume what the manager/owner wants, let them explain, calmly consider it, and if you feel yourself getting annoyed then ask for time to think it over.

 

[AllThumbs]

i'm sorry zoo. I will do better next time. Long story short i was told i needed to devote more time to work and quit college. then got in a fight with the manager about it. Owner didn't know about what she told me. What the owner asked her to discuss with me was not what she discussed. i felt threatened and considered quiting.

oh btw i showed your nail site to my hubby he thinks its awesome! everyone thinks he's weird cause he's a guy and wants to do nails.

 

[FlawlessBeauty]

Haven't they heard of Samuel Sweet? Tell him to go for it.

So are you staying at your salon then?

 

[MrsMeea]

Hello.
would it not help if you quit the other job now as you plan to anyway? I know you'll have less money for a while but you need to take a chance. A few more hours in the salon will help build your client list and keep the managers happy that you're there more hours per week. Also if I were you I would lease the room n that way you can deal with your own hours n clients-I think down the line this would end up more profitable for you?
Maria

 

[AllThumbs]

maria, in essence yes it would help make the manager happy, but i'm scared to go alone because i've never made it alone. In 7 years the only time i do well is in the asian salon. I've been there 4 years and its hard to let go of those huge paychecks that i know are coming.
she won't let me lease because she wants to buy all the product. I've already asked her twice.

 

[Lynne Baker]

With respect, nobody's indispensable - twenty mile radius or not.

 

[gillian w]

I think you are the sort of person that will only be happy running their own business,time etc why not do that.If you are good at what you do go for it and then you don't have to worry about everyone else.

 

[leanne]

Sounds to me that you are extremely hardworking! i think i would start up on my own mobile. if you work as hard for yourself as you do for everyone else you will do well.
I have worked for people that want the world but it does seem that the manager is supportive of you and that it is the deputy manager that is not happy with you for some reason.
I would stay calm, let them speak and then take a deep breath and simply say to whatever they say that you will take on their comments and get back to them.. that way you are getting all the info from them and it gives you time to disect what they want without getting upset.

Good luck, i wish you well.

Leanne.