six red flags that made me quit my job!

OMG, I QUIT MY JOB!!!!

I’m in complete shock on how liberating this feels!!

I recently started a new job in the tech world as a Social Media Marketing Manager, for a startup. For the past year I’ve been confused on where I would like my life to go. Working for an airline makes you rich in experiences and working at a desk makes you rich in your wallet. What’s a happy medium? Becoming a flight attendant or hustling to monetize this blog (tell your friends). I applied for flight attendant, went to Atlanta for my interview, and I was hired on the spot! I cried, I don’t know if it was because I was tired from a six hour interview process, running on 4 hours of sleep or because my life was about to change. I personally wasn’t ready to let go of my degree in the sense of working on creative projects as a career, and I respectfully declined the flight attendant position. Then, what seemed like a miracle, I was hired by a start up. I thought this was my chance to start making real moves, while keeping my airline job on the side. Boy, was I glad I never decided to leave Delta!

RED FLAG #1: Salary VS Hourly. During the interview I was told this was a salary position. Makes perfect sense, since social media never shuts off. The day I was hired, I was told that I would actually need to clock in and out.. 9 to 6pm. Flexibility of coming and going was not an option. When I asked what the best method of tracking hours were for weekend work, since I was told to clock in and out, I was told there wasn’t any. In her mind I needed to train as if I was an athlete, constantly working. I was shocked and stated, I don’t work for free. At that point of the converstation, ALL OF A SUDDEN, I was told I was salary and not hourly, but that this was a non flexible salary job… the fact that I have a time card to punch in and out, says otherwise.

RED FLAG #2: Forced lunches. It was “highly encouraged” that we all take lunch together from 12-1pm and no, lunch was not provided. So at 12, everyone clocks out and clocks back in at 1. We all sit in the dining area and chat. If you weren’t hungry and wanted to keep working, the owner would call you over and say “hey! it’s lunch time, come and eat.” 

RED FLAG #3: Catfished. The position that was posted on Indeed, that I applied for, that I interviewed for, that I was hired for.. Changed. The title went from social media manager to marketing associate. My responsibilities were the same, handling all the social media KPI’s, content and editorial calendars, along with the blog and photoshoots. Many people came in for interviews for the role of a “creative director”, but we (the team) were told this would not be a real title. This person would be an equal to the marketing associate team but this was never mentioned to the interviewee during a group interview.

RED FLAG #4: ZERO management. The owner let go / removed all management. In a span of two weeks I witnessed two people leave the company. Her plan was to be the only point of contact. Creating zero growth unless you leave the company. I would always be a marketing associate or forced move on to another company. By not having other managers, this created a space with one type of management. Which mainly included her getting upset when something didn’t turn out to her liking or belittling her team. She also refused to set deadlines, but also wanted everything ASAP. The team never had a clear direction of what should be set at a higher priority because everyday was different.. it fucking sucked!

RED FLAG #5: Marital arguments. All the damn time with her and the husband, who is the COO. During staff meetings, there was always an arguments between them two, that always made everyone feel so awkward! One argument that lasted 15 minutes was about her wanting to use social media bots and him (agreeing with us) telling her we shouldn’t. It got to the point we had to excuse ourselves out of there.

RED FLAG #6: Forced to work on Saturdays during November and December. I got out of there before this became an issue for me but stories from my coworkers made it seem like hell. One friend had to cancel her flight and lose out on the money spent for her birthday trip because she was forced to work on the weekend. Like WTF!?

THE FINAL STRAW:

I finally agreed to let the flexibility of a salary job go and agreed to come and go 9-6. It was around 5:30pm when I asked the owner if she wanted to look at the final product of the editorial calendar for IG. My colleague and I sat with her and all she did was get upset about how this is not what she wants, she wanted a layers of extra steps, that to be honest, aren’t needed for IG. We said okay, we’ll go back and reassemble. By this time it was 6pm, my colleague and I chatted quickly on what to do and it should be exactly what she wants. As I started to gather my things and she yelled from her desk, “Are we not going to have a second meeting!?” I said, “Well it’s passed six and I have to get home to make dinner.” She looked as if I was leaving for a month to travel the world and said “No, you wanted a deadline, so it’s due now!” I then reminded her that we agreed that this was a non-flexible salary job, I come in at nine and leave at six, anything else that needs to be done, I’ll do at home. She FLIPPED and yelled for me to sit down and shut the door to her office. I laughed and asked her why there any room in her head to think it was okay to speak to anyone like that. I said no, and told her again that I am going home to eat dinner with my boyfriend and I’ll work on the calendar later that evening. She tried to intimidate me by saying, “well I guess this isn’t working out” and I said okay if that’s what you think and I packed up my pens and post-it’s.

I walked out feeling so alive and liberated! I never quit a job nor have a worked in such a hostile environment. My colleagues sent me a text, completely in shock that I quit. They agreed with my reasoning and what made me sad was each one separately said something along the lines of, “I just got used to it”.. No No No, never get used to horrible treatment, never get used to being taken advantage of and always listen to you instincts! I’m so happy that I listened to my gut and didn’t quit Delta when I thought I was ready too. What’s next? I have a few interviews lined up and Delta is hiring more flight attendants, so who knows! I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason and everything always works out, so here’s to another adventure!