APN’S WORST JOB EXPERIENCES

ShAri Heter

Staff Writer

I have worked telephone and in-person customer service, but there is something to be said for how emboldened not having to look the person you’re yelling at in the face can make someone. That said, I had this job in a call center that was not only bad because the work was mentally stressful, but also because the owner had some interesting ideas on how to run things. No one worked less than 10-hour shifts, and there were no lunch breaks. There were two days a week that I worked from 7a.m. to 10p.m. with only three 15-minute breaks allowed the entire shift. My favorite incident was this time the owner was using the interoffice chat to message his assistant and complain about an employee. He accidentally sent the message to the employee he was talking badly about which included some cruel jokes about her appearance. After that happened, it was clear this woman was uncomfortable with the owner. The exact words he used were “She doesn’t like me; she has to go.” So, this man spoke cruelly about an employee, accidentally sent the message to her, and when she was rightfully upset, he built a case against her and fired her. It was a low-paying, stressful job, made even worse by an awful boss. 

Rosemarie jacob

Editor

The worst job I had was technically a volunteer position. I was a Sunday school teacher at my church, and it was something I enjoyed for a while. I love teaching and interacting with children, and the sixth graders I worked with were at a fun age. However, after the pandemic, I could sense a shift in the behavioral landscape. There was a particular year where the kids were rude to me, to my co-teacher, and quite frankly, very rude to each other. We had bullying issues, as well as just an overall lack of discipline in the classroom. It was difficult on its own, but combined with the number of responsibilities that were heaped on myself and my co-teacher for other church activities, it just felt more like a full-time job rather than a weekly volunteer opportunity. That ended up being my last year teaching, and I do not go to church anymore.

Abigail Passafiume

Editor

The worst job I had was when I worked at a popular waterfront restaurant, with a beautiful dock and view of the Long Island Sound. One busy Saturday night, my manager pulled me aside and told me I was on raccoon duty for the next hour. On the corner of the building were a few bushes and a gutter, in the gutter was a family of four raccoons. The raccoons would occasionally poke their heads out to stare at a customer and eventually got bold enough to run and steal french fries that had dropped on the floor. My manager hands me a spray bottle full of water and tells me to spray the raccoons whenever they poke their heads out. Obviously, I thought this was a joke and laughed. Unfortunately, she wasn’t kidding. I stood at the corner of the building for the next hour while my manager took my tables and sprayed the raccoons whenever I saw them. They would occasionally hiss and claw the air in response to the water. I felt horrible for the raccoons and was also scared they were going to attack me. That night I told my manager I am not comfortable being on raccoon duty and would rather stick to serving drinks.