Toxic Work Enviroment

[Barbisi]

The stopgap job that Zombie13 gratefully started in November 2025 has denigrated into an awful, and toxic work environment where every medical outage including those outside the so-called "core work hours" of 10am- 3pm are highly analyzed and dissected, even when he explains these are vital and potentially serious tests, bloodwork orders, CT scans, and ultrasounds and necessary new provider visits and consultations.
I am dealing with multiple issues on different health fronts, such as kidneys, liver, a possible hernia, and even an eye freckle concern! Some I can tackle on my own (like the eye doctor follow-up because my driving won't be impaired and the office is in Issaaquah where we live), but most require lengthy drives to forbidding diagnostic centers and fasting which requires support from my husband as my advocate.
His anal retentive and nosy manager is questioning every absence, wondering why I need "so many visits, etc."
This close monitoring of Zombie's every move has prompted him to abandon all chiropractic and not establish care with a new PCP, because it would likely cause him to be away from the vital job during the critical 10am -3pm core hours, since doctor visits seldom align with restrictive appointment times that this boss would approve. He always makes up any missed hours ahead of the scheduled outage or afterwards, but this little "runt"(his words) seems to be singling him out for medical absences, while other come to work habitually late or leave early with this bosses' knowledge.
Now, they are even pressuring him to work (at least) one week in Tijuana, Mexico, a Category 4 crime spot, without a corporate CC, which better firms routinely offer all employees. They are expecting him to apparently pay his own way for airfare, food and lodging and maybe later they would reimburse him the cost of the work trip! Of course, given the sketchy nature and potential dangers of this high alert area and my still to be scheduled procedures, he is going to decline. He can support the antenna racks on the internet and by phone if need be. No reason to risk his life for a lower paying job with bare minimum PTO, and static pay with no merit increases.
This company clearly does not value his well-being and safety! To them he is a human machine to be discarded when he is of no more use to them.
Thank you for reading this frustrated rant everyone.
Yes, he is looking for other positions, but in light of the worst tech job market in many years, he will probably have to look for some time to come!!!
Your thoughts, justbroke , Carmella , shipo , and anyone else who wants to offer constructive support or advise!

[justbroke]

That's a lot to deal with. It reads as though Zombie is trying to balance keeping the job and not rocking the boat. I left a job when I had a manager who was just not nice. I "retaliated" by resigning and leaving them in a bad position. My manager's boss, a division manager, begged me to stay for several weeks to transition; I obliged him because I respected the division manager. I sent my message loud and clear that I can't work with that manager. I didn't have a backup job. It was terrifying for me.

I do understand why some employers are tough on absences. A friend works for Walmart as a supervisor, and has for years. My friend has lots of flexibility to deal with children, but all changed in the last 6 months. Walmart has become much tougher on absences and questioning everything, even when her child breaks her foot. That's for a person with 25 years with. Walmart at the same store. This new trend to be tougher on absences is likely because the job market is allowing the employers to be more selective.

Best wishes to you both.

[shipo]

Ugh, this situation is no bueno. I have no advice other than to register a complaint with HR. Good luck.

[Barbisi]

Thank you both for your replies!
Today is Good Friday which is a paid holiday for many companies. Naturally not for this stingy assembly -line like company.
At present, the only goal is to get the rest of these diagnostic procedures done before they might lay him off because of perceived "attendance issues."
The worst-case scenario is a cancer diagnosis for either of us because lifesaving medical intervention is just not something they compehend or support.
He began working for them with a hacking virus, one which he could not take any time off from work for or work from home and they even complained when he went to urgent care where he was told to go home and rest! (They wouldn't even prescribe meds to ease his long hours on site at the stressful job.)
justbroke, I think you understand perfectly where Zombie13 has landed with this stopgap position, but unlike you, he can't simply quit. He will either be laid off (not the superior option) or he will have to find a comparable paying job with better work/life balance (far preferable).
As I understand, he can't be fired just for accompanying me to CT scans, fibro scans, etc. This is where I believe a Family Leave Law takes effect which allows an employee paid leave to take care of themself or a family member.
He already had to take a day of unpaid leave right before Thanksgiving, so I could get a fully paid for cortisone shot (using the old Premera Cobra insurance.) The current insurance didn't take effect until Dec. 1.
I don't foresee how HR would intervene unless this "boss" would expressly order Zombie not to leave to help me out and act as my advocate during CT scans, Fibro scans, etc. or office consultations to discuss findings, treatment options or surgeries.
But we shall see...........

[shipo]

Barbisi, if Zombie13 is getting any kind of flack or pushback from management, HR absolutely has every right, in fact every responsibility to intervene. If he gets no satisfaction, contact an attorney and threaten an age discrimination law suit.

[shipo]

Barbisi, regarding the cancer thing; I got diagnosed with Stage IVa (initially IVb) prostate cancer in October of 2023; since then I have worked for three companies and been on four different healthcare plans, and other than needing to redo my $3,500 deductible mid-way through 2025, I have been fortunate enough to not have any flack directed toward me for doctor visits or the cost of my meds (over $16,000 per month). It is crazy how many companies out there are really toxic, and by the same token, how many are pretty darn good.

[Barbisi]

shipo thank you for the second reply! I think it best not to involve HR just yet because things hopefully won't end up equaling my half empty glass fears of the worst-case scenario.
It may be after getting these procedures scheduled and done, I may not need much follow-up care. If, however, something more sinister or even potentially deadly is found, then of course HR will have to intervene if this young jerk continues to question Zombie's right to help me through any upcoming treatments or surgeries. I really appreciate all your feedback all these years in and out of BK13!
justbroke , I am so sorry to learn of your cancer diagnosis! Thank you for always replying to all of us BK survivors and newbies through all our ups and downs! I hope you are doing much better and that you are cancer free now.
Yes, keeping insurance and an income must be our dual #1 priorities. This is not minimizing the very real need to find a more rewarding job with better work/life standards, higher pay and more PTO each year.

[Carmella]

Barbisi Zombie13 I saw your other post before this one so now I understand the situation better.

Some managers are just not good managers or in many ways not good people.

And some companies/policies are terrible. Talk about PTO on my current job you can earn up to 6 days off during your first year. The policy book is hilarious because it says PTO is a benefit because the company knows how important your time off from work is--a whole 6 days that you have to earn over the course of a year when we work in health care and are going to get sick. But in the post pandemic time they are back to not caring if you are sick and even encourage you to work sick or indirectly to work because you have no pay/PTO if you get sick. As the policy goes on it talks about the PAID holidays they have. Here's the catch the only holidays you have are the holidays you work and you will be paid time and a half, but they have no holidays otherwise so if you take off it's your PTO time. Obviously, you can't take the holiday off because you haven't earned enough time. Luckily I earned time for Christmas last year. Meanwhile reading the policy that there are no holidays (paid) unless you work while looking at the same paragraph a few lines earlier where the company says the know how important you time off of work is! And then the next sentences say that PTO is a benefit for when you are WORKING so when you resign from the company you do not have access to your PTO because it's a benefit of WORKING (and yes they emphasis the working in their policy book. In my state there is no required PTO pay out which is why I try not to save up too much PTO, not that there is much to save on this job. The second year on the job you can earn 96 hours.

On the job I hope to be starting soon you earn up to 176 hours during 0-5 yrs with the company.

Health care. On my current job the health care is not great, it's market place products which fortunately for me as the only one on the policy I only pay about $200 a month towards the premium, but the insurance is so limiting I had to drop my doctor of 30 yrs. I actually didn't formally drop him and since my prescriptions were on file with the pharmacy I haven't run out, but soon will. The doctors on the current plan are with different hospital systems and take about 4 months to get an appointment and rely more on nurse practitioners than doctors. Hopefully, I get the new job and then I will have traditional health insurance and be able to go to the doctor and hospital system I have used for about 30 yrs. I did have a brief stint with another doctor with a job change several years back.

And about managers...my husband's manager is a real piece of work. My husband's sister passed away. We were not very close due to issues with substance abuse/alcohol abuse which is ultimately what she died from, but that's beside the point because she is still his sister and we were going to the funeral, etc. His manager told him he could only take a bereavement day for the day his sister died. This is totally insane since no one is going to know exactly when anyone will die! my husband is in a union so the policy was clear 3 days off paid. The funeral was on a day my husband is usually scheduled off so the manager wasn't going to give him any time off. Meanwhile my job with the Crappy PTO was giving me 3 days off... He had to call the union and then his manager was mad. The higher up manager got on his manager's case and said to give him 3 days off. But the manager still dragged his feet. The funeral was only one day, but still he had 3 days off (paid). The assistant manager was able to help my husband schedule the days off and the manager wasn't happy about it. I don't know why some people are such jerks about stuff.

Whew this is getting long here. I haven't logged on because I have a new laptop and just located my password so I could log on here today.

I hope Zombie13 will eventually find a better fitting job. I always have kept my eye open for jobs and right now my field is horrendous and most jobs are part time or prn (as needed, no guaranteed hours). I had been thinking of trying to find a part time job with health care benefits and picking up prn to fill in the rest of the hours . I need health insurance, my husband is retirement age and wants to retire within the next year or so. The opportunity I have now just kind of came out of no where, not expected at all. The last few months have been tough because the work place is bad, policies are bad, patient care is bad. We have no authority to fix it and get false promises and false hope that it will get better and meanwhile the job market keeps us stuck...it is to the point a few of us have thought picking up part time at Starbucks because they offer insurance for part time and then supplement our income with the prn work in the afternoon. How mixed up is this health care workers can't get any insurance part time at most jobs, but Starbucks will give health insurance!