Covering shifts and arriving on time is just part of the game when it comes to working in retail. However, one TikToker’s video about her boundaries at work, which led her to refuse to cover a co-worker’s shift when they were 20 minutes late, has resonated with viewers.
In the video that has been watched over 260,000 times, Gabi (@bishitme_ )shares her story of being asked to stay longer at work to cover a co-worker’s tardiness.
“Y’all, I am irked. I am irritated, I left work shaking today,” she says in the video. “I am a store lead at a retail food establishment here in L.A. I am also 29 so I have been in this game for a little bit, and I say that because I am going to work the hours that I’m scheduled and nothing more unless a previous agreement has been made. I’m here to get a paycheck. I’m here to clock in and clock out. I’m not here to go above and beyond, I’m sorry.”
@bishitme_ im sick if these employers man! Its getting so old #retail #storytime #workdrama #badmanager #DanceWithTurboTax #retailhell #la #hollywood #workstories ♬ original sound – gabi🙃
When a co-worker was late getting to work, Gabi says they asked her to remain at the store after she had already closed out the cash register and locked the door because her scheduled shift was over.
“Then my manager calls me, my manager then says, ‘yeah, you just have to stay until she gets here.’ I’m like, I got an appointment, and then she starts getting upset with me, saying, ‘oh, well you can’t just stay an extra 10 minutes?’” Gabi says.
Gabi says she informed her that it would be an extra 20 minutes, not 10, but that “that wasn’t the issue.”
“My schedule says I’m done at two o’clock, I should be done at two o’clock,” Gabi says. “I’m not going to stay an extra 20 minutes. You have no idea how far I live, you have no idea where this appointment is, what this appointment is.”
According to Gabi, her manager said they would tell the operations manager and “have a talk about it.” In a follow-up video, however, Gabi says her manager ended up apologizing for asking her to stay late.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Gabi via comment on the video as other methods of contact could not be identified.
Many viewers agreed with the TikToker, writing that it was not Gabi’s problem to fix.
“Something I learned in the military ‘Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine,’” one user said.
“I’m a manager – it is 100% not your responsibility to cover the irresponsibility of someone else,” another viewer wrote.
“You are not in the wrong!,” a commenter wrote. “I HATE it when the good employees are made to feel responsible for their irresponsible coworkers!! Grrrr.”
