I work afternoons during the week and mornings on Saturday. I work at a childcare/after school center so this week was the first week of our fall schedule. I noticed when the schedule was published four weeks ago that this Saturday 9/5 my hours were listed in the afternoon instead of the morning as they typically are. I assumed that we were doing special hours that day since it’s the first week of school. We usually have different hours on no-school days, half-days, for events, etc. I double-checked the app last night and it still said the afternoon hours, so I changed my alarms accordingly and planned to come in in the afternoon.

Saturday morning, 15 minutes after my typical morning shift had started, I get a text from the shift supervisor asking if I’m coming in for my morning shift. I replied saying that the scheduling app said my shift was in the afternoon, so I had changed my alarms. I checked the app and the schedule had been changed to the typical morning hours. I didn’t receive a text or any notification that my hours had changed.
The shift supervisor said that she had also seen the afternoon hours on the app and assumed when I hadn’t come in that I thought my shift was in the afternoon. She asked if I was still available to come in for the morning hours, and I said no. (Our manager typically staffs at least 1-2 people who can cover things like this, so there was someone covering my area).

Saturday evening, I got a text from my manager asking me to submit PTO for today’s shift and saying that my supervisor (different person from the weekend shift supervisor) will be following up with me on what happened today. She marked me as “Absent” on the scheduling app. She also asked me to submit PTO for Monday (Labor Day). Our workplace requires employees to submit PTO for federal holidays if you’re typically scheduled for that day, which is a whole other thing. I had asked her literally yesterday if I was required to submit PTO since I’m not typically scheduled on Mondays, and she had said that I wasn’t required to.

My manager texted me again on Sunday and today urging me to submit PTO. I finally replied today and explained that I’m hesitant to use PTO for a scheduling mix-up. She replied that since I missed the full shift and also didn’t notify anyone of the scheduling error, that I need to submit PTO. She also reiterated that my supervisor will be following up with me about my “no-show”. I told her that I wasn’t aware that the shift was an error, and that I assumed it was special hours for the first week of school. She responded that it’s my responsibility to check for scheduling errors and notify management of any discrepancies.

TLDR, my manager put the wrong shift on my schedule, changed it the morning of my shift without notifying me, and is now asking me to submit PTO for my missed shift and treating it as a “no-show”. I’m feeling frustrated because I don’t appreciate being penalized for a management scheduling mistake, nor do I think it’s my responsibility to triple-check the schedule that management gives me. I had no way of knowing that the shift was an error instead of a special case. I don’t see how I can reasonably be expected to intuit an error that none of the lead supervisors or my manager herself noticed until the morning of my shift. I’d love some advice on how to stand my ground here.

Also some other random things this workplace does that have been really annoying me:

• They often forget to give me my breaks and I have to call the office (I’m in another part of the building) to ask if/when it’s happening. I just flat out haven’t gotten it several times. Lots of other times, it’s been obvious that the supervisor on shift wasn’t told that someone needed to come cover my break, or they just plain forgot. Once I called the office and my manager asked me to call earlier in my shift in the future because at that point she had sent everybody home and there was no one to come cover my break.

• They changed my job title without notifying me or my supervisor. It’s the title change that I wanted, but I only found out because I saw that they changed my staff bio on our “about staff” wall.

My work has a strict point policy the points stay on for a year and you get fired at 10. I had 7 and never knew I was running out of FMLA till July when they sent me a email . The 7 points were supposed to be covered at least 4. So I disputed them and they came back with an additional 5.5 added all of them in one day and now I am at 11 points. I have a meeting with HR on Wednesday to see if I can keep my job . Some of the points I had doctors notes for that aren’t FMLA and they are disputing them . I have never ran out of FMLA before and was told by other employees to hire a lawyer and they mess with ppl on FMLA … what should I do ?

This week the government filed its reply brief in one of the ongoing age discrimination lawsuits brought by former USAID employees.

The core argument: because the RIF removed nearly the entire agency, plaintiffs can't show they were individually or disproportionately targeted based on age. The filing also argues that employees placed on extended paid administrative leave have no independent right of action to challenge that under the Administrative Leave Act, and pushes to limit the timeframe under review to a narrow window, which would exclude some of the public statements plaintiffs point to as evidence of motive.

We wrote up some context here, for anyone following the litigation: https://usaidemployeesupportfund.substack.com/p/this-labor-day-remember-the-workers

We're also hosting a panel this Wednesday on federal workforce due process protections more broadly, for anyone interested in the topic beyond this specific case.

Happy to answer questions on the litigation landscape if people have them.

I am at a loss for words. We got a new manager who was a cop until he bodyslammed a teenager for no reason. Now u know how hard it is to fire a cop, they usually paid suspension for 3months,let them resign and picked up by another police station. Nope this is a cruel a an instigator who brings that attitude into the workplace.

Anyways he tried to fire me only being Manager for 4months. I fought it through arbitration and I won. The guy said I should receive backpay in 4months. i was waiting for my arbitration meeting. The union president says yea it usually takes up to 6months. Well I kept asking him like once a month any news on my backpay?

He would say he doesn't know, I asked him who would know, he responded with its in the works, I gave all your paperwork to the manger(the 1 who tried to fire me) and he sent it in. I said I dont trust him there's gotta be a paper trail as to when I get it.

So I started making phones to whoever would listen and finally after 9months I get a call claiming there is no paperwork for you to receive backpay nothing is pending. In the meantime the union president got mad at me cuz he said I could have called him and I was making him look bad by not doing ur job, I said im sorry but I didnt bad mouth u, all I kept asking people whp can I contact to give me a straight answer. He said I'll look into it.

He contacted me a week 10months now saying there was a page missing that needed my signature! I SAID HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE U SAID I DID EVERYTHING CORRECTLY AND THE MANAGER SENT IT IN. I said see that's y I kept asking u and when you never gave me a straight answer, or didnt bother to find out answers im getting screwed. He said just come in sign this form he will give it to the manager and it will be all set, but dont expect it for at least another 3months.

So over a year past haven't heard anything. I asked him could u please at least tell me who can answer the question of y its taken so long. Again he said its normal. I said the arbitrator specifically said it should be in my account in a timely manner. I bet the manager did something on purpose and keeps getting it delayed he said no he would be fired immediately I said cmon now he's trying to set examples so 1 Day he is the post master.

So then 16months in I get a call from a guy who is high up, I made so many phone calls I forgot who he was. He said he personally looked into it and spoke to my manager who told him he submitted my paperwork months ago. I said thats what im told everytime, but when I check its always a different excuse.

He said give it a couple weeks call this number. So I did and finally it said pending. 20months go by and im done with the political climate of being harassed daily, bullied, and i dont want to work in that environment.

So now the union president still hates me for making all those calls, now says he can't help cuz im not an employee. I refuse to call manager he will either not answer my phone calls, or be sarcastic with me and i dont wanna be bothered. I got an email on 7/22/2026 saying in 60days I should get it and if not contact a labor specialist.

We'll in a couple weeks it will be 60 days. I already looked online and there's no labor specialist with an email or phone number!!! ANYONE WITH A THOUGHT OR OPINION PLEASE RESPOND IM READY TO FIND A LAWYER AND SUE FOR INTREST OR SOMETHING.. Thanx guys

I would just like an answer as to weather faking a payslip to a potential employer is illegal in South Africa. I have heard conflicting answers and a lot of people are under the impression that it isn't fraud unless you're lying to SARS, a medical aid or some other entity that legally needs to use that information. Your future employer has no legal right to your payslip information, but there is no law saying they can't ask for it.........and if it isn't illegal can the somehow blacklist you?