This morning I was blindsided. I mean, hit in the gut and stabbed in the back. It all started about 1 1/2 years ago when I was transferred from the intermediate school I was custodian at to the high school. I wasn’t looking or wanting to move, but the school changed insurance companies and because I was working alone in my building on 3rd shift the insurance company said that is a big NO. At the time there was an opening at the high school for a custodian to clean the pool area. While I relished the thought of being around water and only a five year old facility, I knew the coach of the swim team was very picky about the way things were done. The only good choice I had at that time was to take the transfer. I needed to be on 3rd shift as I am a caretaker of my Mother who has to have transportation to and from dialysis 3 times a week. The only time available for her to have dialysis done was from 5 pm to 9 pm. With me working 3rd shift and not starting until 10:30 pm it worked out well.

Not one week had gone by since I was transferred that the head custodian (JIm) was already writing me notes that I didn’t do this or that right. So now, I was not only trying to figure out a routine for the job, but now I had Jim already on me about not completing my duties correctly. Time went on and things did improve a bit. I was getting a routine, figuring out the swim coaches hot buttons and avoiding them, I finally thought things were starting to smoothing out. Little did I know and finding out later from other custodians not just one, but 4 out of the 5 that worked on 2nd shift that Jim was very upset that he didn’t get to choose who was going to work back in the pool area. I was transferred back there without his ok and he was not going to stand for it. Now things started to make sense to me, just why Jim was always trying to find fault with my work. It wasn’t me he was mad at, it was because he didn’t have a say in who was going to work in his building.

It was a year in October that I was transferred to the high school. It was the longest year or the worst nightmare I ever had. Every few weeks, I had a nasty note in my locker telling me I am not doing my job and was trying to prove that I was not doing what I was supposed too. When you know you are under that kind of pressure, you normally will make sure your T’s are crossed and you I’s are dotted. That is what exactly I was doing. Trying to protect myself from getting blamed for not doing my job. Early this December as I was getting ready to punch out and go home, Jim came at swearing and yelling and telling me I didn’t scrub or mop the last couple of days. The funny thing about truth is, no matter how much you try to disprove it, you can’t. When I called Jim on it and said call the superintendent in here because I can’t talk to you this way he did. The 3 of us had a discussion  and Jim had to back down.

It is now the end of January and things have ran so much smoother and I thought we were finally over this power struggle Jim created and then I came to punch out this morning and the Superintendent and Jim confronted me and ask me to hand in my keys. I was fired. The reason was not because of my work, the reason was because they caught me on camera taking to long of lunch breaks. No written or verbal warning just your done.

I wish I could say that they were wrong, As long as I have been a custodian, we have very seldom looked at the clock and been back to work within the allotted break time. It has always been, as long as the work gets done, we don’t care when or how long your breaks are. What it comes down to is this, I was 15 minutes over a few nights and 5 or 10 the rest. The work was completed on time and on the real busy nights, I didn’t take any breaks just to be able to finish up on time. I am guilty as charged and have learned something from this.

It doesn’t really matter about the breaks. If you are paid to work for 8 hours or whatever hours you are being paid for, you need to be working them. If you don’t, then you are stealing from the employer. Your character is what matters and by not adhering to the policies of the company you are working for, you are damaging your character. In retrospect, I damaged my character by taking to long at break time and whether I think it was fair or not, I am the one to be blamed for losing my job. It hurts, gut wrenching but I got what I deserved.

But even through all this, before I left the school this morning for the final time, I apologized to Jim for not having enough character in getting back to work at the right time. I also have asked God to forgive me since I failed to set the example of being different from the world and stealing from the school. Sad to say, my character there will never be repaired.

This was a heavy price to pay but I know God still loves me eventhough, I failed him. I now have a full time job, finding a full time job. God will lead the way in helping me find another job and this time I hope I have learned my lesson and remember that I am an Ambassador for God.