Boss Cut My Hours - Advice
I recently started a new job in 2025 in a small store with a small team.
I quickly became the top seller and have always had a professional attitude and exceptional customer service.
Before this I had done customer service for many years in a different role so I bring lots of experience.
Since start I had been working with a new manager who started the same time as me.
At first glance and after seeing me work I have had consecutive hours and a promise for a higher position. As the months have gone by there have been multiple excuses. Every time I would try to ask it would be, haven’t heard back from the company or something else entirely.
This person has always had a negative attitude, acts unprofessional, and rude to customers.
Every time I would try to ask he was in a negative mood so I never thought it would be a good time to bring it up.
One day I come in and he is in a bad mood and I ask and he snaps since no follow up has been made for months. Ever since that day he cut my hours and made it so we never see each other. It’s been almost 2 months. He has been ignoring my messages to. He finally responded after me saying we need to talk and that will be coming up this weekend.
I would like to report this to HR and see what can be done as I feel no conclusion will come out of talking to him.
- I should add someone else had already reported him to HR also when they first started but recently left the job.
Jobadvisor
This is a frustrating situation, especially when you’ve proven your value through high sales and professional behavior. It sounds like you are dealing with a "retaliatory" management style—where a manager uses the schedule as a tool for punishment rather than business needs.
Since you have a meeting this weekend, it is important to go in prepared but also to have your HR strategy ready as a secondary step.
1. Preparing for the Meeting
Because this manager has a history of being rude or snapping, your goal is to remain the "calm professional" in the room. This makes his behavior look even more erratic if it’s ever investigated.
Focus on the "Why": Ask specifically what changed in your performance that led to the hour reduction. If he says "business is slow," ask why the cuts only affected you and not the team across the board.
Keep it Business-Centric: Instead of saying "You're being mean," say "I noticed a significant shift in my scheduling and communication immediately following our last conversation. I’m trying to understand if there is a performance issue I need to address, or if this is a departmental change."
Document Everything: Immediately after the meeting, write down what was said, the time, and the date. This is crucial for HR.
2. Escalating to HR
If the meeting yields no results (or if he remains hostile), you have a strong case for HR. When you contact them, avoid making it a "he-said-she-said" about personality. Focus on Retaliation and Business Impact.
Key points to highlight to HR:
Performance Metrics: Mention that you are the top seller. HR cares about the bottom line; a manager cutting the hours of their best performer is a "red flag" for bad management.
Timeline of Events: Show the direct correlation. "On [Date], I asked for a status update on my promotion. Immediately following that, my hours were cut by [Number]%, and communication ceased."
Previous Patterns: Mention (without gossiping) that you are aware of previous complaints regarding his unprofessionalism with customers. This shows a pattern of behavior that puts the company's reputation at risk.
3. Protection and Rights
Depending on your location and contract, "cutting hours" significantly can sometimes be viewed as Constructive Dismissal. This is when an employer makes your working conditions so difficult that you are forced to quit.
Note: Check your original employment agreement. If you were hired for a specific number of "guaranteed" hours, he may be in breach of contract.
Suggested Strategy for the Weekend
| Goal | Tactic |
| Stay Calm | If he snaps, don't snap back. Say, "I can see you're frustrated, should we reschedule when we can talk professionally?" |
| Get Clarity | Ask: "What steps do I need to take to return to my original 2025 schedule?" |
| Close the Loop | If he gives a vague answer, send a follow-up email summarizing the talk: "Per our chat today, you mentioned my hours were cut because..." |
My job was posted while I’m pregnant and I wasn’t included in interviews — how should this be handled?
CLARIFYING THIS WILL ONLY BE MY SECOND MATERNITY LEAVE. I ONLY HAVE ONE KID! I’ve been at my job for 10 years, 4 as a manager. I had a baby in 2025 (so two under two now) and I’m currently pregnant again. I oversee events, staff, and daily operations — basically keeping things running smoothly and ensuring high standards are met.
Recently, my exact role was posted externally while I’m preparing for maternity leave. I wasn’t asked to participate in interviews, provide input, or help plan coverage — even though another manager who’s also expecting hasn’t had their role posted. The salary band listed for the posting is about what I make now.
Management has also made comments implying I might be less reliable due to pregnancy/leave and suggested my pay could be adjusted if I go part-time — which I haven’t requested.
I want to handle this professionally, protect my role and pay, and understand my rights. How should I approach this situation from an HR perspective? Any guidance on communication or steps I should take would be appreciated.
Jobadvisor
This is a significant escalation from your previous concerns about hours and sales. Based on the details you've provided—specifically being a 10-year veteran, a manager, and currently pregnant—the situation has moved into the realm of potential pregnancy discrimination and maternity rights violations.
Because you are dealing with a manager who has already shown unprofessionalism and "snapped" at you, you must shift your strategy from "resolving a conflict" to "protecting your legal and professional standing."
1. Identify the Red Flags
From an HR and legal perspective, there are several high-risk actions your company is taking:
The Job Posting: Posting your exact role without your involvement—while excluding another pregnant manager from the same treatment—suggests you are being replaced, not covered.
Comments on "Reliability": These are "smoking gun" comments. Suggesting a pregnant employee is unreliable is a textbook example of discriminatory bias.
Unsolicited Pay/Part-Time Talk: Proposing a pay cut or a shift to part-time that you didn't request is often seen as an attempt to "push out" a protected employee.
2. Immediate Steps to Take
Document Everything (The "Paper Trail")
Stop having verbal-only conversations about your role.
Create a log of the "reliability" comments: Who said it, what was said, the date, and who witnessed it.
Save a copy of the job posting that matches your description.
Keep records of your performance (your "top seller" status and 10-year tenure).
The "Clarification" Email
Before your meeting this weekend, or immediately after, send an email to your manager (and CC your personal email) to lock in their position in writing.
"I noticed that a role identical to mine has been posted externally. Given my 10-year history here and my current role as manager, I was surprised not to be included in the planning for my maternity coverage. Can you clarify if this posting is intended as a temporary backfill or if there are planned changes to my permanent position upon my return?"
3. Communicating with HR
When you speak to HR, your tone should not be "complaining"; it should be "concerned about compliance." HR’s job is to protect the company from lawsuits. By using specific language, you signal that you know your rights.
Key Phrases to Use with HR:
"Disparate Treatment": "I noticed another manager who is expecting has not had her role posted. I am concerned about the disparate treatment regarding my position."
"Hostile Work Environment": "The comments regarding my reliability due to my pregnancy are creating a hostile work environment."
"Protected Category": "I want to ensure that my role and compensation remain secure as a member of a protected category."
4. Your Rights (General Guidance)
In most jurisdictions (including the US under the PDA and FMLA, and the UK/Canada), an employer is generally required to:
Keep your original job (or an equivalent one with the same pay/benefits) open for your return.
Refrain from penalizing you for taking leave.
Treat pregnancy-related "reliability" issues the same as any other temporary medical disability.
Summary Table: Manager vs. HR Strategy
| Situation | How to handle with Manager | How to handle with HR |
| The Job Posting | Ask: "How will this new hire report to me once I return?" | State: "I am concerned that my role is being permanently filled while I am on protected leave." |
| The Pay/Hours | Say: "I have not requested a change to part-time and expect my salary to remain at my contracted rate." | State: "Unsolicited suggestions to reduce my pay due to pregnancy feel like retaliation." |
| Unprofessionalism | "I'd like to keep this conversation focused on the business metrics and my 10-year tenure." | "The manager’s recent conduct suggests a bias against my pregnancy that is affecting my work." |
Partner received “offboarding” email while on medical leave
My fiance has been on medical leave since September 1. He exhausted his paid FMLA hours in October and was switched to short term disability. Last he checked, he still had 10 weeks of job protection on his PFMLA benefit.
On Wednesday Dec. 31, he received an email from equifax saying “Action Needed - COMPANY Offboarding Packet.” The email included a link with a username and password for him to login but he wasn’t able to login. He already sent an email to his company’s HR team asking them about the email. We’re hoping to hear back tomorrow (Jan. 2).
We didn’t think he could be fired or let go while on leave. He never received any other notice about his job until the email on Wednesday.
What should we be doing? Is this legal?
Jobadvisor
Receiving an "offboarding" email while on medical leave is incredibly alarming, but it is important to distinguish between a clerical error (common in large HR systems) and a legal termination.
Based on the timeline and the services mentioned (Equifax), here is a breakdown of what this likely means and what your partner should do immediately.
1. Is it a Clerical Error or Termination?
Because your partner is on Short-Term Disability (STD), his status in the company’s payroll system has changed. Many HR platforms (like Equifax Workforce Solutions) are automated.
The "Status" Trigger: When FMLA expires and an employee moves to "unpaid" status or "disability" status, some automated systems incorrectly trigger an "offboarding" workflow because the person is no longer on the active payroll.
Equifax's Role: Equifax often handles "Separation Notices" and "COBRA" paperwork. However, they also handle unemployment cost management and tax credits. Sometimes, a move to long-term leave is coded similarly to a departure in these systems.
2. The Legal Reality (FMLA vs. STD)
There is a common misconception that Short-Term Disability (STD) provides job protection. It does not.
STD = Pay Protection: It replaces a portion of his income.
FMLA/PFMLA = Job Protection: This is what prevents him from being fired for being sick.
The 12-Week Cliff: Standard federal FMLA only protects a job for 12 weeks. Since he started leave on September 1, his 12 weeks would have technically expired in late November.
PFMLA (State Specific): You mentioned he has "10 weeks left" of job protection. If you are in a state with its own Paid Family and Medical Leave (like Washington, Massachusetts, or California), he may indeed have extended protection. In Washington, for example, new laws for 2026 expand job protection to nearly all employees.
3. Immediate Action Plan
A. Do Not Panic, But Do Document
Save the Equifax email. Take a screenshot of the "login failed" screen. If he is eventually fired, these timestamps are vital for a wrongful termination or retaliation claim.
B. The "Clarification" Email (If he hasn't sent it yet)
Since he already emailed HR, he should wait for their response tomorrow (Jan. 2). If they don't respond by noon, he should send a follow-up to both HR and his direct supervisor (if he is well enough) stating:
"I received an automated 'offboarding' email from Equifax on Dec 31. I am currently on approved medical leave and my PFMLA job protection is active until [Date]. Please confirm this email was sent in error and that my employment status remains active."
C. Request an "Interactive Process"
If HR says his FMLA has run out and they are "parting ways," he should immediately mention the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). Even if FMLA is gone, the ADA often requires employers to provide "additional unpaid leave" as a reasonable accommodation before they can legally fire someone.
4. Summary of Risks
| Situation | Is it Legal? |
| Fired because he took leave | Illegal. This is retaliation. |
| Fired after FMLA expired but before PFMLA ended | Likely Illegal. He is still in a protected window. |
| Fired during a company-wide layoff | Usually Legal. Leave doesn't shield you from a general reduction in force. |
| System error due to New Year's updates | Common. Many HR systems reset or update on Jan 1, causing glitches. |
My depression has convinced me that I’m not getting married
Hi everyone I 24F live in the US for context. I do have a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. I have been single for a couple of years casually online dating without anything really going anywhere. I have been really jealous of some of my cousins around my age who have amazing boyfriends that love them. Over the last couple months I’ve seen more and more people from high school getting engaged. It made me sad but no big deal. it wasn’t taking over my life.
I’m not sure what triggered it but over the past week and a half I’ve been CONSUMED by depression about being single and not being proposed to. I find my self extremely jealous of anyone who is happily in a relationship to the point I would love for them to break up. I want people to feel the way I do, lonely. Every time I see happy couples I want to cry. I spend over an hour on dating apps a day to try to find someone. However I won’t just date any person I want them to be the right person so I also give lots of rejections.
My brain is telling me to let go of that dream of getting proposed to during a walk on the beach, or going shopping with my mom and sister and best friend for a wedding dress. Letting go of walking down the aisle or going on a honeymoon or starting a family. My brain says I’m not good enough, not beautiful enough. I keep trying to snap out of it but I can’t. It’s so hard because I can’t create somebody out of thin air. And I can’t let go of the desire to get married even if I think I should.
Jobadvisor
I hear how much weight you’re carrying right now, and I want to start by acknowledging something important: This isn't just "you" thinking; this is the Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) talking. Depression is a master at taking a valid human desire—the wish for companionship—and weaponizing it against your self-worth. It turns a "not right now" into a "never," and a "I'm lonely" into "I'm unlovable."
Here is a breakdown of what’s happening in your mind and some steps to help shift the momentum.
1. Recognizing the "Depression Filter"
When you have MDD, your brain experiences cognitive distortions. Right now, your brain is likely using these three:
Fortune Telling: Predicting a lonely future as an absolute fact.
Emotional Reasoning: "I feel unworthy, therefore I must be unworthy."
Social Comparison: You are comparing your "behind-the-scenes" (your internal struggle) to everyone else's "highlight reel" (engagements and weddings).
2. The Jealousy Paradox
It is incredibly brave of you to admit that you want others to feel as lonely as you do. That doesn't make you a "bad person"—it makes you a person in acute emotional pain.
Why it happens: When we are starving, seeing others at a banquet feels like an insult.
The Shift: Try to view that jealousy not as a character flaw, but as a signal. It’s your heart screaming that you value connection. The goal isn't to stop wanting marriage; it's to stop using that want as a stick to beat yourself with.
3. Managing the "Dating App Burnout"
Spending an hour a day on apps while in a depressive episode is like trying to run a marathon with a broken leg.
The Problem: Apps are designed to give hits of dopamine, but for someone with MDD, they usually provide hits of "rejection" or "void."
The Adjustment: Consider a "Dating Fast" for just two weeks. If your brain says, "If I stop, I'll miss the one," remind it that the "right person" won't be found while you are in a state of self-loathing. You aren't "giving up"; you are preserving your resources.
Actionable Mindset Shifts
| Instead of thinking... | Try telling yourself... |
| "I'm not beautiful enough to be loved." | "My worth is not a physical commodity. People of all types find love every day." |
| "I need to give up on the dream of a wedding." | "I am grieving a timeline, not a destination. It’s okay if my 'when' is different from my cousins'." |
| "I want them to break up so they feel like me." | "I am in a lot of pain right now, and it’s hard to see others happy while I’m hurting." |
Immediate Next Steps
Curate Your Feed: Mute or "Snooze" the friends and cousins who are currently triggering your jealousy on social media. You don't have to unfollow them forever, but you need to stop the visual papercuts for now.
Externalize the Depression: When that voice says, "You'll never get married," literally say out loud: "That is my MDD talking, and it doesn't know the future."
Talk to your Professional Support: Since you have a diagnosis, please reach out to your therapist or psychiatrist. Tell them specifically about this "consumed" feeling. Sometimes an adjustment in therapy focus or medication can help lift that "fog of hopelessness" that makes these thoughts feel so heavy.
You are 24. Your life hasn't even reached the middle of the book yet, let alone the final chapter. The "walk on the beach" and the "wedding dress shopping" are still very much on the table, even if the table feels far away today.