“You don’t have children, so staying late shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
I stared at the phone in disbelief. When my coworker hadn’t shown up for her shift, I expected my manager to at least ask if I’d be willing to stay late or come up with a solution. Instead, the all-female office crew began packing up and heading out as if there wasn’t an issue, which is why I’d called my manager in the first place. To be fair, some of them may not have known since I worked downstairs in reception, and they worked upstairs.
My manager did know there was an issue, and she didn’t do anything to resolve it simply because she assumed my time wasn’t as valuable as the time of my coworkers. She knew I was attending college, but she didn’t care. She had also assured me that I’d always get a lunch break because the entire staff was trained to do my job, but she didn’t even bother to ask me if I was free to stay late.
