Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: If you ever left work and immediately had to text somebody like, yo, you're not going to believe this. This podcast is for you. Welcome to Work Drama, the podcast where we unpack workplace stories people whisper about trauma, bond over and still think about years later. I'm Lizbeth. I come from the medical world, so I'm here to add context, logic, and the questions that should have been asked before someone hit reply all.
[00:00:22] Speaker B: And I'm Sharon, today's resident instigator, group chat voice, and depending on the situation, HR's worst nightmare.
[00:00:31] Speaker A: I left my in person job for remote work and I realized you don't miss the commutes, but you definitely miss the drama.
[00:00:37] Speaker B: Meanwhile, I'm still in the trenches.
[00:00:39] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:00:39] Speaker B: So we fixed that.
[00:00:40] Speaker A: We'll be breaking down anonymized stories from offices, hospitals, and everywhere in between. Reacting in real time, calling out the nonsense, and figuring out if something is actually toxic or just wildly mishandled. You got a story for us?
[00:00:52] Speaker B: Send that shit in.
[00:00:54] Speaker A: Names, change jobs, protected opinions very much included. And for legality purposes. This is not legal advice, girl, let's get into it.
There's a certain kind of workplace that leads with values, hangs them on the wall, teaches them to kids, expects everyone in the building to live by them. Grace, integrity, community, compassion. Beautiful words.
Now imagine that same institution fires you. An email, no reason given, no conversation, no phone call, just an email. And at the bottom of the letter, a list of things you're no longer allowed to do. And. And if you violate these terms, they will hold your pay. Oh, and you never signed anything. Welcome to working at a Catholic school.
Hey, Sharon, we're back. It's almost like we slept over, literally, and just woke up and started doing another podcast episode because we were just here.
That's awesome. I get to see you like, what, twice in a week?
[00:01:52] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:01:54] Speaker A: But you work today. How was work?
[00:01:56] Speaker B: You know, another day, another dollar. Right?
[00:01:58] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:01:58] Speaker B: Yeah, not too bad, not too shabby.
[00:02:00] Speaker A: That's nice because no dollars were made for me today.
Just a lot of sweat. I've been sweating all day. I did my hair and I sent some emails.
[00:02:10] Speaker B: Nice.
[00:02:10] Speaker A: Now it's my day.
And also that little video of your baby. So cute. I needed that right now. That put a smile on my face. I see.
[00:02:17] Speaker B: He's the cutest little shit.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: He is the cutest little shit. And shit is the right worker. He's a little shit.
[00:02:21] Speaker B: Girl, who you telling? He's crazy.
[00:02:24] Speaker A: I'm glad you still have hair for baby just like pulls her head, loves Sharon's hair.
[00:02:31] Speaker B: He just love flossing his teeth with my hair.
[00:02:33] Speaker A: Dentists are going to love him. Like he has the best teeth ever.
It's so funny. We say baby and we're talking about like teeth. He's how old now?
[00:02:41] Speaker B: Almost two.
[00:02:42] Speaker A: Almost two.
[00:02:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:02:43] Speaker A: But he's still the baby. He's always going to be the baby.
[00:02:45] Speaker B: He is.
[00:02:45] Speaker A: Oh, he's so cute. I want to see him. I actually miss now that he showed me the video too. I'm like, oh, I need to go see him. Cuz it's been a little bit since.
[00:02:50] Speaker B: I know. I kind of miss him too.
[00:02:52] Speaker A: Oh, that's what we're going to get through this quick so you can get home to the baby.
I actually next week I have a photo shoot, a brand photo shoot for like my business. And we talked about kind of excited about it.
Well, I am excited about it. It's just.
[00:03:05] Speaker B: You should be.
[00:03:05] Speaker A: It's a lot of money to spend and But I know that it's going to be for the best because it's going to make everything look good.
[00:03:11] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:03:11] Speaker A: On my website, all the things it's going to make it look more credible. So. But I have to go shopping for some clothes. I need like some extra little thing. That's exciting.
[00:03:18] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:19] Speaker A: And I have to buy like little props that match my brand colors to have them like throughout the picture in a way.
[00:03:24] Speaker B: I don't know.
[00:03:24] Speaker A: I have to do like all this stuff so I'll get to do that. Oh, and I'm going to do this like workout later. I signed up for like a workout class so that's my day. It's gonna be pretty chill.
[00:03:33] Speaker B: That's not bad.
[00:03:34] Speaker A: I might have to drive by your house and just get a little dose of junior to cheer me up even more.
Well, we don't have a lot to chit chat about today because we chatted so much last time. We caught up on so much.
Right. Nothing else. What's today? Thursday?
[00:03:47] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:03:47] Speaker A: Oh, when episode eight dropped today.
[00:03:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:50] Speaker A: Oh, actually I did want to say so before we get into today's story, this story is gonna be dropping on mind you. Right. We record this beforehand. So this is going to be dropping on July 30, which is international Friendship Day.
[00:04:02] Speaker B: Oh sweet.
[00:04:03] Speaker A: Such a great day. We should do something other than, you know, listen to our podcast.
[00:04:07] Speaker B: I'll be getting ready for my trip, so.
[00:04:09] Speaker A: Oh, that's so true. I forgot.
[00:04:11] Speaker B: Sorry.
[00:04:12] Speaker A: Well, it's the day before, right. So.
[00:04:14] Speaker B: Girl, I'm gonna be stressed out packing, rechecking my packages and, like.
[00:04:19] Speaker A: I know. Well, maybe I could come help you. I'm really good at packing. Oh, were you. Did you want to use my book bag? Remember that book bag that, like, I
[00:04:26] Speaker B: don't know, maybe send me a picture later on?
[00:04:27] Speaker A: I'll send you a little video, because I have a video of how it, like, compresses with a little. Yeah, maybe you could fit a lot. Yeah, and I fit so much. Like, I took that for Chicago when I stayed three days, and I fit, like, four outfits because I always have, like, a little extra underwear. All the things.
[00:04:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:41] Speaker A: And it's a carry on size, too, so. Okay, cool.
[00:04:45] Speaker B: So.
[00:04:46] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay. Well, then I guess I won't see my best friend for three.
[00:04:49] Speaker B: Friendship Day.
[00:04:50] Speaker A: But it's okay. We can celebrate it any other day. Yes, but today's story is about some serious work drama that just happens to include what happens when you trust someone at work with your friendship and they walk straight into the director's office with it. Oh, God, that's messy.
But before we get into that, I want to ask you, because we've been friends forever, right? It feels like forever. I am like, I've thought about this so many times. I don't remember when we met.
[00:05:17] Speaker B: I don't either.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: Right. And I feel like there's, like, the best friendships. Usually you don't even remember how the heck he met.
I feel like it might have been around seventh grade, but, like, that's all I can kind of, like, think back to.
And I only think that because that's when I met our friend Gracie. And, like, I written, like, the whole, like, crew that we used to hang with. So like, must have been around that time maybe. Well, seventh grade for me, sixth grade for you. Although. Oh, God. We got to tell the story real quick. How back when. When we lived in the projects and I moved in, you lived right across Freaking. So there was these buildings with six apartments, two on each floor.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: And we lived right across from each other. They didn't know each other yet. And I was walking around, like, the area, and people were like, sharon, Sharon. And I'm, like, looking. Cause I'm like, I'm the only one walking. But my name's not Sharon, and I just moved here.
[00:06:09] Speaker B: That's too funny. To this day, I still get told I look like you.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: Yeah, I feel like for me, it stopped. And I figured it's because probably I wear my hair curly more of the time, because before it was back, I wore my hair straight all the time. But I see it Art brothers. They used to look alike a lot, too, so I guess I could get it. But I don't see it when I look at each other.
[00:06:24] Speaker B: No, not at all.
[00:06:26] Speaker A: So. But yeah, I remember that. And then not realizing until years later when we met that, like, we lived right across from each other. We look like each other. Our brothers look like each other. It's so weird. So because of that, I always say that Sharon's dad is.
That my dad is also Sharon's dad secretly.
[00:06:42] Speaker B: Yeah. Because I don't know my dad.
[00:06:43] Speaker A: Yeah. Although we recently found out more about him.
[00:06:45] Speaker B: Right.
[00:06:45] Speaker A: That was kind of cool. And actually, you're going to Puerto Rico, so I'm curious if you're gonna be
[00:06:50] Speaker B: able to, like, I don't know, per se, if I'll meet him, but.
[00:06:54] Speaker A: Or meet, like, family.
[00:06:55] Speaker B: I'll meet his family. Yeah.
[00:06:56] Speaker A: Oh, I'm excited to hear about that.
[00:06:57] Speaker B: Me, too.
[00:06:58] Speaker A: Take pictures. I want to see. I want to see if anybody of your family looks like my family members, because that'll be really interesting. That'd be good to see, because that's, like, really crazy.
[00:07:07] Speaker B: That is.
[00:07:08] Speaker A: But, yeah, good luck with that. I hope it's a really good, like, kind of little reunion. And it feels. And it feels good for you guys.
[00:07:14] Speaker B: I hope so, too.
[00:07:14] Speaker A: And then hopefully, I mean, they should have pictures of your dad, too.
[00:07:17] Speaker B: I would hope so. I mean, that's their brother.
[00:07:19] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:20] Speaker B: You know, that's a big moment. Girl.
[00:07:21] Speaker A: I'm, like, excited for you. I wish I was there with you.
[00:07:24] Speaker B: I don't know. I don't know how I feel about it.
[00:07:27] Speaker A: I know you're, like, nervous about the. We're not nervous. But not. You're kind of dreading the whole trip because it doesn't sound like it's going to be fully a vacation. Vacation, but not really. Girl, you're going to be in paradise.
[00:07:35] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: Enjoy it.
[00:07:36] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:37] Speaker A: Enjoy the sun.
[00:07:37] Speaker B: Definitely.
[00:07:38] Speaker A: Enjoy Junior's first time. Oh, yeah. Enjoy your baby's first time.
[00:07:43] Speaker B: Junior's okay.
[00:07:44] Speaker A: Oh, we can say Junior okay. Yeah. And seeing him at the beach. Oh, I can't wait to see the pictures. I can just imagine him for nothing.
[00:07:50] Speaker B: He's probably going to be eating all that dirt. He's probably going to contrast a worm.
[00:07:54] Speaker A: You know what? He is building up his immune system. That's disgusting.
And wasn't like your second born. Didn't she hate sand and hate being at the beach?
[00:08:04] Speaker B: Both of them might look. Just hated it. But my middle one, she contracted a worm in her leg when we went
[00:08:12] Speaker A: to Puerto Rico, I did not know that.
[00:08:13] Speaker B: Yeah, I never showed you the pictures.
[00:08:16] Speaker A: Now it's almost sounding familiar, actually. But that's crazy. I have a feeling Junior's gonna love it because he's just crazy.
He's very different than your other twos, for sure.
So I think it's gonna be. It's gonna be a fun experience.
I think you'll come back, maybe some stress, but also some good moments, good memories, some. So anyway, I totally segue cuz what I actually wanted to ask you was the fact that we've been friends for so long and now we're kind of working together. Although this is super chill work, right?
I know you've had some kind of like, work stuff, but in real life, like with friends and actually, so have I. What I want to ask is what does a real work friendship actually look like to you? What is your expectation from a work friend?
And what does that kind of.
[00:09:02] Speaker B: And tells? Yeah, I mean, I guess just giving me respect, loyalty. Don't talk and just don't.
I don't know, don't talk badly to me, I guess. Don't disrespect me.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: And I think for those friendships that we take outside of work, like, you've had some. I've had some friends that we like, bring outside of work and we bring up on our friend group and stuff like that. It's just like still continuing that loyalty, continuing that kind of like, you know, especially when you're bringing them around other friends. It's like, respect my friends too.
I. I feel that too.
For me at work, I feel like. Yeah, definitely the loyalty. Definitely the.
Oh, my God. Oh my God. I do remember that picture. Sorry. Sharon is now showing me the picture of the worm that was in her daughter's leg. I remember that. And I remember freaking out because I've never seen that. So just to kind of. Just to paint the picture for you guys, it's literally like the thigh. And you see this little red, wiggly little trail. A trail of it, like right under the skin. It's so sc.
Because when you think about, like worms and parasites, me being from the medical field, I think it's like they're microscopic. You can't see them. That is like. That looks like it was at least. Yeah, that's like two inches wide. I'm thinking her is probably small because she was one.
[00:10:12] Speaker B: I think she was like two here.
[00:10:14] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, my God. Yeah, I remember that. That looks scary. Almost looks like a scar.
[00:10:18] Speaker B: But it was. It didn't scar.
[00:10:19] Speaker A: It didn't Scar? Yeah. No, it looks like. When you look at it, it looks like a scar, but it's a worm under the skin. That's insane.
[00:10:25] Speaker B: A literal worm.
[00:10:26] Speaker A: But you know, Puerto Rico is a great place, guys. Just be careful with open wounds anywhere, because that can happen anywhere. I've heard that happens at lakes and stuff like that too, where you can like contract little like worms and stuff.
Damn, that's scary. Well, we're not gonna speak any worms into existence anyway. We just segued in. Kind of forgot where we left off. But going back to the whole friendship day, let's get into the story. Our work bestie of the day is Myra. Myra was a third grade teacher at a Catholic school and she just sent us a story that I've been sitting with, honestly, because it was hitting a little close to home just when it comes to leaving jobs.
So, Sharon, are you ready?
[00:11:06] Speaker B: Ready.
[00:11:07] Speaker A: Let's get into it.
So picture a Catholic school. The kind of place that leads with values, community, faith, grace, doing the right thing. The kind of school where parents specifically choose to send their children because of what that institution stands for. Mission statements in the lobby, probably a Jesus piece over the front door. You know the vibe.
Now inside that building, a third grade classroom, nine eight year olds. That's where Myra lands. Eight months into the job, new to this kind of environment, still figuring out how everything works.
She has a degree in education. She's capable, she's dedicated. But private religious schools have their own culture, their own unwritten rules, and Myra is still learning them.
On top of teaching, she's been given extra responsibility. The school's community newsletter. She's the only one putting it together. Every week, writing updates, communicating with parents, keeping the school community connected and informed. It's a real responsibility and Myra takes it seriously.
Sharon, if you were somewhere new, like brand new to this job, seven, eight months in and they start giving you extra responsibility, does that feel like a good sign or do you feel like extra responsibility is just extra stress?
[00:12:21] Speaker B: I guess it's can go both ways. Really? I'm not really sure.
[00:12:25] Speaker A: Yeah, depends on what?
[00:12:25] Speaker B: It just really depends.
[00:12:27] Speaker A: Yeah, I feel like in her position, like teaching kids.
I feel like outside, I mean, I don't know what it takes to be a teacher. And I don't even want to know because 2020 Covid like homeschooling Kaylee or not home. But you know, that was. That was tough.
So I give it to them. They don't get paid enough. I know that for a fact. But I feel like the community newsletter and like chatting with the parents and stuff. That sounds like maybe it could be a little fun. I feel like that could be like a little creative outlet. I feel like getting extra work. I'm just used to that. Every job I had gave me extra work and I just kind of did it.
Sometimes you just got to be careful though, right? Because it can start taking advantage when you say yes. The more they're like, oh, yeah, Sharon's just a yes girl. She's gonna do it.
[00:13:03] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:13:03] Speaker A: She's gonna pick up the extra hours. She's gonna do all this.
[00:13:07] Speaker B: Sharon isn't caring.
[00:13:10] Speaker A: Oh, I love that. That's crazy. We've never used that with your name. Oh, man, I'm gonna do that.
Sharon isn't caring.
[00:13:18] Speaker B: That's a good. I mean, I care enough.
[00:13:19] Speaker A: But here's the thing about the newsletter. It's a lot to manage as we're talking about it. It's a lot to manage on your own while also running a full classroom. And that's where Gabby comes in. Gabby works in the same building, different role, but same floor. She and Myra don't have any formal reason to connect. They just do. It's just the way it sometimes happens at work, right? You sit next to someone, you grab lunch at the same time. You catch each other's eye during a staff meeting when someone says something crazy and suddenly you have a person.
Gabby starts helping Myra with a newsletter. Not officially. Nobody asked her to. She just noticed Myra scrambling one afternoon trying to write updates, manage the inbox messages from parents and still get back to her classroom. She pulled up a chair. Okay, that does sound like a lot. Like she is writing everything. Now she has to talk to parent. Yeah, that does sound like a lot. On top of eight to nine year old kids, it's a stressful day and yeah, she just helped.
That becomes their thing. Gabby would pop over after dismissal, help Myra compile the week's updates, proofread.
Myra still doing the majority of the work, of course, but she would bring the snacks and her appreciation. Looking at Gabby just showing up. Sharon being that person that didn't have to be asked, just like pulled up a chair and was like, I'm gonna help you because, like, I see your stress, girl. Like, how rare is that?
[00:14:34] Speaker B: Is that.
[00:14:34] Speaker A: Does that seem like a good start to a work friendship?
[00:14:37] Speaker B: I think so.
[00:14:38] Speaker A: I think so too. I'd be like, oh, girl, like, I appreciate you.
[00:14:40] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:14:41] Speaker A: And like she's not getting paid any extra for this, right? Because she's didn't ask officially and now we get to eat snacks and chat and whatever. Sounds fun to me.
So Myra and Gabby are each other's people.
You know what that looks like? The text before a staff meeting, the eye contact across the room. The five minutes in the hallway after dismissal that turns into 45 minutes because you started talking and couldn't stop. That's what they had. Actually, I had that quite a bit. I would stay after in the parking lot just talking for, like, another 45 minutes. It was crazy. And I lived in half an hour away.
[00:15:12] Speaker B: I just did that yesterday.
[00:15:13] Speaker A: Did you? It's tough. That's like the moment of, like, the decompression moment.
So now, somewhere in the middle of all of this, something happens at the school. A student in Myra's class does something, and unfortunately, we don't find out what that thing is. But in Myra's judgment, the parent needed to know about it. The administration's position. Don't tell them. Keep it internal. Handle it quietly. Do not loop the parents in. And Myra, who genuinely believed the parents have a right to know what's happening with their children, rightly so. Right? I kind of be pissed if this is. I mean, I don't know what happened, but anyway, Myra told the parents she never found out for certain if that was the moment things shifted, but she suspected it. And at the time, she mentioned it to Gabby, because that's what you do when something is bothering you at work and you have a person, you tell them now separately. And this is happening quietly. Myra has started job searching, which, if you've ever been somewhere where things just don't feel quite right, you just know that's survival mode. You don't announce it. You just kind of start looking. And, girl, that was me. That was me with my last job. I was like, something's up. I'm gonna start applying to other jobs because something's going on. And then, like, at least I have something lined up. So I get it. Myra.
So she must have been feeling like, okay, since this whole thing happens, something's up. I gotta start looking. Survival mode.
So Myra requests two sick days. Well, she didn't request them. She had her mom call in and request them. And while she's quote, unquote sick, she goes on a job interview at another school.
And I'm not judging. This is a safe place. But I want to ask, because I think most of us in the group chat have done this. Sharon, have you ever called out sick from work that wasn't for a sickness?
[00:16:58] Speaker B: Definitely.
[00:16:59] Speaker A: And what was it? Was it something fun?
[00:17:01] Speaker B: I can't really remember. Probably just to stay home or something.
Same.
[00:17:05] Speaker A: I've done that too. Like, I called out and like, I can't do this today.
It's like one of those things. I think I. I called out one day and just like, went to the beach and it wasn't planned. It was just like, I'm. I'm free, I'm going to the beach. Because you just need that. We need those moments. And they, they should not be judging us on what we're using our safe time for or. And they don't even need to know.
But anyway, okay, we've all done it, right?
Now. Here's the part that she didn't see coming. This school she was interviewing at, this wasn't just any school. It was the sister school affiliated with the same exact organization as the school she was currently working at. But she had no idea until she walked through the door. All right, I need you to picture that moment. You're already called out sick, you're already in the interview clothes, and you walk in and go, oh, shit. What are you doing, Sharon? Are you turning around or are you just letting it ride?
[00:17:56] Speaker B: I don't even know.
[00:17:57] Speaker A: I mean, I would just still go in because, like, I just don't. I.
In my mind, I wouldn't want to look bad, right? I came to this interview, I didn't show up or something. And I'm gonna be like the sister school. How much do they really communicate with each other? With each other, Right. If they're in different towns or what?
[00:18:11] Speaker B: I don't know.
[00:18:12] Speaker A: You never know.
[00:18:13] Speaker B: I'm not really sure.
[00:18:14] Speaker A: I think I would just walk in and be like, fuck it. See what happens.
Because I'm doing what I need to do to survive.
[00:18:20] Speaker B: Right?
[00:18:21] Speaker A: Well, Myra, she must have said fuck it, because she walks in and while she was sitting in that interview, her mom was texting her supervisor back at the school to cover for her, keep the six day story going.
The mom texting the supervisor. I'm gonna let that image sit with you for a second. Have you ever done that? Have you ever had your mom? Like, absolutely not.
It is a little crazy. So it makes me wonder how old Mayra is, because I did that before, but I was literally in high school. I was. No, that was my first job. I was like 15, 16, and it was at the eye doctor's office. And I would have my mom, I, like, call her at work. Can you call out for me?
[00:18:58] Speaker B: I mean, it is what it. No judgment.
[00:19:00] Speaker A: No judgment.
[00:19:01] Speaker B: No judgment, absolutely.
[00:19:02] Speaker A: But it's funny. When I read that, it took me back and I was like, oh, man, I remember doing that. And actually one time Glenda called for me. Glenda literally called for me. I remember we were in my basement and Glenda was a really good friend of ours. Rest in peace, Glenda.
But, oh, that made me sad.
I don't even know. Anyway, okay, let me get my. Together.
[00:19:22] Speaker B: All good memories, good memories.
[00:19:23] Speaker A: But we were in the basement and she like, called.
We like, laugh because we just wanted to go and have fun. And my job was only literally two fucking hours. Like, I couldn't even take two hours.
[00:19:33] Speaker B: I mean, two hours is a long time.
[00:19:34] Speaker A: It's a long time for especially a 15 year old. I gotta get home before bedtime.
Okay, where was I? Okay. Myra gets through the interview, but not long after, she gets an email. Not a phone call, not a sit down, not a conversation. An email from her current supervisor telling her she's on administrative leave, effective immediately.
[00:19:55] Speaker B: Hmm.
[00:19:56] Speaker A: Her best read on the situation is that maybe the two principals knew each other and a phone call had been made. She doesn't have proof, but the timing is everything.
And attached to that email were terms.
She's under contract until the end of the school year. So they state they'll uphold that end of the contract when it comes to her pay. But Myra cannot speak about the school or getting put on leave. She cannot contact any staff at the school.
She cannot contact any parents. She cannot post anything on social media.
And if she violates those terms, the remaining three months of pay gone.
Eight months in third grade classroom, running the school's community newsletter. And they couldn't even pick up the phone and tell her, like, hey, you're fired. And like, why?
[00:20:39] Speaker B: That's awful.
[00:20:40] Speaker A: That's crazy to me. That's the moment that kind of had me thinking about my job. It's just like I got an email the next day, like, you're done?
And I'm like. And that's the thing too. It's like these jobs expect us to give them two weeks notice when we leave a job, but they can just let us go like, like that way. It's crazy to me and I hate that. I hate that. So, yeah, Myra, I hate that for you. Well, three months of pay held over her head in exchange for her silence. And she never even signed anything, like, no extra contract on that. She received that email, she read the terms, and she just took it for what it said. And yet later she'd hear something that stayed with her. She mentioned that this school, this Catholic value based institution does not like it when people speak out of anger, meaning if you feel wronged or say so, that's a problem.
So Myra is locked out. She can't get back into the building. But in the suddenness of her departure, she left a few things behind at the school and she wants her stuff back.
And so she reaches out to the person she trusted the most in that building. Gabby, the one who pulled up the chair, who helped her with the newsletter, had been her person since the beginning, almost. The ask was simple.
Hey, can you grab my stuff for me? That's all. No explanation, no details, just can you help me? Once again, because that was. Gabby was the helper. Yeah, Gabby.
[00:22:02] Speaker B: They were friends.
[00:22:03] Speaker A: They were friends.
Gabby went straight to the director, told that Myra had asked her to grab her things, that she had apparently been let go.
That was an extra detail at the end to where she did not mention. And the director, who Myra had not spoken to, sent another email reminding her of the terms and threatening to uphold the remaining pay. Luckily, Myra was able to argue that she has yet to tell anyone about being let go and that she has only asked to get her stuff back.
Myra found out through that email though, that it was Gabby that had gone to the director, the person who originally decided to befriend her out of the blue. That person walked straight to the director the moment Myra needed her the most.
Girl, it's International Friendship Day and Gabby wasn't just a colleague, she was the one who showed up without being asked and made Myra feel like she had a person in the building.
Is there a version of this where Gabby thought she was doing the right thing?
[00:22:57] Speaker B: Do you think there's no right thing for me when you're snitching?
[00:23:00] Speaker A: So, right, because I'm assuming. And like Myra didn't mention anything like. Well, actually no, she said she didn't say anything. So Gabby has to know at this point that she's not there, right? Cuz she's now probably missing. I don't know how many days have passed by but like first off, did Gabby ever reach out and be like, hey, are you good girl? Like, I wonder about that. I don't know how close they got, where in Gabby's mind. She must have known something. I feel like, because how, how do you know to go to the director and be like, hey, she texted me, right, to grab her things. That's the part that I'm just like, something was up.
That like Myra wasn't supposed to talk about this, but somehow Gabby knew the Details. Because how does she know? Why would she even go to the director to be like, hey, she texted me, like, about her stuff and that she got let go.
Something tells me that Gabby has a little more to do with this.
[00:23:54] Speaker B: Probably.
[00:23:55] Speaker A: I don't know. Meanwhile, the parents of the third grade class had been told something very different.
There was a shift in the team. That's it for a teacher who was in the classroom every day, writing the newsletter every week, communicating with those families directly, and only had three more months left out of the school year. Gone.
Some of them pushed back. They wanted to know why she wasn't there.
They asked why the school couldn't wait until June when the year was almost over. Anyway, the school had no good answer. And Myra's position was quietly given to the director's assistant. When I first read this, I almost thought it was gonna be Gabby, because I was like, Gabby was looking for her job. But it wasn't. It was the director's assistant, I guess. Mm. Myra was gone, replaced, silenced. And the school moved on. So that was it for her. She didn't go there. She never spoke to Gabby again. The thing is, too, when Myra sent me the story, she was still going through this and she sent a follow up. So we'll go into the follow up after we actually discussed a little bit back and forth. So that was kind of. That was interesting because I don't always get that.
But first, let's unpack this. Couple little things here first. Termination for no reason or not being
[00:25:07] Speaker B: told what, upholding her check, too.
[00:25:11] Speaker A: And uphold. Yeah, that. That part's crazy too, because we've talked about this before. We've had a couple stories where this was kind of a thing. They're not supposed to do that. You can't do that.
And the thing is. Well, first, let's talk about determination.
Do you think in your eyes, was it maybe the fact that she applied to another school? Like, maybe they had her name in the system?
I mean, it could have been a transfer, right? They could have just transferred her from one school to the other. If it's internal or something, I don't see why that would be a big deal.
[00:25:41] Speaker B: Or it shouldn't just be a big deal if she wants to relocate, right?
[00:25:44] Speaker A: Exactly. It could have been framed that way. But it sounds like they didn't even give her a chance to communicate it or like why she might want to leave or whatever it was.
But I feel like it could have been.
Maybe they found out that she applied.
And also with the whole thing over her Head about, like, oh, you told the parents when we told you not to probably. They were like, we don't even want her at one of our other schools. Schools if she can't follow our crazy rules of don't tell the parents when kids do something that's just weird. Which is crazy. And I really want to know what it was. The fact that we don't know makes me feel like it's a lot. Like it's bad, but who knows?
But I think that's. I feel like when people get let go, they should be told why.
[00:26:24] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:26:25] Speaker A: I actually got let go of what? The job that we've talked about before that I got let go of. Not this one, not the remote one, but the other one before they gave me a reason that I knew was a reason, but they gave me a reason. You know what I mean? They tried to act like this is the reason, and I was like, okay, I gotta take it for what they say. But this. They didn't even give her a reason at all. Just, you're. You're gone. But we'll hold your pay as long as you stay quiet.
[00:26:52] Speaker B: Mm.
[00:26:53] Speaker A: And that would piss me off.
[00:26:55] Speaker B: Yeah, that would upset me as well.
[00:26:56] Speaker A: Yeah. Even this last job, this, like, remote job that I got let go of, they sent me a really nice email just, you know, letting me know, like, hey, you were great at xyz, but this is the direction we're moving in. And we think your strengths are more here, but we're not going that direction. And I'm like, okay, cool, whatever. Like, thank you for finally telling me, because something was up. Right? But at least they told me. And I was like, cool, thanks. They were gonna. They actually paid me an out, an extra month, so I was like, cool, nice. So that's, like, a nice way to get terminated. This was bs. And then from a place that's supposed to be like a Catholic school, that's, you know, you expect these people to just have a heart, you know?
[00:27:31] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:27:33] Speaker A: You don't think so? Yeah, I've never been super religious, but, I mean, from all the stories we hear.
But, yeah, let's get into the whole holding the pay over her head.
First off, I don't think she knows this, which also makes me wonder, too, about her age. And, I mean, maybe it's not an age thing. Maybe it's the fact that I've dealt with a lot of contracts in my life with just the work that I've done.
But withholding pay, first off, I don't. I mean, that has to be illegal. I don't think they were like, I mean, yeah, withholding pay is for sure illegal, right? But they weren't withholding it, per se. They were just saying, if you talk, we won't give you your money. Which is still. I think that probably might still be illegal. But the thing is that she has a contract in place for the school year.
And if you're going to add new terms, like, you can't talk about this, XYZ or whatever, or we won't pay you. The pay is part of the contract. These extra terms, you need to give me an addended contract for me to sign and agree to. If not, then these terms are nothing. It's just words on a piece of paper or digital whatever, code on an email. But I don't think she realized that. She just kind of was like, okay, I'm just gonna be quiet. I don't want to lose my pay, right? I need these three months. And honestly, to make things less bad, right, you just kind of go with it, right? Like, okay, I guess I just won't say anything about it. I got three months to get my money and I'm out of here.
But I just want everybody to know out there in the group chat, if you sign a contract and they want to give you extra terms and stuff, there needs to be an addendum to that contract or a new contract, and then you have to sign on that. Because if not, those words mean nothing. If you want to do a handshake on it, cool. But just know that what's in the contract is what's in the contract and what's signed if you take this to court. So, Myra, just FYI for future reference, but yeah, I'm so sick and tired of these employers trying to hold people's pay. Like, that's crazy. Let somebody try that one.
[00:29:23] Speaker B: That's wild.
[00:29:24] Speaker A: People are struggling out here.
[00:29:26] Speaker B: Mm.
[00:29:27] Speaker A: That's. That's insane. Anyway, and it's not Grace Catholic School. That's control. And you're just trying to control people.
[00:29:33] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:29:34] Speaker A: Anyway, that pisses me off. And then I keep coming back to Gabby because, I don't know, I feel like Gabby might low key, be a villain.
I don't know, because.
[00:29:44] Speaker B: Hater.
[00:29:45] Speaker A: Or a hater. Because, like, what if I don't know too much about kind of like what Myra told Gabby? But if they're close friends, right? Or close work friends, and they're chatting over, you know, the work that they're doing and, you know, having some snacks, like, who knows? Maybe Myra said Like I might be applying. I think she said, she said did it quietly. But you know, sometimes you confide in your, your work bestie and I know I have. Even when I was thinking of leaving my job, I was telling my work bestie and I just, you know, trusted that she wasn't telling the supervisor or anything like that.
I low key wonder that Gabby know a little bit that she was going to be looking or something like that. Or did she know that she called out sick and not really be sick and said something. Maybe, maybe she said something that led to her getting fired.
Because the part that gets me, like how does she know to go to the director? Why does she go to the director?
Unless it was innocent. Like oh, you know, Myra asked me or like let's say she was in a room with a director and got a text and said oh, Gabby wants me to or Myra wants me to grab her stuff.
And maybe that was. But I feel like that the director wouldn't have responded in the way they did.
Yeah, right, because it would have been so like casual like oh, she just took me to grab her stuff and director could have been like okay, cool, like or whatever.
How does she know she got let go to then tell the director that she said she was let go when Myra swears she didn't say that and if you're texting it then you have a record.
[00:31:15] Speaker B: Right?
[00:31:16] Speaker A: So, so. And she said she was able to kind of like say that she didn't ask it. Yeah, back up what she said. So something about Gabby is not sitting right with me. Gabby, I don't know, she might have been a little ass kisser or what. Like she could be right, like one of those people that's just like friendly with everybody but then when she sees something that benefit her or, or maybe she wanted to get it in good with the director for whatever reason and like ratted her out low key. My intuition is telling me Gabby was not the work best that you want on your side.
But let me get into the update.
So I think a couple weeks after my reset, the email I had sent her some follow up. I had a couple questions and she responded with the fact that she has some good news to share.
[00:31:58] Speaker B: Oh, let's hear it.
[00:32:00] Speaker A: Because it doesn't just end with her getting fired. She ends up getting a new job like within a couple like a month or so.
[00:32:06] Speaker B: Good for her.
[00:32:07] Speaker A: Which made me happy because she was literally going through this when she first sent it and you know, now she's out of that whole three month situation. So we're good now, and. But she got a new job, and she said everything was, like, settling down.
She was actually having stress hives during the time at her job.
[00:32:24] Speaker B: That's awful.
[00:32:25] Speaker A: And realized that when she left the job, they were gone.
Like, once she found a new job, she was like, those stress hives were gone.
[00:32:32] Speaker B: That's awful.
[00:32:33] Speaker A: Which is crazy. Like, a job should not be stressing you that much that it's physically causing you an ailment.
[00:32:39] Speaker B: Mm.
[00:32:40] Speaker A: But she said. Yeah. She's like, at this point, like, this is a direct quote from Ira. At this point, I'm happy this happened because all of my stress hives are gone. I just, like, felt so bad for her. I was like, that's horrible. I actually had kind of, like, hives yesterday while walking Apollo on my chest. I've never gotten them before. And I was like, what is around me? That's, like, making me, like, itchy. It was the worst. I was like, I'd, like with these welts on my chest. And I was like, what the hell's going on? So that sucks that she was going through that over a job, seriously. So she said that. Not in a bitter way, not in a I'll show them kind of way. Just genuinely like someone who had been carrying something heavy for a long time and finally put it down. She's like. I think at that point when she emailed me back, like, everything was settled, and she's like, I feel good now. You know? Like. And that must have felt really good
[00:33:21] Speaker B: for her, I'm sure. Yeah.
[00:33:22] Speaker A: So on International Friendship Day, Myra trusted a workplace, a work friend, an institution that asked her to lead with values. It refused to apply to her, and she came out on the other side, not just surviving, but lighter. So, Sharon, what do you say to maybe about maybe let's give her some advice on the next work bestie she might have at her next job.
I feel like she's got to vet her.
[00:33:46] Speaker B: Definitely follow your intuition. If you feel something shady, it's most definitely shady.
[00:33:52] Speaker A: Yeah. I always say, trust your gut. Trust your gut. And I don't know if she felt anything about Gabby, but initially. But I literally, I just feel like Gabby has something to do with something.
I. I say, start the friendship slowly.
Don't say too much all at once.
Maybe kind of like, just watch out for how people act. I feel like people will show you who they are, their true colors.
[00:34:14] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:34:15] Speaker A: And even when they're talking to you, when you're chatting, if they're talking about all these other co workers and then you see them buddying up with them, that tells you something too, because in my experience, like, you know, you don't want to be fighting with people at work all the time, but you're gonna have a certain type of, I don't want to say personality, but certain interaction with the people that you don't like versus the people that you actually do like. So that says a lot. So look out for those cues because we don't need another Gabby that might have been secretly hating, secretly trying to sabotage you, you know? And if it wasn't that Gabby, my bad. But it's weird. It's really weird. It's very weird. And if it was just the, you know, the place, the Catholic school, I mean, honestly, they also need to get their together. Because, yes, if you're gonna do a contract, you have to uphold that contract or give an addendum contract, first off, like, run your business, right? And really hold the values that you talk about. Because this is the second time, because remember we talked about that one fast food place that also had these values and then didn't want to pay out their employee or like, basically was telling their employee that was the victim that they're gonna get fired. Like, when they were the victim, and then the person that was actually the problem stayed. So, like these places, like you said, that face that you made when I asked you about, like, these places being value driven or being like the Catholic school or like the religious places, I
[00:35:36] Speaker B: feel like no matter what religion or job title, it could be anybody and everybody could be shady at some point.
[00:35:43] Speaker A: Yeah, that's so true. You always have to look out for yourself, honestly. So, Myra, I'm wishing you the best of luck at your new job.
[00:35:50] Speaker B: Same, my friend.
[00:35:51] Speaker A: No more stress hives.
And know that if a job is giving you stress hives, that's the point. To literally be looking for something, that's the biggest red flag, right? That's the biggest red flag. So look out for those.
So, Myra, our work bestie of the day. You walked into a place that asked you to live by its values, and when the time came, they didn't extend you the same grace, but your body knew what was up. And now you know, the hive's clearing up. That's not nothing. That's your answer. As we record this for International Friendship Day. I gotta say, Sharon, I am grateful to have you as a friend for over. I pretty sure over 20 years, right?
[00:36:26] Speaker B: For sure.
Same, my friend.
[00:36:28] Speaker A: Yes. This is a friendship for life.
[00:36:30] Speaker B: Same.
[00:36:31] Speaker A: And if there is a Gabby in your life that you're not sure about.
This is directed at you. Group chat. Maybe sit with that. Find yourself a Sharon.
[00:36:40] Speaker B: Stop it.
[00:36:41] Speaker A: Or Elizabeth. Or Elizabeth. We're super loyal to each other, so find yourself Elizabeth or a Sharon.
[00:36:46] Speaker B: A us.
[00:36:47] Speaker A: A us. Find yourself an us, not a Gabby. And Gabby, I'm sorry if you're innocent, like, my bad, but I honestly don't think you are.
[00:36:53] Speaker B: I don't know. It sounds a little fishy.
[00:36:54] Speaker A: It sounds a little fishy to me.
Well, if you got a story, a workplace friendship that wasn't what it seemed, a firing that came with fine print or anything that's been living in the group chat, send it in. Names changed, jobs protected, opinions very much included.
And as always, none of this is legal advice.
[00:37:15] Speaker B: Byeeee.
[00:37:18] Speaker A: That's it for today's episode of Work Drama. Today's work Drama was read by Lizbeth Marquez, with opinions, reactions and group chat energy provided by our resident instigator, Sharon Rodriguez.
Music for the show is by Denzel Zambo. Fairy Tales. And a special thank you to Project Emo for letting us record this podcast in their studio Idea Forge Studios.
If you've got your own workplace story you can't believe actually happened, send it our way to workdramapodmail.com linked in the show Notes Names changed, jobs protected. This has been Work Drama, where the meetings end, but the stories don't.
