Alrighty. Most of you know that I volunteer at an animal rescue organization and that I put out approx 200 hours every month.
What you don't know is that I don't even enjoy it... anymore. There used to be a time when I loved going in. Now it's a chore and I don't want to wake up in the morning anymore because I know whats coming.
Now don't get me wrong. I love those animals more than anyone could ever imagine. And I don't want to leave them. But things happen.
The past few months have gotten worse. I've always had problems with the boss, but lately it seems to have just gone downhill. Back in June we had 2 awesome volunteers start to help us. A lady and her husband. She would come and spend time with the special needs kitties, and he was bashing out walls and putting in windows and making the shelter more roomy and just better in general. All for free might I add.
Well a few weeks ago the boss got it in her head somehow that they were trying to take over or something and has just gone power hungry and has been making all of our lives hell.
Every simple discussion turned into a verbal fight with threats and verbal abuse.
But the 2 volunteers stuck by through the hate and the words and everything.
This past weekend was it, though. She said one too many rude things and that was it. The husband quit. Halfway through putting a new window in.
Then on Sunday we were fundraising.. selling chocolate bars at a local market. And she decided that she needed all the money (we are supposed to raise $900 first, pay for the chocolate bars, then sell the res and the money is all for the animals) but thats not the way it works out and we couldn't get it through her head.
Anyway.. I could say everything that happened on Sunday and it would take you an hour to read it. So to make a long story short-ish. She basically told us that we were supposed to be mind-less freaks and do whatever she says, whenever she says, and cannot have a brain.
Three volunteers quit that day, right then and there. We aren't paid to put up with this sort of junk.
Then she fired three others yesterday. Saying that they were causing negativity and she needed to get rid of them. Then she told me I couldn't talk to the lady and that we weren't allowed to be friends. Excuse me? I'll talk to who I want whenever I want. I am my own person and you have no say in what I do outside of the shelter.
So then she went to the point where she is now getting us to sign a confidentiality clause so I can't talk to ANYONE about ANYTHING going on inside the centre. She is doing this because she doesn't want me talking to the lady about the animals or anything.
Okay.. well now after I finally ranted and got all that out. Here is my questions.
Firstly she said that the confidentiality clause was starting today, verbally. Can that be allowed? How does this go about being Legal since it is not on paper?
And if/when I do sign the paper.. what sort of punishment could I get?
I am going to refuse to sign the paper anyway.. and if she says I HAVE to, then I am quitting. Because it's not her say who I talk to and what about.
And again.. I love those animals more than you would believe... but it's just not worth the abuse anymore. I can't take it. It really will break my heart to leave them all.. but I just can't do it anymore. I'm gone.. when is the only question.
What you don't know is that I don't even enjoy it... anymore. There used to be a time when I loved going in. Now it's a chore and I don't want to wake up in the morning anymore because I know whats coming.
Now don't get me wrong. I love those animals more than anyone could ever imagine. And I don't want to leave them. But things happen.
The past few months have gotten worse. I've always had problems with the boss, but lately it seems to have just gone downhill. Back in June we had 2 awesome volunteers start to help us. A lady and her husband. She would come and spend time with the special needs kitties, and he was bashing out walls and putting in windows and making the shelter more roomy and just better in general. All for free might I add.
Well a few weeks ago the boss got it in her head somehow that they were trying to take over or something and has just gone power hungry and has been making all of our lives hell.
Every simple discussion turned into a verbal fight with threats and verbal abuse.
But the 2 volunteers stuck by through the hate and the words and everything.
This past weekend was it, though. She said one too many rude things and that was it. The husband quit. Halfway through putting a new window in.
Then on Sunday we were fundraising.. selling chocolate bars at a local market. And she decided that she needed all the money (we are supposed to raise $900 first, pay for the chocolate bars, then sell the res and the money is all for the animals) but thats not the way it works out and we couldn't get it through her head.
Anyway.. I could say everything that happened on Sunday and it would take you an hour to read it. So to make a long story short-ish. She basically told us that we were supposed to be mind-less freaks and do whatever she says, whenever she says, and cannot have a brain.
Three volunteers quit that day, right then and there. We aren't paid to put up with this sort of junk.
Then she fired three others yesterday. Saying that they were causing negativity and she needed to get rid of them. Then she told me I couldn't talk to the lady and that we weren't allowed to be friends. Excuse me? I'll talk to who I want whenever I want. I am my own person and you have no say in what I do outside of the shelter.
So then she went to the point where she is now getting us to sign a confidentiality clause so I can't talk to ANYONE about ANYTHING going on inside the centre. She is doing this because she doesn't want me talking to the lady about the animals or anything.
Okay.. well now after I finally ranted and got all that out. Here is my questions.
Firstly she said that the confidentiality clause was starting today, verbally. Can that be allowed? How does this go about being Legal since it is not on paper?
And if/when I do sign the paper.. what sort of punishment could I get?
I am going to refuse to sign the paper anyway.. and if she says I HAVE to, then I am quitting. Because it's not her say who I talk to and what about.
And again.. I love those animals more than you would believe... but it's just not worth the abuse anymore. I can't take it. It really will break my heart to leave them all.. but I just can't do it anymore. I'm gone.. when is the only question.