Do you think his boss is rigid?!

courage2change ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 12:28 am

My husband took a job 8 months ago as a manger of a store. He works 45 hours a week and must be there till half hour before Shabbos in the winter because it’s a food store so but in the summer two hours before Shabbos. I think working half hour before Shabbos is ridiculous and my husband comes running into the house 20 minutes before the zman.His boss made him signa 5 year contract that he will stay and do these crazy hours. He is getting paid pretty well though.
Prices of houses in Brooklyn are through the roof and we can’t afford them. So Banging head

we were thinking of moving to a nearby town about a half hour drive away. He went to ask his boss if he could renegotiate the hours for Friday but his boss said if you move you’re fired! Crying

His boss told him he should have not brought it up. If he would have known that he was going to move he wouldn’t have hired him!
I’m so mad at his bosses rigidity. Do you understand his boss and does he have a right to hold us back from moving? Banging head

↑ courage2change ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 12:35 am

He can work the same amount of hours but he’ll just have to leave 30 minutes before shabbos and make them up during the week. I think it’s not fair that his boss doesn’t even want to discuss it!

↑ nicole81 ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 12:42 am

causemommysaid wrote:

How is a 5 yr contract even enforceable?

It's not, and the boss isn't trying to hold him to the 5 year part, just the hours part. These are the hours he needs for his worker, not leaving early and making it up another time. He doesn't have to provide that accommodation.

If your husband is doing a good job, then it's a bit short sighted not to just hire someone else for that last bit on Friday, but maybe he thinks he can do better.

Either way, if your husband can't do the hours he signed on for, then it's totally fair to tell him to find another job. He doesn't have to provide an accommodation.

↑ courage2change ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 12:44 am

He thinks my husband is doing a great job! He even told my relative that he really loves my husband! That’s why we thought he would hold onto him. His hours are crazy. Thursday night he works till 12 at night which I don’t mind. It’s just the Friday half hour before Shabbos that really gets to me.

Raizle ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 12:53 am

Well if he tries to call his bluff then please do come back here and tell us what happens.
The boss can do that but like someone else wrote it's a bit short sighted to not try and work something out.

↑ courage2change ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 12:57 am

I feel stuck because we can’t buy a house if his boss might fire him! I have three kids in a 2 bedroom apartment.. 900 square feet big! One bathroom! My oldest is 8 boy and needs space!

familyfirst ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 1:08 am

If you can find better housing somewhere else, then go for it. You can’t lock yourself into this situation forever.

Doubt the boss will find someone else who can fill those hours. Find the right house. And 30 minutes before zman is a bit much

Molly Weasley ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 1:45 am

familyfirst wrote:

I don't think that's good advice.

Ultimately, the boss is correct, DH agreed to those terms and he is obligated to stick to them. His word is his bond.

I would advise something else. Have your husband looked for an alternative person that DH will be responsible for, that can manage the store for that extra hour before the zman.

Also, if you're that sure about the housing opportunities in the other town and feel that you're missing out if you don't jump on it, consider buying it and trying to rent it out.

Elfrida ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 1:53 am

Go ahead and buy the new house, preferably around Pesach. (I know, houses don't come exactly to order!)

Move to the new house, and your husband can continue working through the summer, when he finishes two hours before Shabbos. In the interim, keep an eye out for a new job.

Around August let your husband have a discussion with his boss, where he can state that the current hours will not be feasible during the winter, and maybe present a few alternatives, like having someone else to cover Friday afternoons.

Once the facts are on tbe ground, the boss might have to accept that things will need to change. At the very least, they'll have time for a calm discussion without having to make changes on the spot.

↑ nicole81 ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 2:03 am

Elfrida wrote:

I like this idea.

B'Syata D'Shmya ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 2:40 am

courage2change wrote:

I feel stuck because we can’t buy a house if his boss might fire him! I have three kids in a 2 bedroom apartment.. 900 square feet big! One bathroom! My oldest is 8 boy and needs space!

Why doesnt your husband go looking for a better job, then move.

abound

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 2:43 am

Boss will never find someone for just friday...someone will do it because of the rest of the week. The boss is not being unfairly rigid, he hired your husband for these hours.
I suggest he look for something else and then leave, dont worry about the 5 year contract.

↑ Elfrida

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 2:47 am

abound wrote:

A bocher looking for some extra income might be quite happy to have a Friday afternoon job.

imaima ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 2:48 am

courage2change wrote:

I feel stuck because we can’t buy a house if his boss might fire him! I have three kids in a 2 bedroom apartment.. 900 square feet big! One bathroom! My oldest is 8 boy and needs space!

Try to look for a similar job in a new place. Your dh must have a great reputation by now. I have friends who started out as a store manager and moved on to be a manager in a company, with zero education. He just managed well and the word spread.

singleagain ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 5:53 am

I work for a kosher grocery. We have 4 supermarkets they close 2.5 hours before candlelighting all year round. I wonder how much money the store makes in that last hour and a half on Friday to make it worth it to keep the manager and other workers there.

If your husband is manager he should have access to the POS to run these types of reports.

↑ B'Syata D'Shmya ↓

Tue, Dec 31 2024, 5:56 am

singleagain wrote:

I respect that. A frum supermarket SHOULD close with enough time for their employees to get home to make Shabbos.
I would not respect the store that keeps their staff till half hour before.