The job industry is rotten to the core

My former boss is hiring. Here's a small part of the job description:

"At the current time, we only have part-time work available therefore you MUST have either another source of income, be a full-time student or are in a living arrangement where you do not need full-time pay. We ask that you make at least a 6-month commitment to us (this is not just a "summer job" or an "until I find a full time job" job). We work in all types of weather: heat, cold, rain IN ADDITION to all major holidays. There are no "sick" days unless there is an extreme situation that would not allow you to work. You must be able to pass a criminal background check. You also need reliable transportation."

Lady, you need work-life balance. This is unsustainable and I'm genuinely concerned for your wellbeing, even though I think that you tolerate some things that are absolutely horrid because you view them as job standards.

I kind of want to burn this bridge by telling her that if she wants reliable employees, she needs to create an environment where everyone has each other's back, and it starts with her. Right from the start, she is throwing potential employees under the bus. She's saying: this is reasonable to expect. It's your fault if you don't measure up. If you don't want to tolerate mistreatment, I don't want you.

She would probably bristle at the idea that she's mistreating her employees, but she's mistreating herself.

People like this don't take vacations. Someone always needs their dog watched or walked or fed or let out. Sometimes it's because they're going on vacation, which is part of the reason I'm leaving the industry: I don't want to take care of things while others enjoy themselves. I want to enjoy myself too.

It's part of the reason I'm stuck, but we're not talking about me right now.

This job listing is a recipe for burnout. She's mostly survived this long because she's very stubborn, and has pretty entrenched pathways in her brain that say: this is good, this is right, this is normal.

She gets up to let the dogs out at 6 am, most days. Sleeping in means 7 or 8 am. There's no 9-5 here; at best it's 6-6.

This doesn't leave you with a lot of personal time, so she admitted that she often stays up late. If you go to bed at 9 pm, that'll leave you just enough time to get 8 hours of sleep so you can be up for your 6 am appointments.

That's 3 hours of personal time. No weekdays off, for the most part, you have to let the dogs out because their owners are gone for the entire week. Dog walks are often scheduled around noon, so whatever you want to get done during the day has to be slotted in around the dogs.

There are other pets, really, so I should be saying that. But it's mostly dogs.

She's kept her rates up to date, so at least there's that, but other than that? There is nothing appealing about this job. Love of animals is not enough to make up for an inhospitable environment. You need to create allowances for sickness, holidays, vacations, off time, and personal time in general.

This means hiring more people so that they can cover when the other person isn't available, being understanding when that happens, reassuring your employees that there are enough people on board to handle the job if there are any slip ups, and a willingness to let the clients know that you can't sit for them this week because you need a vacation.

Seriously, it's entirely possible that she has not had one since 2001.

I know that, in this economy, vacations are frivolous. I don't feel comfortable flying on airplanes yet. I don't know if the attendants care about covid or think it's a hoax. I don't know if I can trust the people sitting right next to me. I don't think I should be travelling to another location, because that's how disease is spread far and wide.

That's not the point. The point is that a vacation helps you reset. It helps reset your mind. It helps keep thing fresh and new, which helps keep your life from stagnating. It's rejuvenating and I really think that it should be a job requirement--you know, for employers.

She's not an uncaring person. Most people don't start petsitting if they don't care about people, at least to some extent. Even if they don't want to work with them, they listen to what to they have to say about their pets because they love pets, and they know how the owner feels.

She doesn't realize just how little she cares about her employees. About her own wellbeing.

It's brainwashing. This culture brainwashes as many people as possible into thinking that an abusive environment is okay. Not just okay--something desirable. Something to foster. Something that's ridiculous to criticize.

She's asked me to come back to work for her before. I think she's having a hard time retaining employees. I do need the money, at the moment, but I'm not sure this job is worth it.

I was so stressed that I had nightmares, and I started getting triggered by receiving texts on my phone. It wasn't even a bad job, I thought then. It wasn't even that demanding. It wasn't even that hard.

Now? I think I'm glad I left.