Arghhh so frustrated!

[Munchkin]

I have to rant - I apologise in advance.
I love my job and I love working with younger people, because you have fun and all. I really like all the people I work with but sometimes their attitudes about rabbit welfare really sucks.

One of my young coworkers came up to me this afternoon as I was putting our fish delivery out and told me that she had been told to move a couple of rabbits that had been brought into us, out into adoption, after their quarantine is over.

The problem was the rabbits were humping. She said she had told the assistant manageress who told her just to put them out.
Before I went to say something I wanted to be sure and have my facts straight, so went and sexed the bunnies - they were very clearly a male and a female.

I lifted the female and walked into the office to ask the assistant manageress what she was thinking, and the following is the response:

Me: "Do you know these two are different sexes and humping?"
Her: "Yeah, but she hasn't got pregnant yet so its ok"
Me: "Just because she hasn't gotten pregnant so far (that you know), doesn't mean it isn't going to happen"
Her: shrugs and glares at me
Me: "That's totally irresponsible - you can't do that"
Her: "Well - you find her somewhere to go because there is no room anywhere else!"

I walk out and put the bunny down in the corridor while I prepare a cage, thinking its best to requaranteen her until we know if she is pregnant rather than sell her to an unsuspecting new owner.

The assistant manager walks in, lifts her while I'm out of sight and takes her off without saying a single word.

I go to find her and she tells me she has put her in with other females - just chucked her in there with a group of bonded females in the hope they will be ok.

I had to leave as my shift was over but I went and spoke to my manager about her attitude as she refuses to take advice from me, and thinks she knows it all - even though she clearly doesn't.

What do you do with people like that? Too much authority too young, and too immature to deal with it. Arghhhh. :grumpy:

 

[polly]

no wonder you are annoyed i probably wouldn't have been so polite. I don't know where you work but if it s one of the chain stores i would probably take it further or have a little annonymous phonecall to the rspca to get them to have a word.

If you want to be really nice abouut it then i would probably get some of the RWA leaflets to read and leave them in her office. At the end of the day whats she gonna do cause if she tried to get rid of you she would get screwed so bad, with employment law being the way it is so don't back down to her

 

[Munchkin]

Thanks Polly!
I'm going to see what her mood is like on monday, but if she gives me attitude - I'll be taking her to one side and telling her what I think of this childish crap. She is only about 21 and I'm 35, so there is no way on earth I'm going to allow her to make this about me and her and who is the boss. End of the day I'm interested in whats best for the rabbits, not arguing with anyone.

I work for Pets at home, and my manager will probably speak to her so I'm not going further until I know how that goes. If her attitude continues though, and I feel the welfare of our rabbits is not being considered - I will go higher as I know the company take animal welfare very seriously.

We recently had an inspeactor in through the company who laid out guidelines (very very good ones) as to how we treat hygiene, feeding etc for the rabbits.

Hopefully it's just a little spat and we can get back to normal on monday - I like the girl alot and I know its just her age and insecurities that is making her be so argumentative.

 

[jupiterannette]

no offence be cause i can totally understand your frustrations, but i also sucks being 23 and having 40-50 somthings working under you who refuse to listen to reason!

im not saying you were wrong, you were soooooooo right!

but they jsut look at me like im some dumb young kid..

AGE should have NOTHING to do with how people view you.

experience and knowledge.

yes soem of the peopel that work for me are old enough to be my parrents and have experienced life more, but i know more about birds in my short little life, then they could possible learn all togeather!

just remember ignorance is bliss and they'll get theres!

 

[polly]

i think the RWA has been involved too. I know there is quite a lot going on now with the new legislation coming in as well. There has been breeders down south had all their rabbits taken off them not totally sure what for but hutch size came into it and cleanliness. I know most breeders with like 70 rabbits + clean on a rota. Not ure how all the new legislation will work out.

I know from owning a business and also being a younger boss it can be quite hard. But being a boss also means i know how much employment law is on the employees side! so don't put up with it.

Lets put it this way she wouldn't like being put with a random man and him having his wicked way with her so she should respect other living things feel the same

 

[jupiterannette]

RIGHT ON!

Bunny POWER!!!!


LOL:biggrin2:

 

[Munchkin]

No offence taken whatsoever!
For the record though:
The fact is I do give her respect - I have no problem taking orders from someone regardless of age but I expect respect back when I give my opinion.

My boss, the manager, gives me respect for what I know, as does the other assistant manager. Both listen to what I have to say and make me feel valued as part of a team. That makes me motivated to work even harder. This girl has only been promoted very recently, and I was told today that none of her co-workers wanted her promoted because of her moodiness and refusal to listen to others.

I'm hoping with time, and manager intervention, she will realise that her position does not mean she has free rein, and that the animals are the most important thing, and that I am not there to throw my weight around - the only reason I spoke up was because it is ethically so very wrong and my coworker obviously didn't want the agro of speaking out.

Personally I don't agree with breeding over here - because of the lack of understanding about rabbit welfare here and lack of shelters, so leaving them to do what bunnies do just because she can't be bothered to find an alternative spacewise is absolutely appalling.

 

[jupiterannette]

we have the same issue over here.
granted alot of breeders keep there babies, but there are many who do not.

a friend of mine has over 80 buns inher house, and 14 ish foster homes that are all full. she finally got state funding, but it is rediculous, Easter bunnies! they over run the world!

parents get there kids a bunny and then the kids get sick fo it and its banished to the yard or basment never to be played with again.

i read a poem about an easter bun once. arggg....

there are 2 kinds of poeple in this world...

Us and them!

LOL

hopefully things will resolve, and she'll get her head outta her butt! LOL

 

[Bo B Bunny]

It might not be an issue of them not respectng you or giving you the credit you deserve..... but it could be the fact she doesn't care. The bunny is a "product" and she wants to move that product without having to do much work. She doesn't "see" the bunny being pregnant so therefore she doesn't have to deal with it.

I hate some people.

 

[Munchkin]

Gosh - 80 bunnies in her house. Now THAT'S alot of bunnies! How does she cope?!!

I am with you on hating some people for their lack of humanity. I far prefer the company of my rabbits - they make me laugh, give me kisses and are never mean for no reason. Love them all so much.

The crazy thing is this girl has a bunny herself and we were talking about her getting spayed. She obviously loves her animals - she has a chinchilla, cats, hamster, and others too and is always telling me stories about them. I guess unlike me, she can separate her loved bunnies from her "stock" bunnies - whereas I view each and every bunny as a valued creature that deserves the best I can do for it.

Thanks so much all of you for the feedback - its really nice to know other people feel like I do, and like I said - my manager didn't know what was going on until I told him...I'm hoping he has had a quiet word in her ear about it.