So i (18M) am currently interning at a very prestigious nursery in the Midwest. Its a really big deal for me because the company has government connections, and having this on my resume basically guarantees me future job opportunities.
But here is the issue. My boss (lets call him MB) has been out of town on vacation for the past week. Normally, he’s the one who works alongside me and checks in. But because he is gone his boss (WB), who works out of a completely different office across the state from where I’m stationed, has been “supervising” me remotely using the security cameras in the greenhouses. The greenhouse I work in is about a mile away from mine and my bosses office building, and since MB is gone, I haven’t had access to the air-conditioned office at all. I’ve been stuck at the greenhouses the entire time in the heat.
Now, the weather has been brutal lately, with highs around 100–105°F. Inside the greenhouse, it’s even worse. There’s no fan, no AC, and barely any ventilation. The only way I can cool it down is by opening the roll-up walls about 3 feet, but that doesn’t do much. Even with shade cloth, the temperature inside reached over 130°F today. I was working in those conditions for 6 hours straight before I started feeling lightheaded and got a headache.
Since I couldn’t cool off and had nowhere to rest (again, I had no access to the office), I made the decision to leave about 2 hours early. I didn’t notify WB because I knew she’d be upset, and I don’t have any sick leave to use anyway. About 30 minutes after I got home, WB checked the security cameras, saw I was gone, and called me. She asked where I was, and I told her I had gone home because I wasn’t going to keep working in a greenhouse that was 130°F. She told me that if I didn’t return immediately and finish out the day, I’d be suspended with no pay for a week. Problem is, I live about 30 minutes away and can’t work past 5 p.m (it was already 4:30), so there wouldn’t have been enough time to drive back and get anything done.
So here is where I might be the ass I told her that even if I could make it back in I wouldn’t go back in because it was just too hot there and that if she wants to make sure the plants in there are fine she should come out of her nice ac’ed office and try working in there when it is as hot as it is. She then told me her intern isn’t having any problem with the heat (she only has one greenhouse to take care of and it actually has ventilation unlike the 6 I have to take care of). So I just gave up on the conversation said I was sorry and hung up.
So now I might be suspended, and I’m worried it’ll ruin my reputation at this company. I get that I probably should’ve told someone, but I also think I shouldn’t be expected to work in dangerous conditions with no break and no access to AC.
So AITA for going home early without telling my boss?
Edit to add more context in my contract it does state that I cannot work in conditions about 115 degrees.
Comments
^^^^AUTOMOD Thanks for posting! READ THIS COMMENT – DO NOT SKIM. This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read this before contacting the mod team.
So i (18M) am currently interning at a very prestigious nursery in the Midwest. Its a really big deal for me because the company has government connections, and having this on my resume basically guarantees me future job opportunities.
But here is the issue. My boss (lets call him MB) has been out of town on vacation for the past week. Normally, he’s the one who works alongside me and checks in. But because he is gone his boss (WB), who works out of a completely different office across the state from where I’m stationed, has been “supervising” me remotely using the security cameras in the greenhouses. The greenhouse I work in is about a mile away from mine and my bosses office building, and since MB is gone, I haven’t had access to the air-conditioned office at all. I’ve been stuck at the greenhouses the entire time in the heat.
Now, the weather has been brutal lately, with highs around 100–105°F. Inside the greenhouse, it’s even worse. There’s no fan, no AC, and barely any ventilation. The only way I can cool it down is by opening the roll-up walls about 3 feet, but that doesn’t do much. Even with shade cloth, the temperature inside reached over 130°F today. I was working in those conditions for 6 hours straight before I started feeling lightheaded and got a headache.
Since I couldn’t cool off and had nowhere to rest (again, I had no access to the office), I made the decision to leave about 2 hours early. I didn’t notify WB because I knew she’d be upset, and I don’t have any sick leave to use anyway. About 30 minutes after I got home, WB checked the security cameras, saw I was gone, and called me. She asked where I was, and I told her I had gone home because I wasn’t going to keep working in a greenhouse that was 130°F. She told me that if I didn’t return immediately and finish out the day, I’d be suspended with no pay for a week. Problem is, I live about 30 minutes away and can’t work past 5 p.m (it was already 4:30), so there wouldn’t have been enough time to drive back and get anything done.
So here is where I might be the ass I told her that even if I could make it back in I wouldn’t go back in because it was just too hot there and that if she wants to make sure the plants in there are fine she should come out of her nice ac’ed office and try working in there when it is as hot as it is. She then told me her intern isn’t having any problem with the heat (she only has one greenhouse to take care of and it actually has ventilation unlike the 6 I have to take care of). So I just gave up on the conversation said I was sorry and hung up.
So now I might be suspended, and I’m worried it’ll ruin my reputation at this company. I get that I probably should’ve told someone, but I also think I shouldn’t be expected to work in dangerous conditions with no break and no access to AC.
So AITA for going home early without telling my boss?
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our voting guide here, and remember to use only one judgement in your comment.
OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I left my job 2 hours early because it was way to hot where i was working and then I told off my boss when she told me to come back in. I might be the ah because i was not to kind with my boss and i left work 2 hours early
Help keep the sub engaging!
Don’t downvote assholes!
Do upvote interesting posts!
Click Here For Our Rules and Click Here For Our FAQ
Subreddit Announcements
Follow the link above to learn more
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.
YTA. It’s a greenhouse job in the summer, not an air conditioned job. It’s going to get hot. Unbearably so.
You need to ensure you take the steps to hydrate yourself, take breaks outside the greenhouse as you’re able. But just leaving a job is basically quitting.
ESH.
You don’t get to leave your job early without informing supervisors. That is how you get fired and suspended. Instead, you tell them because of the unsafe working conditions you are leaving early for your own health and safety. Then there is a record of why you left. To be clear, this can still get you fired though.
They suck because they don’t have a way to accommodate workers in an extreme heat environment, like cooling stations or other ways to manage worker safety.
Hm… You don’t sound like a good employee because you should have informed your supervisor and should not have disrespected her when she called you.
But in my country, it is against the law to do physical work in 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
ESH.
YTA, you left without telling anyone. You didn’t tell them because you knew they’d be mad. I have no problem with you leaving, it was crazy hot and you had no place to cool down, it’s a safety issue. But Leaving without telling someone seems like a reasonable reason to suspend someone
I u derstand the working conditions are unbearable. But you said you left without telling her because you knew she’d be mad. Did you think she would be less mad for you leaving without telling her?
YTA for leaving without letting anyone know. Not for leaving unbearable working conditions because you were experiencing possibly the early symptoms of heat exhaustion/stroke. But because you left without telling anyone.
most jobs have it written in your hiring agreement that if you walk out without notice, it’s assumed you’re quitting. You’re lucky she didn’t just fire you on the spot, and instead offered you an out.
NTA, but you definitely could have gone about things better. From what you’ve said, it doesn’t sound like you really brought up the issue at all or made any attempt to find a solution before you just decided to leave. If you want to be able to come out of this with some semblance of professionalism and not burn bridges, you should have made sure there was some kind of paper trail of you trying to not just up and leave.
YTA specifically for not communicating with your boss. It’s a critical skill you’re going to have to learn.
Sorry this is tough but no matter what job you hold you need to tell someone on the job you are leaving.
File a formal complaint for unsafe work conditions. 130° for 6+ hours is inhumane. OSHA would have a field day with them. NTA
OSHA Heat Exposure
Fellow horticulture person here. YTA for leaving without telling her – but it would have been ridiculous to stay. It’s not just the temperature inside the poly house, it’s the humidity.
I would have either called her and told her I was leaving, or if I had a vehicle there, I might have gone and sat in that with the air conditioning running for a while.
YTA. You f’ed up not telling your boss even if she was going to be mad. What you should do in the future, is tell them, and if they say no, demand an email or text from them acknowledging the levels of heat and the lack of ventilation/cooling and that she told you to suck it up. In my experience, they deflect until they’re forced to say they want you working in those conditions which at that point they give up and tell you to go home.
[deleted]
I agree with other posters who said that you screwed up by leaving your job without telling the boss. For that, YTA. However, your work environment sounds like it violates OSHA regulations as far as having cooling off spaces. I probably would have left too, cause you don’t want to get heat exhaustion or heat stroke, but I would have called and told the boss first.
It seems unfair, but yes, you’re the AH. At bare minimum you should have notified someone that you’re leaving. You should have called (and recorded the conversation) and explained the situation. Mentioning the temperature and the effects you are feeling would go a long way in your defense if you have to file a wrongful termination suit. By walking off the job without any notice you actively quit your job. If I was on the other end of that call I would have been able to make a decision on how to proceed with the day, and I would have been able to help you find medical services if you felt like you needed it. If you walked off my job site and didn’t notify me or a direct supervisor that would have been your last day. Also if there was any loss of product due to your neglect and dereliction of responsibility I’d file a lawsuit against you for the losses.
With that being said, I do truly feel for you. It sucks and seems unfair that you have to work in those conditions. I’ve had jobs that have had similar conditions and every time I talked to my boss we always came up with a solution. Communication is a two way street. Yes, you have to listen to your boss but it’s their responsibility to listen to and protect their employees.
Toughen up buttercup. The fact that you thought it was OK to leave a job with you clearly knew had CCTV without notifying your booss
Yta. A huuuuge one. Kiss all those contacts goodbye
If you’re getting lightheaded and queasy it’s a safety thing to not be working. But it is also not safe at that point to drive yourself.
You need to tell your regular boss what happened, like now. You should have told big boss when you left, and when she called you you should have told her you were starting to get heat exhaustion or at least why you left early (“I was getting lightheaded and water wasn’t helping” not “it’s too hot for humans”)
You messed up, so by the rules here YTA but I’d prefer to judge you as “yup you’re a teenager hopefully you’ll live to learn better”
YTA
I would have fired you. However, I also would never require someone to work alone in dangerous conditions. The buddy system is important in these kinds of situations to ensure everyone is safe.
The reason I would have fired you for this…
Good bosses keep track of all their employees. If someone goes missing you absolutely must search for them until they are located. If this involves me personally turning over every rock on the job site and calling all your emergency contacts then so be it. It must be done. It’s also a huge red flag to me that someone lacks any kind of safety awareness.
YTA
“I didn’t notify WB because I knew she’d be upset”
End of thread. You already admit you’re the AH right there.
You’re not wrong for not wanting to stay. But you talk to your boss and worst case leave anyways. But just going is not the right approach
You can tell them you are not well and have to leave, it isn’t a negotiation. It’s better than abandoning your post.
You also failed to CYA – cover your ass.
You might think about filing a report with labor & ies, or your labor board.
Yes, you are TAH for leaving without telling your supervisor because “you knew she would be upset”. The mature option would have been to contact her explain what the issue was and how the work conditions were not safe to work. That way she’d either have to go on record telling you to work in 130° or she would have to find a way to make the conditions bearable.
BTA as the conditions are not safe to work alone in but at the same time walking away without saying anything is not the smart move. Simple call explaining the situation and how you feel gives them a heads up there’s an issue and they may have a solution but also if something were to happen to you then you have it documented.
Personally I’d follow up the next day explain heat exhaustion had got to me and discuss pre cautions to prevent it from happening again. Honestly they should have 2 people there for buddy system with the extreme heat and increased breaks for water and sit in car with AC if no office access.
YTA. Totally get that 130’F is ridiculous and isn’t right especially if you can’t access the AC office to get a break but leaving work without telling anyone? Like you could’ve communicated that:
1.) There’s no ventaliation in your greenhouse.
2.) It’s 130’F. You probably have a smart phone, take a pic and send it.
3.) You’re feeling lightheaded and headache from the heat.
The reason the above is at a minimum necessary is because you’re telling corporate/supervisors etc. that you are in a bad working condition, it’s hotter than what should be acceptable in working conditions and you have a physical issue due to how hot it was. You waited 6 hours and just left. You should’ve said something in hour 1.
All three of these things combined should indicate to a company or supervisor that something had to be done. If not, and had you left at that point after doing above my judgement would’ve been the opposite.
It wasn’t what you did, but how you did it. But you’re 18. Literally you have your whole life to figure this stuff out and I’m sure you’ll do great.
YTA from a nursery professional. You MUST communicate with your bosses, even if you want to avoid the uncomfortable-ness of getting told off.
You should have gone to the boss and said that you were literally feeling the heat and needed a break from that space. WE GET IT, and won’t risk your actual life if we know that a problem exists. I’ve gotten heat exhaustion working in hoops and greenhouses, and eventually learned that it was better to ask for an alternative task to fill the rest of my time.
The kicker here is that dealing with any kind of perishable crop (from petunias to chickens) doesn’t stop just because someone doesn’t feel well. If you just flip out and disappear, nobody knows that they need to make up for your absence. You could kill an entire crop by opting out of communication.
Why wouldn’t you tell them you were leaving…?
YTA.
Always, ALWAYS let your boss know what’s up. If you need to go home, go home. But let your boss know.
You should have notified them as soon as the temp hit 115 and explained that due to your contract you will be heading home since it is unsafe to continue to work in those conditions.
YTA.
If your contract says no work over 115, you Leave every time it hits that mark.
And tell your boss if they expect you to be there at that time.
Does grandboss Know 115 is your contract limit and the greenhouse exceeded that?
“Hi Boss, the interior thermometers are at 120 with the walls rolled up. Per my contract, I’m leaving because I can’t work. I’ll be back early tomorrow about X AM.”
As to the no breaks – what are your local laws on that? Most places have some.
Also, no access to AC while working effectively outdoors in heatstroke weather is a safety hazard. Bring that up with your regular boss, MB.
Edit – wait, you drive. Does your car not have AC to take breaks in?
YTA
You messed up not notifying anyone you were leaving early. You needed to at least call that boss and tell her what the temp was, and bring to her attention that per your contract you’re not supposed to be working in that kind of heat. You also need to be respectful to bosses (to a point), even if they’re assholes.
Like another poster said, your one hope is to call back tomorrow and apologize, saying you were suffering the effects of heat exhaustion and were really out of it and not yourself. Then let her know it won’t happen again.
On the flip side, DOCUMENT ALL OF THIS. Working in that heat is absolutely inhumane, and if they’re forcing you against contract, that’s a lawsuit.
YTA. Look, if you don’t want to ruin your reputation with a company which will benefit your future, you need to act like a mature adult capable of communicating even if the other person might get “mad.” All you had to do was call the supervisor and explain the circumstances, and ask what you can do, given that the temps are 15 degrees above what your contract states. Or, if you really wanted to impress while your boss was out of town, you could have prepared for your working conditions with extra hydration, a personal fan, maybe sitting in your air conditioned car for 10 minutes a few times during the day, etc. and keep the complaints to yourself (but toot your own horn about your dedication when your direct supervisor returned).
What you did just comes off as an irresponsible 18 year old kid who can’t be trusted to work without close supervision. Not saying that is the case, just saying that is the impression you will have made with your actions.
YTA You’re an adult. Communicate.
Technically speaking, what you did is called “job abandonment”, and in a lot of cases, it’s a fireable offense.
YTA- of course you shouldn’t work in those conditions, but leaving like that is very unprofessional. You call and say that the conditions aren’t safe and that unless the situation can be rectified that you will need to leave for the day. If the boss refuses then they are the AH and you call OSHA.
YTA for simply not telling anyone. You could have called and explained the situation in an adult professional manner but you didn’t. Even when she called you took the low road of saying get out of your AC office. You messed up. Probably due to lack of experience and immaturity. Maybe craft an email apologizing and explaining in an adult professional manner why you chose to leave. This is on you though. You were unprofessional to the absolute max.
YTA
None of your excuses justify ghosting your job. You have to grow up.
YTA not for leaving but as you asked, for leaving without telling anyone
You messed up when you didn’t tell the boss. You were over heating and that’s risky so you needed to cool off. But you should have come to that conclusion with the boss
Dip shit.
ESH – you absolutely should’ve asked what to do, and told someone you can’t work if they don’t solve the problem due to your contract and labor laws. Going home without saying anything is never gonna go over well.
However the company is TA so hard I can’t really say YTA, like wtf 130 degrees no breaks or AC is not livable working conditions.
Also are we taking unpaid internship or paid? Doesn’t really change anything other than the company being an even bigger ah if they’re making interns work in these conditions.
You knew she’d be upset so you didn’t call. That is super unprofessional. You never leave work without telling someone. I can only blame your immaturity and lack of experience. You need to acknowledge you messed up. You should have called and explained your situation like an adult professional. You don’t you left and assumed how she would react. Your call later irritates your immaturity and unprofessionalism. You saying get out of your AC office is rude and again shows your immaturity. An adult doesn’t speak to a manager that way. You showed no respect when she was upset you left without telling her. She has every right to be upset you left without communicating it to her. You messed up. You have some growing up to do.
yta for leaving without notice. WB might have been upset, but still couldn’t force you to stay, and you definitely should have notified them.
Yes to say you are at fault for not calling to say you were leaving… however at that point you were in heat exhaustion and can say that you were not thinking clearly… if they try to fire or write you up… talk to a lawyer
NTA This is unsafe working conditions. It sounds like you were getting heat exhaustion. I had it once at a job & it was terrible. Take care of yourself because if you dropped dead while working, they’d be looking for your replacement the next day.
YTA. Tell your boss that you’re leaving. Period.
It was foolish not to communicate, but that’s the sort of mistake an 18 year old makes. Live and learn. Sounds like a very bad manager and unreasonable working conditions, but you lost the high ground by leaving without notice.
YTA. People encounter dangerous situations at work all the time and they don’t just say fuck it and leave. A responsible adult alerts someone to the situation. You don’t have to work in unsafe conditions but you still have to be a grown up and communicate the issue to someone. If she gets mad, then you tell her you need to leave. At least then you can say in your defence that you tried to address it. As someone who manages people, nothing irritates me more than having to call an employee and ask “Where are you?”
Also, you should get over your sense of entitlement. No one is guaranteed anything. If you act like an idiot, people find out and you end up getting a name for yourself. You should worry about your reputation before you screw up, not after.
YTA.
You always tell your boss that you are leaving early if you have to. It’s literally like rule number 1. Your boss actually let you off easy. Every place that I have worked would terminate you if you left early without saying anything.