My coworker is pressuring me to start 30+ minutes before my actual start time

I work in hospitality, specifically hotel hospitality and we recently had a meeting regarding “handovers” and how we should show up a little early to ensure that we can get up to speed before our shift starts and the other staff can depart from their shift on time.

Don’t get me wrong, great idea and my manager specifically said it should only be 5-10 minutes which im more than happy to do.

However, a couple of days after that meeting. My coworker kept looking at me in a disgusting way, which i ignored. This went on for a few more days before she eventually took me into one of our vacant meeting rooms and said “Me and (the manager) are upset that you are not committed to the handover schedule we set in last weeks meeting..” and begins berating me for not showing up “At least 30-45 minutes before shift”.

For those who have worked in Hotel hospitality before, you know that even on a bad day. There isnt 30-45 minutes of stuff to catch up on.

I explained this to her and how in the meeting the manager even said 5-10 mins was more than enough. She then got angry and frustrated and exclaimed “I will be reporting this to (the manager)”.

Basically saying that my manager wasn’t upset with me, she was just saying it to make me feel more pressured.

I’m really unsure what to do now. Luckily i have a few days off to think and ask you guys. But i really am unsure what my next action should be.

Netizens’ comments

1. Unless they want to pay you for that time it doesn’t belong to them. Put this in writing to your manager and get confirmation in writing about the start and handover time.
2. Don’t start one minute sooner than they are willing to pay you. If you get it in writing that they want you to start working 10 minutes before shift make sure you track all that extra time on your end since they would legally owe you money for that time.
3. Do not work for free..
4. First, confirm that your manager said what she claims the manager said. Don’t let your coworker pretend to be an intermediary. Go right to the source.

Rant on hardselling

Initially purchased a trial facial treatment and ended up buying a package.

On my first visit they made me try their laser therapy for free, said its a promotion and then proceed to hard selling me at the end of the session to add on the laser therapy. I rejected.

On my second visit they did not hard sell anything.

On my third visit, their consultant came into the treatment room before the facial even started and said she wanted to examine my skin.

She then started to go about how bad my dark eye circles and my neck were (due to eczema) and then tried to hard sell me for extra eye and neck treatments. I kept rejecting and kept saying no i don’t want any additional add ons. She kept telling me “I’m just sharing with you, its okay if you don’t want to buy, just think about it” Then why does she still keep trying to convince me when I already said NO?

During the facial session the beautician kept subtly trying to point out my dark eye circles and neck issues. I bet the skin consultant told the beautician to point it out again during the facial treatment so it will convince me to purchase.

After the session the consultant was there again asking me if I would like to add on. I said no and changed the topic to book my next appointment and said I have to leave. But she is still there trying to convince me to purchase and even suggested me to purchase just one session to try out because her words are just words and I wont know until I tried. I said maybe next time then I walked out.

I am seriously so sick and tired of their hard selling and I still have many sessions to go. I deeply regret that I fell into the trap and purchased the package in the first place. In fact I do not even look forward to my facial treatments and instead dread them because I’m afraid of the hard selling every session. It’s so irritating when I just want a time to relax.

I know it is part of their job and they want to increase their sales but can’t they put themselves into the shoes of their customers? No means no. Stop it. Argh.

If even saying no doesn’t work what else can I do?

Are Grab drivers allowed to ask for more money than stated on the app?

So my family had a few days holiday in Singapore and needed to be brought to the airport so we booked a Grab. We optioned for pay cash cause we wanted to use up our Singapore money.

Grab driver picks us up, asks how many people. We say 3. We booked a 6 seater car cause we had a few big luggage that wouldn’t fit into a 4 seater car. Then says it will be $10 more.

So now it’s $51.50 but as stated on the app the price is $41.50?

Are they allowed to do this? Not Singaporean so not sure.

Netizens’ comments

1. Not allowed, you don’t need to pay more than is stated on the app. Please report the driver to Grab, he’s trying to pull a fast one on unsuspecting tourists unfortunately.
   Did you request a receipt proving your claim?
   Don’t report to GRAB but Singapore Tourism Board instead for more bite.
   The matter will be seriously looked into and escalated than being swept under the rug.
   Don’t let such sneaky and unscrupulous behaviour get away.
2. This happened to me too!!! About a month ago, was traveling from Changi – we had 3 pax n 4 large luggages n 1 medium luggage. We ordered 6 seater grab. Upon reaching the airport n looking at our luggages, The driver told us that he needed to add on charges for grab 6 premium as we had a lot of luggage.
   He kept saying grab 6 is for 2 luggages. I told him that we had never had this issue before n we have taken grab 6 with the same people n luggages a few times before.
   He said HIS CAR IS PREMIUM SO HE HAS TO ADD ON THE CHARGES. It was 1am & we were tired so i agreed – thinking that the add on charges are maybe $10 or something. Turns out it was $30!!
   He only informed us of the amount on the road. We had no choice but to accept it. He made me reply him to say noted but what else could we have done – stop at the roadside?!
   I submitted a feedback to grab n requested that they refund me the $30. Initially they refused to do it – their excuse was that the driver had informed me. So I repeated the story. Then they refunded me. So it’s actually not uncommon – i don’t think it’s an outright scam, seems like grab was ok with the driver doing that. They are allowed to add on charges under “others”.
3. No. App price is app price. Having said that, this is why I don’t pay cash. Happened to me once on Malaysia Grab also because “no change” (I paid cash, yes. Was also a tourist tryna use my cash, yes) – it wasn’t as big an amount as SGD10 but rather the principle of abiding by app pricing. I switched to credit card after that.

In 2013 I started being interested in bitcoin and because of the price rise I’ve made a lot of money, enough to retire and not have to worry about money again in my life. I’ve been selling most of it through the years (I have about 15% left ) and I’ve been buying real state and gold. The only person that knows about this is my dad and I made him promise me that he wouldn’t tell my mom about it, I love her but she can’t keep her mouth shut.

If you knew me, you would never say that I have money, I live in a 3 bedroom flat (and I split the instalment with my wife), I spend my holidays with my parents in their home, I love my job and I don’t want to stop working, my car is 10 years old and my watch is a 100+ dollars Seiko.

My dad has always told me that what I’m doing is not okay, he says that I can’t live a lie my whole life and that I’m making him keep my secret and he sometimes feels uncomfortable. I don’t think I’m living a lie, I live the life that I want and for that, I don’t need to show everybody how much money I have, that is nobody’s business. Also, I’m scared that people are going to start treating me differently.

Am I wrong for hiding my money? Sometimes I feel bad, but I love my life and I don’t want any changes. Also, after all this years of hiding it, it would be weird for them to know that I’ve had money all this time.

Just to clarify, I told my dad because he needed money and I wanted to help him, I know that he is in a bad position because he has to keep my secret but I thought that it was the best solution.

Here are what netizens think:

• Your money your business nobody needs or has the right to know how much money you have you might want to share that with your girlfriend if you ever get married but other than that why does anybody else have to know??

• I wouldn’t divulge this info to anyone even after marriage & incomes are combined. He doesn’t need to be supporting a girlfriend who can support herself. It may be nice to splurge on them every now & again but she doesn’t need to know, he has enough to retire with at this time; that’s just asking to be exploited.

My sister is married and has a 5 yo stepson. her husband works full time and she is in between jobs right now and currently being a stay home step-mom.

Every monday, she’d call my mom at 9am to get her to go over to her house and watch her stepkid for few hours, I live at home with my parents and so I’ve noticed this routine for weeks now.

Last week mom went to visit some relatives, and yesterday (monday) at 9am my sister called asking me to come watch her stepkid for few hours because she had an important thing to do. I said no because I had to go study and also she does this every monday so clearly it wasn’t important or urgent but she insisted it was, I told her sorry but no. She ended the call then I went to the university.

Hours later, I got a call from my brother in law asking where my sister was, I said I had no idea. he proceeded to tell me he just came home at 1pm and found his son by himself at the house. I was in shock that my sister left her stepkid by himself so she could go God knows where. I told him about the conversation I had with her and he got angry.

In the evening my sister came over and started making a scene by yelling at me for telling on her after she sent me a text message telling me she was already out the house to force me to come watch her stepson.

I didn’t see the fb message til she told me but she said I did this deliberately and also, exposed her to her husband because she told him she’d be at home with the kid. Not just that, but I also told her husband that mom comes over every monday morning to watch the kid for few hours which caused a huge fight between him and my sister.

She yelled that I was petty and selfish and just stirred “….” and caused issues in her marriage by tattling to her husband. I couldn’t keep arguing I went into my room and started playing music.

My dad and the others said I was to blame for not helping my sister and now being the reason she and her husband are in conflict.

Wow suddenly, my studies are less important because of her irresponsiblity.