From the SWIRL

“Some day we hope to liberate every man on earth from the tendency as old as human history to identify our strength and manhood with the ability to control the lives, limit the chances, and doom the dreams of women and girls”  Bill Clinton

I'm going through another transition; from not formally employed to "unemployed" as the result of a hacker in need of my administrative services taking the position of the Employer, yet performing none of the essential Employer duties. He lists and reports me as a "1099" as though I am self-employed, yet presumes to demand that I work hours he dictates, even though neither he nor his other "employees" has much interaction with me. I do books. Payroll. Enter Account data. Theoretically, I handle accounts payable and receivable, but in truth, I'm merely his stooge, telling callers that he plans to pay them in two days when, in fact, he may or may not do so. I have twice been served paperwork by the Sheriff in behalf of creditors demanding payment, and have been troubled for my assistance in account reconciliation for suppliers with whom he disputes statements. I'm scandalized by his contempt for those who do the work and am repeatedly shocked by the disregard he shows for their well-being, my own included. He tries to show himself to be a caring,professional person, but his decisions and policies are so toxic and insulting as to cause me to feel utterly scalded by them. I faced hostility each time I came into work, or when he would enter the office, as though no matter how much I did, it wasn't enough and he could drop hours of work on me with complete disregard for the work he was already demanding be done, under deadline, with his own input being at the very minimum. He never approached me professionally; always opening with an ultimatum based on me being there at 8:00 a.m. Often as not, the single computer on which the Quickbooks was loaded was in use by him until then, and his presence, as I said, was so hostile and insulting that I could barely endure being in the same room - frigid, dark and ugly as it was - with him. I "signed on" for 15 hours per week. He wanted those hours to be from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. m-w-f. If I came in at that hour or earlier, he would pound me with work that had to be done immediately, then never follow through or use the product. After ascertaining that I could use QuickBooks as needed, he suggested he'd like my service "full time" but never so much as suggested that we agree on a job description, terms or even that I become an "employee." I had no budget to run my office, and no authority to pay even the most routine bills. Each day, when I'd leave the office, I would feel completely spent; no energy to do even my marketing, make dinner or go to the gym. In the morning, fresh from having a night's rest, I would try to catch up with my housework, laundry and household paperwork, including efforts to keep up with my husband's medical assistance application, insurance, taxes and utilities. With neither health insurance nor "Unemployment or Workman's Comp" contributed to by him, I was "earning" a starting hourly wage that was never increased in acknowledgement of my performance level. When my blood pressure clocked in at 210/170 it was time to dislodge myself from his oppressive mistreatment. I took ten days off to visit my daughter and when I returned, he fired me. That is to say, he terminated his pretense of employment of me. The entire outrageous charade was a Walk-over of a person who served in good faith but was treated as unworthy of even the basic minimum from one posturing as an Employer who had zero standing as one. Neither a contract nor a handshake agreement: the "probation" period of my start terms were extended indefinitely while the demands and requirements for my services expanded exponentially. Ick. I'll never do that again. The Labor Department has a word for Unemployed and Under Employed. What do they call "Engaged in employment efforts at the hacker's whim but neither employed nor contracted? I guess I'd call it Faux Employment.