HR Picked the Wrong Girl

[Work is work. Don't waste time on this. Your paycheck is correct. If you think there's a problem, talk to your direct supervisor.]

If Esther had been in front of me, I would've drop-kicked her. Twice.

This job was hell. Clients, bosses, deadlines—fine. But now HR thought they ran the show?

Then again, she was a nepotism hire. Meanwhile, I came from a long line of busted knuckles and graveyard shifts. "Suck it up" was practically a family motto.

Still ticked off, I hunted down my supervisor—Giselle. She blinked like I was speaking alien, then told me to "ask Esther."

So I did. Again.

Same copy-paste nonsense:

[Your paycheck is correct. If you think there's a problem, talk to your direct supervisor.]

***

Back to Giselle. She hit me with the classic disappointed mom face.

"Celina, clearly you've offended someone you shouldn't have. Just let it go."

Sure. Just shrug off four hundred bucks like it's spare change.

"Giselle, seriously? That's four hundred bucks, not four bucks!"

"What else can you do? Job market's trash. Layoffs, cuts... You should really hang on to this."

I must've looked ready to explode because she sighed and hit me with this gem:

"Think bigger. You shouldn't chase money. You need growth."

There it was—corporate gaslighting 101.

I dragged myself back to my desk, brain fried. Was I seriously supposed to eat this?

At $700 a month, after my mortgage, I'd be limping along on $300. Survival mode.

But quitting now? Right before the holidays? Terrible timing.

Guess I'd stick it out—for now.

***

We were in online education, so the sales crew usually hit the streets in the afternoons. No clock-ins, no clock-outs.

Like always, I filed my out-of-office form and stayed out hustling till 8 p.m.

Next day, denied. Reason? I hadn't submitted it "in advance."

Giselle claimed HR had a new rule: get approval first or it doesn't count. Boom—half-day absence on my record.

I rolled my eyes. Esther was clearly weaponizing the system.

Fuming, I messaged her:

[Ms. Lawrence, this is the same process we've always followed. I was working late—others can confirm. How is this absenteeism?]

She shot back:

[Requests must be approved before you leave. It's in the employee handbook. Is this your first day?]

No clapback for that one. Yeah, the rule existed—but no one followed it.

We could only submit same-day forms. And HQ's sales director had to approve them. It wasn't realistic to chase signatures mid-shift. We submitted, we worked, period.

That's how the job ran.

But Esther wanted a target. And I couldn't afford to trip another landmine.

So I let it slide.

She didn't.

***

Later that same day, she blasted me in the company group chat. Full-on public humiliation.

Lost half a day's pay. Slapped with a $50 fine. Monthly attendance bonus? Gone.

And just to rub salt in the wound, new rule: starting tomorrow, everyone had to clock in and out.

Didn't matter if we were working outside till midnight—we'd have to drag ourselves back just to swipe out. Then show up early to clock in like nothing happened.