I recently found myself in a frustrating situation at my second job, where I work as a sales associate at a small shoe retailer. I started this job in August of last year, and for the most part, it fit well with my schedule from my first job, allowing me to earn a decent income. However, everything took a turn for the worse in February. Our team consisted of just four people, including the manager, and due to the small size of the store, we typically had only two employees working per shift. When one of my coworkers had to take a two-month leave to attend to a family matter in Japan, I expected the manager to either redistribute the shifts among the remaining staff or hire a seasonal worker to fill in. Instead, she hired three new employees to cover just one absence, which seemed excessive and confusing. As a result, my schedule was drastically reduced from three days a week to just one day, which was a shock. I tried to stay positive since my first job was still providing me with enough hours, but I couldn't help but wonder how the manager planned to accommodate the returning employee with so many new hires. When the original employee returned, she reclaimed her full schedule, and I found myself losing even more hours as the manager kept two of my workdays for the new hires. Now, to make matters worse, the manager has informed me that I’ll be put on call duty due to high payroll costs and slow business. It feels incredibly unfair that the new hires are keeping their hours while I’m left with almost none. I'm reaching out for advice from anyone who might have experienced something similar. I’m trying to stay optimistic and view this as just a bump in the road, but I could really use some guidance on how to navigate this situation.