After 2.5 years working for the Siren, I hung up the green apron.

Six months ago I was promoted to shift supervisor and at first I liked the challenge, the responsibility, the leadership experience. It all changed with new management.

Once the new manager came in responsibilities outside of what was required as a shift was now expected. I constantly felt drained. I dreaded going into work. I felt anxious during every shift.

There were several weeks I worked overtime. I worked every weekend, closing both Friday and Saturday and then working Sunday mornings.

I finally got the courage to speak to my manager about my scheduling and was then accused of being unreasonable and was questioned why closing on the weekends was so hard.

I felt unheard and under appreciated. I questioned why I was giving my heart and soul into a place that wasn’t even willing to grant me one day off over the weekend or who was going to deny me support when I requested for more labor in the afternoon.

So I decided to put my 3 weeks in. I left the store and have never felt happier. My world feels like it was overcast and now the clouds have finally lifted.

For those of you still working for the Siren, I hear you, I see you, I understand. I’ll assure you that $14 an hour is not worth all the stress and shit (I realize that some simply cannot afford to quit and for that I am sorry). I could care less about customer connection as long as the health and dignity of my team is in good standing.

For those of you thinking about quitting, let me assure you there are other options out there and any establishment would be happy to hire you with all your experience dealing with customers and working in a fast paced environment. You got this. You’re not alone. Have courage. Be free.