I came real close to getting fired today

Backstory:

I work for a gasoline distribution company in their consignment department.

Two years ago they asked for volunteers to work weekends. Because I don't the ability to work from home, I could only work on Saturdays because that's when the office we were at was open. Then last year we moved offices and even though I 'knew' the office was open on Sundays I didn't think to change my schedule until recently.

When I work on the weekend, I'm alone which means if something happens, I'm on my own to deal with it.

Last January, my computer updated on a Friday night and when it did, I lost the driver that connected it to the wi-fi network when I came in that Saturday. I couldn't get W or K to respond to my texts, so I left.

That next week they scolded me very harshly, which if they had answered my texts from the beginning there wouldn't have been a problem.

Fast forward to the issue that almost got me fired.

For several months now an alert will pop up telling me that something needs to be updated but I don't have the authority to do so. I finally got tired of seeing the message, so I opened a service ticket.

Friday while I was off, IT fixed it. But in do so, they deleted an icon for a very important program from my desktop.

I texted W at 6:24am (she has told us to not text until after 6am) to tell her I was missing this icon from my desktop. Then I tried using the search function in the start menu to find it and couldn't so I opened a service ticket.

Since I didn't want to have to work eight hours Monday-Friday (or four ten-hour days), I did other things that I would have to do anyway (one of my team mates is moving to another department and so we got new sites). This takes me a while due to all the different reports I use to keep track of what I key and when. I also did other things and before I knew it, it was time to go home.

W texted back around 10:30.
W: He left you his number. You should have called him.
M: I did not see his number. I spent the day setting up my new sites and checking emails. I have 6/1-6/6 for 2005 so that's good. But 1346 still hasn't sent in the corrected paperwork.
W: I was told his number was on the paper he left you. Please leave that on my desk. (I almost threw it away so it's a good thing I didn't)
M: I've already left the office. I'll double check when I get in tomorrow. If it's there I'll call him.
W: I want that note on my desk when I get in. No reason it should not be. (I feel this was way too aggressive for my response)
M: I can do that. I thought you wanted it today. (she's always misconstruing what I say in email, so I've started doing the same)
W: If you didn't bill at all we will have to have a discussion tomorrow. (I just told her that I no longer had access to the program I need so how was I supposed to bill?)
M: Please explain how I was supposed to bill. I did not have access to [the program]. I did not see his phone number on the paper. I'm sorry that I was unable to bill but it is not my fault as far as I can see. I will bill as much as I can the rest of the week.
W: We will talk tomorrow. I know his number is on the paper. If you had called him you could have billed. You basically stole from [company I work for] sitting there for half the day. You should have gone home. Also I have asked you all not to text me before a certain hour of the day. Again we will talk tomorrow. I am unplugging for the rest of the day. (can she get any more childish? And it's amazing how she went from 'I was told' to 'I know' about whether or not his number was on the page. Also, it's not like I was surfing the internet, I was actually working)

At this point, I turned around and went back. And I was right, he did not put his number on the note.

When I got to work today, I wrote her a note explaining what I did yesterday and mentioning that the reason I didn't leave (other than I needed to set up my sites and didn't want to waste part of a full work day) was because the last time I left when she didn't respond to a text about me not being able to work, she scolded me for it. I offered to lose the four hours I worked if she felt the need to punish me and reminded her that she had told us not to text before 6am.

I then checked the search function again and found the program I need. Not sure why it wasn't there yesterday, but whatever. I was able to open it (pinned to the taskbar now) and keyed eighty-nine reports. I emailed her to let her know I now had access to this program and I think I told her I pinned it, but I truly cannot remember.

Then at 9:43am she sent me this email:

[logans_girl2001],

Thank you for your letter.

I stand corrected. I thought I heard David put his number on the note he left and he had not.

I know it didn’t take you four hours to set up your new sites. That should have maybe taken a half an hour. So, my concern is what did you do for the remaining 3.5 hours you were here?

This is the second weekend we have had an issue with you being able to work.

The first was January 2017 (which you alluded to in your letter) and now this one. I consider this your second strike. One more strike, and you will permanently work Monday through Friday like the rest of your team no questions or discussions.

I do not want to “punish” but if you did not work the full four hours I think you should tell me how long you did work and I will adjust the time and you can make up the rest during the week.

It is stealing from Empire when you sit here and do not key and the fact that Factor was there all along adds fuel to the fire.

My response:

W,

Like I said in my letter, I searched for nearly thirty minutes to find [the program] yesterday. I do not know why I was able to find it today but not yesterday.

It took me more than half an hour to set up my sites because every time I thought I had them all, I would count and find I was missing two or three. After that I went through the emails in the shared in box and moved them (there were over seventy) and checked my sites' folders and noted which ones I still need. I realize that shouldn't have taken me as long as it did but I was not just sitting here or surfing the internet (I'm sure IT can tell you if I went on any websites other than the ones for work). Nor was I working slowly, I was working as fast as I normally do. Oh, I also went through [internal reporting site] to make sure my [external reporting site] sites were polling into [internal reporting site].

If you feel like my time should be adjusted, then please do; just let me know how much time you take away so I know how much to make up.

She replied that there was no reason for me to 'be punished' so I considered the matter closed.

Then an hour later, I received this Skype:
W: yep. got a text at 6:24am yesterday morning (I feel like this was really meant for someone else)
W: nvm ma'am...i already addressed this (she sent an email saying that the after 6am rule is only for weekdays and on the weekends we are not to text her between 9pm and noon)
W: did you pin your [the program]..
M: Did I not say I have pinned it to my taskbar? Previously that option was not available which is why it wasn't pinned before now.
W: [logans_girl200]. watch your approach
W: i was just making sure all was okay
M: And I knew D didn't remove [the program] completely from my computer but he did remove the icon, which is why I was unable to open it.
W: the sarcasm won't work and is not acceptable (I wasn't being sarcastic (well, not this time))
M: And I was just asking if I mentioned it because I'm not sure if I did or not.
W: i don't want to discuss this anymore... just want to make sure you have what you need tomorrow (I've found that people who continue a conversation that has ended and then say "I don't want to talk about this anymore" or "This conversation is closed" only do so for one of two reasons: they want the last word, or they're losing the argument)
W: i am just ensuring you have all your tools available

In my note, I told her (I think, I forgot to save a copy) that if this happens again, I will just sit there (off the clock) until I can talk to her.

So, not fired but close to it.