Yesterday my employer brought in HR to talk to me about tardiness and attendance. I explained that the reason why I am occasionally 5 or so minutes late is because I work a night job that puts me home after 10pm most nights. My morning job is 45 minutes away and starts at 8:15am.

I’ve also opened up to them recently about struggling with my mental health and therefore needing a day off to rest. I have still yet to disclose to them that I am bipolar due to fears of discrimination.

After explaining all of this, my boss told me that I need to find a solution so my attendance improves. In doing so, she told me that my attendance issues create a burden for her.

This morning I made it a point to leave 15 minutes earlier than I normally do to make sure that I would be on time, only to get stuck in a 25 minute traffic jam. I had multiple panic attacks on my drive — remembering that my tardiness would again create a burden.

When I got to work, my boss did not acknowledge me and ignored the apologetic email I had sent during my morning drive informing her of my situation.

I mention all of this because I work in education. My employer is responsible for caring for and educating children, yet cannot offer support or empathy to an hourly staff member? I’ve been feeling inadequate all morning until I reminded myself that I’m a fucking human being.

No matter how much an employer claims to care for their workers, that care is 100% conditional on workers’ ability to produce labor. I should never have been told that my struggle and suffering are burdensome. Employers need to stop stripping workers of their humanity.