MLAARE -Assumptions

Assumptions get one into trouble.

It gets me into trouble all the time.

Like when I automatically assume that my coworker is going to show up on time.

Or at all.

Like 9 times out of 10. If I assume a coworker is going to show up at a particular time...and plan accordingly to finish particular tasks or take breaks then....that it doesn't happen as planned?
Who knows.

But today.
I was the first person in.
Which gave me the choice of cleaning out the cat cages,
Or cleaning out the bird cages,
As those were the major tasks of the day.
I chose to do Bird Cages
Even after my manager was like "You're going to start on Cats right?"
But I was like "No, I'm doing Birds."
Why? Because my coworker was scheduled to come in one hour before the store opened.
And Bird cages take like two hours at the minimum to do.

So logically, since Cats technically take a shorter amount of time (less than an hour.) It would be better for her to do that task, and I would have more time to do the birds.

Which I did.
I finished in time to take a rest break before the store opened!

Only.
I was left with a problem.
You see...
My coworker didn't show up.
I tried to call them. Telling them that they were now a half hour late to work.
With no response. No call backs.

Which left me in a horrible position.
I had only completed one task. The Bird Cleaning.
And the store was opening right as I got off break.
I still had to clean the cats, I still had to feed/water all the other animals, I had other duties also expected for the Monday work day.
And now...the store was open.
Which meant customers would be interrupting me.
Which meant things wouldn't be getting done.
Which meant we were WWWWWAAAAAAYYYY Behind schedule.

I mean, I'm used to opening by myself.
But I would have done things much differently if I had known I was going to be by myself in the beginning.
While I don't like cleaning bird cages while the store is open, its definitely easier to be more accessible to customers there instead of locked up in the cat room cleaning out those cages.

Somehow.
I managed.
I went straight to cleaning cats, as that would be the most time consuming of the tasks before I opened the rest of the department, and managed to finish most everything by the time I took my lunch a couple hours later. Leaving me to just complete the Monday tasks before my shift ended (which I did.)
I got hit with a customer rush about an hour into the store being opened, but other than that...
It was blessedly quiet in my department.
Hardly anyone needing help until after all my major tasks were completed! YES!

I did it!
All by myself!

Why? Because my coworker, didn't show up....technically.

Back in the morning, when I was nearly done cleaning the cat cages.
I saw my coworker walk in. (2 hours late)
But. Not in a good way.
My coworker walked in.....in their street clothes.
Not in uniform.

Which confirmed one of our suspicions. My coworker hadn't been aware that they worked today.
(And apparently they hadn't got my message....)

So I briefly left my task to find out what was up....

And found out that this coworker too had gotten in trouble for Assuming.

You see, our schedule came out only a couple of days before, for what we'd be working this week.
And my coworker, hadn't worked that day...and so didn't check the schedule then.
And they figured, they ASSUMED that they WOULD NOT be working today.
So they just planned to come in today to get their schedule.

O.o
Seriously?
Never. Ever. Ever. Do that!
Never ASSUME especially with schedules.
Especially because our schedules change, or shifts change every week!

I don't understand this coworker's logic.
Everyone else would have called, or come into the store.
Chatting with other coworkers that's what they did.
They came in to check their schedule. I actually called to get mine.
You don't just assume!

*sighs*
Hopefully this is a lesson learned...
Because they came in their street clothes....they couldn't work the rest of their shift.
So...they just lost out on some of their pay.
Because they didn't come in.
Because they assumed.

*sighs*
Yes.
Assumptions can get you into trouble very quickly if you don't triple extra check beforehand.