"I'm Close To Being Fired": Woman Alleges Gender Discrimination At Work

A 29-year-old woman claimed she was "close to being fired" due to gender discrimination at work. The female worker, who works at a factory, claimed in a Reddit post that her boss was extending her probationary period by 30 days due to his bias against women in traditionally male roles. 

"I am a 29F industrial mechanic at a bread factory. The co-owner of the factory is a very old man who is 'old school' and hasn't liked my presence from day 1," she wrote on Reddit's anti-work community.

She added she was in the probationary period and was told that her probationary period would be extended to four months instead of three. "Not because of job performance. Zero complaints. Not because of attendance. Never been late or called off. But because I am a woman and the co-owner doesn't like to see females in traditional male roles," she said.

The woman expressed frustration about the situation, adding she was already looking for another job. "It is apparently my duty to prove to the co-owner that I am worth keeping on board by forcing me to be on an additional month's probation. No one is hiring right now. I'm trying to flee before it's too late. I regret ever joining the trades," she said.

Knowing that it would be difficult to find a new job in the current economy, she turned to the Reddit community for support. After some suggested she email her boss and the employee union about the issue, the woman did the same and updated the community. "Union representative is on the way! He will arrive at 11 am, so I will force the HR meeting when he arrives. I was previously informed that the union would not represent anyone during the probation period, but thank god they were wrong!" she wrote.

In another update, she shared that the union meeting had taken place. "The union rep meeting happened in the break room, along with one of my coworkers who apparently was a union steward," she wrote.

My supervisor just told me I'm close to being fired because I'm a woman.
byu/mxqueen976 inantiwork

Reacting to her post, one user said, "Get that reasoning in writing if you can."

Another added, "What they're doing is technically illegal, but you'll struggle to prove it if they decide to let you go or force you out."

"I would double-check that with your union. If they can't represent you until your probationary period is over, they certainly shouldn't accept dues payments from you until then," read another comment.

The woman did not reveal the details of the closed-room meeting.