As COVID-19 forced most of the world to go into lockdown, many employees have had to work remotely for quite some time now. Dris Wallace, an account manager residing in San Diego, California, has had to tend not only to her work, but also to her two children Dani, 3, and Dylan, 1.
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The young woman confessed the following to Scary Mommy:
The first week of working from home started off very stressful with multiple calls, emails and unrealistic expectations. The pressure from my boss was creating so much stress. The kids were always interrupting, and the baby wanted to nurse all the time. They constantly had to wait for me to finish getting something done so I could tend to their needs.
She also shared a long post on her Instagram account detailing her situation.
View this post on Instagram| 28 days ago I finally had enough of the ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป that my boss was giving me for him not being okay with hearing my kids in the background on calls.|๐ญ๐ก๐๐ . He wanted me to figure out a way to keep the kids quiet ๐ฃ. I went to Human Resources with proof of what was going for the last 3 months and 7 days later AFTER that ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ!!!! ๐ญ They told me that I should be happy that the outcome to my career there could have been worse. Iโm crying as I type this...๐ญ I was told I had a bright future. That I was doing very well in my position! ๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ญ . The last 3 months I have worked around the clock from home while watching my two toddlers๐ญ. I have met all the deadlines they have asked me for, even the unrealistic ones. The situation that I had endured the last 3 months is beyond stressful๐ญ. How does a company that says that they understand and will work around the schedule of parents do the complete opposite with their actions? ๐ญ Iโm devastated. I have poured hours, tears, sweats, delayed giving my child a snack when he wanted one because my boss needed me to do something right away. And what did I get in return? ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐!!! ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ . They can keep the ๐ต๐๐๐ต money they offered to not bring this up๐ซ๐โ! No working mother should be discriminated against , especially during these times for not being able to keep my ๐ญ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ for a business call ๐กFor not being able to turn something around in 5 minutes when my baby wants a snack๐ก. We are in tough times right now. This situation would have been temporary. None of my clients had issues with my kids in the background. ๐'๐บ ๐ด๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ! ๐๐'๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฎ๐!!!๐ช. ITโS NOT OKAY to have to feel that your boss is making you pick your work over your kids during these times!!!๐๐'๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ!!! #justice
Dris Wallace was fired because of her children ...
The young mother's boss started to get frustrated with the children's interruptions. He said it was unprofessional to hear children in the background on calls with clients. He also asked the young woman to "find a way to keep them quiet." Dris Wallace explained that her employer refused to understand her situation:
He ignored my schedule, continuing to arrange calls during my lunchtime when both of my kids were hungry and impatient.
The account manager contacted HR, in the hopes that they would come up with a way to ease the situation and find a solution. But their response they gave her on June 2nd was not at all what she expected. In fact, they decided to fire her:
On June 2nd, I had a call set up with HR, which I thought would be a call to find a solution. Instead, HR told me abruptly that I was clearly not happy and that we should part ways.
Dris Wallace is just getting started. She has hired an attorney and plans to bring the case to court. She has decided to fight, not only for herself but "for all the mothers who have been through the same thing."
