Not. Freakin’. Worth It.

While I’m home for winter break, my mom tells me a friend of hers needs some help at the factory she manages. I am told that she will pay me $18 per hour for as many hours as I feel like working, and I’ll be in a quiet room by myself. It sounds perfect, so I agree.

First thing upon arriving, I notice that I am the only one wearing a mask. A worker sits me down at a station near a bunch of other people and begins training me. I’m internally panicking because this isn’t what I was told I would be doing, but I try to roll with it.

Thankfully, my mom’s friend arrives not long after (also not wearing a mask).

Mom’s Friend: “[My Name] will be doing a different task today.”

She brings me to an empty room and gives me my task, and I putter away for five hours or so until I feel like going home.

The next day, I return at the same time. Again, no masks. I go into the room and begin my tasks. A few minutes later, the floor supervisor comes in with another worker.

Supervisor: “[Worker] will be helping you since this task is a priority.”

We work basically in silence, which is fine by me as I’m not a talker. An hour or so into it, we take a break and we start talking.

Worker: “I requested to be transferred to this task because the girl I was working with yesterday had [contagious illness].”

Instantly, alarm bells went off in my head. She was not wearing a mask, and she’d just told me she had been working in close proximity with someone who was confirmed to be sick. I avoided her for the rest of the day and left a few hours early, resolving not to go back again.

A few days later, my mom told me that nine of the twenty-three employees at the factory had tested positive for [contagious illness]. I was relieved that I didn’t go back, no matter how good the money was.