撸奶社区

Knowing your worth at work is essential.

As soon as you lose your worth, you lose a sense of the boundaries of your job: what is right, and what is too much to be asked to do.

Short-staffed businesses are a reality.

There are employee shortages across Canada, especially in the service industry. The service industry is a physically and mentally demanding industry, and it’s only become harder with fewer workers to share the load.

Many employers have been forced to require more of their employees. Staff are doing more at work than they would if they were well-staffed because employers need coverage for people they don’t have.

For employees, there can be stigma around calling in sick, or not picking up the Friday night shift that your manager offered you. It can be difficult to tell your supervisor that you aren’t able to perform a task or to let them know that you’re feeling stressed.

It is hard to speak up.

The pressure of doing it all can be challenging to deal with.

But we must.

Youth don’t have much extra time for extra work. We volunteer at school, spend time with friends, participate in sports and clubs, and want to be involved in our community. We can’t be expected to use up every last minute of our time at our part-time jobs. We need to relax and cool down as much as everyone else does.

Our time holds value.

We also need time to do our schoolwork. Now is the time for us to think about our future, apply to universities and plan out the rest of our lives.

We need the time to get the grades we want to get, learn the skills we want to have, and make the difference we want to make. Students won’t be able to complete their assignments in time if they’re over-scheduled.

I’m under the impression that teachers are now reluctant to hand out homework because they see their students' busy schedules. Students could quickly fall behind in their classes and suffer bad marks if given too much homework.

If we have to wait until after our shift at work to do our homework, sacrificing sleep, how are we going to be able to function during the school day? If we have to push everything to the last minute and compromise our sleep schedules, we won’t be able to get through the day without falling asleep at least once or twice. We shouldn’t have to rely on energy drinks to keep us awake.

To know your worth is to know what crosses the line at work. If you’re being taken advantage of, speak up. If you need help, reach out to a supervisor or a manager. If you need more help, contact If you need help at school, talk to your teacher. Tell them what your situation is, and ask for support.

You aren’t struggling alone.

Grant Boguski is a 撸奶社区teen and member of the 撸奶社区Youth Council.