If you’ve been here a while you know Bradley was suspended the other day and we didn’t think it was going to affect Charlie but we were wrong. When Charlie went into work he found out he was suspended as well. Which is why we’ve created this new series Teen Entrepreneur: When Plan A Changes You’re Suspended. Now What?
For anyone getting suspended from a job can be scary. Especially when it’s your first real job. Which is what Charlie and Bradley had to face this week. More than that though Charlie was worried I would be mad at him.
I’m not mad I’m frustrated with situation and the way things was handled at the Airport. Charlie doesn’t know what he did wrong and he honestly doesn’t think he did anything wrong. Yet, he is being suspended.
Charlie doesn’t know how long the suspension will last or if its going to cost him his job.. he doesn’t know whether he will be able to go back to work. On top of that Charlie doesn’t even know what questions he’s supposed to ask.
And when you’re young, it can be tempting to sit at home and wait for somebody to tell you what happens next. But that’s not the lesson I want Charlie to learn. I want Charlie to take responsibility and to call HR and find out what is happening and why not wait for them to call.
A difficult employment situation is the time to become more responsible, not less. First: Stay Calm which Charlie did. The first thing to remember is that a suspension doesn’t automatically mean you’ve been fired.
There may be an investigation. There may be paperwork that has to be reviewed. There may be questions your employer needs to answer. There may be information you don’t have yet. So don’t immediately assume the worst.
Don’t start telling everyone that you’ve been fired when you haven’t been told that. Don’t post angry comments about your employer on social media. Don’t send angry messages. And don’t make decisions based entirely on what you think is happening.
Get the facts first. Write down everything you know because one of the smartest things you can do when something unexpected happens at work is start keeping your own record that way you don’t forget something.
Write down the date you were suspended. Write down approximately what time you were notified. Write down who spoke with you. Write down what you were told. Write down what you were asked to do. Write down whether you were given paperwork.
Write down whether you were told when you would hear something. Write down any dates you were supposed to report back. Don’t rely on your memory. You may think you’ll remember everything, but when you’re stressed, details get forgotten.
A simple notebook, computer document, or employment folder can become extremely valuable. Keep your employment records because this is also the time to gather your employment information.
Keep copies of documents you’re entitled to have access to, such as your pay information, schedules, employment correspondence, and other records connected to your work. Include any days you took off and document why.
If your employer provides an employee handbook, know where to find it. If you have written policies explaining workplace expectations, review them. If you have emails or messages concerning the situation, preserve them.
The goal isn’t to build a case against your employer. The goal is to know what happened and have an accurate record of your employment. That is a skill every employee should learn.
Ask Questions If you don’t understand what is happening, ask. That’s one of the biggest lessons we can teach a young adult. You don’t have to be confrontational. You don’t have to be angry. You don’t have to threaten anybody.
You can simply say: “I want to make sure I understand what happens next. Can you explain the process to me?” Some useful questions may include: “Am I currently suspended, or has my employment ended?”
“Is this suspension paid or unpaid?” “How long is the suspension expected to last?” “Is there an investigation taking place?” “Who should I contact if I have questions?” “When should I expect an update?” “Is there anything I need to do while I’m waiting?”
And if you don’t understand the answer, ask for clarification. It’s better to say, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand what that means. Can you explain it another way?” than to walk away confused.
Don’t Make the Situation Worse When you’re upset, you may want to vent. That’s normal. But be careful where you do it. Your workplace situation doesn’t belong all over social media.
Don’t post confidential workplace information. Don’t make accusations you can’t prove. Don’t threaten your employer. Don’t send an angry text because you’re frustrated. And don’t assume that something you post privately will necessarily stay private. Your reputation matters.
One difficult employment situation shouldn’t turn into another problem because you reacted emotionally. Don’t Stop Living While You Wait This is probably the part I want young adults to hear most.
Being suspended doesn’t mean you stop doing everything else. You still have responsibilities. You still have bills. You still have a home to take care of. You still have a future to prepare for.
So while you’re waiting for an answer, start working on the things you can control. Update your résumé. Look at other jobs. Make a list of employers you’d like to contact. Research temporary employment.
Look into opportunities you’re eligible for. Organize your finances. Figure out how much money you have. Look at what bills are coming due. Cut unnecessary spending. Learn something. Help around the house. Get your sleep schedule back on track. And yes, get out of bed. You don’t have to sit around waiting for someone else to decide what your future looks like.
What If You Get Your Job Back? Then you’ve still learned something. You learned how to communicate with HR. You learned how to document an employment situation. You learned how to protect your records. You learned how quickly circumstances can change. You learned that having another option isn’t a bad idea. You may even decide that having a side job or another source of income makes sense.
Plan B doesn’t become useless simply because Plan A works out. What If You Don’t Get Your Job Back? Then you already started preparing. That’s why taking action while you’re waiting matters.
You can apply for other jobs. You can investigate unemployment if you may qualify. You can look at temporary work. You can explore legitimate gig opportunities if you’re old enough and meet their requirements. You can learn a new skill. You can start over. And starting over isn’t failure. Starting over is something adults do.
Parents: Let Them Learn This part is hard. When your child is upset, you want to fix it. You want answers. You want to call somebody. You want to make sure everything is okay. But if your young adult is old enough to work, they’re also old enough to start learning how to communicate with their employer.
A parent can teach. A parent can help prepare questions. A parent can sit beside them. A parent can encourage them. A parent can help them understand paperwork. But there comes a point when the young adult needs to make the call, send the email, attend the meeting, ask the question and take responsibility for what happens next.
That’s how confidence is built. Not because Mom and Dad solved the problem. Because the young adult discovered: “I can handle hard things.” This Is Part of Becoming an Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship isn’t always about starting a company. Sometimes it is about learning how to respond when circumstances change. You have an income problem? Look for another source of income.
Your schedule changed? Figure out how to adapt. Your job disappears? Start looking for another opportunity. Your plan doesn’t work? Build another plan. Your first idea fails? Learn from it and try again.
That’s resilience. That’s problem-solving. And those are skills that will follow you far beyond your first job. We Don’t Know How This Story Ends Yet That’s the strange part about writing this series while we’re living it.
We don’t know what tomorrow’s answer will be. We don’t know whether the job situation will be resolved quickly. We don’t know whether the young adults involved will return to their jobs or move in another direction.
But we do know what we can teach along the way. Don’t panic. Get the facts. Document what happens. Ask questions. Protect your records. Keep looking forward. And don’t let one difficult day convince you that your future is over. Because it isn’t.
A suspension may be a difficult chapter. It may be frustrating. It may be frightening. But it is still only one chapter. There are more pages ahead. When Plan A Changes That’s what this series is really about.
We can’t always control what happens to us. But we can control how we respond. We can get up. We can ask questions. We can learn. We can work. We can prepare. We can look for another opportunity.
And we can trust that even when we don’t know what comes next, we don’t have to stop moving forward. Sometimes Plan A changes. That’s life. The important thing is learning how to build Plan B. And sometimes Plan B leads you somewhere you never expected to go.
Teen Entrepreneur: When Plan A Changes Real-life lessons. Practical tools. Faith, family, resilience—and learning how to keep moving forward. I hope this series can give your family peace of mind if you ever have to face someone you love being suspended and remember to put it in the LORDs hands because he will take care of you.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates