The last couple weeks have been so hard for not only Charlie but David and I as we’ve had to watch Charlie learn how a job can change in the blink of an eye. Iif you don’t know how to handle things when they do, you could suddenly find yourself facing some of the same questions Charlie is facing.

This lesson came from something that happened in our own family. When Charlie was working, there came a point when someone asked him to sign a piece of paper. He was told that it had something to do with his review. Charlie signed it.

Looking back now, I wish he had stopped for just a few minutes. I wish he had taken a picture of that paper and sent it to me. I wish he had called me and read it to me. I wish he had asked exactly what the document was, what his signature meant, and whether he could have a copy for his own records.

Because today, we don’t know exactly what that paper said. And when you don’t have the document in front of you, you are left trying to remember conversations, figure out what happened, and put pieces of a story together after the fact. That is a hard place to be.

Charlie signed the paper like they asked him to then Charlie was told he was suspended, and we didn’t feel like we had clear answers about why. Eventually, he was let go, with the explanation that his performance was the reason.

That has been difficult for Charlie to understand because he believes he went above and beyond to do his job. The times he was away were connected to family circumstances, including the death of his grandfather and his aunt.

So he has continued asking ne questions that I can’t answer because I wasn’t there. Like Charlie David and I would like to know why does the letter he received say performance? What specific performance problems were documented?

When were those concerns communicated to him? Was the paper he signed part of that record? What exactly did his signature mean? Those are reasonable questions to ask when something as important as your job suddenly changes.

And then there are other questions we may never have answers to. Bradley was involved in the situation as well, and as of the time I am writing this, we still don’t know whether he has received a letter explaining what happened with his own employment.

We also don’t know everything that was said between the people involved. And I don’t want to point fingers. I don’t know whether Bradley said something that affected Charlie. I don’t know whether the situations were handled completely separately. I don’t know what was discussed behind closed doors.

And because I don’t know, I won’t accuse someone of something I cannot prove. But that doesn’t mean the questions don’t keep me awake. Including someone accusing Charlie of being a racist which is the furthest thing anyone could say and again was they talking about Charlie or Bradley questions we don’t have answers to.

The Hardest Part Can Be the Questions You Can’t Answer David has continued trying to get answers. Even though Charlie has said he is done. As his mom, I find myself thinking about it much more than he does.

I think about that piece of paper. I think about what might have happened if Charlie had taken a picture of it. I think about whether we would have understood something differently if we had seen it at the time.

I think about the conversations we weren’t part of. I think about the questions we should have asked. And sometimes I think about how quickly everything changed. One minute, you have a job. The next minute, you’re suspended.

Then you’re trying to understand why. Then you’re looking at paperwork that says something you don’t believe accurately represents what happened. And suddenly, you are trying to piece together your own employment history.

As a mom there is nothing I can do and I wanted to make sure you know that this is why this isn’t a lesson about blaming an employer. It isn’t a lesson about assuming someone did something wrong.

And it certainly isn’t a lesson about blaming another employee when you don’t know the facts. It is a lesson about protecting yourself by keeping track of the facts you do know. It’s things I wish I had prepared Charlie for.

If your employer puts a document in front of you and asks you to sign it, don’t panic. You also don’t have to immediately assume that signing it means you agree with everything on the page.

Instead, slow down. Read it. Ask questions. Ask what the document is. Ask why you are being asked to sign it. Ask what your signature means. Ask whether you are acknowledging that you received the document or agreeing to something in it. And ask for a copy.

If the workplace permits it, take a photo or otherwise keep your own copy of documents you are given. Your phone can become one of the most useful tools in your employment folder.

You can keep screenshots of schedules, messages, emails, pay information, written instructions, and other work-related records that you are allowed to retain. Including any texts you might have received.

The Department of Labor requires covered employers to maintain certain records concerning employees’ wages and hours, but young workers should also learn to maintain their own personal record of important employment information.

Another thing I wish I had taught Charlie was to start an employment folder with your first job Which is something I wish we had taught Charlie even more strongly before this happened.

Every teenager getting their first job should have an Employment Folder. It can be a physical folder. It can be a folder on a computer. It can be a secure cloud folder. It can even be a folder on your phone for screenshots and photos. The important thing is that you know where your information is.

Put your offer letter, job information, pay rate, schedules, important policies, performance reviews, written warnings, recognition, and other important employment documents in that folder.

And when something happens at work, write down what happened while you still remember the details. Make sure you have any phone numbers to your supervisors, HR and Labor Union and any other numbers you might need.

On ever note you save include a date and time and who you spoke with. Write done what was said. Include the job you where hired for and what you were asked to do. What you signed. What you were given. What questions you asked. What answers you received.

You don’t need to write a novel every time something happens. Just record the facts. Also keep track of the hours and days you work because payroll can make mistakes and its hard to always remember the days and hours you worked.

The biggest thing I want you to take away from this article is for you to not wait until there Is a problem. Start the employment folder the day you begin working and this isn’t just for teens but adults as well.

This is probably the biggest lesson I want a teenager reading this to understand. Don’t create your employment folder after you get fired. Create it when you get hired. You may never need it for a serious problem. I hope you don’t.

But if something does happen, you won’t be sitting there wondering, What did I sign? When did that happen? What did they tell me? What was my schedule? What did my supervisor say? You’ll have your own record to refer back to. And that can make a huge difference.

I wish Charlie had known that a piece of paper at work could become important later. I wish he had known that it was okay to stop and read something carefully. I wish he had known that he could ask what his signature meant. I wish he had known to keep a copy.

Most importantly, I wish we had understood sooner that keeping records isn’t about expecting something bad to happen. It’s about being prepared if it does. Because jobs can change.

People can misunderstand conversations. Policies can be interpreted differently. Employees can remember things differently. And sometimes, you may simply never know everything that happened.

But you can know what you were told, what you signed, what you received, what you worked, and what you documented. That’s something you can control and its something I hope to teach you.

If you are getting your first job, congratulations. You are taking an important step toward independence. Learn your job. Show up. Work hard. Be dependable. Ask questions. Treat people with respect. Don’t get a job with your friends.

But also learn how to protect yourself professionally. Keep your records. Keep your important documents. Keep copies of things you sign when you are permitted to do so. Document important conversations.

And if something doesn’t make sense, ask. You don’t have to be confrontational. You don’t have to assume your employer is doing something wrong. You simply need to understand what is happening.

Because getting the facts in writing isn’t about expecting the worst. It’s about making sure that if the worst does happen, you aren’t left with nothing but questions. And that is a lesson I wish Charlie had known before he signed that piece of paper.

Parents if your teenager is starting their first job, sit down with them and make an Employment Folder together. Don’t make it scary. Make it part of getting a job. Remind them to do this for every job they get.

Just like you learn how to clock in, where to park, what uniform to wear, and who your supervisor is, learn how to keep your employment records. Hopefully, that folder will sit untouched for years because everything goes wonderfully.

But if a job ever changes in the blink of an eye, your teenager will have something important that Charlie wishes he had today:

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates