Can you work just change your hours without telling you? When they know you have child that needs to be picked up by a certain time and they know that?

Hi everyone,

For some context, I work as a dental assistant. At my office there’s two dentists and they both have different schedules.

The dentist I work with is 745-5, 4 days a week. The other dentist starts later and finishes later.

My schedule always reflected the dentist I work with.

But today in our group chat with the assistants at my work (there’s 3 of us) the office manager sent the new schedule for January.

My Tuesdays and Wednesdays my finish time had changed to 7pm. My office manager knows my son is in an after school care program which finishes at 6pm. It takes me about 30 minutes to go pick him up.

I texted her and let her know that those days wouldn’t work for me as I have nobody to pick up my son. Turns out the assistant who has the most seniority is leaving at 5pm everyday. The new assistant they hired (4 months ago) cannot be left alone so I have to stay back until 7pm so the dentist doesn’t complain too much. Why am I being penalized for this? It makes no sense.

Anyways, her response was basically to figure it out. Those are our office hours she said. Like I said I never had this issue because I always followed the dentist I work with schedule. But for those later days I would have to assist the other dentist.

Also when I was hired I was never asked to sign anything for some context.

Can they do this?? Because right now I literally feel like they want me to pick between my job or my son. When I start work at 745am my parents drop my son at school, but they cannot pick him up.

I’m really stressed and could use some advice.