When Remote Work Got Personal

Everything started with a seasonal job.

Over the years, I worked three seasonal jobs with this company whose name started with a T and ended with a C. My first was way back in 2012 during the holiday rush, doing post-purchase support — and honestly, I loved it!

Fast forward to 2020, during the pandemic, I picked up two more projects. Both were straightforward: looking up information and answering customer questions. But that third project ended up being my last. Looking back, I probably never should have accepted it.

Here’s why:

I had a family emergency come up, and I was constantly trying to get my schedule changed. I was told again and again that it “would get done,” but it never was. Everything at the company at that time felt like total chaos. It wasn’t the same company I remembered it being from 2012.

I was forced to call in a few times back-to-back while still doing everything I could to resolve the schedule issue. Then, just like that, the project ended. Ironically, right after, a recruiter even reached out about a team lead position — but my family situation hadn’t changed, so I had to decline.

For years, I still recommended that company to others. I told people what a great company it was, and I figured one day I’d join another seasonal project. That was the plan… until 2025.

When I applied again, I found out I had been terminated and placed on a no-rehire list. And here’s the part that shocked me most:

👉 The company sometimes puts people on a no-rehire list for 60 days, 3 months, maybe 6 months. But me? My name was there permanently. For life.

And I had no idea — not for months, not for years — that I had been terminated.

I sent email after email, but nothing changed. By that point, it wasn’t even about getting a job anymore — it was about clearing my name. But without proof of all the times I requested schedule changes during a family emergency, I had no way to fight back.

That’s when I learned one of the most important lessons about remote work:

👉 Always document everything.

Save your emails. Save your chat transcripts. Save your schedules. Because one day, you might need to prove what really happened.

In fact, this is exactly why I wrote my blog post Document Everything! — to help others avoid going through what I went through.

In the end, there’s always a silver lining. In a twist of fate that company was both the beginning and the end of my journey with them, but it sparked the creation of WFH Money. And that’s something positive I can carry forward.

💬 Have you ever had a work-from-home job turn out differently than you expected? Share your story in the comments — I’d love to hear it.

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