ADA Archives • Bitches Get Riches

In honor of Disability Pride Month, we’ve published a whole month of content related to the intersection of disability and personal finance. Read the first article here!

More than anything else in the personal finance sphere (perhaps save taxes, which I have notoriously, uh… fucked up), the social safety net for disabled people is complicated. The idea of researching it thoroughly enough to provide useful resources for our disabled followers is daunting, to say the least. Even beginning that research has been wildly disheartening. Because it rapidly becomes clear that the social safety net for disabled people is straight-up broken.

But it’s time to rip off the band-aid. Today I’m exploring the brokenness of it all: how it currently works and whether there’s any hope of change. I hope you’ve enjoyed past episodes of Jess Gets Righteously Angry about an Injustice, because you’re about to get more of that!

… A lot more.

Have I ever told you about the time I saw Jason Momoa get hit by a car in Joshua Tree?

Welcome to the Ask the Bitches Pandemic Lightning Round! We’re working around the clock to answer your questions about coronavirus, the impact of quarantine, and the recession of 2020.

Phew. Are y’all getting tired by all these articles yet? We’re not! We’re as tireless as a team of Amish-raised mules, and JUST AS ADORABLE!*

Today, we’re considering the health ramifications of a boss who just don’t give a damn about this global pandemic. In short, this workplace isn’t taking COVID-19 seriously. Fun stuff!

We’ll be coming at you fast this week, answering as many urgent questions as we can. If you appreciate the extra effort, we would love a small donation on our Patreon. Thank you!

Join the Bitches on Patreon

*The first part is a lie; the second is not.

The question

I’ve been working as an hourly temp at a business since August. My supervisor wanted to hire me. She was beginning this process when COVID-19 hit. Now all hands are on deck.
All company employees who can work from home are. But my supervisor can’t get me a company laptop to work from home, and encouraged me to come to work. I have asthma, so I’m very aware of how careful I must be. I’m wary of how well they clean the office and how seriously some employees are taking this crisis.
Should I continue going to work, even though my workplace isn’t taking COVID-19 seriously? I want to keep saving, but I also want to keep myself safe. I’ll take any tips you have.

There are still some workplaces that aren’t taking this pandemic seriously. Hopefully their numbers are shrinking as quickly as COVID-19 cases are rising.

If you’re unlucky enough to be stuck working at one, let’s talk about how to handle it. It shouldn’t be your job to handle it! But in Corporate America, managing other people’s idiocies is always half the job!

From a pure physical health perspective, you shouldn’t take the risk of going in to work. But financial instability wouldn’t benefit your stress, immune system, or mental health. So we have to try to balance those interests. That’s the repulsive calculus of our reprehensible system, where losing your job also means losing your health insurance at the worst possible time.