I was just hired for a part time job that is max 10 hours a week for a start up so the environment is somewhat unpredictable and they are experiencing growing pains. I knew this going in but didn’t expect it to be this bad. I’m two weeks in - I worked 8 hours last week and only 3 this week. This week geared up to have a lot of work and a meeting with the founder, but the founder didn’t end up showing up to the meeting so it was cancelled and never rescheduled for later in the week.

I’m feeling two boundary violations here. 1. I need to fulfill my 10 hours a week so I can at least depend on that as a steady source of income and 2. I need a heads up when the founder isn’t going to show or at least a clear time to reschedule.

The thing is, I don’t know how to enforce either of these boundaries because I can’t quit at the moment. I need this job and don’t have any savings. What are some other ways I could enforce the boundaries without threatening to quit? Could it be something about how I can’t get my work done properly in this environment?

Advice and boundary setting tips would be appreciated!