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    Gym manager reprimands personal trainer for staying home during blizzard travel ban despite their clients canceling: 'I'm expected to find an alternate route to work'

    Author image for JR Atkinson
    JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
    Feb 26, 2026 10:00 AM EST

    Would you risk your life to go to work during a blizzard? 

    This week, in the northeastern part of the US, we were hit with a pretty monster blizzard. And that meant a travel ban for the better part of Sunday and Monday. That meant that unless you NEEDED to go somewhere, you were staying the heck at home. No need to incur extra risk. It was the perfect night for staying in and making a big pot of soup, watching a movie, and going to bed early. If you were a non-essential worker, then you were probably either working from home or you were dismissed from your duties for the day. This is the reasonable thing. You don't want people getting into accidents just to go work a shift at the corner store. But bad bosses continue to be bad bosses, and that means that not everyone was so lucky. 

    Sometimes jobs require sacrifice. They make us sacrifice our time and our freedom, but that's a tradeoff we know we're making. Anything above that should be up to our own discretion. If your job is not a life-threatening job (and even if it is), then you should always prioritize your own safety over the bottom line of a company. This might anger the higher-ups, but it's your right as a human to put yourself first. At the end of the day, you're living your one wild and precious life, and you have to take care of that before you take care of a job. 

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    • A man stands in the snow in front of a building
      via Unsplash+ (Toa Heftiba)

      An employee stands in the snow, unable to go to work.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • Boss expected me to work during blizzard travel ban.

      I 26F work in a gym as a personal trainer in NYC, but commute from NJ. There was a travel ban for both NYC/NJ and the trains were shut down. I can't drive in my small car with horrible traction. Buses were down and I live in a small town, not a city. I had two clients and a minimum wage floor shift to look for clients. I told the clients I couldn't make it and they told me neither could they.
      via u/rizzem_tizzem
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    • I received two angry emails from my manager and assistant manager telling me I'm "expected to find an alternate route to work." I'm not an essential worker, what am I supposed to say? I'm thinking of quitting even though I've only worked here for a month (equinox)
      via u/rizzem_tizzem

    • It's up to bosses to be understanding in that struggle. They have lives to live, too, after all. But the boss in this story was not so understanding. Even though the blizzard was preventing his business from running as usual, he still expected his employees to go out of their way to be there. This defied logic and left those under his employ feeling like they needed to look for a new job. If you were in his boat, what would you have said to your boss? Read on for the details and leave your judgment call in the comments. 

    • Commenters gave their advice.

      Commercial_Wind8212 Don't reply
      via u/Commercial_Wind8212
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    • rizzem_tizzem Original Poster's Reply Already did and basically reiterated I wanted to go in but physically couldn't
      via u/rizzem_tizzem
    • Im2kinky_4u Tell your boss that your broom is out of gas and all surface travel is shut down.
      via u/Im2kinky_4u
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    • rizzem_tizzem Original Poster's Reply Lmaoo!
      via u/rizzem_tizzem
    • Commercial_Wind8212 Don't give them any more satisfaction. Just go in the next day and never respond about it
      via u/Commercial_Wind8212
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    • A car covered in snow is parked in a driveway
      via Unsplash+ (Toa Heftiba)

      A parking lot of cars covered in snow during a blizzard, preventing workers from getting to work.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • rizzem_tizzem Original Poster's Reply True, why waste my energy ig? thank you for the advice!
      via u/rizzem_tizzem
    • PhDTARDIS This is perfect! I follow a guy who lives in NYC who does weather coverage. He's media, so he was driving around Queens and Manhattan yesterday during a live feed - it was NUTS. Only reason I think he was allowed to do it is he has media credentials. Your boss is an idiot for expecting you to come in.
      via u/PhDTARDIS
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    • rizzem_tizzem Original Poster's Reply Thank you!!
      via u/rizzem_tizzem
    • kvothe000 How was this not discussed until the day of the blizzard? This one didn't exactly pop up out of nowhere.
      via u/kvothe000
    • rizzem_tizzem Original Poster's Reply They literally sent an email the day of, it wasn't discussed at all which is weird.
      via u/rizzem_tizzem
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    • joggingjunkie Lol I'm surprised Equinox was open cuz puregym (blink) closed... You shouldn't quit, but you should start looking around while networking.. Also, I seen a PT doing sessions over the phone.. I guess one of those FaceTime kinda apps..
      via u/joggingjunkie
    • rizzem_tizzem Original Poster's Reply I have an interview at another gym so hopefully that goes well. They said they need more trainers (: Equinox was open today and yesterday! Insane because none of my clients could even get out of their homes!
      via u/rizzem_tizzem
    • PhDTARDIS if you want to share with the boss that NOBODY was on the roads and that Manhattan wasn't really plowed, here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=KflSaBVMWOK
      via u/PhDTARDIS
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    • rizzem_tizzem Original Poster's Reply Thank you! And my job is in Manhattan near the WTC too!
      via u/rizzem_tizzem
    • PhDTARDIS It's been years since I've lived in the NY Metro area and the streets and sidewalks that empty mean one thing: your boss is a class A a h le!
      via u/PhDTARDIS
    • rizzem_tizzem Original Poster's Reply Imaoo! I whole heartedly agree
      via u/rizzem_tizzem
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    • daydream6666 that's insane. who is even going to the gym during that. nobody other than people with essential jobs should have to work.
      via u/daydream6666
    • rizzem_tizzem Original Poster's Reply my clients canceled too insanity is right
      via u/rizzem_tizzem
    • horrorho Who the h I even goes to the gym in that type of weather? I'm from Australia and was watching the state of NY on YouTube and could not imagine leaving my house at all in that weather.
      via u/horrorho

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    Tags

    gymgoer antiwork blizzard gym manager job snow work Horrible Bosses story snowstorm
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