Stephen Kaledecker was psyched when he was promoted in December to regional manager at the hotel chain where he works – but his enthusiasm cratered when gas prices started to skyrocket after the US-Israeli conflict with Iran began earlier this year.
The new job entails thousands of miles of driving each month to properties in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. With the price of gas topping $5 a gallon on his trips, he is spending more than a $1,000 a month on fuel.
That means he will end up losing money, since his raise won’t cover the increased fuel expenses – and his employer won’t reimburse him for mileage once he fully transitions into his new role next month. But he can’t go back to his old position managing a hotel in Ohio, because the role has already been filled.
Having to decide whether to continue as regional manager, which he loves, has left him terrified and crying some nights in his hotel rooms on the road. While he was looking forward to advancing in his career, the Gahanna, Ohio, resident feels he can’t justify it financially.
“It’s going to literally break me,” said Kaledecker, who has already put more than 20,000 miles on his 2018 Chevy Silverado, which he uses to carry equipment and supplies for the hotels, this year. “I look at my bank account and I’m like, ‘Okay, if I go here and do what they ask me to do, I’m not going to be able to get my prescriptions, or I’m not going to be able to pay that electric bill.’”
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