A Case Of The Mondays: Vent Your Work Spleen Here

[SuprSuprElevated]

7 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Also, if you are working from home, be available by phone when someone is calling you. Everyone takes bathroom breaks, but if you're not answering your phone for 30-45 minutes while working at home, and it's clear you're not in a meeting of some sort, then you're not working during those work hours. 

Which again, will ruin the entire concept/opportunity.  The folks that already have trust issues or are control freaks, don't like wfh to begin with.  Exampls such as ^this will only reinforce their resistance to it.

Edited June 29, 2022 by SuprSuprElevated

[Kitty Redstone]

4 hours ago, bilgistic said:

It's natural to want acceptance and recognition from others; those are part of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. As babies, we needed positive vocal interaction/feedback for healthy development. We are taught in school that hard work equals good grades and eventually, a good job. When none of that actually translates to the work environment, all of the sudden, everything we know doesn't make sense.

Should we find value in ourselves as the humans we are? Absolutely. But we should also demand employers treat us like humans and reward us fairly for hard work.

Yes, agreed.  What I was suggesting goes beyond finding value in yourself, though. 

[Angeltoes]

A coworker retired today after 15+ years working for the company.  He called HR a few days ago and told them he was retiring and he would be out the door on Thursday at noon.  HR Administrator says,"You're not giving two weeks notice?"  He confirmed this and she said,"Well, you realize that this means you won't be eligible to be rehired."  He laughed merrily and said he didn't give a damn, that he'd be 71 next month and he was out. 

After 15 years, this is the first thing out of their mouths!  Not how wonderful that is for him or how he'll be hard to replace.  I've been working there for over four years.  This makes me wonder whether I care if I make it to five.  Although I really want the gold nametag they give you at your 5th because I earned that damn thing.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Had my annual evaluation this morning and all I can say is:

I got a higher raise; and also my bonus doubled. But the latter is negligible, because it will be taxed to the nth degree, and I'll be lucky if I get half of it.

But I KICKED ASS this last year. I made my hours, plus and extra 108.5.

I got "Exceeded" instead of "Exemplary" because one attorney (who is as nice as can be, but damn, he forgets half his stuff sometimes, and he doesn't listen when I provided alternatives*-more on that below) just had to nit pick on something that had already been resolved, but he just had to put it in my evaluation.

*He, along with another attorney, who brought this client in--isn't a litigator (the one who brought us the client), and they don't like Outlook's Calendar that reminds you of deadlines.

He asked me to check with my fellow colleagues what calendaring system they/we use. DUH. It's Outlook or Compulaw (and this is generated by the docketing specialist out of our NY office). Non-Litigator wanted "one place where everything is where he can find it instead of scrolling through Outlook" There is a place. On the network. I always, and I mean ALWAYS, give everyone on the team a link to where everything is, so they don't have to go through a, b, c, to get to D. But nope. So I end up drafting a Word document, which includes the links to the "one place" which, doesn't streamline the process, but just bogs it down with all the information he wants on it.

And let me be clear: it's easy peasy to just create a shortcut of the links I circulate to their desktop, so all they have to do is double-click on it to get what they need.

Even the attorney who nitpicked told me he "agreed" with me. Yet he nit picked on the evaluation.

He's a sweet person, but I swear, once these cases (did I mention I'm the ONLY paralegal working on six, that's SIX class action suits against our client?) settle (please!), I will not work on any other matters with him again. His practice group really needs their own set of dedicated paralegals. I'm stretched so thin, as it is.

But, that's a minor thing.

I'm just THRILLED with my evaluation-and raise and bonus. I bloody well EARNED both.

[theredhead77]

Congratulations!

7 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I got "Exceeded" instead of "Exemplary" because

Have you ever received "exemplary"? Our company has a policy of basically never rating anyone higher than a 4 (out of 5) because then you have nothing to strive for. Uh, how about another 5? It's also nearly impossible to get above a 3 on your overall rating because you can't get all 4s, either. It's BS. Thankfully my boss values me and what I do so I get mostly 4s, even though they somehow average out to a 3.

[emma675]

Our company's annual review system is even worse. No one except for the CEO gets a 5, only a handful of people get a 4, those of us who are doing a great job, exceeding and excelling at our jobs, are lucky to get a 3.5. It's supposed to be "motivating" but all it does is piss people off. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

20 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

Congratulations!

Have you ever received "exemplary"? Our company has a policy of basically never rating anyone higher than a 4 (out of 5) because then you have nothing to strive for. Uh, how about another 5? It's also nearly impossible to get above a 3 on your overall rating because you can't get all 4s, either. It's BS. Thankfully my boss values me and what I do so I get mostly 4s, even though they somehow average out to a 3.

Thanks!

One of the case managers I know got one last year. I'm of the mind that even if I get exceeded or even exemplary, there is still stuff that I can learn/hone, improve on. Like one of my goals is to actually get trial experience. A lot of the cases settle, but one case looked like it was going to trial, and I had to hand it off to one of the case managers/trial specialists, because I'm so unfamiliar with the technology used during trials. Old school stuff? I'm so there.

And yes, reading what my attorneys had to say about me, my work, I'll be honest-it brought me to tears--happy tears, that my now all of a sudden micromanaging manager, can read and see that I produce good work. There is always room for improvement or gaining new skills.

But the firm doesn't use a numbering system. 

[Cloud9Shopper]

Got a little laugh this morning when I asked for advice on Reddit on how to deal with new job/career envy while I’m still searching. Some people were giving me advice on how to stand out and improve myself, and one of the posters said maybe I should consider writing a handwritten thank you note after I interview. What is this, 1992? By the time a handwritten thank you reaches another state (assuming USPS handles it efficiently/it doesn’t get lost) the hiring manager may have already rejected me! 

Oh, and volunteer! That’ll definitely help pay my bills with all this rising inflation. I am so sick of being told to go work for free for “experience.” 

[GHScorpiosRule]

43 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Got a little laugh this morning when I asked for advice on Reddit on how to deal with new job/career envy while I’m still searching. Some people were giving me advice on how to stand out and improve myself, and one of the posters said maybe I should consider writing a handwritten thank you note after I interview. What is this, 1992? By the time a handwritten thank you reaches another state (assuming USPS handles it efficiently/it doesn’t get lost) the hiring manager may have already rejected me! 

Oh, and volunteer! That’ll definitely help pay my bills with all this rising inflation. I am so sick of being told to go work for free for “experience.” 

I wrote hand written thank you notes to the attorneys I had interviewed with that took place in the second and final rounds.

The first was a telephone interview with HR, which I believe was a screening interview.

My second/first in person was with the Paralegal Manager, one of the supervisors, and manager of the group I would be working with.

The third and final were with six of the attorneys: 2 at a time, about 20 minutes with each.

Now, I was applying without recruiters in the last year and got this interview on my own, as I did the others in the year before I got the job where I am now.

I wrote the notes to let them know I appreciated their time and emphasized I was the person for the position. 

Funny story-one of the attorneys was about 8 months pregnant, but looked like she was ready to pop any minute. It was a challenge to keep my eyes on her face because she kept shifting.

Hey, I’m human.

My point is: don’t knock writing follow up thank you notes. It was the suggestion of fellow posters here that helped me frame what to say, and I’d flag them but I’m having issues with my Internet and the @ isn’t working.

Edited July 2, 2022 by GHScorpiosRule

[Moose135]

These days, especially with remote interviews, you may not even know where to send a written thank you, but I always sent a short thank you e-mail for interviews I had, at least beyond the initial recruiter screening. In instances where I didn't have an e-mail address, I asked the recruiter who set up the call to pass along my thanks.

[Cloud9Shopper]

I’m applying for remote jobs, though, so it’s a crapshoot as to where the employer will be located. It’s definitely easier for me to write email thank yous. (Although some jobs I haven’t written any at all and still gotten to the next round, so there are some companies that don’t care about them at all I’m sure.) If it were a local employer, a handwritten thank you might be more valuable, but if I’m in Pennsylvania and the employer is in California, I’m emailing it. 

Edited July 2, 2022 by Cloud9Shopper

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 6/21/2022 at 6:15 AM, Cloud9Shopper said:

My job requires a bachelor’s degree and I’ve been here for three years and still don’t even make $20 an hour.

In a small city in the farmlands west of Chicago, there's a fabrication shop that just hired a "shop person"--somebody to wield a paintbrush and turn a wrench and clean up.  No actual experience was required.  They hired a 19-year-old kid, at $18/hour.  Holy shit.

On 6/22/2022 at 8:52 AM, theredhead77 said:

If people want federal holidays off they need to work for the Feds or at at bank / financial institution.

Or the state government in Texas.  I'm kind of loath to defend Texas these days, but state employees had Juneteenth off way back in 1980.  It was a "skeleton crew" holiday, which meant the offices were open and had to be minimally staffed, but anyone who worked that day would get a "comp day" to take at another time. 

Every month had at least one paid holiday (some skeleton crew, some office-is-closed holidays):

January:  New Years Day, Confederate Heroes Day (+ now MLK day)

February:  Washington's Birthday

March:  Texas Independence Day

April:  San Jacinto Day

May:  Memorial Day

June:  Emancipation Day

July:  Independence Day

August:  LBJ's birthday

September:  Labor Day

October:  Columbus Day (this one has been dropped, leaving October holiday-less!))

November:  Veterans Day + Thanksgiving and day after Thanksgiving

December:  Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after Christmas

On 6/22/2022 at 12:19 PM, JTMacc99 said:

One of my coworkers told me last week that his son got a job (he's a college student, so not full time) as an usher at a Broadway theater.

It pays $28 an hour.

Back in the 1980s I ushered at the Special Events Center in Austin--where they had concerts and UT basketball games.  We got paid a flat $7.50 per event, unless the event went over I think 4-1/2 hours?  If it went past whatever the threshold was, we got paid $15.  That's an odd pay structure, and we'd be chanting "Encore! Encore!" if it was getting close, and definitely not shooing people out the exits when it was over.

On 6/25/2022 at 12:44 AM, mbaywife123 said:

What ever happened to here is my resume, do you want to employ me? Give me an answer please, I am qualified and ready to start asap, or within two weeks.

I know!  Every job I've ever had was because either I had a connection, or I just submitted an application and resume.  The submit-an-application ones included a position as a lawyer for a state agency.  They posted a job opening, I submitted an application with my resume, had one interview with the people I'd be working for, and started work.

I can't imagine going through what y'all are describing.  Makes me very glad I'm old and will never have to do it.

On 6/27/2022 at 9:33 AM, Cloud9Shopper said:

Someone shared the Monday motivation on our team Slack this morning

OMG.  I can't imagine enduring Monday motivation. I hate it when I call customer service and the person asks how I'm doing, because it's wasting time that could be spent solving my damn problem. 

Quote

I wish we’d just drop this motivational platitude stuff and focus on real things that would make people happier at work. I don’t need a video of someone’s kid to motivate me. 

I remember when getting paid was considered sufficient motivation for people to work.  😀

[Cloud9Shopper]

Considering it’s the day after a holiday weekend, I feel pretty motivated to get back out there and keep looking for a job. I’m going to try some new approaches (look for jobs related to my goals or something that may help me get a better job) that I may have been closed off to, look at local companies that want at least some in-person work and not just the remote jobs everyone and their dog wants. And I’ll keep trying to make contacts on LinkedIn where I can. I’m also trying to worry less about the number of applicants since I know so many people apply to anything they see that has an easy apply button, or that a job may have 150 applications but that doesn’t mean all 150 are quality. 

I’m not going to lower myself too much, though. There are certain types of jobs I want to stay away from unless taking them becomes financially necessary. But otherwise I know I am probably hurting myself by saying things like “I don’t want to do this job even if it’s related to X” or “I’m not applying; too many people already did.” 

I hope changing some things up and looking at it with fresh eyes helps. I’m also still waiting to hear back about next-round interviews I had discussed with companies before the holiday. So fingers crossed I am still in the running with those places. 

[Stats Queen]

On 6/22/2022 at 1:31 PM, bilgistic said:

You could bring in a partner or two, outsource your accounting/bookkeeping (or hire a bookkeeper) so you aren't spending billable hours on it, market more/at all to gain more clients, and delegate more to, again, have more billable hours, but it doesn't seem like you are interested in any of that because of wanting to be "the boss" and have control over everything. Yes, you are ultimately responsible, but you have to trust people to do their jobs, and you have to pay them their worth and allow them time off.

Employees need supportive leaders who encourage them and foster a healthy workplace.

With all due respect, have you owned your own small business?

Being a small business owner myself, it is extremely hard and I don’t have employees.

When I was active in the local chamber of commerce (in a huge county in a large metropolitan area), I met so many small business owners across many industries who deal with these issues, Some months, the businesses make payroll, but that’s it. They often mortgage their homes in order to ensure the business can survive.

Outsourcing can be a great option for many things, but it is not always cheaper or more effective.

Bottom line of any company is to make money (unless you’re the federal government who just spends all our money).

[GHScorpiosRule]

This just fucking, fucking, FUCKING annoys the hell out of me.

When colleagues and coworkers are in such a rush to send an email, they can't make sure that they're addressing me by my first name. Yes, the default in Outlook displays, Surname, First name, so every.single.time. when they email me (usually for help on a project or other stuff-and these are not the attorneys from my practice groups), they address me as Surname.

Even after I've let them know that it's my Surname, and I always end my emails with

Regards,
First Name

And their excuse is always: "I was typing too fast.'

[Cloud9Shopper]

My boss sent us an email today saying a new position has been created on our team but the bad news is, they didn’t get budget approval for it so they have to ask again for December/January. 

I’m not so sure anyone who wants to be promoted in this market is going to just sit on their hands and wait 5-6 months hoping for budget approval. Unfortunately not enough incentive for me to stop my job search. 

[Cloud9Shopper]

Update: Don’t have to worry about the above post anymore! I just accepted a verbal job offer!! 

Waiting on the written offer to come and I’m hoping to send my boss off to vacation with a nice resignation letter. 😁

[GHScorpiosRule]

18 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Update: Don’t have to worry about the above post anymore! I just accepted a verbal job offer!! 

Waiting on the written offer to come and I’m hoping to send my boss off to vacation with a nice resignation letter. 😁

Keeping my fingers crossed 🤞 for you!!

[Moose135]

Congratulations, @Cloud9Shopper! I wish you the best!

[theredhead77]

Another day, another "everyone really liked you but we decided to go with another candidate". This brings me to over 125 applications submitted starting in Jan. 2021. I'm so defeated, my self-confidence is gone, I'm battling some serious depression and I can't escape this shithole state until I find a new job which just makes everything worse.

My friends are getting new jobs, my coworkers are all getting new jobs and I can't feel anything but bitterness at this point. 

Edited July 7, 2022 by theredhead77

[Cloud9Shopper]

Got my written offer and signed it! Now I’m feeling stressed. I’m starting to panic about resigning (my boss will be out all next week so I have to do it tomorrow) and for some reason I’m worried I won’t pass the background check even though I’ve never failed one before and have no criminal record to speak of. I guess it’s just my catastrophic thinking side kicking in, like what if I mistype something on the form? What if I don’t remember a start date or something and I fail? 

It’s sort of funny how I trick myself. I wanted nothing but to leave my job and now it’s here and I’m freaking out and worried something will get messed up. Everyone at New Job (OK all two people that I’ve talked to) seems nice and excited to have me but I’m just nervous I guess and aware that I’m taking a risk.

I’ll just have to lean on my faith and accept that even if I realize in six months that I did make a mistake it’s not the end of the world and I can do what I did now: Keep working there and find another job. One short stint wouldn’t be the end of the world.

@theredhead77 So sorry for your continued troubles. My final applications count was 189! It’s maddening and so brutal out there.

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Got my written offer and signed it! Now I’m feeling stressed. I’m starting to panic about resigning (my boss will be out all next week so I have to do it tomorrow) and for some reason I’m worried I won’t pass the background check even though I’ve never failed one before and have no criminal record to speak of. I guess it’s just my catastrophic thinking side kicking in, like what if I mistype something on the form? What if I don’t remember a start date or something and I fail? 

I don't know if you've read this entire thread, but others can attest, that I was in panic mode as well when I got the offer-verbally (I immediately said YES! even though they said that the salary wouldn't be what I asked for (I didn't care, because I said it was negotiable and I wrote the high end deliberately, but it ended up being more than I asked for in the end)), and then got the written offer within the hour.

Then I was metaphorically biting my nails and losing my shit on this board-because I was afraid I'd be conflicted out. But others here, assured me-I got the job, and they were just "checking off the boxes" and they were right. But that was the most stressful week ever.

As for tendering my two weeks' notice? Since I didn't have a job, but was doing contract work, I didn't have to give two weeks' notice. The minute they gave me the start date, I let the actual small firm's owner and his associate know FIRST, then let the recruiting agency know.

If you want to feel better, or rather need help calming down, go back to around July/August of 2018 here. I think my anxiety was ramped up because I REALLLLLLLLLLY wanted this job. 

It will be four years in 30 days.

[Cloud9Shopper]

Thanks @GHScorpiosRule! Really the problem is that my boss will be out next week. I did sign an offer letter with a start date (although my soon-to-be manager said if I’d rather wait for the background check that’s fine). I could resign with my skip-level boss next week if needed but I’m not sure if she’d make me wait for my direct manager to return and do the whole thing over again. 

I feel confident that my background is fine and have no criminal history and have never defaulted on a bill or been sent to collections. But all the advice I see says don't resign without a completed background check. I'll sleep on it.

[Cloud9Shopper]

Update: I panicked too much. My background check came back fine and I’m resigning this afternoon! Cross your fingers that it goes smoothly. I’m going to go out for lunch and get myself ice cream tonight to celebrate. 

[emma675]

Cloud9Shopper, congrats and good luck! I'm in the fourth round of an interview and the company just requested my permission to do a background check (typical in the financial services world), so I'm trying not to get my hopes up. 

[Cloud9Shopper]

Oh the awkwardness of being in my notice period. My boss is out all week and left the usual load of busy work and miscellaneous tasks for us if we run out of project work. I dread knowing I will have to take it on so I can appear “engaged” and preserve my reference.

I’m very happy to be at this time and be almost out the door. But being at 100% and happy to take on busy work is going to feel harder as the days go on I think, especially since I’ve been checked out for a while already. How do you guys stay motivated when you’ve resigned and are in the home stretch? 

ETA: I also have six weeks left of a certificate program I’m in. I have senioritis like something bad haha. 

Edited July 11, 2022 by Cloud9Shopper

[emma675]

I just got an offer today on the job I've been interviewing for over the last month! 100% remote, a big step up compensation-wise, and my insurance and benefits start on day one! 

Now comes the dreaded part of resigning from my current job. I don't mind giving my interim boss the notice but I adore my teammates and I'm not looking forward to letting them down. 

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, emma675 said:

Now comes the dreaded part of resigning from my current job. I don't mind giving my interim boss the notice but I adore my teammates and I'm not looking forward to letting them down. 

You're not letting anyone down by doing what's best for you.

[Cloud9Shopper]

6 hours ago, emma675 said:

I just got an offer today on the job I've been interviewing for over the last month! 100% remote, a big step up compensation-wise, and my insurance and benefits start on day one! 

Now comes the dreaded part of resigning from my current job. I don't mind giving my interim boss the notice but I adore my teammates and I'm not looking forward to letting them down. 

I was nervous about resigning too and it went really smooth. It wasn’t too awkward at all; I was mostly worried about saying something that would come out less than professional. 

I’ll be sad to say goodbye to my coworkers too, but ultimately I tell myself it’s not personal; it’s business. Even if it was a little weird to resign the day before my boss would be gone for a week. That was the timing, and so be it. If anyone’s upset, they’ll get over it. 

[emma675]

I turned in my resignation today and my interim boss could not have been nicer about it (he even said I could change my mind at any point and come back, lol). My team is really disappointed, but understanding. We're down three members and my previous boss was just forced to resign, so I feel extra guilty about doing this to them now, but I can't stay in my job because of that. So I'm happy, but sad. It's so much easier to quit when you hate everyone!

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, emma675 said:

So I'm happy, but sad. It's so much easier to quit when you hate everyone!

You never know, you may end up working with some of these people again in the future, in which case you'll be very happy that you have a good relationship with them.

[Cloud9Shopper]

Eight days left in my current job. A couple of people did let me know they were sad to see me go, and my boss’s boss said she wishes she could have done more to keep me but that she supports people working at another company if that’s what they have to do.

It’s getting boring though. I don’t really have any project work to do before next Friday so it’s a lot of miscellaneous work. I only ask once for a project, though, and if people are unresponsive then I decide to just clean my email backlog and read some newsletter articles that are work-related…or you know, do hobby stuff on my phone. If someone needs my help I will of course help them but if not then…I’m not going to hustle that hard to work at this point. 

Edited July 13, 2022 by Cloud9Shopper

[KittyMom4]

Work voicemails pet peeves:

1. People who leave a voicemail message that is so garbled it sounds like they are talking underwater. I'm not fluent in mermaid-language, please speak clearly!

2. People who leave a voicemail and request a call back and then speak their phone number so fast I have to listen to the message 4-5 times in order to catch all the numbers. Slow the fuck down.

3.  People who leave a voicemail that really could have been handled through email. Instead I have to call you back and hope you answer so we don't end up playing phone tag just for you to tell me you'd like to reserve a conference on Tuesday at 1:00pm. Don't waste my time.

[SuprSuprElevated]

If you leave a voicemail, or worse, answer one of mine, without clearly stating what it is you require of me, we can't be friends.  I always state what it is I need from the person I'm calling/emailing.  Do NOT leave a voicmail along the lines of "returning your call".  Makes me stabby.

[Cloud9Shopper]

My merit increase (or lack thereof) took hold today, retroactive to July 1 before I resigned. I got a whole 2%, so that’s like $24 extra. What a laugh! Only six working days left before I can take my close to 30% raise from my new job and not look back. 

Boss’s Boss did also understand and accept that they didn’t win in the salary column either. 

I also took my exit survey yesterday and was professional but clear on the reasons why I’m leaving. I made sure to give the company enough compliments to look good while not being shy about the lack of internal growth. 

Edited July 15, 2022 by Cloud9Shopper

[magicdog]

4 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

My merit increase (or lack thereof) took hold today, retroactive to July 1 before I resigned. I got a whole 2%, so that’s like $24 extra. What a laugh!

My bosses gave us 2% merit raises!  Meanwhile, prices for goods went up 20-30% (and could climb higher before it's all over!).  I wish there were laws that made cost of living adjustments (COLA) for working folk!  

[Moose135]

58 minutes ago, magicdog said:

I wish there were laws that made cost of living adjustments (COLA) for working folk!

Maybe you need a union...

I certainly understand people being upset at a small raise when inflation is higher, but when inflation was 2%, would you (in general, not specifically you, Magicdog) be alright with a small raise, or would you still expect 5% or 8% or more?

[magicdog]

12 hours ago, Moose135 said:

Maybe you need a union...

We're a right to work state so that's unlikely.  The Culinary Union and the Carpenters Union seem to be the only ones that count here.

12 hours ago, Moose135 said:

I certainly understand people being upset at a small raise when inflation is higher, but when inflation was 2%, would you (in general, not specifically you, Magicdog) be alright with a small raise, or would you still expect 5% or 8% or more?

It's more about keeping good employees than anything.  Many of the people I work with have 2nd jobs to pay the rent, and now even that may not be enough.  We are bleeding good help for two reasons:  

1) The corporate entity that bought us are known for cost cutting, and that includes cutting salaries of many high paid talent (those who appear on screen as opposed to folks behind the scenes like myself) and not paying them OT (they have you come in on your days off and give you two other days off so the pay is the same).

2) Bitcheroo, who's bad attitude of superiority against anyone who thinks differently than she does or she perceives as a threat to her position drives a lot of people to quit.    

[Cloud9Shopper]

4 hours ago, magicdog said:

We're a right to work state so that's unlikely.  The Culinary Union and the Carpenters Union seem to be the only ones that count here.

It's more about keeping good employees than anything.  Many of the people I work with have 2nd jobs to pay the rent, and now even that may not be enough.  We are bleeding good help for two reasons:  

1) The corporate entity that bought us are known for cost cutting, and that includes cutting salaries of many high paid talent (those who appear on screen as opposed to folks behind the scenes like myself) and not paying them OT (they have you come in on your days off and give you two other days off so the pay is the same).

2) Bitcheroo, who's bad attitude of superiority against anyone who thinks differently than she does or she perceives as a threat to her position drives a lot of people to quit.    

Agreed. I thought it was crap that for a track record of good performance the most my soon-to-be-former job could give me was 2%. My boss never communicated any issues to me that were keeping me from getting a higher raise and never would help me out when I’d ask for advice on how to get promoted, what skills I could grow, etc. Just the measly standard raise every year.  One of my other coworkers recently left because he was being paid almost $20K under market. My boss’s boss isn’t surprised that low pay is part why I’m leaving but I doubt they will ever meaningfully change. They seem content to just accept losing people. 

I’m looking into freelance work myself now that I have secured a better paying full time job but I also have debt to pay off. 

[chocolatine]

4 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

My boss’s boss isn’t surprised that low pay is part why I’m leaving but I doubt they will ever meaningfully change. They seem content to just accept losing people. 

Unless your boss's boss is the CEO of the company, she doesn't have the authority to increase salaries beyond the 2% that has been allocated. She has a set budget to work with, so whether she's "content" with losing people or not is beside the point.

[supposebly]

12 hours ago, magicdog said:

We're a right to work state so that's unlikely. 

Could you explain what that means to this German-Canadian?

[Angeltoes]

Quote

They seem content to just accept losing people. 

This sounds like our company.  We're a warehouse and it's like there's a revolving door at the front.  We have had people go to lunch on their first day and not come back.  Hell, we've had people who attend orientation (where they get three free company t-shirts) and then they disappear.  I don't even bother to learn people's names anymore until they've been there long enough for their name tag to be made which is usually a month.

Our company brags constantly about how much money they made last year because of the hard work put in by the employees.  Their way to thank us - have a food truck come by and give everyone a free meal.  Touching.  

Next week there's a raffle where they're giving away samples they've gotten from vendors, leftover merchandise that couldn't be sold, etc.  You'd think they'd give every employee free raffle tickets.  Nope, you must buy your way in and then the money raised goes to charity so the company can pat itself on the back and get a tax write-off.

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, supposebly said:

Could you explain what that means to this German-Canadian?

The short answer is it means a state with labor laws designed to eradicate unions. 

The longer answer involves meaning lower wages and less access to proper benefits like healthcare; it's complicated, and unions aren't flawless, but such restrictions are generally negative to employees, especially those in the "working class".

(It's one of the many things where the monied interests promoting it successfully manipulate the media into calling it by a catchy shorthand that sounds positive for an oppressed group - in this case, workers - despite it actually being to the benefit of their oppressors - in this case, corporations - and that repetition takes hold and becomes the standard phrase, despite its inaccuracy.)

Edited July 17, 2022 by Bastet

[EtheltoTillie]

17 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Agreed. I thought it was crap that for a track record of good performance the most my soon-to-be-former job could give me was 2%. My boss never communicated any issues to me that were keeping me from getting a higher raise and never would help me out when I’d ask for advice on how to get promoted, what skills I could grow, etc. Just the measly standard raise every year.  One of my other coworkers recently left because he was being paid almost $20K under market. My boss’s boss isn’t surprised that low pay is part why I’m leaving but I doubt they will ever meaningfully change. They seem content to just accept losing people. 

I’m looking into freelance work myself now that I have secured a better paying full time job but I also have debt to pay off. 

Could you explain what the job was that you had?  If you are reluctant since it could identify you I understand, but it is hard to understand the pay issues and promotion issues you have discussed without knowing what the job entails. What type of company?  Thanks. 

[magicdog]

13 hours ago, supposebly said:

Could you explain what that means to this German-Canadian?

It also gives the employer all the power.  Essentially, they could fire you because they don't like your face.  In a way, it's both good and bad.  Good in that if an employer had a bad employee, they can fire them for that (assuming it's a legit situation) but bad in that jerks like Bitcheroo interfere in promotions and progress and can make people miserable and you can't punish the company for it.  That's why workplace bullying is so rampant.  You're forced to take it or leave it.   

[ginger90]

2 hours ago, magicdog said:

It also gives the employer all the power.  Essentially, they could fire you because they don't like your face.  In a way, it's both good and bad.  Good in that if an employer had a bad employee, they can fire them for that (assuming it's a legit situation) but bad in that jerks like Bitcheroo interfere in promotions and progress and can make people miserable and you can't punish the company for it.  That's why workplace bullying is so rampant.  You're forced to take it or leave it.   

I believe you’re thinking of At-will employment which means you can quit or be fired for almost any reason. Right-to-work means you can work for a unionized employer without joining the union.

[SuprSuprElevated]

3 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

I believe you’re thinking of At-will employment which means you can quit or be fired for almost any reason. Right-to-work means you can work for a unionized employer without joining the union.

Yes, thanks for clearing that up.

[Cloud9Shopper]

7 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Could you explain what the job was that you had?  If you are reluctant since it could identify you I understand, but it is hard to understand the pay issues and promotion issues you have discussed without knowing what the job entails. What type of company?  Thanks. 

I’d really rather not say, especially since I’m leaving this coming Friday anyway. It’s better to take the satisfaction of walking away while my bosses regret that they couldn’t do more to keep me. (Even though I tried to talk to them about a path towards promotion and if I could take some stretch projects and they kept blowing me off or claimed to not know what was going on when two external candidates were hired.) 

My department has lost 10+ people in the last year anyway, and a couple of those people were hardly there a year when they bounced. So I’d rather just smile and leave as they have to ride a sinking ship. 

[magicdog]

2 hours ago, ginger90 said:

I believe you’re thinking of At-will employment which means you can quit or be fired for almost any reason. Right-to-work means you can work for a unionized employer without joining the union.

Just repeating what my attorney told me when i showed her all the evidence of workplace bullying my bosses did to me.  She explicitly stated it's a right to work state and they could do anything they wanted unless you're a "protected class".

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, magicdog said:

Just repeating what my attorney told me when i showed her all the evidence of workplace bullying my bosses did to me.  She explicitly stated it's a right to work state and they could do anything they wanted unless you're a "protected class".

That sounds líke “at-will” to me. That’s where I work and that’s the definition of at-will.