FW: bail (was formerly naive now burned tw needs advice)

[Lynn Perry <CLPerry -at- WALLDATA -dot- COM>]

Sean Brierley wrote:
<snip>
It definitely sounds like anonymous is dealing with a petite functionnaire.
If 'twere me, I'd want to see the document that ties raises and education to
a pay scale. I'd also be actively looking to bail. The truth is that the
</snip>

I'd like to jump in with reflections from two situations:

1) When I was in college, I worked part time for the university. At one
point, they told me that I couldn't take more than 12 course hours if I
worked more than 20 hours. They said it was a state law. When I asked to see
the law, they passed me up the chain till I got to the head of Personnel. He
indicated he had never heard of such a law.

Moral: Always ask. Always be persistent. Try not to hit anyone (just kidding
about the hitting -- slapping works better -- *joking*)

2) I took a contract at a lower rate than my usual under the verbal
agreement of a raise after three months. After three months, the agency said
their hands were tied, they couldn't get me a raise till I'd been there 18
months or my responsibilities changed. Extreme anger doesn't remotely cover
it. However, I persisted (remembering situation 1). It required a *lot* of
e-mail exchanges, personal meetings, some angry telephone calls, and even a
few tears of frustration. However, after three more months, they *did* give
me a raise, retroactive to when I first asked about it.

Moral: Always ask. Always be persistent. Try not to hit anyone. And be
excellent at your job (I added this one once I got good at something other
than flipping burgers -- though there's nothing wrong with flipping burgers;
some of my best friends are burger flippers).

Next time, you might negotiate the time differential. Rather than at the end
of a project, stand your ground and ask for a mid-project adjustment.

Personally, I think getting it written into your contract will not work; if
they want to give you a raise, they will; if they don't, they won't.
Although, I *always* summarized my meetings and telephone calls with a
followup e-mail, just to make sure they understood my assumptions.

As for having to manage to make beaucoups bux, that's certainly how most
companies act. And since the people deciding the raises are themselves
managers, it's easy to see how they'd believe their job skills to fall near
the top of the pile.

Good luck, anon! I hope you are young and determined enough not to let one
pencil-pusher get you too far down.

C. Lynn Perry
clperry -at- walldata -dot- com
Wall Data Incorporated / Seattle WA
Some days it doesn't pay to gnaw through the straps


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