Meeting with Human Resources today (Long)

Im not very happy with my company today. Not that I have been happy in a long time though.

The other day my boss told us that The Vice President of the Dept was going to come meet with us about doing testing on a project that is about to go live.

He informed us that we were going to need to work an extra 10 to 12 hours per week that we arent going to be compensated on.

I told him that it isnt fair to expect us to work that many hours per week and not get paid in any way.

He said that the company believes in this. You do for the company, and in the future the company will reward you.

I told him that I have been here for 4 and a half years and the company has never rewarded me for any of my hard work. I told him that my group of 4 people do the job of 6 people. The two others quit. He said that everyone is doing it and no one is getting paid for it.

He also said that your boss said that you were going to ask for compensation. He said when talking to you and telling you to do something, you always ask for money or how you are going to be paid.

To give you a little background, My group is very important to the company. We work with the data, and clean the data, and get it ready for the next steps of the process. We then post the data and send the clients notifications that their data is ready. Other than that we do special projects, and fill in when other groups need us.

I have been here for 4.5 years. I have had 10 managers, and The current manager works out of state. He is a horrible manager. He doesnt stand up for us or help us out in any way. We are basically alone, and we work alone. I havent gotten a promotion in 3 years, and it is totally not fair. Other people in the department have gotten promotions, and raises...good ones. People that do the same work or less work than I do. I am tired of it.

Anyway, after I left the meeting with the Vp, Myself and another guy I work with went down to HR to discuss what the VP said to us. We set up a meeting with the head of HR for this morning at 10am. I am a little nervous. I have plenty to say but I dont know if it is good enough. Im sure things wont go our way, they never do. I kno, its not good to have a negative attitude, but I cannot help it. This company will do it to you.

I spoke to my brother, who is a Lawyer in DC. He informed me that it is illegal what my company is trying to do to us. He sent me some websites to research, and I am bringing the paper work with me today.

Im not sure why I posted this. I am just so annoyed and I needed a place to vent...
Thanks,
Scott

Hi Scott:

I used to work for a company that treated me the way your compnay is treating you.

It sounds like you work in a non-income generating department, i.e. not sales, not 'front office'. In many companies eyes, these back or middle office positions are not too important, and the staff can be easily replaced.

If you have not gotten a promotion in 3 years, I would look for another job. It doesn't sounds like you are appreciated there, nor is your department a top priority even though you do valuable work. Nothing you say will change the company's attitude.

IMO, you should go into this meeting emotionless - do not express your feelings as much as you present facts. Bring statistics with you: we did X and Y on time, under budget, etc. Don't whine or threaten, it will look very unprofessional.

Are you an hourly employee? If not, I think it is fine for an employer to expect you to work OT on a special project without additional compensation; it happens in my job all the time. Of course, it is those special projects that you point out every year at evaluation time.

Good Luck!

I am a full time salaried employee that doesnt work in sales. The Client Service people make the most money, and they get treated like gold. Totally unfair. I am in the process of looking for another job. I am waiting on the post office, and I am going to call a head hunter that I got from a friend.

Well Good Luck, my Dad is salaried he does payroll for a major firm and always in January-April when they are getting w-2's out he pulls major overtime and never get compensated. I always took it that if you were salaried then you could easily work a 40-70 hour week and nothing could really be done you just do your job and hopefully when times are slow you maybe pull a less then 40 work week (like for him they get out early on fridays over the summer most of the time)

It really sounds like its time for you to find a new company. It sounds to me like your stuck in a rut and since you haven't been happy in a long time maybe this is a sign to just get out when you can and not burn bridges! Best of Luck

Just wanted to say good luck

So sorry to hear this - do you happen to know your position's FLSA status - exempt or non-exempt? if you are non-exempt then you have to be paid for OT. There have been some court cases where exempt level workers have been in a situation where the company was wrong and they were awarded back-pay. I believe there was a case - maybe in Ohio - where a woman was exempt. The company was having problems with people coming in late and created a new policy where if you came in late you would be docked some time. Well as a salaried exempt level employee this is not right so she sued and won...ask the lawyer that advised you about the websites for more info if he can get it for you. Good luck!

Good Luck

don't be nervous

ask the HR dept to put in writing that you will be compensated by (for example, 7/1/04).

Let us know how it goes!!

edited to add - yes by all means if you are non exempt, you deserve to claim OT - your company could in trouble by the US LAbor dept!!

My advice to you is you should look for another job.. It is legal for them to ask you to put in exra hours and not compensate you for it.

I know it is not right but you will now be labeled as a 'complainer' and it probably won't help you get any promotions. SOrry

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Posted by lullabella

My advice to you is you should look for another job.. It is legal for them to ask you to put in exra hours and not compensate you for it.

I know it is not right but you will now be labeled as a 'complainer' and it probably won't help you get any promotions. SOrry

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I have been labeled a complainer for years now at my current company. I have gone a long way from being a yesser...I would do what ever they said and not question them. I couldnt stand being walked all over anymore. LAst year my group wrote a letter to the President of the department about how we get treated and how we are always passed over for raises and promotions, and how we never get recognized. It was beautiful. Nothing was ever done except a few meetings but it was worth a try. Im not afraid to talk and say what I am feeling now.

We met with the HR rep and it went fairly well. The guy I work with told her that he has school full time but he is willing to put in an hour for lunch each day...and I told her the same. I also told her I have been doing that for 2 months now. So I will be working 5 hours extra a week...I told her that after I leave here, I go home change my clothes, eat and goto my part time job. I work at a detailing shop. So I'm only going to work the extra hour at lunch....Cant wait to hear from my boss now.

I hope it went well and HR is sympathetic. Let us know!

I am glad the meeting went well and that you were able to make a compromise on the hours.

Although I don't think it was a good idea to throw the PT job on the table. It's your personal time and should not be part of the equation. You wouldn't want them to see it as a threat to your FT position. If something else came up it could give them an excuse to terminate your employment if they see you as being inflexible about OT and unable to get the job done. (IHMO)

What type of position could you be promoted to? In my company, there is very little room for formal promotions, especially in back office operations.

I also think there's a difference between being a yes man and a complainer. To get anywhere in any company you have to find the median.

Good luck

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Posted by Danielle&Scott

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Posted by lullabella

My advice to you is you should look for another job.. It is legal for them to ask you to put in exra hours and not compensate you for it.

I know it is not right but you will now be labeled as a 'complainer' and it probably won't help you get any promotions. SOrry

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I have been labeled a complainer for years now at my current company. I have gone a long way from being a yesser...I would do what ever they said and not question them. I couldnt stand being walked all over anymore. LAst year my group wrote a letter to the President of the department about how we get treated and how we are always passed over for raises and promotions, and how we never get recognized. It was beautiful. Nothing was ever done except a few meetings but it was worth a try. Im not afraid to talk and say what I am feeling now.

We met with the HR rep and it went fairly well. The guy I work with told her that he has school full time but he is willing to put in an hour for lunch each day...and I told her the same. I also told her I have been doing that for 2 months now. So I will be working 5 hours extra a week...I told her that after I leave here, I go home change my clothes, eat and goto my part time job. I work at a detailing shop. So I'm only going to work the extra hour at lunch....Cant wait to hear from my boss now.

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I am glad things went well. I hope you didnt take what I said the wrong way. I was just being honest, yes it is good to speak up, etc... but just understand that it does have reprocussions in some cases.

Good Luck