Thread: Take this job...

Back in 1975 I attended a Community College in a class to become an Auto body Repairman. I held a 4 point grade average, I competed at the State Level/placing 1st and then at Nationals. I didn't place at Nationals in Auto body Repair but I did place 2nd in Extemporaneous Speech.

During the latter part of my schooling I was allowed to start work at a local body shop and then full time after graduation. The shop rate was $13 per hour and it was a 40/60 split. The shop got 60% and I go 40%. There were many months that I Cleared $1000 but there were also months that I only Grossed $300.

So I took a position in the mechanical shop directing the work to the various stations. It was lower pay but it was steady and I had my first child on the way.

Everything went well until one day when I noticed that every else in the office had been called into the Managers Office (except Me) right at quitting time I was called into the office and informed that to cut costs 'my position' was being eliminated and that the other members in the office would pick up the slack (at no increase in their wages). The manager said that he was giving me my two weeks notice.

I asked if I could use the phone. He said sure. I called long distance to the grocery store that I'd been working at before I went to school and asked the owner if he needed any help as I was in need of a job. He asked if I could start the next day and I told him that I'd be there.

I hung up the phone and told the Manager that I had a new job and that I'd start the next day. He said; "What? There's paperwork that needs done! How are we supposed to catch up"?

I told him:

"I DIDN'T QUIT YOU; YOU QUIT ME"! The paperwork is your problem/remember everyone else can do what I've been doing"!!

Never looked back! That's the only job that I didn't give two weeks notice!

Originally Posted by cudarunner

...Everything went well until one day when I noticed that every else in the office had been called into the Managers Office (except Me) right at quitting time I was called into the office and informed that to cut costs 'my position' was being eliminated and that the other members in the office would pick up the slack (at no increase in their wages). The manager said that he was giving me my two weeks notice.

Ya that manager probably cut labor costs so he can make his year end bonus quota.

Originally Posted by WW243

Rodbusters were tough...seriously tough.

I tied rods my first year of ironwork. Working a permit that was about all they would give you. Sent me out for Seacoast Steel, the worst outfit in the local. Only local men working for them were foreman. When I became a registered apprentice I went from the permit man's journeyman's scale, then $6.05 per hour, to $4.89 per hour and I would not take a rod job again. After sitting me on the bench for a week the BA sent me out on a large airplane hanger coming out of the ground. A 2-1/2 year job. Anyway, rods is, as one of my old mentors used to say, 'a hard piece of bread.'

Best of luck, hope you find a good job sooner than later.

I Guess I see things differant.I ran a med.practice for 43 yrs,I hired and terminated maybe 4 employees during that time.
The edict was: you contract with me, I will give you 30 days notice if you cannot tow the line,you give me 30 days notice should you choose to leave.
I had contracts with hospitals that had Iron clad failure to produce clauses and being that there are only about 300 Board certified clinical Perfusionists on the west coast,I could not pull one out of a hat at a moments notice.Positions are few and far between.
They got paid 100% of what I was able to collect from the hospitals,I never made a dime off of any of them,they were all subcontractors.
My final edict was,you fail to give me 30 days notice should you want to terminate,you will NEVER work in the prof, again.
hard core,but it worked.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I have to resist the urge to quote Johnny Paycheck every day.

I have to work every day. Every weekend and every holiday. For the meetups I have attended it has taken weeks of prep before and damage control after in order to accommodate my absence for a couple of days. I worked 100--120 hours a week for over a year until my boss offered me a salary equivalent to working 60 hours--without any reduction in my workload. When I refused it, he capped my PAID hours at 60 and told me to better manage my time. This guy works 20--25 hours per week. I've been able to get most weeks down to between 65--80 hours per week. Meanwhile I get to see three coworkers take weekends and holidays and something I hear are called "vacations." They can leave because they are admittedly useless, incompetent, and lazy.

My work is the sole source of income for the company. They literally do not earn anything for the work done by those three. If I don't work or keep on top of it all the company goes under and I don't get paid. The company deserves to go under and it probably would if I left unless they could scramble and find some other expert. I would love to say "I quit" or something much less polite but my wife's job is insecure and lowpaying and we are stuck in this area due to family issues.

I dread going to work every day. I have to bite my tongue while coworkers spend hours on the phone or computer just to be able to write down the hours. I saved the company. Their methods didn't work while mine, that I had to fight to introduce, produce the best product anywhere; yet I've never gotten a raise and have to cut hours off of my time sheet every week.

So, yes, I'd really like to just walk away.

Never let anybody at work know what your stuck doing. If your stuck they will take advantage of that. Now I need my job but just to keep things going as they are. I could change everything but is it worth it? I don't think so just yet. I am stuck and they know I am stuck BUT they also know if pushed even a little there is a good possibility I could go to lunch and never come back :<0) What does that get me ? I am happy at work. I have a set schedule, they ask me if I can do something for them instead of telling me, and they know I am not there for the money. I am there to have fun. If it is not fun, I will find fun elsewhere. That's my attitude and my motto around work. " I ain't here to get rich. I am here to have fun" Makes them think :<0)

They know I'm stuck. My boss and his brother are co-owners of the place I work at and the brother is my wife's boss at a different place that is nearly the exclusive customer for my place. It all overlaps and her job depends on my job. I know I'm stuck and so do they. That's why I get treated like crap by people who don't comprehend the work I do. I despise every minute I work for them and am trying to figure out how to do this work for myself. So far I cannot find a sufficient customer base to set up my own lab. That's the dream.

Well, actually, I'd rather be paid for honing.

OVer here, things don't work that way. Notice is much longer than 2 weeks. In many cases, the company still lets you go immediately if there are conflicts but barring that, you can count on 6 to 8 weeks to transfer your knowledge / projects etc to someone else. You can't leave your company in the lurch. The flip side is of course that you can't be fired on the spot without getting a similar amount of months severance pay. This is to protect people from casual dismissal. The only way to fire without severance is if that person has a bad track record that is documented on paper (performance reviews etc).The long notice period is not a problem anytime, because when you get a new job, the new company knows it has to wait for you to do the notice period so it doesn't have an influence on your career or job seeking opportunities.

Just walking out and giving people the finger is a surefire way to burn your future prospects anywhere, because managers, directors and HR people move around as well. And sometimes if you're hirign people, you might just get called to the HR director and get some word of mouth on one of the applicants.

Here as well, sometimes. My previous position, which I held for 19 years, 11 months, three weeks, and two days, was a professional position which required 6 months notice for both parties. When the decision was made to demolish the building my lab was in, I was moved to a different lab doing entirely different work but at least I was paid and had time to try to find a new job. I accepted one in Baltimore but my wife was offered one in Rochester so I came along with her.

Here, I am a pawn. Despite the long hours I have worked for over three years, I am a temporary part-time employee. That means no benefits whatsoever and no job security. I can be terminated on a whim.

I'm grateful to have any job at this point but I resent the way they are taking advantage of me. It grinds against my nature.

I done moaning now. Well not really but I'll stop anyway!

Originally Posted by Utopian

They know I'm stuck. My boss and his brother are co-owners of the place I work at and the brother is my wife's boss at a different place that is nearly the exclusive customer for my place. It all overlaps and her job depends on my job. I know I'm stuck and so do they. That's why I get treated like crap by people who don't comprehend the work I do. I despise every minute I work for them and am trying to figure out how to do this work for myself. So far I cannot find a sufficient customer base to set up my own lab. That's the dream.

Well, actually, I'd rather be paid for honing.

Let me get thes correct...The brothers buy their own stuff.

Going out on your own is the ticket. I don't know what you do but if there is a market for and your good you won't have any problems. Maybe you just need to think outside the box and knock on more doors. Everything can be worked out. And if your working over 30 hours for a certain period of time the law may call you full time regardless of what your led to believe. Sometimes change is hard to initiate but if you plan wisely you can do anything in this world you want. I have proven that to myself and you can too. Just don't do anything crazy.

Of the many self imposed rules I have about work , 1 of the oldest is " Never burn any bridges."