- Jan 25, 2013
- 545
- 0
- 11,060
I've seen it over and over now it has happened to me.... at 50 yrs old.
For your first job make sure you get details of your job up front. It should include:
• What your duties will be
• How much you will be paid
• How raises are given
• History of raises- when
• Comp time if applicable
• Overtime pay
• Benefits, including health benefits, personal time and vacation pay.
I'm telling you this because I bent over backwards to help out a small business only the get less than a good deal that eventually led to my departure. Here is my story:
I helped run a Wireless ISP and co-lo for 8 years, the business was bought out by a competitor. I helped with the transition and chose to work for a small financial organization instead of staying in the ISP business. I also started consulting on the side to make a few extra bucks too.
When I started working for the new company my role was clearly defined. I was hired as the Systems Administrator and I was solely responsible for the network and all connected devices and remote users. I purposely agreed to low pay because of what was described upon hiring, make it $10,000 a year less than what I was making previously.
Day one was a nightmare, there were more connection issues (an understatement) than I have ever seen. I was able to iron them out after a few days and I quickly proved myself as a competent Sys Admin. For about six months my job was simple and never strayed from what I was told when I was hired. Around that time my boss had asked me do a few maintenance related things too to help out around the office such as empty the trash, take the role of destroying all documents that were required and cleaning the office during normal office hours. I should NEVER done it!
I volunteered to do these as a favor to save money and free up his time for the weekends.
Before you know it he asked “Hey, how does your Friday look?”
This meant he wanted me to volunteer for even more stuff not in my job description. I was told since his son was going away to college and he needed someone to mow his investment properties while he was away for a few days. Being a team player and always wanting to help I agreed thinking I was doing the right thing. Boy was I ever wrong because this turned into an every week occurrence! So from the six month mark till the time I left I was moving lawns on Friday… BUT IT GETS WORSE!
One day after working there a year I asked about a pay raise and was told the business was in slump that led to him to say no pay raises had been given in over 12 years. I was told a different story upon getting hired mainly that the pay I started at was only a starting point and the amount I needed could be reached in 5 years or less. When asked about the pay raise I believed the business was in a slump story and ignored the “12 year no pay raise for anyone” comment believing his explanation for a pay raise was “on the horizon.”
After another eight months I became very close to his family and tenants of the investment properties. Since I had ironed out the IT issues in the office so well (I thought) he started asking me to do other maintenance jobs at all of the properties and this led to remodeling a master bedroom and bathroom at a family members home. This was no small task that took a month to complete. If a contractor did it, the job would have cost $20,000.
After volunteering to do the job and finishing it guess what happened to me? I was told my new title would be facilities manager and would have to maintain five homes and the commercial location including mowing the lawns and emptying the trash, AND get this, he hired another guy to do MY FRIGGEN SYS ADMIN JOB!!! My boss had secretly hired him so he could tell me everything was OK at the office and for me to keep up with the grunt work.
This was never discussed or ever implied just a flat out, yank the carpet out from under you screw job and even had the audacity to tell me how good it was, a glorified janitor!
After listening to his <mod edit> for over two hours I gave two weeks notice. I knew he had ADD but his excuses were all over the map trying to justify it. He had strung me along with promises of benefits, pay raises and I volunteered to do work outside of the scope of my job to get them. He never delivered a single thing NOT ONE.
He said he would give me two weeks severance pay and I thought “hey, I’ll take it”
BUT IT GETS WORSE.
I found out later that the girl he fired earlier in the year that worked there as long as me and paid her two months severance pay NOT two weeks. BUT IT GETS WORSE!
He paid me the two weeks pay till the end of the month but guess what? To get the money I still had to mow lawns till then.
I have a family of four to support and consulting has been kind if slow recently, really slow and this sucks on so many levels, especially since I’ve brought in more business than others that have worked there for years.
So what did I get for volunteering to help out the business outside of the scope of what I was hired for?
You tell me.
If there is any advice I would give any person new to the industry it would be never volunteer for any work that is not in your job description, NEVER!
For your first job make sure you get details of your job up front. It should include:
• What your duties will be
• How much you will be paid
• How raises are given
• History of raises- when
• Comp time if applicable
• Overtime pay
• Benefits, including health benefits, personal time and vacation pay.
I'm telling you this because I bent over backwards to help out a small business only the get less than a good deal that eventually led to my departure. Here is my story:
I helped run a Wireless ISP and co-lo for 8 years, the business was bought out by a competitor. I helped with the transition and chose to work for a small financial organization instead of staying in the ISP business. I also started consulting on the side to make a few extra bucks too.
When I started working for the new company my role was clearly defined. I was hired as the Systems Administrator and I was solely responsible for the network and all connected devices and remote users. I purposely agreed to low pay because of what was described upon hiring, make it $10,000 a year less than what I was making previously.
Day one was a nightmare, there were more connection issues (an understatement) than I have ever seen. I was able to iron them out after a few days and I quickly proved myself as a competent Sys Admin. For about six months my job was simple and never strayed from what I was told when I was hired. Around that time my boss had asked me do a few maintenance related things too to help out around the office such as empty the trash, take the role of destroying all documents that were required and cleaning the office during normal office hours. I should NEVER done it!
I volunteered to do these as a favor to save money and free up his time for the weekends.
Before you know it he asked “Hey, how does your Friday look?”
This meant he wanted me to volunteer for even more stuff not in my job description. I was told since his son was going away to college and he needed someone to mow his investment properties while he was away for a few days. Being a team player and always wanting to help I agreed thinking I was doing the right thing. Boy was I ever wrong because this turned into an every week occurrence! So from the six month mark till the time I left I was moving lawns on Friday… BUT IT GETS WORSE!
One day after working there a year I asked about a pay raise and was told the business was in slump that led to him to say no pay raises had been given in over 12 years. I was told a different story upon getting hired mainly that the pay I started at was only a starting point and the amount I needed could be reached in 5 years or less. When asked about the pay raise I believed the business was in a slump story and ignored the “12 year no pay raise for anyone” comment believing his explanation for a pay raise was “on the horizon.”
After another eight months I became very close to his family and tenants of the investment properties. Since I had ironed out the IT issues in the office so well (I thought) he started asking me to do other maintenance jobs at all of the properties and this led to remodeling a master bedroom and bathroom at a family members home. This was no small task that took a month to complete. If a contractor did it, the job would have cost $20,000.
After volunteering to do the job and finishing it guess what happened to me? I was told my new title would be facilities manager and would have to maintain five homes and the commercial location including mowing the lawns and emptying the trash, AND get this, he hired another guy to do MY FRIGGEN SYS ADMIN JOB!!! My boss had secretly hired him so he could tell me everything was OK at the office and for me to keep up with the grunt work.
This was never discussed or ever implied just a flat out, yank the carpet out from under you screw job and even had the audacity to tell me how good it was, a glorified janitor!
After listening to his <mod edit> for over two hours I gave two weeks notice. I knew he had ADD but his excuses were all over the map trying to justify it. He had strung me along with promises of benefits, pay raises and I volunteered to do work outside of the scope of my job to get them. He never delivered a single thing NOT ONE.
He said he would give me two weeks severance pay and I thought “hey, I’ll take it”
BUT IT GETS WORSE.
I found out later that the girl he fired earlier in the year that worked there as long as me and paid her two months severance pay NOT two weeks. BUT IT GETS WORSE!
He paid me the two weeks pay till the end of the month but guess what? To get the money I still had to mow lawns till then.
I have a family of four to support and consulting has been kind if slow recently, really slow and this sucks on so many levels, especially since I’ve brought in more business than others that have worked there for years.
So what did I get for volunteering to help out the business outside of the scope of what I was hired for?
You tell me.
If there is any advice I would give any person new to the industry it would be never volunteer for any work that is not in your job description, NEVER!
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram