He Wants Job On His Terms
Q: After many years of independent consulting, I took a permanent, full-time position with benefits. The recruiter said the job had all my requirements: casual dress, flex time, telecommuting, great benefits and a high salary. It sounded like an almost perfect job.
With each interviewer, I confirmed that I wanted my starting time to be around 9 to 9:30 a.m. and that I also wanted to be able to work from home.
The managers did not agree on what my responsibilities would be, but did agree with all I asked for.
I accepted and was hired on a “monthlong contract to hire” basis.
When the contract ended, the company offered me a permanent position with a lower salary, business casual dress, 7 a.m. start time, different job duties, no telecommuting and no room for growth. And with this offer, they verbally warned me for breaking the dress code. I was angry and hurt, and knew the situation would not improve, but my spouse convinced me to accept the offer because we wanted the income.
Subsequently, I’ve been late to work (10 a.m. to 11 a.m.). I am required to perform critical, technical duties in the early morning when I am not alert.
Am I expecting too much to want a job in the right location with later hours, casual dress code and other benefits and opportunities? How can I avoid being conned into a job I don’t want next time? Do you think I need assertiveness training?
A: Your requirements are many, but if your technical skills are great, they should afford you the luxury of getting what you want in a job these days.
Taking assertiveness training and reading books on negotiating certainly wouldn’t hurt, but it also sounds like you need to stick to what you know to be the truth.
Don’t blame your bosses because you accepted the new terms of permanent employment.
Likewise, it won’t help to beat yourself up for taking the job for its steady income. But don’t ruin your record by not abiding by the company’s rules. Tell your bosses you cannot work under these conditions and you would like to renegotiate your employment.
This talk may lead to ending your employment with the company, but you need to leave before they harass you by issuing more warnings. At the same time, this experience may motivate you to start your own consulting business again, where you call the shots.
Report supervisor’s violent temper to top boss
Q: My supervisor entered my office, closed the door and proceeded to tell me that she felt I was no longer happy in my job. In our conversation, I mentioned that she often blew things out of proportion and whined about minor things. I then gave her an example of an incident where she did this.
Well, she became livid and threw a piece of paper at me, hitting me in the face, and walked out slamming my door behind her. I work at a small organization with no human resource department. What should I do about this so it doesn’t reoccur?
A: Out-of-control tempers don’t belong in the workplace (or any other place). Although you’re lucky it was only paper she threw at you, document the incident and report it to the president. Since management is liable for employees’ actions that threaten others, the company needs to be aware of any employee who has trouble controlling him- or herself. If she privately confronts you again, ask if the two of you could have the conversation in front of a company officer.