Time to judge the capitalist pig

[OnyxCougar]

The max at my job is 5%, and I got a 4%, because it's nearly impossible to get 5%.

The bitch needs to be grateful for what she got, because if I can't find a way to get her ass fired, I'm DAMN sure not giving her a good review NEXT year.

[BigV]

Hey lookout123:

I have thoughts that are generally in line with the rest of the group here. But there are a couple of important things that are not mentioned that are bothering me.

1 -- Is she getting paid fairly by the local market standards? If yes, then right on with the groupthink. Stop whining (Clementine) and just get to work.

2 -- Really the same question but with a different spin. is clementine's pay really low to begin with, especially compared to Jimbob's? I mean, another 1% means a lot when we're talking pennies an hour. For years I was underpaid by local market standards and the difference in my annual reviews and merit (HA!) increases were similarly small. So the difference between the 2% ("generously") offered to me compared to the max 3.5% the company gave to peak performers was big TO ME. But, shit, we're talking 1.5% approx= 250/year. Like <$10 per fucking paycheck, GROSS.

Come on.

I could see that kind of money being spend/wasted on plenty of other places in the company and NOT going into my pocket, and it chapped me bad. I complained and felt bitter to no avail. Frankly, it would probably have been cheaper for the company to just max my raise percentage for the morale bennies to the company. I didn't deliberately slow my productivity, but it was a bad call not in my favor that still pisses me off.

I knew that the slower my rate rose, that next year's chance at getting more money rested on this year's base plus raise. I was striving to max my money. This was my only option (at this company) and I was trying to get the pedal to the metal.

It doesn't hurt to be generous when the gross dollar difference is great.

Bottom line--fair pay for good work. Everyone want to feel valued. The universal method for expressing this value in our capitalist environment is money. In the absence of other positive reinforcements, show me the money. And sometimes, no non-money expressions will do. I can't take a free non-vacation half day to the grocery store and get food for my family, y'know.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by OnyxCougar

The max at my job is 5%, and I got a 4%, because it's nearly impossible to get 5%.

The bitch needs to be grateful for what she got, because if I can't find a way to get her ass fired, I'm DAMN sure not giving her a good review NEXT year.

Lookout123:

See, this is not a good idea. They call it an annual review, not a blood feud. Don't let this past year's performance plus her response to this year's review drive next year's review.

Wanna know why?

Do you seriously want to carry a grudge like this ALL YEAR LONG? No, you don't.

Make next year's review about the most recent year's perfformance.

Actually, I always thought an annual performance review, conducted in December, was really about how well I did during the autum. I mean really, are you going to bring up something I did in February in our December meeting? If you do, and you may and you might, it had better not be a surprise to either of us. DO NOT ambush people months after the fact. Bad bad idea.

*looks around....*
*thinks how the hell did I get up on this soapbox??*

[BigV]

Originally Posted by lookout123

--snip--
Jimbob, who is controlling his temper and, who likes to please people, is really wavering between embarrassment and his boiling point. he calmly reminds clementine that she has a very flexible schedule, she can come and go as she pleases. Jimbob also reminds her that he frequently sends her home for free halfdays on Friday (paid time off without dipping into her vacation). Jimbob also explains how the P&L works. for every dollar in raise that she receives it takes two dollars from Jimbob's own bonuses, bonuses that he already splits 70/30 with her, even though he isn't obligated to do so. JImbob explains that he has reached his decision and hopes that she can come to appreciate what she did receive without holding a grudge for what she didn't. --snip

This is good. Do your best. If you're responsible for her reviews and her raises, then I trust your judgement, even if Clementine clearly does not. You seem to have done your due diligence. Cut yourself some slack.

This whole unpleasantness seems to be about incompatible work attitudes, not about money. Having it come to blows about the difference between 6% and 7% is like turning up the radio to make the screeching sound of the engine "go away". Not. A. Good. Idea.

Deal with the problem not the symptom. Is the problem 1% of pay? Then deal with that. Is the problem a work performance issue? Deal with that. Is the problem different work styles? Felix versus Oscar? The complainer versus the stoic? Guess what... deal with the source of the problem. Keep in mind the source may well be a combination of more than one of these or many many others, but get to the source.

You may find the source and then discover that there is no common ground. Then you have jointly revealed that the company and the employee should go their separate ways. Certainly it happens every day.

Done this way, you can rest assured you've done your best by the company and the employee and this venting/second guessing will be minimized. You'll likely minimize your exposure to any improper termination actions, a good thing for everyone.

[mrnoodle]

Print out this thread and give it to her and ask her what she would do in your position. Make her own her actions.

[russotto]

My standard raise is 0%, with an option for an extra $0. On the plus side, performance isn't tied to compensation.

No sympathy for clementine here, naturally. He should re-assess based on her reaction and reduce it to zero.

[Tonchi]

Ya know what, Lookout123? I think BigV's working in the same industry that I spent most of my life in, and I'm impressed that at least somewhere in this country employers are still teaching the fair and decent employee-relations practices that BigV has given you there. He really outlined the highest standards for you. For the most part, that kind of rational thinking was wiped out in the 80's and 90's, when companies were given the green light to treat their workers like so much used Kleenex. Most companies can laugh at an employee's claims of what they are "worth", because everybody is completely expendable. Thanks to the economy and our government's pandering to the upper echelons, there is a massive unemployed and skilled workforce out there and they won't have any problem filling your place if you have issues. When companies are laying off 50% of their workforce, you don't have much negotiating power with your boss. Many people aren't allowed to hold a job long enough to even reach a yearly evaluation with their new manager, because basically he is there to cut operating expenses to the bone so that the big bosses can take home more. If you Jimbob are an exception to that, which is how I certainly read it, that gal should be kissing your feet instead of stabbing you in the back. Maybe her job could not be outsourced to India, but she needs a reality check. You have been super fair all the way, so don't let her give you an ulcer or force you to walk on eggshells around her. Oh, and file a complete written report of your confrontation with her with the chief personnel officer of the company, it wont hurt to let them know that you are not what she is making you out to be in case she is talking to people higher up than you thought.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Cirocco and jag have it right.

No one should labor under the illusion that they are indispensible or irreplaceable.

I've worked with lots of people who were, that are now retired or dead. You know, somehow we get by without them. Go figure.

[wolf]

I've worked with lots of people who were who are now fired and replaced with someone who works cheaper and bitches less.

[lookout123]

time to dredge this one up.

the review issue was settled with one final sitdown.

Jimbob: To summarize, I don't believe your performance to this point has been worthy of a 6% raise, i chose to provide you with that raise as a motivator, a pat on the back if you will. your reaction and behavior over the last week have reminded me why i don't believe a 6% raise was earned, but i will honor my word and give it to you anyway.

CLEm: How dare you?! storms out.

Jimbob: 10 minutes later walks out and informs clem that he has completed 2 review packages. number 1 is completed with no payraise and a recommendation for probation and possible termination in 90 days, number 2 has the 6% payraise, some praise and some areas to work on. I'll leave it up to you which you prefer to sign and forward on to home office.

Clem: *crickets*

********************
since that day, i've had two sit down corrective action reviews with her. i have 4 different clients (including a close friend) inform me that they don't take phone calls from my office or call here before 4 PM because they don't want to talk to her. New tasks or restructured processes have been met with grumbling and resistance. small issues fall through the cracks with an "oops" attitude. an office opened up literally 4 minutes from her house, she chose to stay here. we spoke about retirment and she has stated that she plans on working til she dies. not because she needs to, but because she uses this as a social platform.

because she does just enough to avoid termination for productivity issues (i have to be careful of age discrimination issues here) she has to go away on her own or transfer. i dread coming into my own office and hide behind closed doors rather than speak with her. i despise this person.

i have spoken with HR and their recommendation is that the only way i can get rid of her is to absolutely overwhelm her with work until she chooses to leave or she really drops the ball and is able to be terminated. my office will be a living hell if i go that route. my clients will be able to sense this and i don't trust her not to say something to them. (the only good news is that if she did say something, i could terminate her with cause)

in the end i feel like an asshole because i don't want to take away someone's livelihood, but this is MY livelihood dammit! i am the one that took all the risk to start the business. i am the one that left a successful salary+ career to enter a production only P&L based lifestyle. i have 20-30 years ahead of me here and i can't let her set me back any farther.

WTF!?!?! i've given her every chance to step up to the plate, but "just good enough" is the order of the day. incentives are talked about but ignored. behavior doesn't change - what is a capitalist pig supposed to do.

i guess it would be important to know that i didn't hire her, she was inherited from someone who left the business when i assumed his building lease and remainder of his clients.

[glatt]

It seems to me that you have cause to fire her if clients are not calling you because she might answer the phone. That's very serious, in my opinion. The clients are your lifeblood. She is messing with the flow of your lifeblood. I would fire her.

[lookout123]

the problem is that if it ever went to a hearing, only one of those clients would be willing to testify to that fact. the other 3 are middle aged women who wouldn't want to be involved in anything like that. so it is just a "he said, she said" situation. it is true, but costly to prove.

[lookout123]

i just absolutely despise her as a person because she is so nosy and irritating, but she tries to cover everything with one of those "oh, i'm sorry i didn't know" acts.

example: for my birthday my wife and son sent me a really nice beautiful flower arrangement. the box was marked in HUGE bold letters - Pro Flowers.com. i was out of the office at the time so CLem called my cell phone and left me a message describing them to me.

then she opened the card and read it to me - on my voicemail. i was furious. the card was innocent and all, but what if my wife had sent me a card thanking me for letting her take part in a gang bang last night? is that something that she should have read? hell no. she just played her, "oh i thought you would want to know how nice it all was, I'm sorry" bit. i actually gathered my stuff and left for the day because i was concerned about what i would say if i had to speak with her. in the end, i reprimanded her and explained that there although she is required by law to open all business correspondence addressed to me, that she should know better than to open flowers addressed to me. GUH!

[glatt]

Well, your HR department probably knows more about the situation, and their advice is probably sound, but it seems to me that you should be on pretty firm footing. I assume you are keeping a file with all her screwups, updating it each time there is a new one? If that file gets thick enough, no lawyer will ever take her case to court.

[lookout123]

yeah, i am. it isn't so much that i'm worried that i can't get rid of her, it is 70% that i feel bad about pushing someone out of a job - even if they deserve it. "take care of all your people, even the stupid ones" has been ingrained so deeply in me that it is hard to go against it even when it is the best option for my own future.