"For the good of the company" 15

[Guest0527211403]

Hi All,

Here's my situation:
I'm a few months in at a new job. When I started here, the boss hinted that from time to time, I'd be asked to work on bids and proposals to bring in new work. This proposal work is not "billed" time, and so would be outside of the 40 regular hours that I'm assigned to projects. I have no problem with that. A month or so into the job, I received a bid package started by one of my coworkers and was asked to edit it and prepare it for submission. The grammar and language in the bid were lacking, so I cleaned it up, made it look like a professional document and submitted it.

The boss must have been impressed with my work, as he then told me that I'd have a bigger role in bid preparation from then on. I didn't think much of it at first and just went back to my regular design duties.

A few weeks ago, we received a new RFP which is much larger than anything the company has ever bid on. Moreover, it's in a new field where our company has never worked. It was put on me to organize the proposal writing effort from start to finish, including using resources within the company to develop the concept and do the background research.

The projects we are working on (for which we are paid) are taking us well past 40 hours per week. Adding this proposal would effectively mean adding 15-20 hours to a few team members' weekly schedules. It has been made perfectly clear by upper management that our "paid-for" project schedules should not be impacted, and that this proposal will "make or break" the company, so it should also be given our full attention.

Today I was chewed out for the fact that the team did not do as much work as they should have (on the proposal) over the weekend. I was told that it's my job to motivate the team to come in and work for free (recall that I've only been here a few months). When I ask how I can ask this of people with families, I'm told that it's "for the good of the company", and that people should be more than willing to work for free in order to ensure that they have a job in the future.

I'm curious to know how some of you have dealt with a situation like this in the past. I'm burning the candle at both ends right now, and my nerves are shot. This morning's roasting (of me) almost had me packing up my stuff and leaving, but I took a walk around the building, put my head down and got back to work. I'm willing to "suck it up", but I'd hate to see the lining of my stomach (if I even have one) in a few years if this keeps up. Words of wisdom from E-T members have gotten me through a number of pickles in the past, so I'm hoping that you'll be able to spare a little more of that magic.

 

[KENAT]

"your mileage may vary..." NSS

'exempt' isn't necessarily the same thing as 'salaried' and in some cases non managerial salaried staff may not offically be exempt. Oh and of course one major aerospace shell company's engineers are largely unionized.

That's why I said check local labor laws, I believe the aquatic half sponge, half potatoe may be from CT don't know what the laws are like but being in the NE he may have some protection.

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[patprimmer]

They don't here either, but I think a standard of conduct once established flows through.

In any case my real point is even though trade unions may not apply in this case, the principle of a change in the balance of power for any reason soon results in the unscrupulous on either side exploiting their advantage in an unreasonable way.

Regards
Pat
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[cranky108]

The unit may not apply, but certently employees will become disenfrangized. When this happens then the company will either need to hire more employees, or require over time just to keep up with where they were.

Everyone loses.

This is either misguidance in managment, or the case of the peter principal.

 

[patprimmer]

Also the language in the above exchange if it is acurate, shows a lot about personalities, pressures etc.

The boss is trying real hard to retain his authority when he feels threatened.

The boss may actually not agree with the policy, but has been instructed to enforce a policy he does not agree with.

Regards
Pat
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[cranky108]

This will result in higher turnover, and the collection of dead wood.

Those that can leave will look into it, those that can't will become less productive.

 

[spongebob007]

"This will result in higher turnover, and the collection of dead wood."

My company did this prolonged forced overtime once before (at least that I know of)and I was told that people who refused to work at least 60 hours a week were retaliated against come performance review time with zero raise. There were certainly people who quit over it and at least one manager stepped down because he didn't think it was right. There was quite a morale fallout and management talked a good game about work-life balance, but here we are almost four years later and they are doing the same thing again.

Pat is correct, it's not so much my boss, but the pressure from above him where this edict was handed down. His boss has the management style of a dictator.

 

[HgTX]

spongebob: If they're so short-handed, can he really afford to threaten you with termination?

Hg

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[SNORGY]

This isn't the time of the industrial revolution where there was still the accepted normal distinction between bourgeosie and proletariat.

The management of the company are either very, very old or very, very stupid.

That said, I would imagine that there are few hard and fast enforceable rules about what goes into the determination of mandatory pay raises, unless you belong to a union. So, if you choose to accept the "punishment by zero raise" scenario, I suppose they can do that.

In my mind, if you do not own major shares in the business and are not an "owner", but merely an "employee", they can't "force you" to work overtime to fix the inefficiencies caused by anyone other than yourself directly.

Regards,

SNORGY.

 

[patprimmer]

I would suggest this is more about ego and a feeling of power and maybe some a$$ covering at the highest level.

Unfortunately those who most strongly desire power and are driven and will go to no ends to get it, are more likely to get it. They are often substantially less competent to lead than those who are more reluctant to seek power, for that very reason.

Regards
Pat
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[cranky108]

With that thinking, we should be dragging people into managment and politics, because they are better than the people who want to be there?

Good idea.

 

[btrueblood]

Pat, a star for that last. The lesson was learned in the course of just about every war fought by the US and its allies, at hard cost (many lives lost). The best leaders were promoted from the ranks of working troops. The worst leaders were typically political appointments. The lesson then gets forgotten, or ignored.

 

[KENAT]

CRANKY maybe not draggine people in, but perhaps excluding or limiting some.

I always find it interesting how many legislatures & leaders have legal backgrounds compared to just about anything else. They make laws that to some extend end up being challenged/interpreted etc. by others in the legal proffesion. One might view it as a big job creations scheme by the lawyers etc.

What about being a lawyer implies you'd be good at running a country, or at lest any better than a myriad other backgrounds. You may be better at playing the legal system but that's surely a means, not the end.

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[cranky108]

Good question, why legal backgrounds? Why not business or managment?

Here's an idea, come in on the weekend and spend the day looking at job openings. When you find one nicer than the one you have, send a resume. After all its good for you to keep up with your skills of salesmenship.

That way they have a chioce, have you look for another job while they don't pay you, or send you home to enjoy your life.

 

[kepharda]

3 things really struck me, the first was this.

You are relatively new, and this company has pinned a bunch of work and importance on your job, but I am assuming you are being paid around the going rate given they don't pay overtime? So either your company lacks decent employees if the "new guy" can show up and run the show this quickly or management is seriously lazy. Both bode poorly for your future here.

The second thing is if you are billable 40 hours and then boss should have no problem tossing you a bone and paying you straight time for your extra work on bids. I have been in Consulting for 4 years now, this is real standard procedure. Do note: if you are not a salaried employee, ie you are paid an hourly rate, most States mandate you be paid for it, so if things go bad, you have that card to play the the Dept of Labor.

And my final thought is this, that first bid you "reviewed and edited" looks suspiciously like someone else has become fed up with the system and was trying to pass on the "honor" of working for free to you. Something to think about.



this message has been approved for citizen to elect kepharda 2008

 

[MALK]

You really have to leave as graciously and as soon as you can. No good company works this way. Business is business, and your business is to get paid as much as possible for every hour you put in. Besides that working 60hr weeks regularly even whilst being paid for every minute does not give you a good life.

Engineering, a great hobby.

 

[josephv]

"For a company like ours, it's understood that we need to put ourselves out there, and hopefully it will pay off."

The problem with that view is that "hope is not a strategy".


"However, I'm not sure that I'm proving myself to the right people."


Is there a way you can talk to the right people and negotiate a deal that gets you properly compensated for this work?


Tough situation, best wishes