Should I move on or stick it out? 1

[jonbmet]

I need some career advice.

Where I'm at in my career: I'm working at a consulting firm of seven people (4 of which are engineers). I've worked at this firm for ~6 months. I'm an E.I.T. and only one year out of school. I worked for my previous employer (a large testing company) for ~9 months. Before that I worked a paid internship as a cad operator and machine designer.

All of that said, I had planned on working at my current firm for the next few years. I currently work with several PE's and figured this would be the best place to work until I've earned a PE license myself. The work is interesting and I'd like to continue working with the company.

The problem is that I'm not being paid on a regular basis. Payday will come and I won't receive a check. The first time it happened the boss talked to me and said that he could pay me after the weekend. Now he doesn't say anything. I'm also not paid per diem when I'm owed it, and even though I declined health insurance the money has been withdrawn from each of my checks (This can't be legal, right?).

I don't want my resume to look like I'm hopping from job to job. However, I've been told that job hopping isn't looked down upon as much as it once was. So, should I cut my losses immediately and find another job? Wait this one out and look for a new gig? Or just deal with the current job until I've been there more than a year? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[patprimmer]

[link ]And the owner of the company was laughing to me about the fact that he had done so.He told me that, if I took it to court, that he had enough money to outlast me.[/url]
[link ]B.E.[/url]

A previous employer tried that line on me. He was wrong, but only just. By the time he settled I got about half what was owed and about 10 years later during which time the cost of housing in Sydney more than doubled. Yes, it was about the value of my house in dispute and I was a contractor. Net result, I could not replace my house but it cost him at least double what he really owed me. Well worth it to see the thieving $%##$ squirm. Oh and the damage to reputations has harmed us both, but he a lot more than me. Mud sticks no matter what.

Regards
Pat
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[berkshire]

patprimmer (Publican)
This guy got me when I was down, I had just been laid off from GD. We had recently purchased a house, then my wife got laid off from her job. I was just barely making the house payments, and finding a lawyer to go after this guy, whilst desirable was not practical at the time, and by the way this is now 18 years ago.
The thing I can do now, is warn people about jobs that seem too good to be true, they usually are.
B.E.

The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor

 

[casseopeia]

For future reference, most state laws require that you get paid no later than 30 days from the day you earned the wages. Wage assignments and rules for payroll deductions vary, but most states I imagine have specific requirements for what can and cannot be deducted without your written consent.





"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[patprimmer]

Several people have mentioned it depends on where you are.

One, we are not lawyers and two, laws vary greatly from state to state and even more from country to country. Heck in some states they even vary by industry or employer.

Regards
Pat
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for site rules

 

[casseopeia]

Here's a link to a reference for each US state law regarding payroll deductions that also tells you if there is pending legislation. (I put it two places just to make sure it works with this new posting format)
Link

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[MadMango]

I've never looked badly upon "job shopping" on a resume if the candidate had a reasonable explanation for their short tenure.

I have been in a similar situation where I worked in a small office, owner and 3 total employees, and we started to not get paid regularly. We all knew the reasoning was our transition from residential work to more commercial projects, and the difference in pay schedule from clients. My boss could not grasp the billing cycle based on milestones. I decided to leave for a new employer, and while I felt bad at the time for "abandoning my co-workers", I am always glad that I did. No none will look after you better than yourself. As others have posted, the lack of a regular pay check is a warning sign. How many warnings do you need? I would actively start the hunt for new employment.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

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[TheTick]

My dad would occasionally mortgage his own house to cover payroll (along with cuts in the grocery budget). Payroll checks were always paid FIRST.

If any boss that failed to pay me had the gall to tell me that I don't understand, he would get an earful of profanity followed by a groin-ful of boot.