Advice for work

Re: Advice for work

• pumpkinsandturkeys member

  

  June 2014

  I would sit down for a meeting with your management and ask them to discuss officially transition you into an "acting" role that covers both positions, with appropriate compensation. Be prepared to highlight the additional duties and tasks you've been covering, any additional hours you're working, and skills you've acquired or employed beyond your usual role at the company in order to bolster your position on the matter.

  
  

  They may not agree to do it, but it certainly can't hurt to ask. If they value you as an employee and the contributions you're making, they should certainly consider it.

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• JCbride2015 member

  

  June 2014

  mollyt19 said:

  Hi all - I just want to preface this with the fact that I don't post a lot here but I do lurk and have noticed that you ladies give great advice and I'm hoping you have some for me today.

  
  

  In February, I started at a small-ish IT company (approx. 45 employees) doing some basic administrative work/office manager type duties.  The majority of the people in the office are technical people but there is a small sales team and another girl, M, who does the ordering/quoting/purchases of all the parts we buy.

  
  

  About a month ago M found out she had breast cancer.  When she told our mutual boss, my boss had her start training me on all of her duties.  Over the month she's been in and out for appointments to get everything set up for her chemo.  While she was out I was doing the majority of her work plus my own.

  
  

  She has a green light from the company to take as much time as she needs to recover and to work when she can whether that be from home or in the office.  My understanding was that I would be helping out a little when she was unable to work but the whole time she kept telling me she wouldn't miss too much time and would be able to do most everything from home.

  
  

  On Monday, M had her first chemo treatment and it totally wiped her out.  She barely put in 5 hours this whole week and I've been swamped with her duties and my own.  I don't mind this really because I enjoy being busy while at work but I feel as though I deserve more money for doing more work.  Especially since it will likely be this way for the next 6+ months.  I know it isn't usually acceptable to ask for a raise within a year of starting at a new job but would these circumstances change things?  What do you all think?  How would you approach this situation if you were in it?
  

  
  

  (TIA for you help and sorry for the novel!)

  I'd let a little more time pass than just one week.  If things are still the same after a few weeks, you can talk to the manager.

  
  

  Make an appointment if you can, so you get his/her full attention.

  
  

  "I'd like to talk about my compensation in light of the extra duties I've been performing since M got sick.  I'm so glad she's doing well and I know she needs this time, but I am doing [more, different, etc] work than when I first started at the company.  This means I've [put in more hours, trained myself on things, balanced working two jobs].  This is a lot more responsibility than my initial compensation package was meant to deal with.  I think I'm entitled to some additional compensation because of these extra duties, and [$$] would be fair."

  
  

  Or you could also ask about spreading these new duties around the company more, so that less of the burden falls on you.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  "I'm not a rude bitch.  I'm ten rude bitches in a large coat."

  
  

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• thisismynickname2 member

  

  June 2014

  I agree with PP's, and think it's especially important to bring it up somehow. This is how employers get away with abuse and it leads to low morale and high turnover. 

  
  

  While there is certainly pressure for companies to be employee-friendly, and there are laws about medical leave and whatnot, this is the fall-out.  I'm sorry people get sick, and people are entitled to have children and have time off as such, but your coworkers can't cover for you forever.  

  
  

  It's important for the employer to realize this and have fair warning they can't take advantage of others.  Good luck.  

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• southernbelle0915 mod

  

  June 2014

  Document everything you're doing for her (in addition to your normal work) and the time it takes you to do the work. 

  
  

  Before you ask for any additional money, ask them to clarify for you - in writing if possible - what their expectations are for your position while she's out. If they say "we expect you to do your job and her job", then I think you pull out what you've documented and ask for an 'acting' title and more money. If they say, "if you could help out here and there, that'd be great, but if you don't have time with your own work, we understand" then I wouldn't go down the "I deserve a raise" road just yet. 

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• Jells2dot0 mod

  

  June 2014

  I'm probably in the minority, but it's only because I've been with my company for 13 years and know their rules for this stuff. Since the work is presumably temporary, I'd talk with my manager about the expectations and discuss the possibility of receiving a higher performance rating (which means slightly higher raise) during the next raise cycle. But, I would not demand it upfront. My company looks very strongly at performance ratings for promotions and they do not give raises out of their traditional merit cycle. They do give promotions out of cycle, though. So, I'd aim for the raise at performance time and then push for a promotion if the task extends beyond the 6 months or becomes more permanent.

   

  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

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• kla728 member

  

  June 2014

  I work in HR and have known my share of folks who have gone through various cancer treatments. My advice would mostly be in line with PPs... I think you should have a conversation with management, asking what their expectations are re: prioritizing your normal role versus her role. If the expectation is that you should be able to get it all done, then you would be within your rights to ask that they consider giving you over-time if you are eligible or a temporary raise while she is out. OT would probably be preferable because she may vary between weeks where she can do a lot and weeks like this past one, depending on her treatment schedule. If they say no, document document document so that when perf appraisals come around you can show them all the extra work you put in. Maybe their expectation is that some things will be put on hold and they only want you to work a normal amount -- and thats important for you to know too, so the conversation isn't 100% about money. Waiting to ask for what you want may not work out in your favor, though.

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• mollyt19 member

  

  June 2014

  Thank you everyone for the advice!

  
  

  I think I'll wait and see how the next few weeks go and re-evaluate after that.

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