Dear Evil HR Lady,
I’ve worked for this company for seven years. In 2011 I received a great raise and bonus and I was thrilled until I found out that my boss had ranked me last amongst all my coworkers. Over the summer, my boss retired and one of my coworkers was promoted to be the manager. I thought this was a good choice.
However, for year end 2012, my bonus and raise were half what they were in 2011 — when I was rated the lowest in the department. In all my time at this company, I’ve never missed a deadline that I was aware of, nor have I delivered work product that was anything less than what was requested and required. I’ve never had anything come back to me defective. Does this describe a last place employee? And in 2012, a year in which I accomplished every single goal that was set for me and a few others, both my raise and my bonus went down.
I have 20+ years experience and have worked in a relaxed atmosphere. I arrive around 9:30 because I have to take my son to school, but I usually stay late — unless it’s softball season, in which case I leave by 4:30, but I often come back in the evening. I’ve been known to be kicked out of the building when the security guy goes home at midnight. I always work at least 40 hours.
Apparently, someone recently complained to management about this. In response, my manager asked me about getting to work by 9 and I flat told him I couldn’t and explained why. This is what my original manager and I agreed to several years ago. Doing this would require my wife’s schedule to change as well, and that isn’t practical.
I want to have a meeting with my current boss and my former boss (who still comes in from time to time as a consultant). Do you think this would help?
To read the answer, click here: My flexible schedule is causing problems
I face this type of situation frequently with staff. It simply is not always possible for an employer to be that flexible, and employees must understand this. You may not agree with it, but you do have to live with it. Your family situation is not your manager’s business, the work you do is his/her business, and often, when you do it. As Suzanne says, I would not recommend pulling your old manager into this discussion. That will only make him uncomfortable (possibly losing you a valuable reference!) and will alienate your current manager. You will have to decide which is more important to you at this time. While it’s unfortunate that personal interests and job interests will complete and cannot always be reconciled, it happens and you have to be prepared that you won’t get everything you want.
I am all for flexibility, but realize that there are limits, like you said. We do call it work because it is, well, work.
But if you agreed to give a flex schedule when they are hired, then it is part of your problem. Yes, the managers changed, but then OP needs to negotiate a new flex schedule or better communicate to the new manager that she comes back at night to make up hours. If a new agreement or understanding that OP is not in fact working less just cause it appears that way, then OP can ask to be let go based on the job description changing. Hopefully, she can unemployment.
This wasn’t a hiring deal, though (and even on those, things can change–they’re not usually contractually binding); this was an agreement with a particular manager who’s no longer there.
I think the OP wants two things that may not go together, at least not at that workplace. He wants a flexible schedule, and he wants his work to be regarded more highly. I think he’s going to have to accept that getting one means letting go of the other.
I look at flextime schedules as “good deals while they last.” I feel like OP had a good run for a couple of years, but for whatever reason the new manager doesn’t work that way. Some people value butt-in-chair time, some don’t.
I wonder if the real issue here is a morale issue, that someone else wants flextime but can’t get it, and the manager is cutting into OP’s flextime because this colleague is complaining about special treatment.
Hi! There, I feel that you have a hectic schedule, rather being or making your schedule hectic please try to be flexible and manage your work in time, or before the deadline. Hope you can do your best.
The truth of the matter is that people will give you more slack for kid-related stuff than otherwise. So: is that YOUR softball season, or your kid’s? And does it really require leaving early every single day during the season?
And honestly? You can’t drop off your kid at school earlier? There’s no place for the kid to wait? I really have trouble believing that’s the case, just because most kids’ parents have to work. Surely there are other parents — who don’t have flexible hours — dropping their kids off also?