The Work Thread

That's not a growth wrote:I don't remember anyone in a company that I've worked for getting a pay rise just because they asked for one. Loads have asked at my current place and it just doesn't happen. Even those who've have another job lined up. It just seems like wage is never negotiable and you have no real power to change it. Good thing my job is pretty easy so I don't mind being paid so little as much.

I'd never just asked for a pay rise before, but my role's changed so much in the last 18 months or so that I felt it was justified - as did my line manager, and another senior manager who both signed off on it. Just annoying when somebody who's so detached from your role and what you do refuses it, when they'd spend the requested increase in a week on expenses.

yeah that is extremely galling Lotus

First day of my new job today after moving back up to Liverpool at the weekend. Part time at a lower band for the moment, although a new vacancy for 80% hours at a higher band is apparently going up this week.

It's another job where I travel round lots of sites, so I've got a load of new timetables to get used to, complicated by the fact that there's a bus diversion where I get the bus, so I'm a little bit confused! Just Googled it and I seem to be okay though...

I hate my job. Like, BEYOND hate it. It's life-consuming and solitary and unfulfilling and it's like trying to push a boulder up a hill.

It literally makes me want to kill myself.

And I can't leave

jiggles wrote:I hate my job. Like, BEYOND hate it. It's life-consuming and solitary and unfulfilling and it's like trying to push a boulder up a hill.

It literally makes me want to kill myself.

And I can't leave

I thought you were at a sweet exciting tech startup?

What happened

It turned into 5 tech startups, all at once, across the globe, that I am STILL the entirety of the tech team of.

jiggles wrote:I hate my job. Like, BEYOND hate it. It's life-consuming and solitary and unfulfilling and it's like trying to push a boulder up a hill.

It literally makes me want to kill myself.

And I can't leave

Why can't you leave?

Been there. It's hard to leave because you know full well noone really understands how integral you are so you fell like you would be letting the side down. All the while, you're unlikely to reap the rewards of proceeds if its successful. This is why I see it as OK to move along to face the next challenge and remain interested in work, and the same reason why talent leaves when companies grow because they don't feel valued anymore, are overworked or both.

I am intrinsic to these companies and their key assets (the technology) to the point where my exit would kill them. With zero other tech staff, the product basically disappears when I leave.

Green Gecko wrote:Been there. It's hard to leave because you know full well noone really understands how integral you are so you fell like you would be letting the side down. All the while, you're unlikely to reap the rewards of proceeds if its successful. This is why I see it as OK to move along to face the next challenge and remain interested in work, and the same reason why talent leaves when companies grow because they don't feel valued anymore, are overworked or both.

I'm a director and shareholder in these companies, so I would see gains if they take off, but I just don't believe in them. The major shareholder (and individual who's provided all the funding to date) still does, though

Lotus wrote:Found out this week that the CEO of my company gets paid $48m a year. I know that one of the senior managers in the UK gets paid more in a month than I make in a year. Then I listen to one of the PAs discussing business class flights costing £7k+. Monthly expenses in excess of £15k are fairly common. Pretty galling when I asked for a 10% pay rise, which two managers approved, only for a third - and one of the 'frequent flyers' - to say it "couldn't be justified".

You should document the justification and if someone still disagrees ask to be told what you would need to do to justify the increase. I have this problem every year with people asking for a decent raise but as a manager, you only have a certain budget to work with that everyone's increase needs to come from. Trying to get more from an out of cycle increase is made almost impossible. The only way of getting the increase you want is from a position of power - when you have another job offer. When this happens, money can be made available if you are good. But by then, you shouldn't really negotiate because it means you are worth the money, but they've not been paying you what you are worth.

I should have negotiated shares too. But thats pretty sucky because it makes the opt out more painful.

You could always sell your shares if it works and give up your directorship. Also, you're completely free to resign from the directorship and keep the shares, provided they're paid up, you'll keep those. Have you thought about hiring a replacement? You might feel less guilty about it and recruiters go nuts for project ownership in previous startups etc.

Have you thought about hiring a replacement? You might feel less guilty about it and recruiters go nuts for project ownership in previous startups etc.

Only been asking for it for over 4 years.

I guess I can start making moves to prepare for my departure. Get everything documented and tidied up so that any sufficiently skilled person can pick it up, then give them a long notice (like 6 months) that I'm going to be leaving so a replacement can be brought in and we can square away my directorships. It's going to be an absolute shitshow, though.

The most important thing is you're happy. I have no doubt you would find something else with that kind of experience.

Yeah, documentation is a bitch. For months and months you get requests for mundane stuff no one understands.

That sounds awful jiggles, you need to make moves to have someone take over you. Going on like this just can't be an option.

Apparently we have a new guy starting with us sometime next month... I feel kinda weird about it.

I mean, I'm the new guy. That's my thing!

Kezzer wrote:Apparently we have a new guy starting with us sometime next month... I feel kinda weird about it.

I mean, I'm the new guy. That's my thing!

From now on the baby sleeps in the crib.

"Don't worry, when the baby comes we will still love you."

In this office this morning for 4-5 hours. I don't mind as we're on a very tight deadline to get some testing done and I'll collect somewhere around £200 for my time.

And I've got the next week off.

Been off for 4 months just loving life since handing in my notice at the last job. New job starts tomorrow and I've got The Fear™ like you would not believe. Going from full time working at home at the last place, to at least three days in central London with the new one too. Learning to deal with the commute again should be fun