What's your opinion on my employer?

Smokey Deza

Smokey Deza

Smokey Deza

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11 Feb 2011
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Obligatory apology for the wall of text but I'd like your perspective on this if you please.


So I'm Operations Administrator working in an office warehouse. Basically I use SAP to process orders for varying contracts so the warehouse staff have jobs to pick etc.

I originally started as a warehouse operative years ago but was asked if I wanted to do some office work as maternity cover. I said yes and months into the cover I was offered the role on a permanent basis, contingent on taking a 2k pay cut. Sloppy company they are, I accepted knowing they wouldn't change it, which they didn't, until someone went tell tale that is. Still no big deal, I liked my job at the time.

Fast forward 3 years on, things are a lot different.

So warehouse staff get paid more than admin, yet said company has put one in the office with us. And all he does is shout letters out over a radio and print off screenshots, all between dossing about on his phone right in front of me of course.

I asked for this to be explained and they just said he goes picking in the warehouse which is an outright lie. I anticipated they'd try feed me some waffle like that so I pointed out to my 'superiors' that's not true and you know it isn't because you've set him up with IT logins. At which point they scribbled some notes down and have presumably done nothing with them. He's still here doing the aforementioned and I kicked off about this last month, hence my presumption.

Second to that, I've been shunned around for years learning these complex processes while some of my other colleagues are either too slow or too dumb to bother training. So they just roll into work everyday same job same desk but muggins here gets pushed around doing all the hard processes all year round.

One of my colleagues **** edited **** literally cries about everything, everyday. He has the easiest role in admin by a country mile, has about 5 unofficial fag breaks a day but the hypocrite actually went to complain that he wasn't getting any support of me (not the first time he's done this). At this point I'm at the end of my tether and when they sat me down I simply gave them a royal round off **** offs. I said that if the ***** feeling so hard done by you can train him up on everything I've had to learn and he'll soon put a sock in it. You know he will. Again, I'm met with silence.

Also, on the topic of pay. One of the admin staff is on more money than all of us. They gave him this money because I know at the time they genuinely could not afford to lose any more admin as he'd just put in for another job internally. So I queried that years ago and I'm told that because he knows more processes he gets paid more. Total rubbish but whatever, I'll remember that one. And as time has gone by I'm at his level now but when I asked for more money I sensed that they were just laughing inside :/

And there's more...

Holidays. Often rejected for holidays because I'm needed for cover etc. Went to book some in August but I can't because there's a god damn warehouse op in the admin holiday planner. He's in there for cover so instead of paying me overtime to finish my job, they just kick me out the door and give whatever's left to a warehouse op. Might seem like nit-picking this one, but that is not right, especially regarding warehouse staff being on the admin holiday planner. Emailed for an explanation last week, still nothing.

Oh and this is the icing on the cake. Rest of the class got their wage slip last month, but not me. Asked them to find it and nothing comes of it, until two weeks later an ASM is in the office randomly rummaging through a rack of labels and says' 'oh, there's your wage slip, sorry'.:rolleyes:

This whole thing is really stressing me out again and I have since booked a doctors appointment (just like I did last year). I'm sure most of you would advise to get a new job, but I feel like it's too easy on them on account of how much I've committed, and how much crap I've had to endure in return.

I feel going to a solicitor or something and just firing off a massive torpedo at them with everything I've got. I feel it might be bit difficult to tackle head on because they also, and shock horror I know, neglected to change my contract from warehouse to admin and I've signed nothing. So I'm technically a warehouse operative still??


Cheers.
 
I'm no lawyer but there's nothing in there that seems that terrible, just general naff employer:

-Other staff getting paid more to do the same job - same in many organisations
-Other staff at the same level doing less/easier work - same in many organisations
-Not being asked to do overtime when there is too much work, covered by other staff instead - sounds pretty sensible to me to keep costs down and avoid burning out staff from doing too many hours
-Holiday calendar shenanigans - not sure why the admin system matters, for me the crux of the issue is if you are being rejected holidays when giving plenty of notice then just sounds like a crap place to work and perhaps(?) the one you should be well placed to challenge
-Lost your wageslip and then found it again, not ideal but assuming this is the only time it has happened in your 3 years in the job, nothing I would be overly concerned about so long as I got paid on time
-No new contract signed for change of role, not sure about this one (IANAL) but if you've willing done the role for the past 3 years challenging it now will come under scrutiny I suspect (don't know if it applied but I've read stuff in the past about how conditions can become 'assumed' or something if both parties have played along with it for a period of time).

Doesn't sound like a great place to work, I would just cut your losses and move on. The way you are talking it sounds as though you just want to 'stick it to them' from a legal perspective but I would ask yourself the question of what do you hope to achieve from consulting a solicitor, other than the risk of wasting your money.
 
Nothing you've posted would go anywhere from a legal POV.

You don't need a paper contract, a contract can be verbal. Performing a different role for a period of time is deemed acceptance of the contract in whatever form that takes.

You need to leave. It appears the company don't value you as much as you perceive your value to the company. That sometimes happens. I've seen people think the world would end if they left their job leave and nobody noticed. I've also seen a junior member of staff go from one organisation over a petty dispute and one section absolutely fell apart because despite being quiet and reserved this guy basically ran the computerised workflow system and nobody really understood what he did all day - until he stopped doing it and nobody received any new work.

I'll tell you one thing though, raising grievances centered around other people getting a better deal than you and generally bitching and moaning will get you nowhere. You'll drive yourself mad and you'll be in the same position.

It's time to move on.
 
Good advice from blue boy. I'm guessing you're quite young, so move on and chalk it up to experience. You will come across the same thing again elsewhere believe me. But at some point sometimes your seniors really do look upon you like a piece of furniture.
 
Smokey Deza said:
...So I'm Operations Administrator working in an office warehouse. Basically I use SAP....Fast forward 3 years on...
Click to expand...

Even if you had no complaints.

This is too long to be doing the same role without up-skilling and moving elsewhere.

The company has given you loads of messages that it doesn't care. You will never change them.

You're fighting the wrong battle.
 
I'm afraid to say I agree with everyone else here... They've taken you for a ride and you've been happy to be the passenger.. Honestly, I wouldn't have even considered taking a pay cut for my work unless it 100% leads to a better job or better career prospects.
Nothing from that seems out of the ordinary though, certainly not enough to stick from a legal point of view, but it still sounds like a naff place to work.
 
I cannot get my head around that this is all above board and just falls into the 'naff employer' category. Especially paying someone more than me because they're an experienced administrator, even though we're doing exactly the same job.

But alas, I will heed your advice. Thanks all the same :)
 
The only way to know if you should be getting paid more. Is to try get another job on more money. If you can then you are. If you cant then you are not.
 
OspreyO said:
Even if you had no complaints.

This is too long to be doing the same role without up-skilling and moving elsewhere.

The company has given you loads of messages that it doesn't care. You will never change them.

You're fighting the wrong battle.
Click to expand...

Direct your energy into getting a better job somewhere else, this one sounds crap on any pay.

If you want to get even or something then just leave an upper decker on your last day.
 
I have no idea what that is. But never burn your bridges. You've worked there's long time you'll need references and good will in general behind you. You never know where you'll meet old workmates or managers in the future.
 
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Smokey Deza said:
I cannot get my head around that this is all above board and just falls into the 'naff employer' category. Especially paying someone more than me because they're an experienced administrator, even though we're doing exactly the same job.

But alas, I will heed your advice. Thanks all the same :)
Click to expand...

The problem is that it's none of your business what your colleagues are paid. This other admin could be paid 3-4 times your yearly salary and there's nothing you can do about it regardless of how much fuss you kick up.

Generally the best way to stick two fingers up at your employer is to move on and find a better paying job. Let them worry about wasting money on employees who don't do much.

It's starting to become quite a common trend on this sub-forum where people are complaining that they're not valued by their employer. There was one i read a few weeks back where some guy kept getting trained up, but was never receiving pay rises for this newly gained knowledge, something like 5 years later, he's doing something about it.
 
Smokey Deza said:
I cannot get my head around that this is all above board and just falls into the 'naff employer' category. Especially paying someone more than me because they're an experienced administrator, even though we're doing exactly the same job.

But alas, I will heed your advice. Thanks all the same :)
Click to expand...

people get paid varying amounts all over the private sector - maybe that other person happens to be overpaid because the hiring manager was clueless or they've just been there for ages and accumulated lots of pay rises or they were hired at a time when it was more expensive to hire people etc..etc..

if you're genuinely underpaid then you ought to be able to address that by moving jobs, or simply by handing in your notice for a better paid job and recieveing a counter offer. OR if you don't want to take that step right away get some salary surveys, data etc.. and sit down with your manager to explain your concerns - ask for more money (lots of people don't even proactively ask and just wait until annual pay review time), you might not get it instantly but you might be able to agree on some goals for progression, better pay etc.. and if they don't deliver then you move.
 
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