The trick is, work smart and hard and you'll go places.
You do one or the other? Well, you're ok but you're going nowhere fast.
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Would you say this is exploitation at work? Just want Thoughts
- Thread starter solado
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The trick is, work smart and hard and you'll go places.
You do one or the other? Well, you're ok but you're going nowhere fast.
Bull.
I was in my early 20s in around 1990. It was the summer and I got a job as a track marshal for an indoor go-karting place. My job description was to wave flags to let people know there was a crash ahead and help with taking money from customers.
I ended up running the office, hiring and firing people, then when the boss found out I could code he coaxed me into writing the database software for his big corporate events (I was a PL/1 and cobol programmer) .
A few months went by and I didn't receive any bonus or pay rise, so I told him to shove it.
The only lesson I learned was not to be taken for a mug. You want me to do stuff above my job description then you'd better be a damn cute blonde or be paying me a bonus.
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Caporegime
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If it's in work time then what does it matter if your other work isn't backing up!
It's only exploitation if you'd rather do your usual work.
For instance, I used to work in a shop selling computers and phones, and I got paid pretty much minimum wage. I'd often be asked to fix something, or perform complex testing, neither of which I was strictly speaking meant to do. However, I'd sure as hell prefer doing that to dealing with Darren, Charmaine and their kids Troy and Drew who "need" a new xbox, so I always jumped at the chance to do things that were more skilled.
For instance, I used to work in a shop selling computers and phones, and I got paid pretty much minimum wage. I'd often be asked to fix something, or perform complex testing, neither of which I was strictly speaking meant to do. However, I'd sure as hell prefer doing that to dealing with Darren, Charmaine and their kids Troy and Drew who "need" a new xbox, so I always jumped at the chance to do things that were more skilled.
Yeah I might try that logic on my dentist.
I'll book myself in and pay for 6x15 minute check ups and in that time I'll request a free root canal.
Do the work and use it as a training exercise. If you need training material then use it as an opportunity for the company to provide them (e.g. books).
Then put it on your CV and when the time is right either ask for a payrise as someone who is providing more value, or go contracting in IT again for lots more money.
Then put it on your CV and when the time is right either ask for a payrise as someone who is providing more value, or go contracting in IT again for lots more money.
Soldato
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I'll take the cute blonde please
Was about to type this very thing pretty much. Interviewing for other jobs, OP can still show how he used his IT skills, even in a shop job. Sounds a lot better than 'Yea, I could have. But wasn't being paid for it, so why should I?'.
A friend once gave me the advice that I shouldn't put in extra work in my internship because i'm not being paid for it and there isn't a job at the end of it. I am glad to say I completely disregarded his advice since that wasn't the way I like to work. There wasn't a job at the end of the internship, but by working like I did, they did like me enough for bosses to put me forward and recommend me for other jobs, eventually leading to another position in the company.
Don't think that would've happened if I just said 'Yea, you don't pay me for that, so not going to do it'.
I'm a Test Manager for a medium sized company, but as a part of the role actively take on a whole host of other roles dabbling in project management, release management, service support, client support etc.
I think the attitude to adopt is that it'll look great in your next interview, and on an updated C.V.
Different from a retail role ofcourse, but I think it's all about attitude and looking into the future and potential career prospects with said experience which is what you need to ask yourself.
In all seriousness though, doing all of that for under 7 quid an hour, your boss has got a bargain!!!!
I think the attitude to adopt is that it'll look great in your next interview, and on an updated C.V.
Different from a retail role ofcourse, but I think it's all about attitude and looking into the future and potential career prospects with said experience which is what you need to ask yourself.
In all seriousness though, doing all of that for under 7 quid an hour, your boss has got a bargain!!!!
Associate
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This to be honest. Show what you can do, then politely (don't go in there saying you'll quit) request that they review your salary. Show figures on why they should.
If they refuse, find another job knowing you have tried.
If you can't show what you can do, go to your boss and say "what can I do to get a wage rise" etc. If there is nothing you can do then move on.
Too many people go into these salary review situations like a bull in a china shop, but going in calmly and going in showing that you want to prove your worth goes a long way.
Soldato
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unfortunately most people in this thread don't agree with you and I. Thankfully I think the OP does, so I wish him the very best of luck in his interview.
Soldato
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So... Pretty much what the title says. I'm not ranting but just wanted to know peoples thoughts on if my employer is going too far.
So here goes the little story:
I used to work in IT and got made redundant back in November 2012. At the time I started to panic due to money and took any job just to pay the rent and took an admin assistant role in a small shop. Its retail mixed with administration mostly, I was told I would be serving customers, filling out NHS paper work, sales, cleaning the shop etc for £6.91 an hour.
So a few months into the job my employer decided to tap into my old IT background and insisted I build him a website because he didn't want to pay the going rate of web developers locally. So now I am building a website for him as I don't really want to get on the wrong side and be jobless, but I thought it was rather unfair of him to request I build him a website when it's not in my job description. Web developers get a darn sight more than £6.91 an hour!
I am also requested to:
- Fix his old Computers.
- Offer his family technical support.
- Run an eBay store and create HTML templates.
- Back up and restore when things go wrong.
As I say, it's not a rant I just wanted to see what others thought about the situation. I have an interview next Monday so let's hope I can get that job as it's a big upgrade over this
sounds like exploitation to me
when you leave close the website lol
Exactly. Had an old colleague who would not do any extra work unless it was specified in his contract!
Did you have previous experience in office and people management?
what promotion though, he's a shop assistant in a 2 man operation.
whats he getting promoted to "chief web designer and occasional floor moper"?
Soldato
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so you suggest he just does shop work, and then at his it interview explain why he past up the chance to do IT work? don't think a future employer would be too keen hearing that. I think a much better approach would be to do the it work, keep his skills current (and maybe learning new stuff) which would go down well when he gets his next job.
people should never get caught in a rut
just because there probably won't be any promotion at his current place is no reason to throw in the towel. Hard work always goes down well, if not at the current job then the next one.
Even if there isn't any scope for promotion in the role, he can use what he did to get another job. Show how he did more than he was expected to (and not just like more retail, but IT work - which would be relevant). This will only be seen as positive. What would his answer be otherwise if they asked him 'When's the last time you did actual IT work?'?
Soldato
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it amazes me the amount of people that simply don't get this
Soldato
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Most contracts say something along the lines of other reasonable duties.
Reasonable is always open to debate but asking the CEO to make the tea, or the cleaner to provide HR advice to the board wouldn't be.
Asking anyone to do a little IT nowadays is to be expected, its a tool for most people now so its not like back in the 70s / 80s when it was practically a black art. The tipping point comes for me when it moves from pretty generally available IT to specialist. Setting up an ebay shop etc is hardly hard plenty of people do it from home.
This would be all about prospects to me, are there any, of a rise or for more in future, vs the risk of making a fuss and maybe ending up with nothing.
For younger people right now and this does suck big time, ANY work experience is better than none, plus of course you are earning.
The more specialist you are, the more unique or rare your experience the easier it is to be uncooperative and mercenary at work.
Reasonably could this guy turn round and let you go now if you refused to help, or are you decently ingrained that it would cause him problems if you were no longer there?
Reasonable is always open to debate but asking the CEO to make the tea, or the cleaner to provide HR advice to the board wouldn't be.
Asking anyone to do a little IT nowadays is to be expected, its a tool for most people now so its not like back in the 70s / 80s when it was practically a black art. The tipping point comes for me when it moves from pretty generally available IT to specialist. Setting up an ebay shop etc is hardly hard plenty of people do it from home.
This would be all about prospects to me, are there any, of a rise or for more in future, vs the risk of making a fuss and maybe ending up with nothing.
For younger people right now and this does suck big time, ANY work experience is better than none, plus of course you are earning.
The more specialist you are, the more unique or rare your experience the easier it is to be uncooperative and mercenary at work.
Reasonably could this guy turn round and let you go now if you refused to help, or are you decently ingrained that it would cause him problems if you were no longer there?