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Original poster

job hassles I don't need

30 replies

jobproblems · 04/10/2006 14:54

I work 4 day a week for a small firm in C London
I like working there, the job is a bit stressful as the company is fairly disorganised but the people are great and they are very flexible over my working schedule (although expect phone to be picked on on days off too)

anyway (will try to keep this short) cashflow has been bad so from march to june we were all put on 80% of salary. Went back to full pay in June. This really screwed up my already tight finances (large mortgage, two kids needing childcare when I work). To alleviate this we have taken in a lodger to help with mortgage and I increased my days from 3 to 4. Everything seemed better and it even looked like I could start contributing to a pension (something I haven't amnaged to do for ages which has been weighing heavy on my mind) if I kept strings tied tight at home.

Now company has said cashflow bad again so we are back on 80%. So all my efforts to make us a bit more comfortable come to nothing and I am again being paid for 3 days work although doing 4.

I am finding it VERY hard to be motivated, which makes things worse as that makes me depressed along with the lack of money.

DH is adamant I should look for another job and that company are just taking the piss. I know (from my position there) taht cash flow is awful right now but have a real dilemma about whether I should seriously think about moving or not.

I like the company, the job is a bit stressful, the up and down pay is crap.

What would you do?

(sorry so long in the end)

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 04/10/2006 14:56

I'd move on.

Life's too short to waste on this crap.

My job is getting me down. It's crap and my supervisor's promotion out of here is emminent; when that happens this job will get about a million times worse.

So I'm applying for other jobs and hoping to jump ship before it sinks.

Try it!

It's free to apply and all they can do is say no.

meowmix · 04/10/2006 14:57

they're taking the piss and exploiting your good nature. Whats next 60% salary? Did they make any effort to repay the money owed to you - after all you have a contract with them - you give x in return for y...

did the owners take no salary during that period? tbh dropping wages like that 2x in a year tells me they're likely to go down the plughole altogether

littlemissbossy · 04/10/2006 14:58

I'd leave, cash flow problems lead to uncertainty about the stability of the company and result in more stress for you.

nailpolish · 04/10/2006 14:58

expat, my dh is fucked right off too working there

(not to do with the commute)

says its changed a lot since he started there 8 yrs ago

heavenis · 04/10/2006 14:59

I would look for another job. Loyalty does not pay your bills.

bran · 04/10/2006 15:00

I would start looking for another job, if they are really in a bad financial position you don't want to still be there if the company folds.

When your wages went back up to normal from 80% the last time did they pay back what they owed you (ie the extra 20%)?

expatinscotland · 04/10/2006 15:02

Amen, NP! They just do not seem interested in retaining good staff here.

My poor supervisor has been toiling here for 6 years and our boss is having to go to bat for her to get the promotion she SO deserves!

It's soul-destroying for her and it makes me b/c she deserves so much better.

Aside from that, we just feel trapped here and though we love our community and family, the reality is that to rent a house here will NEVER happen.

So there's no choice but to start looking elsewhere.

That's life.

nailpolish · 04/10/2006 15:05

expat come and live beside me!

you would love it

honest

Original poster

jobproblems · 04/10/2006 15:06

well, funnily enough after it went back up to 100% they actually overpaid me two months on the trot (told you they were disorganised) which I actually and honestly didn't notice (salary had been all over the place since going back after mat leave) at which point they asked me to pay back the overpayment. I ws annoyed but was working out how to do this when I worked out that the overpayment they had made was actually less than the sum total they had underpaid e previously. At which point I had an informal chat with one of the board and said I was close to leaving. They waived the repayment at this point, but said that if the company became profitable again and they were paying people back what they had taken previously they would bear in mind that I had already had some of mine (fair enough). If you understood that - well done.

I do find it all very demoralising and quite stressful.
But they are flexible and I don't want to have to work 5 days a week again. How easy d'you think it is to get a 4 day job these days?

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 04/10/2006 15:07

I'd say it's definitely easier than staying in a job w/a place that isn't financially sound.

Original poster

jobproblems · 04/10/2006 15:14

oh god I am gonna have to polish my cv aren't I ?

OP posts:

meowmix · 04/10/2006 15:15

jp I don't think they're a reliable source of income. There have to be other options. Worth looking anyway.

bran · 04/10/2006 15:16

So it sounds as though there is no real intention to pay back the wages that they have cut, at least in the near future.

I don't know what the job situation is like in your industry, but unless you get your cv out there you won't know if there are part-time jobs available. You could do a 2-pronged approach. Firstly apply for jobs that are advertised full-time and broach the part-time issue if you get called for a second interview. Secondly also contact companies directly to see if they have any openings for your skills, no need to send a full cv to start with, I think an email with a brief outline of your skills and interests would do, again don't mention part-time unless they get back to you expressing an interest.

Original poster

jobproblems · 04/10/2006 15:23

the awful thing is that I don't really want to be in this industry (software project management - yawn I want to sleep for a hundred years) and am a bit down from the stress of the last bout of underpayments (and a variety of other small things) and the prospect of having to go out there pretending to be enthusiastic about it all fills me with absolute horror

but I can't bear this demoralisation much more

(would you feel demoralised by this, or is it cause I am feeling a bit down anyway d'you think? I guess it's a catch 22 situation)

maybe I should take this opportunity to leave this industry, although that's not easy with no significant other experience and a big mortgage to pay

sorry for the depressive slant, it's all just got to me a bit

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 04/10/2006 15:29

Don't want to be in the industry. Pay is crap. Company on the verge of insolvency.

I'd say this is an opportunity to try to move on.

Onwards and upwards!

Original poster

jobproblems · 04/10/2006 15:35

i like your attitude exp

bottle it and send me some eh?

the problem ( aren't I taking a "there are only problems" take on things today) is that the pay itself isn't crap - it's not megabucks but is decent enough. It's the up and down nature of it that is crap, and the fact that my budget is based on 100% pay (until kids are out of childcare when hopefully there will be a comfort margin) so 80% doesn't really cut the mustard

We depend enormously on my contributions so unless we have a drastic re-think/down-size (or I win the lottery) I am stuffed . I can't just go off following my whims in terms of an alternative job that I would prefer unless it can pay similarly..

anyway, thanks for the positiveness. I really like it.

OP posts:

Bramshott · 04/10/2006 15:36

I worked for a company who cut our salaries once, and I don't think any company would do that unless they were pretty desperate - they must know how it undermines morale etc. So I'd say that they're probably fairly close to going bust, in which case you need to be looking around. FWIW, the time when we were going through this at our company was so depressing and dispiriting, I don't think it's surprising at all that you're feeling like this! Hope it works out for you and you get a better job at the end of it.

Original poster

jobproblems · 04/10/2006 15:39

thanks bramshott, I was starting to feel that it was just me sinking. None of the others at work seem that put out (though we don't really talk much about it)

I am supposed to be working now, and I have so much to do, but I just can't be arsed. So I'll be under even more pressure tomorrow when it isn't done. Hate feeling like this...

OP posts:

Original poster

jobproblems · 04/10/2006 15:50

am not normally this pathetic!

btw exp, just reread thread - sorry you are having crap at work too. How are you managing to stay positive woman?

OP posts:

bran · 04/10/2006 15:58

If the others don't seem that put out then it may be because they are already looking for other jobs and/or have interviews lined up and are keeping their heads down for the time being.

Even though you want to leave the industry, you may find that just changing jobs will make things seem brighter, there's a big difference between doing a job you don't like much in a depressed company who don't pay you and doing the same job in a dynamic company which is expanding. If you can join a growing company there will be much more opportunity to move into other roles, albeit in the same industry.

Original poster

jobproblems · 04/10/2006 16:03

good point Bran, am looking for my CV now

OP posts:

TwigTwoolett · 04/10/2006 16:06

do you get the 20% back when times are better

or does the company jsut expect you to swallow it down

when times are good do you get big bonuses

Not sure I'd be able to put up with the uncertainty

if they're that bad a cash flow it doesn't bode well for their long term success

Original poster

jobproblems · 04/10/2006 16:12

never get bonuses, haven't had a salary review or job appraisal in the 3 years I've been there, although it is in my contract

no shares either. although they were mentioned in my job offer letter and I have tried to chase them up on numerous occasions

the more I write the more I am wondering wtf I am still doing there!

(they claim they'll reflect the good times in our salaries too, although no concrete promise to pay back all the underpayments)

OP posts:

AnguaVonUberwald · 04/10/2006 16:39

Jobproblems,

I also had/have the problem of trying to change career which is really not easy once you are past the stage of office junior.
I am looking at the civil service as they don't require you to have experiance in their field (just have to be able to demonstrate the skills they are looking for). As this is the only way I can see of starting a new career without going right to the bottom of the ladder. (The pay is crap though and they have spent the last 4 months trying to get my references and do my security check, so its not a quick process)

Original poster

jobproblems · 04/10/2006 16:44

good luck anquav.u., it is hard

so where did you find out about civil service jobs? is there one main site? have you found something you want now then?

although if I am honest, I think I need to move away from an office environment and into something more creative/flexible. I get terribly fed up stuck at a desk all day (tho' I do know it could be worse)

OP posts:

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