...tell your boss you're not working extra hours...

...so yesterday I had been in the office about 15 minutes before my boss called me and my co-worker Melissa into his office.

Steve: First of all I just want to say how impressed me and Rob (president of the company) have been with you two. You've done some great work. You two are non-exempt right? (meaning we get paid overtime)

Me: No. We're exempt just like everyone else in the office. (He was clearly being passive agreessive).

Steve: Oh! (fakes surprise) I thought you were. I'll have to check that. Well, Ron and I were hoping that the two of you might be able to step up and work some extra hours until we find some appropriate candidates. And we are still looking for people of course. This would just be temporary.

(Melissa and I look at each other clearly shocked at being blindsided this early in the morning -8:15!!)

Melissa: okay?

Me: I have to think about it.


So here is why i'm disinclined to agree to this:
1.) Before we lost an employee they had 3 months notice...THREE!!!! That she was going to be leaving.
2.) She left a month and a half ago. (so it's been 4 1/2 months and no serious prospects)
3.) No one has been in for an interview since mid-June and the only advertising has been done on a few college job boards (no Monster, careerbuilder, or hotjobs)
4.) They continue to accept more jobs without actively trying to get an appropriate staff.
5.) If they found someone to interview today it would take a month minimum for them to go through the hiring process and another 2 weeks or so until the new person was trained.
6.) I have 5 meetings in 5 weeks from mid-September into Mid-October...I've been given a months notice to plan one of them and I am pretty much ready to bite your head off without working extra hours.
7.) I just plain don't want my life to revolve around work. The nature of my work takes up some weekends and I'm okay with that but I will not be a workaholic and I will not worry about work when I'm not there.
8.) Time is money, pay me for it. Nothing comes for free and you shouldn't expect it to. You are a seasoned business person and you know as well as anyone that no one works for free. There's no promise that I will get a raise or bonus or promotion (even though i am doing the same work as my supervisor now and making less money)
9.) It's a very poor business strategy to think that you can rely on your already maxed out employees to work extra hours so that you can continue to take on more meetings. Staff accordingly or don't take the job.


So the hard part is telling him all this without being rude or causing any problems...especially since he WILL be rude and interrupt and not listen to what I'm saying at all... being passive agressive so I'm going to have to take this one head on. I'm going to have to write it down, similar to what I've just written, except it will be much less combative.

to be continued....