Company Incentives

It's mid-year review time. Always a joy for everyone. Things are so very backwards. First of all, it doesn't matter how well you do, if you have busted your ass all year round, the merit increases are already decided in the budget even BEFORE your review is done. You could have saved the earth from pending destruction and it wouldn't matter. You're only getting the standard cost of living wage increase, and that's if you are lucky. Isn't that nice?

I've been going on job interviews lately and one in particular really wants me, I already said no due to the fact that I would be working for this guy with what I call LMS or Little Man Syndrome. He was so small he barely came up to my armpit. He had the personality to go with it - you know the type - overcompensating and acting a big and puffy. Yes, he's important, we get it. My answer to work for him is still a resounding NO! He said he was "hands on". Oh boy, you know what that means. On one hand, promising me the moon, "you can run everything, it's your baby, you will be the face of the company" (do I look like an ego maniac? I don't want my face to be on ANY company. WTF? I am an office manager, a secretary, just give me work to do and I'll do it. So strange. After repeated calls to me to give them another chance, I stopped returning the calls. Crazy.

Then I went to my current boss and said dude, I can make this much and I am being pursued. What are you going to do about it to make me want to stay. I think a salary increase might be in order. I'll let you know :)

Fantasized Event Appearing Real = FEAR

There is a rampant mistrust in the office. We're going through one of those "cultural" changes where all the Big Wigs tell the Little Guy to reinvent the atmosphere (I assume that means it's so bad, they PhD's can't think of any solutions so pass it off to the "less than qualified" to find their own solutions). The problem is that the Little Guys are not empowered to make the changes necessary, so the every so commonly adopted "why bother" attitude is out of control. Why would anyone think that I would stick my neck out there, only the have it chopped off. Seriously, how dare I throw out the idea that I should get some monetary compensation for doing a good job. Here's a thought, label it a "bonus" and give it to me on a yearly basis. But that would mean less money in my boss' pocket when he gets his yearly bonus! We can't have that.

I'm not bitter OR cynical. My fears are very real. And I continue on, a slave to my paycheck, keeping my mouth shut and my neck where it belongs.