I recently demoted myself from my job ($4 loss) because the added stress was not worth it. After telling my manager this, this was the conversation:
[8:59 a.m.] MANAGER
Okay.
[9:02 a.m.] MANAGER
You understand that I would have to change your pay rate to what you were making before. I can see if I can find some other way that you can help if you wish to make more money, but I will have to think about it
[9:13 a.m.] OP
Yea, I know we talked about that. I was also going to ask if there's any way not to go all the way back down as I have been working for a while.
[9:36 a.m.] MANAGER
Your initial rate was $17 an hour, and then we bumped you up to $18 and then once you started the transcription right at the end of May 2022, we bumped you to $22 an hour because we included the inbound with doing the transcription which we decided to pay a premium for as it was helpful to COWORKER. My concern here is that business-wise there is a cap that I can offer for the inbound calls without you taking over some other task because the amount of calls that are happening daily is extremely low.
[10:12 a.m.] OP
Yea, I completely understand that there is a cap and in Feb you bumped me up. My only thing is that I pay for my equipment, internet, and medical, which is adding 200+ a month. Initially I was told you guys would consider providing equipment once I got more into the job, which i would have thought would be within a couple of months of getting the job. I have purchased this stuff on my own, so Im not saying I need this, Im just forced to purchase things out of pocket that are normally covered. For instance, I only use a second monitor for work and since mine failed on me the other day, I had to purchase another for 200.
[10:26 a.m.] MANAGER
OP. I just spoke with COWORKER. No one ever told you that we would cover any instruments, internet, medical or anything else. I am not sure what is going on today. No other employee is provided with those things. I will also attest to the fact that most companies will not pay you the wage we are paying to work from home, and have the amount of inbound calls that you are working on. I also made you an excellent offer to do the transcription with a premium because we decided it would be helpful to Marty. We paid you that premium when you are away and when you did not work on transcriptions. I am not understanding where this came from? I understand that you do not want to do the transcriptions and I would have been willing to think through this to see how I can help you, but this is a business. I feel that you taking an approach I would not have expected.
[10:44 a.m.] OP
Sorry, I think you are reading this way different than Im typing it out. Ill say to start that Im not trying to come off as aggressive or pull out receipts and say you owe me anything. Not at all. I appreciate everything you have offered me, the raise, the bonuses last Christmas, the understanding and money you send me when Im sick. I like working for this company, I like working for you. I was just saying that, because we dont get medical offered, it is like Im being paid $1-2 less already and was just asking if you can not put me all the way back down to 18/hr. If not, I accept that.
I was also just talking about, at the beginning when I started, I asked you about noise isolating headphone for calls, and you brought up that you would consider a noise-cancelling headset once we get going in the job. If you want I can go back and find that conversation, but it wasn't you saying ” We WILL buy you” so I dont think thats needed. It was just never really brought up again.
[11:23 a.m.] MANAGER
OP, I am super straightforward. If you needed something for your job, I am more than happy to provide it. You mentioned a noise cancelling headset and if it was necessary, I am more than happy to pay for it and you provide me with the receipts. You asked if you needed it and I said to see how it goes and if you need it, we will get it for you. We only asked that you have a headset, internet and a laptop to do this job. If you need something else and you validate the reason you need it, especially once employees have worked with me for some time, I have been known to pay for what you need. Most employees just let me know. So, what you don't understand is that my plan was to provide you with a raise for 2023 but this was with the understanding that you were going to continue with the transcription. Now you bowing out, which I understand, and that is your personal choice. However…. like I said, I now have to rethink what to do about the inbound calls as there is a cap that I can pay that is worthwhile. So, instead, I was willing to think about some admin things you could do, that I really don't have to offer, but I was willing to look at so that you don't have to drop so much and I could validate a raise for this position. My business is built on (company) and that is where I need the employment. If you feel that we are unfair and that you do better elsewhere, I understand. I guess I am quite confused on your expectations and how this was not meeting them. It feels like you are just saying that you liked the pay for the extra transcription and got used to it, so the idea of going back to $18/hr sucks. I can also understand that. However, personally, I think you approached this the wrong way.
[12:22 p.m.] OP
Yes, I should have asked sooner about the headphones and equipment, but I also didn't want to ask for money when you had been generous in the past. Im sorry that you think I approached this the wrong way. Multiple times I had said that I am not saying you owe me anything. Im not trying to come off in a negative way. I was just listing my concerns with the pay on a personal level. Because I know you are straight up, I thought that I could be straight up with you about my personal situation. Even then, I said I would accept regardless of the outcome. I also said that I don't want what I said about transcriptions to take away from job opportunities in the future, meaning I want more responsibilities, I just didn't like the type of work for the transcriptions.
I will say that I find it unfortunate that you are saying things like “If you feel that we are unfair and that you do better elsewhere, I understand.” I have been very open and saying I wouldn't leave cause I like working for you, but you are acting like its whatever and I can leave if I want, as if it isn't a bother. Im not sure where that is coming across as I have 0 issues. Im just saying, Im staying, I love this job, Ill try other things when you need it, but is it possible to go up $1 from my pay a year ago, as I do have to pay for all these extra things.
Also, to speak on you saying you WOULD have given me a raise if I stayed. I worked for 10 months on transcriptions and with no mention of money, I just thought I wasn't doing a good enough job and it was staying like that. In my mind, the stress was not worth it.
[1:04 p.m.] MANAGER
I’m sorry you feel this way, OP. This is the way you approached it. Maybe it is a generational thing. Although I am not sure it is that either. I understand your personal situation, but normally you make a choice and you know what choice you are making, and this is where I think you are approaching this wrong. You seem to be approaching this like you are dictating what you get and should be offered by your employer rather than letting them decide what they can and cannot do. If I bowed out of a job that I was doing because I could not do it for whatever reason, I would know that obviously changes would happen. If my employer then said that there is a cap on the position you have, because this is a business, and now they have to think about what can be offered it exchange, I would have said thank you and left it at that, because I would know that my employer does not have to make any offers. If I was in a bad position, I would have explained that and said “if there is anything that you can add so I can augment my pay, I would be appreciative”. That way you are not doing what you seem to be doing by playing whatever card you can and pointing fingers to get a higher paycheck. Go back to the text and how this went down today. I understand that you have not been feeling well but this reaction is very much a surprise to me. It feels like you are trying to tell an employer how things should be done and you are throwing things to get what you are after without thinking it through or acting like you have never dealt with me before. I am going to set this aside for today. I am going to put it down to you being stressed and that your message did not come across appropriately in a text, and we can discuss tomorrow.
[1:20 p.m.] OP
MANAGER, this must of been a thing about my wording. Seriously, I am not trying to come off that way. I can see how my first comment could read that way, but I thought my other comments cleared that up. I do not believe I am in a place where I can demand my pay. I was simply just stating why I am asking for it, NOT why you should pay me.
[1:20 p.m.] OP
It has to be how I'm coming off through text