My job is really shitty and makes me miserable most of the time, but I am absolutely dead set on gutting it out through the end of the year. I don’t actually hate the work, and I love my co workers, but what I hate is my boss and the general way in which things are run. I am determined to stick it out through the end of the year because I am saving to go back to school next spring and am doubtful I’ll find a job that will pay me better than I am currently earning, though that won’t stop me from looking of course.
This week, my former boss (who is the best manager I’ve ever worked for but was promoted and replaced by my current manager) met with me and told me the company approved retention bonuses for me and some others in my company. Basically anyone who’s been here longer than a couple months it seems. I originally met with him to discuss my pay. There are competency tests you can take that if passed would give me raises of up to $5/hr. I asked my current boss over a month ago to get me these tests ready for me, but have heard nothing about them since, so I went over his head to ask my former boss about it. This is especially irritating because a month or two ago a new guy was hired at the highest level of competency and is actually earning $7-8/hr more than me. In his time working here, it’s become evident he has absolutely none of the knowledge needed for the job, is resistant to learning, and resistant to doing much of the things we need to do. They won’t fire him because we desperately need people and can’t hire anyone because no one who’s qualified wants to do this job. They basically admitted this in the first paragraph of the bonus letter I received.
The bonus itself is kinda bullshit if not paired with other raises. It’s 4 payments of $875, paid out in the first week of every 3rd month for the next year. With how many hours I work, That basically comes out to less than a $1/hr raise with heavy strings attached. I’m still going to insist on getting my competency raises. I really feel like they’re dragging their feet on it intentionally. I’m literally second in charge in my office, and I lead on the vast majority of work we do, yet am still at the entry level pay rate.
There is a clause in this bonus letter I kinda want rewritten. I plan on leaving this job after New Years, so only the first two bonuses apply to me. The conditions are that I must stay with my company through 12/31 or else I have to pay back the bonuses. However, it says that if I am terminated or quit before 12/31 I must repay the $1750 received, plus any legal fees required to recoup it. I don’t like it because I won’t get paid the second $875 until December, so I don’t want to sign something that says I have to pay $1750 to quit when I’ve only been paid $875. Is that being overly paranoid or is it something I should ask to be rewritten?