letter
April 14, 2011

Dear Work;

You know, if you need a salaried employee, you need to either get someone else, or friggin' promote me. By the YOUR decision and definition, I work for an hourly wage. My hours are 37 to 40 per week. I am required to take a lunch break. I am NOT required to give up that lunch break for meetings--with or without pay. You cannot reasonably expect me to give up my evenings to go out with clients, vendors, or out-of-town co-workers*.

I certainly do not think it is right or reasonable for you to determine these terms for me, and then proceed on the expectation that you may simply blow them off any time it is convenient for YOU. I am quite willing to allow some leeway in the area of business travel, even though I loathe it and would very much prefer not to. But what you are asking for here is completely out of bounds, and I believe I am completely within my rights to refuse.

But within my rights or not, I am trapped, because if I stood on those rights I would be punished. Probably in some way that you claim has nothing to do with this issue, but I would be punished. So ya got me. I'm screwed out of 5.5 hours of my personal, private time for the week. 3 lunches, one afternoon & evening. Expected to work through lunch, (being strong-armed into eating cafeteria crap at a conference table during a meeting is NOT a lunch break!), adjust my work hours with no notice, work late, go out to dinner with people I don't like, and DO ALL THIS WITH A YIPPY-SKIPPY ATTITUDE.

I need this job. You have the whip-hand. You win. I'm f#%&ed. signed Me



*These are people I do not appreciate having to deal with even when I AM being paid.