[Whisper]

For a long time, my work has consistently ran about 50 hours a week, and I've been kind of burned out. The last 4 weeks, we're getting closer to 60 hours, and I'm really really burned out. I've been recognizing troubles with basic self care getting worse, and I haven't managed to keep up with challenges for a while, but I do better with taking care of myself when I'm at least trying to do a challenge, so this time, the challenge is the challenge.

 

A little bit of setting myself up to take care of myself, a little bit of moving when I tend to be overly sedentary, and a little bit of being here.

 

Fill pill containers every Sunday.

Fill water bottle every morning.

On any day off, walk around the block at least once.

Read someone else's post daily.

Post something weekly.

[fleaball]

You got this!

[Chesire]

Heck yeah!  Set yourself up! 

[Rookie]

Loving your challenge to challenge! 

[Whisper]

I have decided that the best thing I can do for my needs hierarchy is not to leave home for a couple days. So that's my plan for this weekend. 

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

So .... how did the weekend go?

[Whisper]

7 hours ago, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

So .... how did the weekend go?

My home, I did not leave it, and it was a good thing. Feeling a bit more recharged and ready for this week. Mostly just played Fallout and napped with the cats.

 

Did get laundry washed and dried, not so much on put away. Got new sheets and made my bed with them and I am loving them! 

 

 

Goals: didn't leave my house, so didn't go for walks and can't actually bring myself to regret it.

Pill holder didn't get refilled on Sunday, but was filled before work Monday, so no missed meds.

 

I've been filling up my water bottle on my way to the time clock at start of shift. Just having it full of cold fresh water does wonders for drinking. Somehow waiting till I'm thirsty just ends up with soda.

 

Didn't read anyone's posts over the weekend, but did yesterday and today. 

 

This post exists, so that goal is checked. 

[Whisper]

I started writing something, but the draft didn't save, it came back as the previous posts. 

 

Yesterday I was kind of really happy with how I did after work. Struggling with stupid voices, so only kind of. Still, I want to do a little bit consistently, and yesterday I managed to do a little bit after a long work day.

 

Today was kind of even longer. Was working on some stuff today that is frankly the job of a lead or supervisor, and while trying to explain part of the hourly employee bonus information that I had just posted one of the guys kind of snapped "what actually is your job?" " just another maintenance tech" which lead to a small screed that basically amounted to "bullshit"

 

He's not wrong, and he wasn't really mad at me, but this is bullshit. My manager has acquiesced to some of my demands: I'm starting to get on call pay for stuff on days I'm supposed to be off, or after hours, and I'll be filing monthly expenses reports to get compensated for the business use of my phone.

 

What they haven't yet done is agree to the two most important things: making some sort of public acknowledgment that they're working on getting me a promotion and that I am taking on some of the duties in the interim, and that if my manager and the plant manager  can't get me the promotion by the end of the year, they both provide me with letters of recommendation stating that I've been doing the work, and back me putting the title on my resume when talking to potential employers. 

 

Fucking hell people! You want me to do the work (and two other jobs) but can't get me a real pay raise or promotion, at least let me claim the experience! I started out as just another fairly inexperienced tech, and I worked and I became the expert in our most complex department and got valuable enough that they started sending me to other plants to work with their techs, and had me work with the engineers on all sorts of things and I kept working and started helping with parts ordering and eventually became defacto parts manager (while, you know, still having all my work as a tech still) and now I get to play at being supervisor or lead or whatever they might or might not eventually decide to call me.

 

In just over a month, I'll have been with this company for 11 years. In all that time, I've received exactly 1 merit based pay raise, and that was 7 years ago. Ever more duties and responsibilities, but additional renumeration? Ha! Here's the same 2-3% we're giving everyone this year.

 

If it weren't for what happens when you search my name, I would have quit years ago.  Two more years and I can change my name. Don't know if I can wait that long. 

[Whisper]

Jim is my manager. Tim is the plant manager.  Sent message to Tim last night, copied Jim.

 

 

Hi Tim,

 

I'm sorry; I know you have a lot of other needs and priorities on your plate at present; but I kind of really want to scream right now, and in the immortal words of Adam "what actually is (my) job?"

 

I need an answer to my proposal by the end of next week. I've been with with this company for coming up on 11 years and it has been 7 years since my only merit based raise. I am taking on ever more duties and responsibilities; if you can't get me a pay raise or promotion, then I at least need to know that you'll back me on claiming the experience.

 

 

No answer. In person with Jim he brought it up and said he didn't answer because I had addressed it to Tim, which is fair, and it is Tim's response I'm waiting on. Told Jim I copied him so he wasn't blind sided.

 

Tim is out in CA right now at a plant we're closing down, so does have other focuses. Hopefully he's waiting to talk with me in person when he's back, but some sort if response, even just saying that, would have been better.

He did email Jim and I some questions about machine modifications that had been made, so, like, not "not talking" to me?

 

6 o'clock now. Seems like a good bedtime. 

[Whisper]

Just looked at my message again. I used two semicolons in the same sentence. That might be grounds for not answering. 

[Severine]

On 6/16/2022 at 9:38 AM, Whisper said:

I haven't managed to keep up with challenges for a while, but I do better with taking care of myself when I'm at least trying to do a challenge, so this time, the challenge is the challenge.

 

Oh how I hear that.

 

I'm glad you're finding the time to do some self-care despite the stressful-sounding work situation. It also sounds like you're being exploited. Possibly they don't think of it that way, but regardless, you're being taken for granted.

 

A lot of times the best way to get a raise is to switch companies. You mentioned some possible challenges with that, but you lose nothing by looking, right? If you have time to look with everything else going on. Whatever you decide to do, at least know that you're being reasonable and everyone with sense should see that.

 

Also, my humble opinion: you don't actually need their permission to list duties on your resume you were actually doing. Your only obligation is to be honest. You can write out what you did and explain that it was managerial/senior-level stuff, and during an interview if someone asks why you left your old job, "I took on increasing levels of responsibility and senior-level duties, but despite receiving excellent feedback and being sent to other facilities to train people in my area of expertise, I went 7 years without a merit raise or title change" is a damn good reason.

[Whisper]

I'm thinking that the time has come to give this boat an almighty rocking. 

 

Spoiler

The Company has made it abundantly clear that none of the additional roles, duties and responsibilities that I have taken on since January of 2015 (my last and only merit based raise) hold any value to the company. These additional burdens placed upon me have not been recognized by corresponding increases to my hourly compensation, there have been no additional bonuses, no adjustment to my job title or listed duties, they have not even been reflected in my performance reviews, because I don't get performance reviews. 

 

Since January of 2021 I have been increasingly vocal about my dissatisfaction with the status quo. Last September, I was told that a process was underway to review Maintenance wages and adjust them to better reflect the local wage market. Nothing has come of this. Due to only receiving insufficient cost of living adjustments for years, and the steadily increasing pay of entry level operators, I am closer to the company starting wage today than I was the day I was hired.

 

I’ve communicated these issues and concerns to both Management and Human Resources. I’ve been encouraged to be patient, that things are being worked on, but that there are obstacles above the plant level. I have been patient for over a year and a half and the only real tangible change has been having even more put upon me.

 

These additional duties include but are not limited to:

• Parts Management in the form of inventory of spare parts, ordering receiving and stocking parts, coordinating with internal and external resources to identify unknown/unlabeled parts and procure replacements.
• Technical Writing, updating Maintenance Procedures, including drafting original Preventative Maintenance procedures and scheduling, and developing procedures for needed equipment modifications, calibration of new equipment and compressing lessons learned when working on complex systems to be relayed to other plants. 
• Conducting Tier 2 meetings with the Maintenance Manager, identifying ongoing and potential issues, and planning resources to be used to address such issues. Takings such information and relaying it down to the Tier 1 level, and bringing any issues and concerns back to the Tier 2 level. 
• Coordinating and scheduling between Production and outside vendors maintain equipment with a minimal impact on production, including providing support to such vendors outside of production hours.

 

All of this unvalued work has diminished my ability to perform my actual duties as a Maintenance Technician and put me in the untenable position of working in excess of 55 hours each week. As such, I see no choice but to divest myself of all unpaid responsibilities and in an attempt to restore some semblance of work/life balance, I will be limiting my availability to an average 45 hours per week. This will be effective the first week of July.

 

[Severine]

That is a masterpiece of an email.

 

 

Good luck!!

[fleaball]

well fucking done. I hope someone pulls their head out of their ass now.

[Whisper]

18 hours ago, Severine said:

That is a masterpiece of an email.

 

Good luck!!

 

13 hours ago, fleaball said:

well fucking done. I hope someone pulls their head out of their ass now.

 

 

I printed it and gave a copy to my manager. I had told the plant manager that I wanted an answer to my last thing by the end of this week. Told my manager that if I'm not highly satisfied that things are actually happening by the end of this week, I would send it on a wide distribution. He said he would talk to HR. At this point, I expect to hit "send" Thursday afternoon.

[Whisper]

Just sent the email. Added to the end:

 

A small addendum:

In the interstices between drafting this email on Sunday and sending it now, I have received a performance review, exceeding expectations in 3 areas (knowledge, communication and teamwork) and meeting expectations in all other categories. I have also been given a "merit" raise of less than half the Utah inflation rate of 10.4%, and less than the 5.4% Social Security cost of living increase this year. I am a hard worker and a valuable asset to this company, but I have been stuck feeling like I am doing three jobs poorly. I can't keep this up.

[Whisper]

No official response. Sent the email wide. Had a few people in person say roughly "good email, I'm happy you said something "

 

In news that slightly steals my thunder, but totally reinforces my point, the warehouse day shift supervisor announced this morning that today would be his last day. And because when they replaced my retired manager, they put the new guy over both Maintenance and Warehouse... well, Jim's had a rough day. 

 

I've been feeling kind of giddy all afternoon. 

[Chesire]

I suspect you will have no satisfactory answers yet but hope you have a nice weekend regardless

[Whisper]

23 minutes ago, Chesire said:

I suspect you will have no satisfactory answers yet but hope you have a nice weekend regardless

 

Managed to get Friday off, so enjoying a long weekend. Rested yesterday. Painting today, church tomorrow.

 

And Monday? I'm going to celebrate Independence Day by polishing my resume and getting it posted on job sites.

[Whisper]

Made more words Saturday, but left out a line. Trying to decide if if is ok or needs to be redone. Worked a little on the snow tree painting, still messing with houses behind the tree, so no tree on the painting yet.

Spoiler

 

[Whisper]

HR manager scheduled a meeting with me at 2:30; wonder what that could possibly be about 🤔 

[Chesire]

This challenge seems to have grown beyond expectations.  How are you holding up?

[Whisper]

On 7/8/2022 at 4:14 AM, Chesire said:

This challenge seems to have grown beyond expectations.  How are you holding up?

I'm still alive. Another really busy week, albeit slightly shortened by the holiday Monday. HR and my manager are slightly displeased with how widely I aired the "dirty laundry ", but they can't actually argue with any of my points and frankly I  don't think it is a me problem, I think it is a wider issue and SOMEONE  needed to say something. They might not like it, but in a real way, it was a last ditch effort to save my job before I just walk away like so many other people are doing.

 

HR manager says she'll push harder on getting the wage numbers and wants to do a weekly "touch base" meeting with me.

 

Told my manager that with the small raise he was able to get me, I wasn't going to completely cut off the extra stuff I'm doing, but we need to do more to keep my load balanced, and that with no agreement (or even any answer) on my proposal from his manager, I didn't feel I could in fairness to myself NOT be looking for another job while the company decides if they're ever going to stop dicking me around. 

 

10 hours holiday, plus 40 hours worked this week. My last paycheck had 118 hours on it. My next one will "only" have about 95 hours.

 

 

Last night, my cousin sent me a picture she took of a waterfall from inside a cave. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to get a canvas to paint it on.

Spoiler

I know it looks like a tree right now, but I need something dark to put the white over. Once it is dry enough not to blend (oils, so next week) I'll add more white and it'll look better. 

[Severine]

Good for you re: work. You're standing up for yourself and so far it looks like it might actually come to something useful. Even if it doesn't, you'll always know you tried.

 

That's a gorgeous place and I can totally see where you're going with the painting. You're talented! Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[Chesire]

Tough nuts to HR.  The broad airing is what it took for any motion to happen. 
 

The greenery in your painting looks amazing!   And the original location is gorgeous