Offside (General Discussion)

Jacob Kern2 said:I had actually considered suggesting that route to him, though I hesitated because I wasn't entirely certain of the specifics.

I should have clarified earlier: he is definitely working full-time. 🤦

I don't know, it just feels off to me. Especially when you're dealing with a larger organization; you'd expect a little shady maneuvering from some local small-timer, but these guys? They know exactly what they're doing—they've got an entire army of lawyers on retainer.

The best bet is to take it straight to the Department of Labor, let them run the investigation and issue a formal, legal directive. 👍

boldbadger1 said:I don't know, it just feels off to me. Especially when you're dealing with a larger organization; you'd expect a little shady maneuvering from some local small-timer, but these guys? They know exactly what they're doing—they've got an entire army of lawyers on retainer.

The best bet is to take it straight to the Department of Labor, let them run the investigation and issue a formal, legal directive. 👍

Precisely; either there is some hidden mechanism at play that we haven't yet uncovered, or they are simply behaving with a level of incompetence that borders on the absurd.

I mean, honestly, who actually works for a salary like that? Is there really no better option out there?

It’s weird to me too, honestly. You can find a gig starting at $70k right here just by looking around; even in manufacturing, without having to hunt for it. I’m hearing job ads on the local radio every single day, and half the time I know they aren't just talking nonsense 🤷

boldtiger7 said:I mean, honestly, who actually works for a salary like that? Is there really no better option out there?

And honestly, my mother was working in the textile industry in Columbus until about a year and a half ago, and $3,500 net was pretty much the ceiling for what she could earn back then. It isn't like life in Washington, D.C., and I suspect Jacob Kern2 is referring to the Midwest here.

I'm not sure which place at FNG has such low prices—maybe Associated Press comes to mind, though even Walmart has raised their rates lately

Anthony Jackson2 said:I'm not sure which place at FNG has such low prices—maybe Associated Press comes to mind, though even Walmart has raised their rates lately

Which is precisely why I am asking. Perhaps they simply have a part-time cashier on duty? It strikes me as quite an unusual situation.🤷

dustyridge3 said:And honestly, my mother was working in the textile industry in Columbus until about a year and a half ago, and $3,500 net was pretty much the ceiling for what she could earn back then. It isn't like life in Washington, D.C., and I suspect Jacob Kern2 is referring to the Midwest here.

That is correct; we are indeed discussing the Midwest.

@Anthony Jackson2

It is certainly true that many employees within the Fortenova group earn nothing more than the minimum wage, which is hardly surprising given the circumstances, but what we are seeing here truly falls below any acceptable standard.

Paul Sanders5 said:It’s weird to me too, honestly. You can find a gig starting at $70k right here just by looking around; even in manufacturing, without having to hunt for it. I’m hearing job ads on the local radio every single day, and half the time I know they aren't just talking nonsense 🤷

Where exactly is that happening in your area, and what kind of manufacturing are we talking about? Honestly, the idea of heading down to the coast for the summer season just crossed my mind. I'm thinking plenty of swimming, meeting some girls, and just soaking up the sun.

Hey everyone working in the private sector, has your company given you any raises lately? My company actually gave me $167 more. Nelose

We actually handled that correction publicly so we could shorten our working hours ☕

boldfox88 said:We actually handled that correction publicly so we could shorten our working hours ☕

Wait, you actually work in the public sector? 🤔

Typical bureaucrat. 😁

So, honestly, when it comes to standing up for your rights—well, if you're acting like a total coward, there was never even a chance at getting that sub-10 percent increase.
It’s a tiny bump, sure, but what can you really do when you've got no backbone?

boldfox88 said:We actually handled that correction publicly so we could shorten our working hours ☕

What, seriously? Three hours of work followed by a three-hour break? That’s insane.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:What, seriously? Three hours of work followed by a three-hour break? That’s insane.

Not really. It's pretty similar to coastalheron12. I'm quite modest when it comes to standing up for my rights. ☕

coastalheron12 said:So, honestly, when it comes to standing up for your rights—well, if you're acting like a total coward, there was never even a chance at getting that sub-10 percent increase.
It’s a tiny bump, sure, but what can you really do when you've got no backbone?

I don't get how people let employers walk all over them so easily. Last year, my boss gave me a raise of maybe a couple hundred bucks. I sent it right back to his account with the tax burden included—I actually wrote in the memo, "Returning your insulting raise, including the tax paid, so you aren't shortchanged." See how quickly I got a call within ten days asking what the hell the problem was....

bluebison10 said:I don't get how people let employers walk all over them so easily. Last year, my boss gave me a raise of maybe a couple hundred bucks. I sent it right back to his account with the tax burden included—I actually wrote in the memo, "Returning your insulting raise, including the tax paid, so you aren't shortchanged." See how quickly I got a call within ten days asking what the hell the problem was....

How on earth is an employer supposed to know what counts as an "insulting" raise to you?

Look at this example: say an employee makes $3,850 gross per month. That puts their annual salary at $45k. So, what exactly qualifies as a "respectful" raise in your book? In Germany, the standard rule is that annual raises usually fall between 3% and 5% unless you're moving up to a new role.

In my opinion, maybe a 0.5% to 1.5% bump could be considered inappropriate, but then again, I know some jobs governed by union contracts have raises set at exactly 1.5%. And honestly—what does even a 5% raise mean if inflation is sitting at 7-8%? That raise should basically just be keeping pace with inflation, but we all know that’s not how it works...

bluebison10 said:I don't get how people let employers walk all over them so easily. Last year, my boss gave me a raise of maybe a couple hundred bucks. I sent it right back to his account with the tax burden included—I actually wrote in the memo, "Returning your insulting raise, including the tax paid, so you aren't shortchanged." See how quickly I got a call within ten days asking what the hell the problem was....

I’ve got a pretty specific situation here—let's call it that. My wife and I actually bring in way more than we need, so money isn't really the driver for me. And just to be clear, we aren't talking about being loaded—we're actually making a bit less than the average person around here nowadays.
But because of some "new processes and shifting norms" at the company lately, I started feeling like an idiot. I lost that sense of peace I always had at this job—it used to be my perfect workplace. So, I tried using inflation as a reason for a raise, adding a subtle little hint from the "other stuff" drawer.
Since they didn't bite on that, I would've had to go much more direct—maybe even confrontational. But if eleven years of dealing with these people taught me anything, it's that locals around here just don't know how to have a straight conversation to your face.
So yeah, I'm stuck with this crap. I just deal with it every five or six years when they start giving me grief. 😁

Larry Fox5 said:How on earth is an employer supposed to know what counts as an "insulting" raise to you?

Look at this example: say an employee makes $3,850 gross per month. That puts their annual salary at $45k. So, what exactly qualifies as a "respectful" raise in your book? In Germany, the standard rule is that annual raises usually fall between 3% and 5% unless you're moving up to a new role.

In my opinion, maybe a 0.5% to 1.5% bump could be considered inappropriate, but then again, I know some jobs governed by union contracts have raises set at exactly 1.5%. And honestly—what does even a 5% raise mean if inflation is sitting at 7-8%? That raise should basically just be keeping pace with inflation, but we all know that’s not how it works...

When you're bringing in about $150,000 in net profit for the company annually, and they offer you a 1% raise while other departments are bleeding thousands of dollars—and management does nothing to stop the drain—that’s what I call an insulting raise...
The second thing that rubbed me the wrong way was that the "director" didn't even understand the difference between take-home pay and gross income. It seems like most employers in the US love to pretend tax-free stipends are part of your actual salary...

bluebison10 said:When you're bringing in about $150,000 in net profit for the company annually, and they offer you a 1% raise while other departments are bleeding thousands of dollars—and management does nothing to stop the drain—that’s what I call an insulting raise...
The second thing that rubbed me the wrong way was that the "director" didn't even understand the difference between take-home pay and gross income. It seems like most employers in the US love to pretend tax-free stipends are part of your actual salary...

man, are we even the same person? 🤣