To take the promotion or not?

cbell · December 15, 2009

I totally know where you're coming from, I recently worked on the Business side in Manufacturing and it's a hard core gig. Salary employees are taken advantage of because they know you will work until the job is done however there's no incentive with overtime or bonuses in a down economy. The company is a contract manufacturer so we worked off our customer's schedule, my fabulous customer worked with month end targets as well as the usual quarter end and year end. And their fiscal year matched the calendar year so holiday time was always great when you couldn't take off to spend with your family.

It used to be a good gig, you worked hard but there was so much profit you would get great profit sharing and big bonuses if eligible. I took a position that was a great advancement opportunity but they cheated me on the salary because it was a new facility and they went through the same song and dance of not having it in their budget. Well one day HR made a mistake of including a salary tab on one of our costing files and I found out my male counterpart (who was hired a year after I took the job) made 10K more than me. I marched my little a$$ into my managers office and said match it or I'm out. He did but that didn't make up for the amount I was cheated by the original hiring mgr.

Basically I think you did the right thing, I always felt underpaid from the moment I started that job and busted my butt to make that business work. I quit and then they really tried to keep me, the bonuses started flowing and they even let me work from home for 4 months. I had to think at that point if I really wanted to leave but I was too bitter about things that happened and didn't want my job to take over my life like it had. I now work in a corporate environment for a medical device company and it's like a different world. They're respectful of your time and you don't have people stopping by your desk every 10 minutes about an urgent issue. I might not make big bonuses like I was when i left my previous company but I am so much happier and I know I'll work my way up to a point I'm comfortable with. Hang in there and finish school, hopefully they have tuition reimbursement. Use them for that and hopefully you can find a new job, or you might be OK with where you're at. And don't let them make you feel like you've burned a bridge with rejecting that job, if anything they did. Wow that was long but you got me thinking about my old Manufacturing days!!! Good luck!

SgtPepperette · December 21, 2009

Thank you everyone for your replies!!!

It was so comforting reading everyones thoughts, experiences, etc. And your absolutely right. Each day Im at work I feel better with my decision. My stress levels have come down even since I turned it down. It just wasnt worth it, for my health at the very most!

The right thing will come around eventually. This was such a growing experience for me. I never imagined that I could handle a situation like that and stand up for myself for like that. It felt good to be confident in that!

SgtPepperette · February 5, 2010

Well Well Well, can you believe they have me still doing both jobs? I turned down that job almost 2 months ago. They are still dragging me out. Ive brought it up numerous times, especially since Im not getting ANY compensation for doing two jobs, and they just avoid it.

Im beyond livid. I want out. NOW.