The Catch 22 - Hourly Employees

[Anonymous]

In this case, I found out today, another area got permission to take them off clock. They were happy for a week or two until they realized all the things I ask them to do they blow off as they run out door, they now have to do. Now that area is getting promotions. For instance I have an event today, that 1/2 blew off. I cant make them come unless I pay time and a half. Which I wont. But if they go to nothing and do bare minimun they cant get promote hardly ever. Now I am forced to take them off clock if possible to make them do extra. They wont be able to weaponize due to their six figure salary OT is super expensive and run out door. So I guess it comes to that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My company Junior Accountants, auditors, IT, operations etc are all on the clock, a 40 hour work week. They do get OT if asked to work late. Around 75 percent of company on the clock and they are remote 3 days a week.

Career wise most get stuck. How do you motivate them. For instance o asked one staff to supervise other staff while I was on vacation, she said she wanted to be manager. But she did zero. She seems not to want to manage if not paid as a manager. Hence the catch 22. I can’t promote her unless she at least tries a bit. I don’t care if mentoring.

We also have events like Xmas party, BBQs once in a while and they seem to ask am I getting paid? I don’t care if skip 99 percent but some do zero. Management like me forced to go to nearly all these things.

The other thing they stop working the second they run out of work. They go well you need to assign work. I get that but this is not McDonald’s.

How do you motivate them? I mean o was on clock fresh out of school o busted butt to make manager.

But we seem to have 35-55 year olds on clock which to me is strange. It was a under 25 year old thing my first few jobs, not a 55 year old accountant

Just so we're clear... You are of the mentality that you should work like a manager at a sub-manager's pay before you can be paid like a manager? I know this is a thing at accounting firms. But, actually, GenZ has the right attitude about this -- don't try to extract manager-level performance out of them as a test before promotion. Promote and mentor. The firm should assume the risk. The old ways are backwards.

I, too, want to be paid to attend company events. Especially if my presence is "highly encouraged." There's nothing wrong with this expectation.

BTW, I'm 54 and work for a Big Four firm. I'm thrilled with the cultural shift underway being ushered in by our newer workers. There's a race for talent in accounting and tax professional services, remember. You'd best learn to do things their way rather than whine like a boomer and demand things be done the way they were before.

[Anonymous]

They know that promotions don’t go to the people work extra hours or attend company picnics — it’s the boss’s mini-me who invariably gets the brass ring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you expecting work at a higher level without compensating them for it? We had an acting role go unfilled because nobody wanted more responsibility without the extra pay that usually comes with it.

Why wouldn’t a company pay someone what the role was worth, even if it was a temporary situation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In this case, I found out today, another area got permission to take them off clock. They were happy for a week or two until they realized all the things I ask them to do they blow off as they run out door, they now have to do. Now that area is getting promotions. For instance I have an event today, that 1/2 blew off. I cant make them come unless I pay time and a half. Which I wont. But if they go to nothing and do bare minimun they cant get promote hardly ever. Now I am forced to take them off clock if possible to make them do extra. They wont be able to weaponize due to their six figure salary OT is super expensive and run out door. So I guess it comes to that.

Ah, the "it's coming out of my pocket" guy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They know that promotions don’t go to the people work extra hours or attend company picnics — it’s the boss’s mini-me who invariably gets the brass ring.

100% correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you expecting work at a higher level without compensating them for it? We had an acting role go unfilled because nobody wanted more responsibility without the extra pay that usually comes with it.

Why wouldn’t a company pay someone what the role was worth, even if it was a temporary situation?

I'm PP, it's the government in my case so idk, ask DOGE.

[Anonymous]

I tell my people what skills they need to demonstrate in order to get promoted. Then I give them the opportunities to demonstrate these skills. The employees can either demonstrate that they can perform at the next level or they don't. The ones that do get promoted; the ones that don't---don't get promoted. It's really not that hard.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]I tell my people what skills they need to demonstrate in order to get promoted. Then I give them the opportunities to demonstrate these skills. The employees can either demonstrate that they can perform at the next level or they don't. The ones that do get promoted; the ones that don't---don't get promoted. It's really not that hard.[/quote]

It is impossible to demonstrate you can perform next level with an “on the clock mentality” here is a great example. I heavily encouraged one of my workers to attend an annual family night thing going to Nats game, My CEO is big on it. At event I am like where the F is he, finally I see him and family sitting away from everyone else. I call him over, I go did you swing by out set up to get free shirt and say hi to CEO at check in he goes no. He heads back to seat away from everyone.

Meanwhile I go to 16-18 after work things a year. Lots are board meetings, off sites, work events. I will talk to guy.

It is frustrating going to events with these idiots, either I am alone or the show up antisocial and leave early.

The area off clock now makes events mandatory. And a few have shown they do have next level potential and they got promoted.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I tell my people what skills they need to demonstrate in order to get promoted. Then I give them the opportunities to demonstrate these skills. The employees can either demonstrate that they can perform at the next level or they don't. The ones that do get promoted; the ones that don't---don't get promoted. It's really not that hard.[/quote]

It is impossible to demonstrate you can perform next level with an “on the clock mentality” here is a great example. I heavily encouraged one of my workers to attend an annual family night thing going to Nats game, My CEO is big on it. At event I am like where the F is he, finally I see him and family sitting away from everyone else. I call him over, I go did you swing by out set up to get free shirt and say hi to CEO at check in he goes no. He heads back to seat away from everyone.

Meanwhile I go to 16-18 after work things a year. Lots are board meetings, off sites, work events. I will talk to guy.

It is frustrating going to events with these idiots, either I am alone or the show up antisocial and leave early.

The area off clock now makes events mandatory. And a few have shown they do have next level potential and they got promoted.


[/quote]

If you want free work from them you need to start going to bat regularly for employee promotions and other perks. Nothing in your writing suggests yiou do that. That’s probably the difference between you and the supervisor in the other department.

[Anonymous]

You don’t value them enough to make them salaried employees, and then you wonder why they don’t care more?