A performance appraisal reminder sent department wide with a deadline date highlighted, arrived in her email inbox. This was the prime opportunity to inquire about getting more detailed information about her promotion once and for all. Would she have to fill out this appraisal since she just got promoted? Perfect scenario to ask, she thought. She wrote a quick inquiry to her seemingly former supervisor and added that they needed to talk.
The reply came stating agreement on talking. Within ten minutes she was in her former boss' office, behind closed doors, and the talk began. "I believe I already said everything about this last time," former boss said, with a smile playing on their lips. She merely nodded, looking her in the eye. "What is it you want to know? asked the former boss.
"Specifics. I have no enddate, no numbers, no figures, just a generalized statement. A lot of words but really no firm details....about anything. I need more than that if I'm being asked to make a decision and give a specific answer about whether I want this promotion. I have no details to work with."
The boss answered, "Everything will take some time to process. Your position up to this point, the new one, didn't exist before, so that has to be created, which has to go and be approved by others. It IS a promotion, and the determination on the salary and what level is something that is assessed." "How long will it be? Two weeks, a month? January?" she asked, trying to keep the pushiness out of her voice.
All she got was a headshake, and the ex-boss peering at their computer screen, to check some site to see if any indicator had shown up. "I've been checking every day, once a day, except today," the ex-boss said, and then they turned to face her. "Until I get the information, there's not much else to say." The ex-boss went on, "I know you worked hard, without complaint."
"Do I still have to fill out that performance appraisal? I mean, as what? I'm no longer in the old position, according to what we've talked about." "Yes, you do have to fill it out, and fill it as if you were in the old position, you have to detail what you did there, which I know was a lot, you helping me and all." the ex-boss admitted.
"And...does this mean I lose out on the potential increase or bonus I would've gotten?" she asked. "I could see what I could do...having the bonus, you would be considered because you have worked very hard and done a lot. You of several people here would deserve a bonus."
She explained, "I'm working on the same salary I made in the prior position. I do all the work asked of me, the work is not the issue. Even if this is a trial run, will I get retroactive pay?" The ex-boss nodded slightly, "We would have to figure that out, it may not be all that is due you,there is a cut-off date."
Fighting incredulousness, she said, "I'm just trying to get information, and it's just all very general, there's nothing for me to hold on to, and it's a lot of maybes I hear." Her ex-boss looked her in the eye and said that they would be fair, and that she would be taken care of.
This only worried her further. Nothing in writing, a verbal conversation with a lot of non-specifics like dates, numbers, a timeline that actuallly had an end date, these things were not forthcoming and she wondered what the hell she had to trust on. The department was notorious for cutting people and leading them on. One had been working there two years with very little to show for it except being just one of the work mules for her ex-boss and she had just extricated herself from becoming yet another mule. Or did she? What if it was all just simply bullshit to buy time and fuck her over? Who was to say they would drag this until the next quarter or try to blackball her or try to underpay her a decent salary?
The ex-boss seemed to read her thoughts, "Listen, I will be fair and I take care of you. It will all work out." For who? The department or her? "I have concerns, and this is all very...nebulous, I have to say it's not concrete, so I worry." she answered. She left the office with very little information. It was nice to have a conversation but essentially there was nothing relevant detail wise for her to hold on to. No guarantees, nothing in writing left her one nervous nelly.
She told herself to ignore the gnawing feeling in her stomach that she was being delayed and played. The only other option was to quit and move on or find another job elsewhere and move on altogether. The frustrating thought that her time and talent and hard work ethic was being wasted on these fuckers crept into her mind. She brushed it away. Maybe she was being too negative. Maybe...just maybe, her ex-boss would surprise her in a positive way. Or maybe not. For now she had a job, lowpaying, but hers for now.
She would continue this time to learn her new job, and look to getting the proactive pay (they had to find a way to creatively rename it if they couldn't give her all her proactive pay due her but still pay her) and the increase she would have gotten at her prior position somehow reflected in addition to her promotion increase in pay. Somehow, she thought, it would all turn out alright. Somehow. She had to believe. So far, her employer was asking to have some faith.
OK. Let's see.
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