[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Job trouble, need advice (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 10/22/2006 6:12:27 AM EDT
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My department manager wants the field guys (me) to fax in the paperwork every night for whatever reasons upper management deemed necessary. So last Monday I received a fax/scan/copy machine and advised my boss that I don't have a phone line (use cells only) and that I wouldn't be faxing my stuff in. He asked me if I had the internet, I said no. I don't feel it's their right to use my cable internet to profit their business. He dropped it and said he would get back to me. Friday afternoon he called me out in the field and said that they would pay for the phone line. One issue, I don't want a phone line in my apartment, I have no use. I will also need to pay the initial costs up front and each monthly bill to get reimbursed. I will also need the utility put in my name. All of this I don't want to do and is one huge hassle. I am thinking that I might tell them that if they want to have a phone line and fax installed they can put it in there name and have the bill sent to the office. What do you think? |
Tell them tha phone company wont open an account for you because you let your bills slide a few years ago, or something like that. They'll be forced to have it in their name. Then see if your tax accountant can deduct the "company office" that you have at home.
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I work from home and use my personal internet connection for both business and pleasure. In fact, I buy all of my own computer hardware and software. (If I ever leave the company, everything goes with me to my next job.) You have to be flexible, if you feel your job is worth it to you. |
Damn, sound like the perfect solution. |
Yeah right, I am not working 10hrs and then driving to Kinko's to pay $1.50 a fax. Not a prayer in hell. They said that they would pay $3/day to reimburse the employees. I tested it and it takes me 15min to set up the fax on the kitchen table and fax 10-12 reports. $3 is no where near my hourly rate. It's not so much the fact that I mind a phone line being installed it's more the principle of work invading your non-work life. I also don't want to take the time to monitor bills, write checks, pay for postage, etc... |
I would think that with an adaptor you can use the fax with a cell phone. I know thats not your point, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Honestly, if your job wants paperwork submitted, I'm not sure that lying about your ability to submit the work via the internet is a good idea. Many times jobs require some out of the pocket expenses in order to do your job like paying for transportation to and fro, uniforms, etc. |
If I could do it from my cell I would have no problem. I could handle that. Any ideas where I can get this adaptor? |
I agree with this 100%, especially since it's something they just started doing as opposed to something you should have known about before taking the job. If it's an hourly job, then anything beyond the normal shift is overtime and should be paid accordingly. Your time is your time, not theirs unless previously agreed upon. If it's a salary job or professional, well, you probably need to do it. It's a part of why salaried workers tend to make more money to begin with. |
Using a cell phone to fax is an exercise in frustration, very very slow. |
He needs to put the phone line in the companies name and I need to receive compensation for my hourly rate at 15min a day whether it's OT or not. (OT after 40hrs) |
This is exactly how I feel. I never agreed to this, they just said one day that this is how it's going to be done and we will pay this joke of a comp to you. I never signed a agreement saying I would do this. Like the old saying goes: "You give an inch and they will take a mile" |
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Will you be compensated for the time that it takes to do this WORK for your company? What's the problem with doing your report the next morning ON THE CLOCK. Some freakin companies want you to do work task off the clock. I'm there for them and will do my job while I'm being paid. When the pay stops, my obligation to them stops. It's a simple business arrangment. |
If you think I am a shitty employee than I think you are a company suck and brown noser. Probably middle management. |
Umm, efax.com... I think its free if you just send and dont receive faxes. |
No, we are not being paid what we normally make hourly. I can't make faxes the next day on the clock because I am in the field and not in a office. It has to be after I get home from 8-10hrs of work in the evening. I also lead a busy life, I am single, no wife to cook me dinner at night, I do all my own shopping, go to the gym, etc.... It's just a huge hassle. |
I'll check this out. |
Makes sense to me. Although, haggling over 15min blocks of time seems like a stretch considering how easy it is to pad time as an hourly worker going from job to job. If it was me I would take their fax machine, have them pay me monthly for the phone line as well as getting some money to fax the reports, program the numbers into the speeddial function and move on. Free fax machine, free phone line, probably a little money off the top. |
He's willing to give the 15 minutes, but at the rate he's paid, not $3. That's a friggin joke! What is diffreent about that time than regular work time that makes it worth less money? As for padding time between jobs, when he's going from job to job, he's still on company time. He can't be home or doing whatever he wants. It's windshield time and it's company time, not his time. ETA: This assumes you are actually an hourly employee and not being paid by the job. |
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Set up an account at either Data On Call or CallWave People fax the number, its delivered on your computer as a .pdf file. You can also fax out to a regular phone-line fax. Worst case you need a scanner if you are going to have to turn paper into a file. After that, its all electronic format. Otherwise, I think you really don't like working and you ought to think hard and ong about it. |
30 seconds to put papers in order. 28 seconds to fill out fax cover. 8 seconds to tap all papers together and get them even. 3 seconds to place in fax machine. 4 seconds to dial number. 1 minute to scan report and spit out. 12 seconds to place in file. 5 seconds just in case he dials wrong. That adds up to two minutes. If he makes 15 dollars an hour, then the company really only owes him .50 cents. The company is still paying him for another 10 minutes @ $3.00 just in case he is an uber-retard. Y'all are whiners and this is exactly why fucking Illegals get our jobs. |
| You seem like the Non Flexible type. Ya go ahead and tell your employer how you skipped on a few bills so you cannot have a land line now. That will look good. Either install the phone or go to staples, office max ect... for a fax. I also work from home. I have a phone/fax line and Internet. I guess its up to you. |
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Its your job. You either meet the job requirements or find a new job. How hard is this to understand? It seems to me pissing and moaning over having to have a phone THEY WILL PAY FOR it pretty fucking petty. Sorry, I have no sympathy for you. Now I will agree if they need you to be available, they should pay for it. But, they have offered to do just that. If they were making you pay the phone bill and whatnot, then I'd side with you. |
Paid hourly. It's not that I mind doing it. I just don't want the hassle of another bill, another check to write, and want to get comp'd accordingly at my usual hourly rate. It all adds up over time. I don't piss and moan about washing my own uniforms at $2 a load + detergent or doing oil changes on a company truck on my off days. Ya know why? It was spelled out in my employee handbook when I was hired. This was not. |
So you know exactly what is involved with his paperwork? You're pretty smart! Also, most companies pay in 15 minute or half hour increments.
And management being filled with guys like you are why the unions exist. What if his regular pay is $30 an hour and it actually takes 15 minutes to do it? Add that up every day for a month. BTW, I'm in management. |
I own a Company, and I think you would be a "Shi**y" employee. I have had a few people like that over the years and I make sure I remind them of that attitude when they want to leave early, or want some time off other then their Vacation time. That’s a double edge sword you are swinging. You begrudge a few minutes a day to your Employer to send a fax, then should you ask for any time off, besides Vacation/Holidays, wouldn’t that make you somewhat of a, what is that word that begins with an 'H'..........
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If he makes $30 an hour and has close to 40 hours, he ought to be thanking his lucky stars. And if that is the case, he really is a cry-baby. The more I read his whining I'm guessing more like $10 per hour. And I think you manage a McDonalds. |
No, illegals get out jobs because employers want to cut corners, get cheaper labor, and pocket more $$$. It's people like you that are the problem. While mommy and daddy are out working 70+hrs a week to get ahead in the company black hole the youth of today is getting raised inside daycare centers and then mommy and daddy wonder why little Jimmy has behavioral problems in 9th grade. Maybe it was because the father figure was never around? So while you are all out sucking the company dick trying to get a raise or a job title maybe you should stop and think just how Americans used to live and that family time you are losing due to your selfishness trying to suck off your boss. Yeah, I guess I might be inflexible but I also refuse to get walked on by my employer. Had my employer told me upon hiring me that this was part of the job then this would not be an issue. I refuse to have my employer tell me I am going to do something on my time and not get paid accordingly. I am done with this thread. Thank you to all that gave some good advice. |
 OK, whatever. The guys that work for me are field techs and they make $32 per hour. They also drive company trucks, all fuel and upkeep paid for, and they take them home at night. They're worth every penny, and sometimes more.
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As a field guy, you spend most of your time unsupervised. I can't comment on you specifically, because I don't know you. However, most of the field guys I know don't spend 100% of their work hours devoted to business. Lunches and coffee breaks typically go a little bit longer than the allotted time. Do you think you spend 15 minutes in your 8 - 10 hour day doing something other than business related? I'm not management, but I'm salaried and work 99% of the time unsupervised. I certainly spend time during business hours doing a little bit of personal business, from time to time. I also stay late or come in early when the job demands it. I'm also on call 24-7 if they are in a jam, and can't figure something out. All of this goes with the territory. They give you unsupervised freedom, you have to be flexible sometimes. If you can't stand the responsibility that goes with this freedom, you shouldn't be a field guy. YMMV. |
are you sure? I bet somewhere in the small print was some sort of "and additional duties as required/asked" every employment agreement I've ever signed has had a small phrase like that in it which allows them to change your job duties at will |
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Holy crap bud, send him a damn email and be done with it. It's faster, you already have the internet, and doesn't cost you or the company a dime. Please remember the first rule of business is always fire the asshole for despite how good he is he makes everyone else less effective. Try not to be that guy. Tj |
| Sounds like they are trying to be reasonable but you are not trying very hard to work with them. You blew it with them and the internet connection. You should have used it as an opportunity for them to pay all or part of your high speed internet connection. If you don't like the policy go to work for yourself. My employer pays for my cell phone and high speed internet. |
If you "win" and the company pays then you wouldn't have any hassles since the bill could be sent directly to corporate, you would just have to fax in the paperwork as requested. If they comp you for the phone line then set up e-mail statements and automatic withdraws from your account if you can't stand the hassle. I guess I just don't get it. Fight wars not battles. Squeeky wheels get scrutinized and then replaced eventually. You shouldn't make the mistake that the company needs you more then you need them unless you have a giant nest egg to fall back on. Working 8-10 hours a day is normal for most folks. In the past as a project manager I've worked 70-80 hours some weeks including sat and sun with no end in sight. ETA-spelling |
Wow! Imagine that! A company owner who want more from his employees and thinks the ones who stand up are "shitty". Do you have a small pecker and need to play god at your company? Jimmy gets 2 weeks vacation because he picked my dry cleaning all last month. I bet you do. I bet the majority of your employees think you are a dink of a boss. |
This is usually the case. However, some "field" jobs aren't like that. Sometimes there is a set schedule of things you have to do, already arranged in advance at the beginning of the day. In that case there will be little time for doing personal business. Where I work it's exactly like your description though. Not sure how things are done where ZW works. |
+1 This is why outsourcing to India etc is growing. I am not management but do currently lead a team with 5 US employees and 2 India employees and the India guys really bust their butts to get work done. |
| Sorry, but you are being entirely too inflexible. They're willing to work with you (pay for a phone line, etc), but you rebuke everything they offer and offer no alternatives in return. Its all a matter of compromise. You don't want a phone line that they're willing to pay for, and you don't want to use your internet connection either. Sorry, but you're being an ass.....Bottom line: If you want to keep your job, suck it up and use your internet connection to send the faxes or find an alternative amicable to both. |