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I
am a warehouse manager, and I need to know if I can refuse to work out in the
field as a cleaning technician. My boss is making me work out in the field and
that's not my job as a warehouse manager. My other question is, is this a type
of discrimination? Our secretary at work had to move 100 miles away from work.
She told our boss that she would still work for the company 3 days a week if she
gets a $3 raise to make up for the days she will miss. The boss said ok. I
haven't had a raise in two-and-half years.
Signed,
Out In The Field
Dear Out:
Can you refuse to work outside your warehouse as a cleaning tech? Of course you can. The issue is is it wise for you to just say no? You are a warehouse manager. Do you have a clearly-written job description that explicitly states that all your work is to be within the warehouse? I doubt that. If you believe that the outside assignments harm your performance inside the warehouse, you might candidly discuss this with your boss. But to just say "no" sounds too much like insubordination, and even managers in good standing, who rarely have a union to back them up, can be told to just keep going when they are sent out into the field.
Is it fair for the secretary to get a raise? Maybe. Wages are usually kept secret, and, therefore, management often is the only one to know if the pay of one employee is fair in comparison with another. So the best you can do is to frankly make your case for a raise to your management, and then take it, leave it, or if you don't get it, to do what you feel is the least work you can do without getting fired. When pay seems unfair, it is usually the one who feels it is unfair who must make that case.
Don't become sour. Keep a sense of humor. Repeat this saying by Robert Frost:
"By working faithfully eight hours a day you
may eventually get to be a boss and work twelve hours a day"
Feeling that you are valued and respected builds the bridge we call WEGO. Whatever your rank, respect is what you want. There is no respect without fairness. Those who work should not have to make the case for fairness and respect. But most often, they do.
Bill Gorden