Standing Up
I've been semi-enjoying a stay-cation this last week.
A month ago, I let it be known to Human Resources that it had been a year since I'd been brought on as a temporary worker to help the full-timers catch up on work after the very unexpected passing of the senior designer. I was only supposed to be doing part-time production work, but instead I'd been updgraded to 30-40 hours a week designing flyers and creating catalogs - while I had no problem staying a temp, if I was going to continue to do graphic design, I needed to be paid as a graphic designer. I needed a raise.
When Human Resources hadn't got around to discussing my pay with the Grand Poobah after three weeks, I sent an email to my direct supervisor and her direct supervisor, telling them the situation - been there a year, needed a raise if I was going to continue doing graphic design. My super said she'd look into it, then the next day gave me a branding assignment to do - what she was really doing was attempting to keep me busy during the slow period, seeing how I'd already finished my two flyers and she still wasn't ready to start the next catalog. But she'd chosen a project that was out-and-out graphic design, and not just graphic design, but potentially the rebranding of the various entities under the company's umbrella. I balked, first by not doing anything new to the look, using instead a variation of the last thing the company had done; then by flat out saying if she was serious about rebranding, she needed to call a meeting with her two full-time graphic designers, have a brainstorming session, and do it right.
That was Wednesday afternoon - when I came in Thursday, I'd been there less than half an hour when my super took me into to see the Human Resource Director.
I was no longer needed. I wasn't fired - I wasn't an actual employee, I couldn't be fired - my assignment was officially deemed finished. My super would interview the two remaining graphic designers, find their strengths, and assign job duties; then decide what the third full-timer's responsibilities would be - then the company would advertise for a new employee. It would take some time to do all that, sure... but seeing how everyting was caught up and the next round of insanity wasn't ready to be tackled, there would be no reason to keep me around just to have me sit with my thumb up my alementary canal.
Basically, since I was refusing to do graphic design without being paid for graphic design, I was being let go.
This would be the second time this particular empoyer has let me go for standing up for myself. I would say "You'd think I'd learn," but considering how I'm the only other employee ever employed by the company to create catalogs from scratch and the company didn't deem that deserving enough of a raise, I'm going to say instead "You'd think THEY would learn."
I need a day job to keep the lights on while I pursue my dreams. I'll find it. But the company I just left won't find another ME.
A month ago, I let it be known to Human Resources that it had been a year since I'd been brought on as a temporary worker to help the full-timers catch up on work after the very unexpected passing of the senior designer. I was only supposed to be doing part-time production work, but instead I'd been updgraded to 30-40 hours a week designing flyers and creating catalogs - while I had no problem staying a temp, if I was going to continue to do graphic design, I needed to be paid as a graphic designer. I needed a raise.
When Human Resources hadn't got around to discussing my pay with the Grand Poobah after three weeks, I sent an email to my direct supervisor and her direct supervisor, telling them the situation - been there a year, needed a raise if I was going to continue doing graphic design. My super said she'd look into it, then the next day gave me a branding assignment to do - what she was really doing was attempting to keep me busy during the slow period, seeing how I'd already finished my two flyers and she still wasn't ready to start the next catalog. But she'd chosen a project that was out-and-out graphic design, and not just graphic design, but potentially the rebranding of the various entities under the company's umbrella. I balked, first by not doing anything new to the look, using instead a variation of the last thing the company had done; then by flat out saying if she was serious about rebranding, she needed to call a meeting with her two full-time graphic designers, have a brainstorming session, and do it right.
That was Wednesday afternoon - when I came in Thursday, I'd been there less than half an hour when my super took me into to see the Human Resource Director.
I was no longer needed. I wasn't fired - I wasn't an actual employee, I couldn't be fired - my assignment was officially deemed finished. My super would interview the two remaining graphic designers, find their strengths, and assign job duties; then decide what the third full-timer's responsibilities would be - then the company would advertise for a new employee. It would take some time to do all that, sure... but seeing how everyting was caught up and the next round of insanity wasn't ready to be tackled, there would be no reason to keep me around just to have me sit with my thumb up my alementary canal.
Basically, since I was refusing to do graphic design without being paid for graphic design, I was being let go.
This would be the second time this particular empoyer has let me go for standing up for myself. I would say "You'd think I'd learn," but considering how I'm the only other employee ever employed by the company to create catalogs from scratch and the company didn't deem that deserving enough of a raise, I'm going to say instead "You'd think THEY would learn."
I need a day job to keep the lights on while I pursue my dreams. I'll find it. But the company I just left won't find another ME.