Vent about Jewish business owners

amother

Coffee

Fri, Jan 29 2016, 1:42 am

I'm in the same situation as you. except I was promised a raise 7 months ago - they kept pushing me off until they just changed ownerships of the company. now the new guy in charge tells me that he understands that I was promised a raise, however he has to do what's best for the company and now no raise. while I hear that - I'm just frustrated. I obviously have not been putting my all into my work since then. I don't feel appreciated.

I feel like going to a competition and working for them just to show them what my work is worth, but I'd feel too bad;(

mummiedearest

Fri, Jan 29 2016, 7:01 am

amother wrote:

OP here. Here's the update. I was basically told that I will not be paid for more then x hours which is a cut for me. So I will now be really focusing on finding a new job. That's the short version of a bunch of back and forth emails between me and the boss yesterday.

if he put it as paid for x number of hours, why not tell him that you will only be working x number of hours from now on? don't give him more than he's paying you for.

amother

Ginger

Fri, Jan 29 2016, 7:04 am

amother wrote:

OP here, another why in the world do you feel bad working for their competition? If someone gives you a better job you take it. You don't owe anyone anything. If anything this whole experience with my boss has taught me, it's that nobody is looking out for you, everybody looks out for themselves. Obviously your company couldn't care less about the raise they promised you, do you think they would hesitate to let you go if they didn't need you anymore? You don't have to be rude about it but you should not feel bad about looking out for yourself or feel as if you owe you job anything. The more and more experiences I have with working for people, the more I realize that no boss ever feels like they owe me anything. When it comes to their needs a business, I come second. I'm telling this to myself as well as you, do what's best for you because nobody else will. I know sounds harsh but at the end of the day, it's the truth.

Chayalle

Fri, Jan 29 2016, 7:07 am

One of my sisters worked for a frum company in a similar situation with an additional twist; She worked for two years building up the IT infrastructure for the company...and then, he went and hired a male manager for the expanding business (instead of promoting her) to supervise the new guys he hired....

My sister communicated her disappointment, and he kept making empty promises that did not pan out. She then found herself a better job and handed in her notice. Suddenly he was storming about how can she do this to him, and the manager he hired didn't even have the experience and knowledge needed, etc....

Well, she had given him ample time and communication to get his act together. His loss. She's doing great in her new position.

OP, I've found that often when we are in a job situation, we think we won't find another good position. This allows our bosses to treat us unfairly. BTW this is not unique to Jewish companies - I myself worked for a nasty non-Jewish boss for quite some time, and finally realized I could do better - switched to the job I've been working for for the past 18 years and have never looked back.

Good luck OP. You deserve a job where appreciation = commensurate pay.

amother

Ginger

Fri, Jan 29 2016, 7:13 am

cookiecutter wrote:

Frum women who work in secular workplaces are likely in a more corporate environment, with a formal HR structure in place. If they work in a frum workplace, it is just as likely to be a three person office in a Lakewood or Boro Park basement. So there are more likely to be issues in frum workplaces.

Op here again. Exactly this above ^^^. I'm sorry if I offended anyone by bashing Jewish bosses, I did not intend on spreading sinas chinam and I would never post my vent on a non-Jewish forum for that exact reason. However, this has been my experience for many Jewish bosses. I'm sure there are Jewish bosses who are great and non-Jewish bosses who are terrible but I should specify it to say in the smaller heimish companies this is a problem. They don't have any formal structure to follow or an HR department so they just make things up as they go to suit their needs. Of course it means more flexibility but when it comes to a raise or bonus that you would get in a more corporate environment, you are at their whim. Trust me, I've worked for and interviewed with many small Jewish businesses, I can say with confidence that many of them do what they want, and demand things of their employees that would NEVER fly in bigger companies or more corporate environments. And there are also some amazing Jewish bosses who give their employees the best chance to grow in the company. My current boss is a nice person and treats me nicely as a person but when it comes to money, well that's a whole 'bother story.

amother

Ginger

Mon, Feb 01 2016, 8:33 pm

Chayalle wrote:

Op here, crazy story! So glad your sister got out of there and its most definitely his loss! Thanks for pointing out what you said, its true and easy to feel "stuck" at a job and forget that you can do so much better. I guess sometimes bosses sense that and they take advantage but in the end they won't win. So important to remember our self worth as an employee, thanks for the reminder!

Chana Miriam S

Mon, Feb 01 2016, 9:45 pm

amother wrote:

Vent: What is it about every single Jewish business owner I meet or have worked for (and I’ve worked for many) that they all expect the same thing. They all want the BEST, most PROFESSIONAL, LOYAL, DEDICATED, SMARTEST employee who puts their heart and soul into the job. But when it comes to paying, they want to pay the lowest possible amount, squeezing every penny possible. Seriously?? Do Jewish business owners not understand that you get what you pay for. If you want the best, you gotta pay the best and if you wanna pay cheap, you are gonna get a cheap/not quality employee. It drives me mad. My current boss started off paying me pretty decently (more then I had ever gotten in the past) so I was really motivated and really put my heart and soul into the building up the company. I helped him with running his business, I did sales etc thinking and hoping that he’d let me grow in the company, give me a raise, a bonus, something to encourage me to keep working and striving (as he constantly gave me praise that I was doing a great job). Then when it came time to ask for raise or commission, I was told no and not only that, but I was told I’m getting a pay cut because the budget of the company has changed (hard to believe cuz this company is making money hand over fist). Meanwhile he told me he still wants to keep me around because I do such a great job and he doesn’t wana train someone else. Yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck. So now I’m doing my job and still doing it well (don’t wana get fired) but I don’t put my heart and soul into it anymore and I don’t try to go above and beyond and do the most amazing job like I used to cuz I have zero motivation that I’m actually going anywhere in this job. I’m looking for another job but its not so easy plus I have weird hours. My only saving grace is that my boss is basically too lazy to hire someone new and train them because he doesn’t even know half of what I do and if he fires me, there’s no way I’ll help him out and he’ll be kinda stuck (and he knows it). At least if he lays me off and I get unemployment, I would be willing to help him train someone new in which he knows he needs me to do. Why do I work for such idiots?? (Anon so it doesn't ever get back to my boss that I posted this)

For the record, I am a Frum Jew who owns a business and I pay fairly, treat my staff as I want to be treated and feel strongly that if we cannot trust each other, we shouldn't be working together.

amother

Amber

Tue, Feb 02 2016, 6:36 am

I'm in a very similar situation as you are, I work in a small frum business and used to work overtime and put all my kochos into the job, at the beginning my pay was very low but I worked myself up and was a little more decent with an occasional bonus. I also totally changed the way the business worked and was instrumental in it's growth.
About a year in a half ago, my pay was changed from per hour to per week, no bonuses since then. When I ask they say they can't afford a raise, since I'm in every part of the business, I know that they're doing better now than before.
I have told them that I will leave and I was begged to stay and promised things will change and they need me.
I'm usually told off if I don't work as hard as I used to, but my heart is not in it anymore, I do my job but don't put all my energies into it anymore. I stopped recommending changes and ideas like I used to.
I'm also officially part time but end up working extra hours and there's no overtime.

My boss somehow makes me feel super guilty whenever I bring up anything about better pay or me leaving.
I wish they'd realize that I'm human, by taking away my hope for better days, they take away motivation.
I know I need to make the jump but there aren't any options at this time where I live for my kind of work.
I'm also comfortable with my schedule and routine, it works for me at this time as crazy as that sounds or maybe I'm just a scaredy cat...

amother

Crimson

Thu, Feb 04 2016, 6:48 am

just to give you chizuk.

my dh was working at a job (a non- Jewish place) and he was being underpaid, he couldn't do his work due to poor management, he couldn't make improvements... He tried making suggestions but nothing helped. He finally got a raise but not as big as he wanted. Eventually they fired him since they were sick of his crabbing. He claims it was the best thing ever! He didn't have to give two weeks notice, he got severance pay, unemployment... and ended up getting a job he loves sooo much more! Other jobs ARE out there!