How much notice do I need to give?

amother

Indigo

Thu, May 28 2015, 8:28 am

yes it's a business

he feels I'm with them for 10 years and owe it to him to stay till he finds someoone

I don't think it's fair for me to have to continue at the low rate

I stretched it to 2 months - I'm thinking of telling him I will stretch it another 2 weeks

I know he depends on me and it will a heard handover but still I dont' want to have to continue to working at a low price

the main reason I'm quiting is the low wage I'm getting and that I have been turning down other work with people paying me a lot more.
I feel if I'm a pushover then I could end up antoher year working in the same way (who says the first person he hires will work out? )

so should I say an extra 2 weeks? do I have to go an extra month (to 3 months total?)
what is fair - I want to be fair to him but also to me

Barbara

Thu, May 28 2015, 9:35 am

amother wrote:

No, you should not give him more time. Nor should you give him more breaks. You gave him your pricing; you told him when it would go into effect. That's it. If he needs the work done, he'll pay.

If you give in, you'll be stuck forever. Because let's face it, if he can't or won't pay more than half the going rate, he's never going to find anyone else to do the work.

groovy1224

Thu, May 28 2015, 10:08 am

Look, you can either make a living, or be his best friend. This guy is swindling you, not the other way around. You went out of your way to accommodate him, and now the ball is in his court. Do not,I repeat, do NOT, give him more time. How would you feel if your husband was taking significantly less money than he deserved because he felt bad for someone else? This is your livelihood, not pocket money for a 10 year old. You have a responsibility towards your family and yourself to only accept the pay you deserve. If he wants to name his own see, tell him to try eBay.
If he needs you as much as he says, he'll pay up. If not, he can find someone else. That's really all there is to it.

amother

Indigo

Thu, May 28 2015, 10:25 am

Quote:

This is what dh says

he's been pushing me for a long time to not work for this price

he has given me steady work for years - - truth is he has too much work for me now (more then 1 person cn handle) but I am his only programmer and it will be a very hard handover.

I'm thinking if I tell him till the end of july (3 months) notice but after that no choice - if he didn't find someone then he will have to pay me my price.

amother

Firebrick

Thu, May 28 2015, 10:32 am

personally I don't think you should give him more time either. you have already given him waaay more then customary amount of time due to the fact that you have a work history with him. my dh is also in computers but not as a contractor.

He is currently negotiating a 50% raise plus certain changes in the company because he was underpaid and his bosses realized that my dh wasn't kidding around - either they shape up and give him what he wants or he is walking and like you it would be a big deal if my dh leaves... I'm getting the picture that this guy thinks he can just keep guilting you....

Jeanette

Thu, May 28 2015, 10:35 am

The problem as others have said is that you've been giving him breaks for so long that he expects it now and thinks you owe it to him. But you really don't. You've given him enough notice and how he'll manage without you is up to him. Think what would happen if you had to stop working for some other reason (simchos only!). He'd find a way to deal.

rosenbal

Thu, May 28 2015, 12:20 pm

Wow. He is being totally innapropriate. Honestly, EVERYONE is replaceable! Even you. (I know we hate to think of ourselves as replaceable...) He just knows he'll never get such a good deal again. THAT'S what's irreplaceable.

I don't even think you should be working for the 20% extra. If you think you'll have enough business soon without him at your regular double the price rates...I think you should be charging that. Maybe with a 10% discount for x number of hours work if you want. It's not a non profit, so please don't continue this! Even non profits don't get 50% discounts!

Is he gonna pay for tuition? Your kids' weddings? Your retirement? No? Then please stop being guilted by him!

Thu, May 28 2015, 12:26 pm

amother wrote:

Quote:

Don't give him more time.

You gave him a warning. If you give him another one you're just showing he can push you around. Straight forward, you told him the rates, don't discuss it anymore, and bill him at the new rates.

(I know I'm replaceable, but even so, at a certain point, it's not worth working anymore - so it's just as good to lose that client as it would be to work at such a low rate.)

suzyq

Thu, May 28 2015, 1:10 pm

I would say, "I'm sorry. I told you I would work at this rate until June 30(?). After that, it will either be $X an hour or I won't be able to continue." Say it again and again, every time he asks. You can also remind him that you gave him 60 days notice, which is plenty. Don't let him push you, because it will never end. This is NOT your problem, it's his.

rosehill

Thu, May 28 2015, 1:33 pm

To the OP, I've been on this website for a long time, and it's rare to find an issue on which there's so much consensus. Every single response here has been the same. It's enough. You've behaved honorably with this man, and now it's time to stop working for him.
You feel indebted to him because he gave you work when you needed it, but you repaid his kindness many times over by doing good work at a discounted price. I wonder if he would've found a less expensive programmer, if he would've been as considerate of you as you're being.
Women often have a hard time with this sort of thing, but you know what you have to do.
Hatzlacha.