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Friday update
Aug. 11th, 2006 12:37 pmWell, Jo & Andy seem to have been incredibly unlucky with the weather, as its solidly depressed, grey & wet out there. On several times in the last 2 nights I’ve been woken by someone drumming on the roof – only to work out (incredulously) that its actually rain. A lot of rain. All at once. Still, it gives a fairly good representation of what Amsterdam is like in Autumn, and by G/od, it certainly feels like late October.
In other news, Carole was told the other day that she has to spend *even longer* away from home, thanks to her new line manager demanding that she ‘show her face more’ in the office that is 2 & a half hours train ride away.
Frankly, I think this sucks big time – shes replaced someone who was earning at least twice her salary & has not had any compensation given to her, and is now expected to be away from home 3 days a week, whilst shes does high-level general management / dogs-body work for them. Moreover, she’s not got the 30% ruling, as shes apparently not an essential employee, despite the fact that this project shes working on would come crashing down without her.
In addition, to this, shes going to be working away until MAY NEXT YEAR, with additional demands on her time (with no extra remuneration) at key points. They’ve even objected to her taking “4 days off” to go to Spiel in October, when, in fact, 2 of those days are a Saturday & Sunday!
Personally, I think that they’ve gone from “taking the p1ss” to “systematically scr3wing their employees”, but there is f**k all I can do about it as I want to be supportive – though I just *KNOW* that C can do better – there are unquestionably better jobs in Amsterdam itself, with more pay, less travel & a much better quality of life. And even if she finds one, she doesnt have to take it, she can just dangle it in front of her employers and say "make me a better offer". Thats what I'd investigate, certainly - but C has never changed jobs'; she's very loyal to her employers, including randomly turning on her computer at 10pm, to 'just do some emails', but she doesn't seem to recognise how much of a drain it is on her. Shes utterly exhausted.
I just wish that I knew that this was 'as bad as it was going to get' – or at the very least, she would get some more money for it; at least that way she would get some recognition that shes a valued employee & not some junior paper-pusher from the UK who’s been foisted off on them... The thing that really concerns me is that “one more day a week“ is not really ‘showing your face’ significantly more, now is it? I suspect that her boss wants her to be there 4 (or preferably 5) days a week without fail, ‘because I’m your boss’ – which is basically his reason for his current demand… And what'll happen is that the pressure is going to get higher & higher for her to do this and C will justify it to herself again & again that this is all part of the process... and then, suddenly, it will be too much & she will be given the do it or else option, and shell be forced to look outside, when she doesn't have the luxury of free time to do this.
Its not a good situation, really. I just wish she would (at the least) take stock of what her options are out there.
S
In other news, Carole was told the other day that she has to spend *even longer* away from home, thanks to her new line manager demanding that she ‘show her face more’ in the office that is 2 & a half hours train ride away.
Frankly, I think this sucks big time – shes replaced someone who was earning at least twice her salary & has not had any compensation given to her, and is now expected to be away from home 3 days a week, whilst shes does high-level general management / dogs-body work for them. Moreover, she’s not got the 30% ruling, as shes apparently not an essential employee, despite the fact that this project shes working on would come crashing down without her.
In addition, to this, shes going to be working away until MAY NEXT YEAR, with additional demands on her time (with no extra remuneration) at key points. They’ve even objected to her taking “4 days off” to go to Spiel in October, when, in fact, 2 of those days are a Saturday & Sunday!
Personally, I think that they’ve gone from “taking the p1ss” to “systematically scr3wing their employees”, but there is f**k all I can do about it as I want to be supportive – though I just *KNOW* that C can do better – there are unquestionably better jobs in Amsterdam itself, with more pay, less travel & a much better quality of life. And even if she finds one, she doesnt have to take it, she can just dangle it in front of her employers and say "make me a better offer". Thats what I'd investigate, certainly - but C has never changed jobs'; she's very loyal to her employers, including randomly turning on her computer at 10pm, to 'just do some emails', but she doesn't seem to recognise how much of a drain it is on her. Shes utterly exhausted.
I just wish that I knew that this was 'as bad as it was going to get' – or at the very least, she would get some more money for it; at least that way she would get some recognition that shes a valued employee & not some junior paper-pusher from the UK who’s been foisted off on them... The thing that really concerns me is that “one more day a week“ is not really ‘showing your face’ significantly more, now is it? I suspect that her boss wants her to be there 4 (or preferably 5) days a week without fail, ‘because I’m your boss’ – which is basically his reason for his current demand… And what'll happen is that the pressure is going to get higher & higher for her to do this and C will justify it to herself again & again that this is all part of the process... and then, suddenly, it will be too much & she will be given the do it or else option, and shell be forced to look outside, when she doesn't have the luxury of free time to do this.
Its not a good situation, really. I just wish she would (at the least) take stock of what her options are out there.
S
