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Management, attitudes, etc. I would be perfectly happy being salaried if
there wasn't the underlying, dark push towards some extra hours each week
(that amount to a LOT of money at the end of the year). And yes, people lose
their jobs here if they refuse...even if they do great work!
Some places "Get It". Others don't. I don't know of any way to balance it
other than Legal Precedent. Some win, some lose.
-Collin
On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 3:45 PM, Susan W Gallagher <susanwg -at- gmail -dot- com>
wrote:
> <sigh> I was going to stay out of this discussion, but...
>
> Yes, Utah is a relatively inexpensive place to live - I'm in San Diego and
> my division's main office is in Foster City (just outside of San Francisco).
> I stay here because I love it here - no need to make the best of it, it is
> the best. <g> I don't suffer - silently or otherwise! (Well, unless you
> count having to park the Mustang convertible in favor of the cross-over with
> better gas mileage as suffering. On nice days, I sure do! <g>)
>
> And I'm not afraid to speak up - but I *am* afraid of changes to the status
> quo. I like being a salaried employee. I can walk my dog and eat my
> breakfast while I wait for the traffic to clear before I leave for work. If
> I need to work from home, I email my boss to let him know. I've never had to
> keep track of my hours. And my pay is right up there with what the devs
> make -- fairly common for an API writer position these days, at least in my
> experience.
>
> And the last time I was on a death-march-to-the-release schedule --
> granted, in the late 90s, so during boom days -- management was so
> appreciative it landed me a $13k/yr raise, so would I hesitate doing it
> again or begrudge the time? Nope, not me! There's a review about to happen -
> it's right around the corner! <g>
>
> Hourly, as a contractor? Been there. Done that. No thanks!
> -Sue Gallagher
>
>
>
> On 5/21/08, Collin Turner <straylightsghost -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
>>
>> Are my conditions really that different?
>>
>> In case you haven't paid attention, Utah is NOT a cheap place in which to
>> live. It's simply a cheap place in which to make people work.
>>
>> I only stay here because I have to (and it's pretty). So I make the best
>> of
>> my situation and never suffer in silence. I wish more of my fellow
>> Technical
>> Writers/Communicators, etc. would drop a pair and do the same (wink).
>>
>> That is what this comes down to. Fear.
>>
>> We don't want to rock the boat in fear of causing trouble, getting in
>> trouble, getting fired. It's hard to outsource a Tech Writer effectively -
>> companies try it all the time and few succeed. I am "successful" in this
>> state, but still below the average for other States and on par (or above)
>> for national averages.
>>
>> I enjoy working hourly. There is nothing to be afraid of.
>>
>> Then again, I also like being on contract. And I like hanging from cliffs
>> and driving fast...and running with scissors.
>>
>> Does that make me a bad person? A fool? Or just insane?
>>
>
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