Years Experience: 10-19 years (United States)

I have worked for the same company now for 6 + yrs and have moved up and being giving nothing but the highest regard. However for the past 3 yrs, my hours were cut from 40 to 30 along with other employees & now that they want me to go back F/T they want me to take it for 50 cents more. 10 more hours, 20 more hrs of work, then they will reduce the other employees hrs, so there's only 60 hrs in this whole office. Companies today know they have you by the tail & that you probably cant just go out and get another job right away becuase of the market. Your stuck between a rock and hard place with no where to go. Frustrated, proative employee living in a tourist town with no where to go from here. What does a person do?

If you are thinking of joining a not for profit organization in a career change, know one thing. You will not be paid what you feel you are worth unless you land in an executive level job. Those types are generally OVER paid. But, there are a lot of wonderful perks/benefits. Shorter work week (generally 35 hours full time) lots of paid time off and good medical benefits.

The money stinks but the work is rewarding and the benefits can't be beat!

Keep your head up and think of customers as your best friend.

The first few weeks on the job pay close attention to the top sellers and adapt their techniques. This will boost your commissions and will surely impress your new boss.

CNA's do all the heavy physical work and receive the least in compensation. CNA's are the number one occupation for personal injury, more than construction workers. However, in construction the pay scale reflects the effort. I would NEVER recommend to anyone a career as a CNA. There is tremendous disrespect from all the other types of healthcare personnel, from nurses to administration. I worked on a cardiac unit for 7 years as a CNA. By far, the toughest job I ever had and the lowest pay I ever received. I made more money in less time as a waitress! What's really sad is nursing has always been a woman's occupation, underpaid and overworked. To be treated as "less than" by other women is even sadder.

Just because you take a job making more money....weigh be benefits as well. I didn't. I wound up leaving a job that paid decent with benefits for a higher paying job with the promise of benefits....Guess what...no benefits. Bummer for me.

For the first few years I worked, it was in a dead-end cashier job. I pulled myself out of that situation by continuing my education, in service and repair, but when I got home from school I found out how difficult someone in my position has it. Instead of working as a tech, I went into parts instead.

Working for an autoparts chain, I thought I had a chance, a shot at something better. Only after wasting four years did I realize that speaking up for oneself will only get you terminated, especially if you are female working in a male-dominated field. Especially if the place you work has more males than females and your supervisor has no spine. I was terminated, because I would not accept the blame for others mistakes, others who should have been reprimanded, but were not.

Don't stop speaking up, don't stop fighting, no matter how much you want to. If enough of us do, then maybe that glass ceiling will shatter.

No associate should be surprised when it comes to their end of year review.

As long as both the associate and manager are doing their part. You should be receiving regular periodic performance assessments. Including a mid year review for a detailed performance discussion.

At each meeting be prepared and engage in a fact based discussion. Each session should answer questions related to your performance as outlined in your annual performance objectives with written feedback.

"No raise due to budget concerns", this is a cop out answer and wrong. Budgets are just that, planned expenses. However, if this answer is provided, it fair to ask how that can happen? or Seek your next step options outside your manager. Many times it’s not if there was not enough money, it a matter of how those moneys were allocated.

Also evaluate your current salary to your department's market reference point (MRP) as this to can be taken into account. This becomes next assessment factor if performance ratings for associates are the same.

EXAMPLE:

Below is a simplistic look at a 10 associate department but represents the basic idea and order which raises could be assessed. Performance first then MRP, see that 2 associates may not be considered.

(APO) 1 to 5 rating with 5 being best.

LOW: 28,000

MRP: 30,000

HIGH:42,000

Connie current salary is 30,000 and rated 5 on 1-5 scale.

Eddie current salary is 29,000 and rated 4 on 1-5 scale.

Juanita current salary is 31,000 and rated 4 on 1-5 scale.

John current salary is 29,000 and rated 3 on 1-5 scale.

Betty current salary is 41,000 and rated 3 on 1-5 scale.

Not eligible due to poor performance:

Janice current salary is 41,000 and rated 2 on 1-5 scale.

Ralph current salary is 28,000 and rated 2 on 1-5 scale.

So bottom line:

Know, live and breath your annual performance expectations.

If not provided, ask for periodic written performance evaluations.

Keep in mind your salary in relationship to dept. MRP.

If you still feel your review and associated compensation is improper express your concerns and use your company policies or contact HR.

If you are thinking about or are in this career, it can be very rewarding and you could live the good life. You are truley the master of your universe. I get so much satisfaction when someone tells me they love their hair! Sometime this is enough to love this career. But we can't pay bills with compliments. On the other hand if you keep at it and don't change salons, in a few years you will be making good money and in 7 to 10 years you will be making great money. Don't change salons; pick the right one from the start. It will be your home for a long time. If you don't make at least 250 a week full time in a year and a half, leave. If you do and like the people you work with. Then you hit a home run. As long as there is incentive to earn more money. And you can hone your skill.

In this working environment, you may not get the job you want. It is in this circumstance that you should take a contract position and work within the job category and prove yourself. In a year or more, you can prove your skills and value to the company and actually get more money than you would have had you just been hired at your desired salary.