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Asking boss about pay
I am having an issue with pay at my current job. I'm out of college and wanted to go into a field more relevant to my skills, so I left my first job and started a new one a few months ago. I was hired as an intern and after a week my boss told me he wanted to bring me on full. Unfortunately a client backed out from the company and my boss told me he could no longer pay full, but could keep me on as an intern. I was kind of stuck and took it, but he promised that he would bring me on full as soon as the company got a new client.
Let me make it clear that I am very aware that business is business, that nothing should be taken as truth until a contract is signed, that words are words and nothing more.
Two months later I'm still being paid just an intern stipend and I am beginning to look for other positions. In the meantime, my boss gets angry and yells at my coworkers and me if he disagrees with something--he's a micromanager. I get that, don't love it, but accept it. But he expects I put in full-time work, contribute full-time-quality, for intern-pay. So I'm doing the same as my co-workers but for a fraction of the salary.
How would you approach this? Should I sit down with him? I want to be professional, and I think being able to ask for raises is an important skill to gain confidence in. I think that legally something's amiss because everything I do contributes directly to the company, not for personal learning. I'm just nervous I could do something that would make him fire me. As much as my below-minimum-wage "stipend" is difficult for me to sustain on, at least it's *something*.
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Hmm. Young person, abusive boss. An old, old story.
Not knowing anything else, I'd guess that your boss does this all the time. Sitting down with him is probably pointless - he'll just use you as cheap labour until you quit, then get another one. There's plenty more where you came from.
And anyway, why would you want to stay with an abusive boss? He isn't going to change, dude.
So what you need to do is to use this time to acquire experience that you can parlay into a better job. Do stuff to put on your resume - that's what working as an intern is for. Once you are not doing anything *new* at work, once you have stopped adding dot-points to your CV, then that job has no more value for you.
You are there for *you*, and for *your* career. Job hopping, particularly when you are young, is perfectly ok. It's getting experience. Move to another job without a moment of regret.
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First understand you are an "At Will" employee. Meaning you work without a contract. While this does not mean you cannot have a conversation with your employer about equal pay for equal work. It means your employer can fire you at any time for any reason. A an example of any reason as far fetched as it may sound would be, he does not like blue eyed people and you have blue eyes.
If that is his reason for firing someone that person is out of a job and has no recourse as their was no contract of employment between them.
What I'm saying is; if your boss is also the owner of the company and you go to him with a request for more money, which I feel your entitled too since you are doing equal work. Be prepared for him to say if something to the effect that if your unhappy I will be sorry to see you go. Meaning he may have just fired you.
There is also the possibility that he will give you a raise that he either forgot or was waiting for you to come to him. Just bear in mind that you could loose if he is both the owner and you boss.
If he is just your supervisor then you should go to the human resource department or the owner to ask for more money.
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Something like this happened to my sister a few weeks ago-except she was paid too little money when she was entitled to a higher min wage because she turned 18.
Anyway, its illegal and you need to speak to someone in charge of accounts. Most businesses however small have someone who does the wages, not the business manager. Contact them-the business may be subcontracted, but that person who sorts the wages out does exist.
The thing is, to treat it like he's been too busy. That way you don't come across as all angry and instead you accept that its a mistake.
Are you on a contract? If so he can't just fire you. It gets tricky if you're on a zero hours contract-or indeed no contract.
But you're pointing out to him that he's breaking the law. I know you said that it was part of the conditions of taking you on, but an intern is not an intern forever.
So yes, speak to the accounts people about it.
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