That’s not the kind of thing I say often. I’ve only ever had one other boss I would classify as “awesome” because he was a great guy and went to bat for me at my last job when I was applying to move up in the company to a much higher paying position. (I got that position, and was offered the max starting salary due I suspect in large part to said awesome boss’ glowing review of my work)
See, just about a year ago I was let go from a large company because prior management had royally screwed things up with their incompetence (sadly, Awesome Boss #1 was one of them – great guy, hopeless manager) and so they had to silce and dice the expenses, me being one of them. I got a nice severance package though so it wasn’t all bad. What I missed the most was the nice big paycheque – the job itself had become a mountain of suck with new corporate acquisitions and piss-poor logistics surrounding them making my job a nightmare – but the pay was good. Most I ever made. I was tremendously relieved not to be working in that environment though, even if I missed the money. I had resigned myself to probably having to accept a new job at a lower pay scale because frankly, I thought I’d lucked out with what I had.
Fortunately I didn’t have to; a month later, with an interview process that went so smoothly it was eerie, I was working for a new, smaller, friendlier company that really had its act together in a way that impressed me. I was making as much as I did at my old job with a small raise at the end of a 3-month eval period, which I also got, which means I am now making a tad more than I did at my last job. And life is good.
Until last week, on my last paycheque, I noticed there was an extra $30 on it I couldn’t immediately account for. I chalked it up to a temporary dip in the tax rate or somesuch and forgot about it.
Today though we were working through a bit of a problem with an order that amazingly slipped the notice of both the one who entered it and the one who picked it (and it was a pretty obvious error). Myself, my supervisor, and the guy who was both of our bosses. We got it all worked out, and he came by my desk after talking a bit with my supervisor just to mention, in passing, that he had already put in for another raise for me and if it wasn’t reflected on my previous cheque already, it would be on my next.
Just like that. Right in between annual review periods – just a spontaneous, “Hey, you’re doing great” raise. I mean, it isn’t a whole wad of cash or anything, but it’s something – and it’s something I didn’t even ask for and wasn’t expecting.
“Well, thank you!” I said to him.
“You’re welcome – but I should be thanking you.” was his response.
After years of being an anonymous worker drone I have grown accustomed to being used and abused by upper management. I’m not entirely sure I know what to do with management being, like … generous.
