I’m fairly new to the boards, but I’ve seen a lot of etiquette questions regarding the workplace…sooo I figure you guys could help me out!
I am a college student, and at the beginning of the school year I (finally!) got a job on-campus as a student assistant. This means I sit in my cubicle at the computer center and study and post messages on the boards and surf the web…and do actual work for my boss very occassionally. It’s great. Although I do feel guilty for being paid for the little work that I do, this job is not the problem.
Here’s the problem: When I was hired, my boss (and direct supervisor) told me that I had a standard 90-day trial period where I earned only minimum wage. No big deal, they do that with all student assistants to see if they “work out”. She also asked me to remind her after these ninety days. Well, ninety days went by, and I was still here, so I tried to mention it to her very casually that ninety days had passed, as she had asked me to. She nodded abruptly (she’s a very businesslike woman) and told me to tell the secretary (a very unfriendly woman). I “reminded” the secretary and she said that it would be taken care of.
This was nearly a month ago, I think. My last pay stub didn’t show that my pay had gone up, but I thought maybe it would be reflected in my next stub. Well, I just got my next stub, and it still hasn’t gone up.
Do I mention it again? I do so very little work here anyway that I’m actually earning way, way above minimum wage for the time I do spend working - I’ll get paid four hours’ worth for thirty minutes of work. And my boss and the secretary are very intimidating people! If I do mention it again, how should I go about it?
I’m switched to a job with a lower salary that I had really wanted, but it’s a great job so I really don’t mind.
I made sure to tell my boss how much I really love my job, and how I took a pay cut, but it’s worth it because of the great environment and the challenging work.
Within two months I had my raise. They made sure to match my old salary.
I think if you find a way of broaching the subject in a manner that your boss will feel as though a pay raise was their idea and not yours, you are more likely to get it through.
If your agreement was that after 90 days you receive a raise and you have not, then ask again. Ask every time you get a paycheck that doesn’t reflect your correct pay rate and make sure that the raise is effective as of the appropriate day.
If there was no specific agreement that you would get a raise after 90 days then you’re in more of a grey situation. You say you’re already wildly overpaid for the amount of work you actually do. That has no relevance in the former scenario but would be a factor in my thinking about how to act in the latter. My feeling is that you should ask again on your next payday and if your boss tells you to ask the secretary then be sure the secretary gives you a specific date by which the raise will be on your check, and follow up. I would probably be less concerned about back pay in this situation because of the wild overpayment.
