Mustard?

I suppose that I should be happy today. The company I work for, in a product line that I work in, has just pulled in about 75 millions dollars worth of business. Yet, I’m not so elated. There’s a big party tonight and everyone is already making their hotel reservations because they know they’ll be too drunk to drive. I’m focused on my one account that may pull in 1.6 million. I was shocked when one of the managers just told us flat out that he was getting drunk tonight and there was no way he was working tomorrow. This company is just weird. I aspire to work where we’re all closet alcoholics instead of public alcoholics. Is that too much to ask?

Yesterday I sat down with my manger (let’s call him Bob), and his manager (Let’s call him Bob’s brother), and reviewed my position w/in the company (lowest of the low) and my pay (lower yet). Normally I would just talk with Bob, but I dragged Bob's brother in because I've had six different managers in the past five years. Bob's brother has been the single constant management entity during my time here.

I was pondering just how I’ve managed to end up at the bottom of the pile when my years in the industry and time served at this company should put me much closer to the top of the dog pile. I was somewhat amused when Bob’s brother was explaining to me how much better it was to be lower paid because that “means you have more promotions and money ahead of you in your career”. I wanted to bonk him on the forehead with the heel of my hand. I wanted to tell him that he selected the response he has memorized for demoralized new college grads instead of the response for burned out, middle aged, dirt in the eye employees.

No one denies that my qualifications are equal and that I’m at least as qualified (if not more) than those in the other department with higher rank/pay. The root issue seems to be that my department is smaller than the other department so “He who has the gold makes the rules”. (Another one of Bob’s brothers gems.) This place has never heard of equal dividing of the promotional pay and pay raise? The people in the other department do exactly the same job I do.

I swear it just makes me want to toss in the towel and sell hot dogs on the street corner. Naturally I don’t want to allow my customers to use any condiment on the dog except mustard. Anything more is simply barbaric.

I’ve been working in what used to be referred to as the “Silicon desert” for a few days this week. The industry used to be broken down as “Silicon Valley, Silicon Forest and the Silicon desert.” I fear the desert is in the process of reclaiming its own. Much that was, is no more. Much that is, will soon be gone.

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