Do not expect a big raise next year.

Lately, I've been noticing that companies have been switching from hourly and salary pay to some sort of performance pay systems. I have reservations against it. Here is the article:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/CompanyActionDyn.aspx?cp-documentid=5846968


In many cases, I have seen that extra bonuses are based of some kind of a goal set by a manager or some other source. In many cases, the goals are set up in such a way so that the bonus or extra pay paid out to the employees is minimal. Another thing that I do not like is that sometimes a supervisor may assign a whole bunch of work that does not count towards a bonus. Yes employee was working extra hard to complete the assignment but no, the productivity does not appear to be high because the work assigned is not counted towards the bonus. Like usual, the employee looses and the company wins. The point here is to get the maximum employee output (productivity) with the minimum input (productivity).

This type of a pay system is also a regression back to the old fashioned piece work. And it seems to be getting there in a hurry. Just imagine getting paid by the number of hard drives that you replace on a PC if you are an IT guy for example. Or you get paid $10.00 to say, install an update. Many people will say it is a good pay system, but it does become bad when management figures out that an employee can beat them at their own game.

Now, it is hard enough to survive on a steady salary because of rising costs of living and medical insurance. How many people are ready to live on a paycheck that fluctuates? I know a few car sales people who work for a second grade dealerships, these guys do not know what a steady pay is. These guys get paid based on number cars they sell and what kind of profit margin the cars sold bring in. These guys probably have the worst credit imaginable. Can anyone imagine what would happen if the whole USA went to that kind of unstable pay system?

"Piece work" never pays off for the employee. I did courier work off and on for almost six years as a part-time gig with my other job and full-time for awhile. Couriers get paid per delivery and use their own vehicle. Employees are independent contractors and are responsible for their own expenses. The courier company often cuts "deals" with the clients which means some deliveries pay far less. The company is still making money off a three dollar delivery while the driver is still spending time and his/her own money on gas & other car expenses. No one in my old biz ever got "rich" off this sort of work and ended up with a car that turned into a scrapheap from too much driving. Newhires thought the pay system was great...until being out there on too many slow days and maybe bringing in $60 after a nine+ hour day...

Eons ago, I worked as a receptionist in the car biz. Only a select few make good $$$. The others struggle on their "draw" which is next to minimum wage. The dealership makes money - hand over fist - while the salespeople are struggling. These guys...and gals...work long hours but really have nothing to show for it. Hillary's plan for people to buy their own health insurance is not going to go over well. Some of her supporters think it is a great thing to make it a crime to not carry health insurance. We are mandated by law to have auto insurance for the obvious. No way in hell is some politician going to tell me that I will go to jail if I do not pay for health insurance as well. Where is the $$$ supposed to come from -- the sky???

Good quesion, Am. How, indeed?

Too many people are living paycheck to paycheck as it is. We're the richest country in the world, and our people aren't that well off.

What bullshit...

I think this situation affects us all. I can see MSN blowing fear into us, but I know that the job situation is for real. I would like to see a turn around in the job situation, but it ain't looking good as of right now. Elders tell me that "job situation will improve, it has to". They say "country goes though ups and downs, this is just one of the downs". I have a hard time with understanding that. Something is not adding up over here. I do not know, but if we import way more than we export, something has to end somehow. It's not looking pretty.

The job situation will improve if you like having masses of low wage service sector workers taking on 3 jobs at a time. If you like having masses of highly skilled workers dong one job at a time, too freaking bad.

"It truly is the one commonality that every designation of humans you can think of has, there's at least one asshole."
--Me

Feh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The job situation will improve if you like having
> masses of low wage service sector workers taking
> on 3 jobs at a time. If you like having masses of
> highly skilled workers dong one job at a time, too
> freaking bad.

Exactly! When I lived in Orlando, all I heard for the past two years before moving was how the "job market" improved. All we got in Central Florida were more call center and tourism jobs. Big fucking wow. As if those jobs would pay the bills. A person has to have two or three of those jobs to just eke by. How many hours is a person supposed to work in a day...unless they like living as a third worlder does with too much work time and not enough rest??? Even those with degrees or technical workers found they were taking jobs at 20-30% less of their former salaries after getting laid off. The IT world has not been booming anymore, either.

amethusos* Wrote:

>
> Exactly! When I lived in Orlando, all I heard for
> the past two years before moving was how the "job
> market" improved. All we got in Central Florida
> were more call center and tourism jobs. Big
> fucking wow. As if those jobs would pay the bills.
> A person has to have two or three of those jobs to
> just eke by. How many hours is a person supposed
> to work in a day...unless they like living as a
> third worlder does with too much work time and not
> enough rest??? Even those with degrees or
> technical workers found they were taking jobs at
> 20-30% less of their former salaries after getting
> laid off. The IT world has not been booming
> anymore, either.

I presume that you have resided in Orlando, FL. Just like the majority of sun belt states, wage and compensation lag down there. It appears that the more immigrant competition is present, the lower the wages are. One may think that only the low skilled leveled jobs are affected but, by contrast, all of the areas are affected. Majority are harmed, few are more well off.

For example, if a manufacturing job is not paying a good wage and all workers that work there are affected by it. These people are now low on funds. When they go out and say, get a haircut, they are looking for a lower price and leave no tip. Further more, the barber or hair dresser is now paid less as well. Less money gets put in the salon's account and less money for the bank to use. This sooner or later translates into a higher borrowing rate because there is less money to go around. End result: the employer who underpays has an instant, short term gain. It will later catch up with them, but not for now.

When these migrants agree to work for less, they screw all of us first, then they stick it to themselves. Migrants do, however, make up by receiving public assistance. We, USA citizens, pay the difference.

It is not uncommon now days to work 60-70 hours per week. It could be one job as a manager, could be 2 jobs as an employee. Either way, 10-15 years ago, many people did not have to be like that. Today, it's a norm among many.

Techie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> amethusos* Wrote:
>
> >
> > Exactly! When I lived in Orlando, all I heard
> for
> > the past two years before moving was how the
> "job
> > market" improved. All we got in Central Florida
> > were more call center and tourism jobs. Big
> > fucking wow. As if those jobs would pay the
> bills.
> > A person has to have two or three of those jobs
> to
> > just eke by. How many hours is a person
> supposed
> > to work in a day...unless they like living as a
> > third worlder does with too much work time and
> not
> > enough rest??? Even those with degrees or
> > technical workers found they were taking jobs
> at
> > 20-30% less of their former salaries after
> getting
> > laid off. The IT world has not been booming
> > anymore, either.
>
> I presume that you have resided in Orlando, FL.
> Just like the majority of sun belt states, wage
> and compensation lag down there. It appears that
> the more immigrant competition is present, the
> lower the wages are. One may think that only the
> low skilled leveled jobs are affected but, by
> contrast, all of the areas are affected. Majority
> are harmed, few are more well off.

Yes...I lived in Orlando, Florida...*sigh*. The immigrant culture was more than willing to work for six fucking dollars an hour at jobs that paid 2x or more elsewhere. I had to go to O-Town last April when my mom came to visit and will do it again this coming April. I hate the place, though. I am always glad to be back in Jacksonville. Orlando is so fake with the Disney shit and how the area has become CondoVille...yet no one can really afford crap in that town. Yeah...only a select *few* are well off...but their house of cards can fall as well in the event something happens like they lose that rare excellent paying gig.:cool

amethusos* Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Techie Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > amethusos* Wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Exactly! When I lived in Orlando, all I heard
> > for
> > > the past two years before moving was how the
> > "job
> > > market" improved. All we got in Central
> Florida
> > > were more call center and tourism jobs. Big
> > > fucking wow. As if those jobs would pay the
> > bills.
> > > A person has to have two or three of those
> jobs
> > to
> > > just eke by. How many hours is a person
> > supposed
> > > to work in a day...unless they like living as
> a
> > > third worlder does with too much work time
> and
> > not
> > > enough rest??? Even those with degrees or
> > > technical workers found they were taking jobs
> > at
> > > 20-30% less of their former salaries after
> > getting
> > > laid off. The IT world has not been booming
> > > anymore, either.
> >
> > I presume that you have resided in Orlando, FL.
> > Just like the majority of sun belt states, wage
> > and compensation lag down there. It appears
> that
> > the more immigrant competition is present, the
> > lower the wages are. One may think that only
> the
> > low skilled leveled jobs are affected but, by
> > contrast, all of the areas are affected.
> Majority
> > are harmed, few are more well off.
>
> Yes...I lived in Orlando, Florida...*sigh*. The
> immigrant culture was more than willing to work
> for six fucking dollars an hour at jobs that paid
> 2x or more elsewhere. I had to go to O-Town last
> April when my mom came to visit and will do it
> again this coming April. I hate the place, though.
> I am always glad to be back in Jacksonville.
> Orlando is so fake with the Disney shit and how
> the area has become CondoVille...yet no one can
> really afford crap in that town. Yeah...only a
> select *few* are well off...but their house of
> cards can fall as well in the event something
> happens like they lose that rare excellent paying
> gig.:cool


1) They need to round them cubans up and put them on the same banana boat they came on.

2) Jacksonville is a good town. Fewer wetbacks and less crime and you are still out of snow belt.

3) Select few who afford condos in Orlando are mainly foreign investors who basically got rich on our tax money from our mess up tax system. That stuff may drop in value because no one here can afford it and fewer investors want to invest here - we are too drained!

Techie Wrote:

> 1) They need to round them cubans up and put them
> on the same banana boat they came on.


>
> 2) Jacksonville is a good town. Fewer wetbacks
> and less crime and you are still out of snow
> belt.

That is one of the main reasons I like JAX. Less wetbacks and people demanding that we speak "Espanol" to them. Orlando's crime rate rose over 300% last year!
>
> 3) Select few who afford condos in Orlando are
> mainly foreign investors who basically got rich on
> our tax money from our mess up tax system. That
> stuff may drop in value because no one here can
> afford it and fewer investors want to invest here
> - we are too drained!

Anyone with any sense will not buy a condo in this day and age. All the person owns is the air space but is paying the home owner's association fees. The "owner" cannot even paint the front door a non-approved colour.

"Anyone with any sense will not buy a condo in this day and age. All the person owns is the air space but is paying the home owner's association fees. The "owner" cannot even paint the front door a non-approved colour."

Condos are the biggest housing scam I've ever seen. In my city they're vomiting up condos like a bulimic cheerleader, OR they're "refabricating" crappy apartments so people can join in on the "ownership". They're charging $150,000 (and that's CHEAP for condos here) for what was once a $600/month two bedroom apartment in the bad part of town. As far as I can tell, you don't actually OWN anything, nor are you getting out of monthly payments to some third party. There isn't one single condo building in my city that isn't bristling with "for sale" signs constantly.

"It truly is the one commonality that every designation of humans you can think of has, there's at least one asshole."
--Me