Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Pay Reviews (Raises) - Part 3


Well, I've heard back. Not from Ruffin. Yet. I am told employee pay reviews will be taking place real soon. Apparently, managers had their reviews this past week. Clearly, pay reviews are taking place later than usual. No reason given.

I am also informed that pay raises will be back-dated to September 21. Maybe this was always going to happen? If so, wouldn't it have been nice for there to have been a little more communication? Say, at the store meetings? I'm not the only one who has been wondering what was going on. This is our livelihood, people. Of course, it could be that this is actually a victory for employees speaking out.

In any event, I have been with WSM some nine years now. I recall pay raises always kicking in at the beginning of September. I mean, think about it. What is so significant or easy to remember about September 21? Other than the fact that it is the day before I first wrote to Ruffin, asking him where were our pay reviews and raises ... oh.

Well. Further e-mail to Ruffin and the WSM Human Resources Manager:

"Ruffin and Deborah, I would be grateful if you would now please let me have the information I requested about when my pay raises kicked in for the past eight years.

I have already got something of a sense that not everyone feels that the clearly defined co-op policy on including employees in decision-making (defined in Board and Employee Policy, and then detailed in the consultation document of 2007) is a policy that needs to be adhered to. But co-op policy is co-op policy. Frankly, I don't get to choose which one applies to me. Neither should anyone else.

If the back-date for 2014 is not commensurate with previous years, then a decision was made. And employees were not included in that decision about their Pay and Benefits. And that would be in contravention of co-op policy.

Best,
Geoff"


[Two caveats. These are my views. I wanted a funny graph. I suspect this exchange about pay raises has some more funny in it yet. So, you got a funny graph.]