April is the cruellest month

[bagman67]

This is how my month has been.  And this is only the stuff I can bill for.  Any diminution in the quantity or quality of my posts is directly attributable to the draconian demands of the Federal Trade Commission.

 

[Cagey]

Yeah, billable hours are a real pain in the shorts. Not as bad as winning the lottery, though. Damn taxes are brutal.

 

[bagman67]

I'm salaried.  The billable hours go to the corporate bottom line, and I am thought of kindly come bonus season.  Which also sucks, tax-wise, but like they said in the 1920's, "Prohibition is better than no liquor at all."

 

[Cagey]

I see. I thought you were doing the billing.

Having had it both ways, I always hated "being thought of kindly" as a bonus structure. Written definitions generally work out better. But, there's risk no matter what you do.

Also did a lotta work on a "job" basis, where you promised X deliverables for Y compensation. Customer didn't care what it cost you in time; they paid a set amount for a result. That can be scary, too. You can just as easily get fat as lose your ass.

 

[Steve_Karl]

new light shed on the name "bagman"

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I too think bonuses should be clearly defined with measurable criteria.

I worked at one place where any time I argued about anything, the subject of bonuses would be raised, basically as a way of saying "you'll get paid less if you don't unquestioningly do what we say". I actually asked once if I would be allowed to do the job properly if I volunteered to sacrifice my entire bonus; however, this apparently meant I was "not a team player".

The other thing I found offensive about it was that there was no attempt to justify anything to me, it was just put into financial terms. As if every other part of my character could be overridden by appealing to my greed. Of course, this was working at a bank, so it's not surprising they assumed I'd be just like them.

I quit.

 

[Cagey]

Banks are funny places. And by funny, I mean "weird". Hospitals are another one. The rules, the political structure, the expectations, on and on. You almost feel as if you've been dropped into another country or something. Apparently some people thrive on it. Others, not so much. I worked in the financial section of a hospital for a while, and left with the impression that if you'd started there as a puppy, just licking stamps or something and climbing the ladder from there, you'd be ok. But, coming from anywhere else with previous experience, it was bizarro world.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Man!  That's what I was going to say.