One job I had years ago was salary+bonus and as long as the store was running smoothly, I would leave to go do whatever I wanted to, but was expected to be available if something came up. Thank goodness we only had pagers then. Sometimes 2nd shift hourly didn't show up, so I would have to go in and work if I could not get anyone to go in. It was like working for JEEhober, your never off the "clock"
Hourly vs Salary which is better?
by hoser 20 Replies latest jw friends
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TD
Salaried exempt or non-exempt?
In the U.S. there is a huge, huge, huge difference.....
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GrreatTeacher
I am a teacher. I am officially required to be in school 35 hours a week. My pay is bargained for hourly, but my contract requires me to sign an overtime pay waiver.
The effect is that our official school start and ending times add up to more than the 35 hours of the contract. Also, I work 11 hour days to get everything done, including grading papers, writing lesson plans, copying papers, administrative paperwork, creating a document trail for EVERYTHING, modifying assignments for students with IEPs (special ed students,) attending meetings for those students, attending faculty training meetings, collaborative planning meetings, special ed referral meetings, storing and readying science materials and equipment for class, and maintaining the physical classroom space. And, if I need to find a substitute to access any of my personal days for doctor appointments, there is a lengthy process of leaving sub plans which have to be in excruciating detail and likely involve a total new creation of lesson plans because a sub cannot handle science experiments.
So I get everything done from my "35 hour" per week job in 55 hours. I can't even randomly call in sick because of the excruciating 'getting a substitute' process. Today is Saturday and I just spent hours grading labs, which in "time-saving" process must now be entered into the online gradebook. Tomorrow I am pacing the curriculum so I get through the mandatory concepts before the quarterly science assessments. Then, they throw in parent conference days which are, bewilderingly, before report cards, so I will have to prepare grades and narrative comments for each of my students. Then, 4 report cards each year (also with narrative comments), and 4 manatory sets of interim reports.
We are public employees, and as such, are not allowed to go on strike. We would never have to. All we'd have to do is work the actual 35 hours per week of our contract. Public education would fall apart at the seams.
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jwleaks
GrreatTeacher: Then, they throw in parent conference days which are, bewilderingly...
A totally true story that happened two weeks ago. I laughed my head off when told the story.
A friend of mine (xjw) just attended parents/teachers conference night with his 15 year old son (also an xjw). Young female teacher raises with the father that his 15 year son should be more sociable with the other boys in the class rather than sit with the girls all the time.
Father turns to son: Is this true?
15 year old son: Yes.
Father turns to young female teacher: Well I can explain, that's because my son is a man whore.
15 year old son (to teacher): I am.
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GrreatTeacher
Ha ha! That's funny. Teachers hear the craziest things.
The parent of one of my students called the principal to complain her child was being bullied in my class. The principal got all of the relevant details and also asked to also speak to the student.
Principal: So, you've been bullied?
Student: Yes.
P: When did this happen?
S: Today
P: And, who bullied you?
S: Jason
Principal: Really?!
S: Oh, yes!
P: Well that's funny because Jason has been absent for the last 3 days!
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keyser soze
It really depends on how many hours you're expected to work as a salaried employee.
A friend of mine at work was given a seasonal position as a supervisor, which is a salaried position. He was working 50 to 60 hours a week, doing essentially the same job. Anything over 40 is time and a half, plus an extra dollar an hour for weekends. Whatever he gained in hourly salary, he lost in overtime pay, and then some.
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GrreatTeacher
Yeah, keyser, low-level management is often not worth it.
Possibly middle-management could be worth it, but you usually have to first have experience as low-level management to qualify.
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jws
Salaried vs. hourly IMO is just two labels for different methods of payment.
It depends on the rules of the company for each. In some cases, even certain levels of salaried people got "overtime" where I used to work. And salaried doesn't mean management and vice-versa. It often does though.
In the general sense, in my experience, salaried is probably often a more flexible work schedule, but not always. I was salaried for years, but still was expected to keep certain hours for a regular 8-hour day. They were a little more flexible about late. But I almost always worked until stop and then some.
That's the problem with programming and project work. It's sometimes hard, when you're in the middle of something, to cut it off and not follow your train of thought or the roll you're on. Or there's that pesky bug in the code you just want to get rid of before you leave because you know you're close. So you stay. Plus, in my case, the project was always expected due. Whatever it took to meet the deadlines. 12 hour days, weekends, etc. So you make it all happen no matter what it takes. And if you finished your project early, there was no "here, knock off early today or take a couple days off". It was on to the next thing.
I've been hourly too. There was something really nice about that regular schedule. Around a certain time, everybody started packing up. All of the work was menial so you stopped and picked it back up the next day. And then you went home at a descent hour.
IMO, the only people who got the real nice benefits of salary are the figureheads. The people who just have to keep an eye on things and have their underlings do it all. When things were going well, they could go relax in the break room, go offsite, catch a ballgame, whatever. Most of the other salaried positions are work positions and it's not any easier.
Find out which will make you more money if that's your goal. Or which will allow you more time away from work if that's your goal.
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TD
Whatever he gained in hourly salary, he lost in overtime pay, and then some.
Yes. Sadly, that's often true.
What's worse (Or better depending upon how you look at it) is that it's fairly common for employers to treat exempt employees as non-exempt when its convenient. Even people in HR, who really should know better sometimes screw up because it's a surprisingly complex issue.
I worked for several years as an exempt employee at a company that expected a minimum of 55 hours a week. One day, the owner announced that he didn't have enough work for us, so we went to a four day work week for an entire summer and he adjusted our pay accordingly.
Big, big mistake. Huge.
If an exempt employee is, "..ready to work and willing to work" then their pay cannot be reduced based on workload. When an employer does that, they compromise the employee's exempt status and open themselves up to a lawsuit for all the overtime the employee has ever worked plus liquidated damages equal to that amount. Additionally, the IRS regards this as a tax dodge, so it's one of the rare occasions when they're own your side.
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SadElder
Effective Dec 1 the rules change in the US for the "salaried" worker. There are tests that must be met in order to disqualify salaried workers from overtime. Many companies have not been following this and are going to be caught owing a lot of overtime to folks they are presently taking advantage of by paying a salary for more than 40 hour work.
I don't have the figures here a home but I believe a worker must make more than $900 a week and actually supervise more than one person. That's the best I can remember without looking at my notes at the office.
So to answer the question, Now (in the US) you may be better off being an hourly worker. At least until they change everything again.