I Hate Corporate America

File this one under the category of "that's just not right". My work day started by being called into the boss' office privately. I could feel that nervous knot beginning to form in the pit of my stomach as I made my way down the hallway to his office. I never get called into the office for anything. The last time that I was in his fishbowl office was about a week ago for my annual review. That went well enough as I received my predictable 3% cost of living increase with little fanfare.

My mind began to wonder about what it was that I may have done wrong. Was I about to lose my job? Whatever it was, it could not be good.

I sat down in the chair and waited behind the closed office door for my boss to search his laptop for an email he had received. We both sat in silence for what seemed like forever until I just blurted out to him to lay it on me. Whats going on?

It seems that my 3% raise had been declined by some guy in upper~upper management. Some guy who does not even know me. Some guy who does not even know what I even do for a living, I'll bet. Oh sure, I know his name. I see him every now and then around the building when I need to visit another department.

Instead, he approved me for 2% increase.

Really? Two percent? That is what you would call being nickel and dimed. Underappreciated, and now underpaid. The 1% shortage will represent $312 less that I will make this year. That is, assuming that I will make it the whole year. With the way that the economy is, I'm happy to have a job, but you just never know what may happen.