Originally Posted by littlerock

I would say something along the lines of this. Others might not agree and would advise you not to rock the boat but I've always been a risk taker. I recently formed an email along these lines and got myself a 25% raise (but I was confident that I was an asset to this company and knew I had a leg to stand on.) I would suggest fighting for what you believe in. Two years is a long to be a part time employee. I would phrase the email in a nice enough way so if they decline, it won't be uncomfortable for you.

If you were to send an email like this, you might want to consider doing it around the time the company is doing their budget for the next fiscal year. That is the time my company considers adding full time positions.

Originally Posted by buttercup784eve

It could be that they just don't want to pay for the extra benefits included in a full time position. If they do things like match 401k contributions and pay a lot of your insurance premiums it can be pretty expensive for them. Are they putting other people full time over you? That would probably be the catalyst for me to leave, if they were promoting other people. Hiring part time workers is cheaper than adding a full time position sometimes. I wouldn't be so sure that your skills are not transferable to other jobs though. All you really need is a way with words, and you can make just about any skill look applicable to any job.

Yep, I am thinking that is exactly it. They have hired numerous part-timers, but no one else has gone full time. Only the full-timers that were already on the team when I joined are full time. I've been working on trying to get them to pay for a certification in the field that would make my skills a little more attractive to prospective employees, but haven't had any luck.

I'm trying to keep things in perspective, I get to work from home which saves on a lot of expenses and I feel lucky to have a job at all. It's just hard with all the additional responsibility and stress to not have some extra compensation for all the additional effort.

Originally Posted by littlerock

I would say something along the lines of this. Others might not agree and would advise you not to rock the boat but I've always been a risk taker. I recently formed an email along these lines and got myself a 25% raise (but I was confident that I was an asset to this company and knew I had a leg to stand on.) I would suggest fighting for what you believe in. Two years is a long to be a part time employee. I would phrase the email in a nice enough way so if they decline, it won't be uncomfortable for you.

I did send an email along those lines, but I just got shut down. He basically said maybe in the second half of the year he'll be able to get additional head count for our team, and that he's looking out to see if he can put me full time on a related team. I also made sure to ask if there was anything I could do in terms of my performance to go full time, and he basically said I'm doing awesome and they just don't have the head count for it. Seems hopeless.

Originally Posted by eff

I did send an email along those lines, but I just got shut down. He basically said maybe in the second half of the year he'll be able to get additional head count for our team, and that he's looking out to see if he can put me full time on a related team. I also made sure to ask if there was anything I could do in terms of my performance to go full time, and he basically said I'm doing awesome and they just don't have the head count for it. Seems hopeless.

Yeah, you can't force something like that then.. if you've already asked for it. The only way to "make" it happen is to make yourself invaluable to the company. This is not always easy to do. They need to be afraid to lose you or at the very least, not want to deal with having to replace you.

I'm sorry you're going through this. If you don't get anywhere.. keep your eyes and ears open for new opportunities. Meanwhile, be the best you can be at your work to prove to them you are important to the company.

Originally Posted by eff

Yep, I am thinking that is exactly it. They have hired numerous part-timers, but no one else has gone full time. Only the full-timers that were already on the team when I joined are full time. I've been working on trying to get them to pay for a certification in the field that would make my skills a little more attractive to prospective employees, but haven't had any luck. I'm trying to keep things in perspective, I get to work from home which saves on a lot of expenses and I feel lucky to have a job at all. It's just hard with all the additional responsibility and stress to not have some extra compensation for all the additional effort.

Can you not afford that certification on your own? If you can, it'd probably be a boost for you either with this company, or with another company who will appreciate it enough to hire you full time.

Originally Posted by EllAva

Can you not afford that certification on your own? If you can, it'd probably be a boost for you either with this company, or with another company who will appreciate it enough to hire you full time.

I can, but it's not something I'd want to invest in out of pocket, because this isn't even my field. It's more like something that would make the time I've wasted at this job worth it if I can get them to cover it(which they offered, and then kind of forgot about).

I've learned that going the extra mile on your job doesn't always work in your favor.

I know the economy is crap, but I'd be looking for another gig, STAT. Leave them in the dust.

It sounds like your boss is just making empty promises! At my current job I am a middle manager of sorts and only my boss makes hiring decisions. i Manage tons of part time hourly people who will NEVER get promoted because this is just the ideology my boss has. He will make empty promises to staff and when those don't come through itsmy job to tell them it won't work out.

It sounds like something similar and there is either a rule that they can't have over X full time people or some other random idea someone in management had about this quota. and they don't want to be straight with you because they don't actually want you to leave. At my company there is No regard or respect for employees. I hate that... It sounds like they are giving you the runaround at your company.

You should look for another job ASAP!!

Needless to say I am leaving for another job this summer!! A bunch of my employees are also leaving lol.

Originally Posted by KAOTIC

I've learned that going the extra mile on your job doesn't always work in your favor. I know the economy is crap, but I'd be looking for another gig, STAT. Leave them in the dust.

This exactly! We also have a rule that people who work really hard are already working really hard so there is no need to give them yearly promotions. On the other hand slackers get promoted because they are clearly "underpaid" and will work harder if we pay them more.

Like buttercup posted, really be honest about your job performance. Do you get things done way before their deadline? If you say you work 50 hours/week, is all that work done directly for your company? Some people say they spend 60 hours/week at work, but they're shopping online or making personal phone calls during some of that time. If you truly are doing 50 hours of work each week but are getting paid for 20, then that's a problem. Document all the stuff you're doing, then make a neat little presentation and contact your boss.

I think that, regardless of how difficult it is to meet with your boss in person, you should really try. It shows that you're serious, and you're likely to make more of an impression if you do. Give him a chance to hear about how valuable you are. If you make all the efforts and find that you're again being blown off, it may be time for you to look elsewhere. Not only are you beind underappreciated, but you'd be losing out on income you could make at another job where you'd have full-time status.

I agree with KAOTIC, but, I would give it a few months and at the same time look for another job

that's what I did

mine was slightly different version of yours. I was hired part time and never thought of going for full time, but then I did not get along with my immediate manager, another manager (different office) wanted to recruit me into hers but it would be for a slightly higher position, basically a promo that included full time status

she talked to the DM and after being shot down because I'd only been there a few months (3 I think) I began to look for another job. I didn't want to try and transfer and have to explain its because I dislike my immediate manager--esp since all uppers talk with each other, but was disappointed at having been given the chance to get away from that manager only to have it pulled out under me

so I began searching for other jobs while continuing to do my current job as best as possible.

one day the DM stops by and says she wants to talk to me

this is just one day after I had my interview with another company

she asks me if I want to move on (get promoted)

heck yes!

so sometimes it does work in your favor if you wait

but do not, do not, wait without a backup plan. don't wait without exploring other options, heck you might even find better ones! in this case the backup plan was Barneys and contrary to what people might think at 11-13$ (i made a face and the hr said they can get a dollar or two above that........) per hour plus 3% commission is not as good as

Originally Posted by pr1nc355

Like buttercup posted, really be honest about your job performance. Do you get things done way before their deadline? If you say you work 50 hours/week, is all that work done directly for your company? Some people say they spend 60 hours/week at work, but they're shopping online or making personal phone calls during some of that time. If you truly are doing 50 hours of work each week but are getting paid for 20, then that's a problem. Document all the stuff you're doing, then make a neat little presentation and contact your boss. I think that, regardless of how difficult it is to meet with your boss in person, you should really try. It shows that you're serious, and you're likely to make more of an impression if you do. Give him a chance to hear about how valuable you are. If you make all the efforts and find that you're again being blown off, it may be time for you to look elsewhere. Not only are you beind underappreciated, but you'd be losing out on income you could make at another job where you'd have full-time status.

Regarding my performance, if I'm underperforming, then there are duties related to my job they're not telling me about and are basically lying to me about how well I'm doing. I make sure to get feedback, I get everything done on time, and I've picked up about 10 new skills that threw at me without any warning. All the tasks we do are tracked and we have a chart of how long each task takes. Before starting a task, I have to click a button to mark it as "work in progress." When it's done, I hit "complete." 50 hours would be what I clock for doing those tasks(and I do get paid for all of them, the issue with being part time is that I have no benefits and am paid less than other employees), but realistically it's more than that as I am always checking my email on the weekends, or planning my tasks for the next day after hours, etc. Everything is documented, and I've communicated everything, but they seem to not care. I met with my boss in person a few months ago, and he told me how wonderful I was and all the usual b.s., but nothing backing it up. As someone else mentioned, probably because I'm already doing all this work, why would they want to shell out the extra money to pay for my benefits etc.?

Originally Posted by hatbox

This exactly! We also have a rule that people who work really hard are already working really hard so there is no need to give them yearly promotions. On the other hand slackers get promoted because they are clearly "underpaid" and will work harder if we pay them more.

Thanks for the insight. It's kind of depressing, but at least I know I'm not entirely crazy to think they're taking advantage.

Originally Posted by eff

Regarding my performance, if I'm underperforming, then there are duties related to my job they're not telling me about and are basically lying to me about how well I'm doing. I make sure to get feedback, I get everything done on time, and I've picked up about 10 new skills that threw at me without any warning. All the tasks we do are tracked and we have a chart of how long each task takes. Before starting a task, I have to click a button to mark it as "work in progress." When it's done, I hit "complete." 50 hours would be what I clock for doing those tasks(and I do get paid for all of them, the issue with being part time is that I have no benefits and am paid less than other employees), but realistically it's more than that as I am always checking my email on the weekends, or planning my tasks for the next day after hours, etc. Everything is documented, and I've communicated everything, but they seem to not care. I met with my boss in person a few months ago, and he told me how wonderful I was and all the usual b.s., but nothing backing it up. As someone else mentioned, probably because I'm already doing all this work, why would they want to shell out the extra money to pay for my benefits etc.?

If I were you, I'd again state my case. If getting those benefits is important to you (and I can see why it would be), then consider getting them elsewhere. No job is perfect, but when you list the pros and cons of it, you should come out with more pros than cons. I'm not sure what industry you work in, but if it's one that has slowed down in this economy, you may be stuck in your current job for a while. If so, just continue to do your best and save to pay for your own health expenses, but revisit the promotion to full-time status about every few months or so. Also, keep your eyes open for new positions in other companies in areas where you live or would like to move to. If you get other offers, you can use that as leverage to get promoted to f/t status where you are now, if you want to stay.