For several years I worked for an unnamed merchandising company. Back in October the regional manager and I got into a fight, the guy cut my hours by 40% because he felt like it. Fast forward a few months I got a new job. Fast forward again and I spoke with HR who backed us both saying this was a "personality conflict" and they wouldn't help resolve the problem.

This means if I want assignments we have to work it out, and I have about six months to do so before I am fired for inactivity.

Here is what it comes down to where I am trying to make my decision.

In a good week (i.e full 40) I'd earn $560 pre-taxes, pre-gas, pre-meals with them. We all know those three take a lot. I've been with them several years, and the manager has always been a jerk from where I stand. I am the first person he turns to when @#$%& hits the fan, I never get parts I need, or even treated like a human being. I was afraid to stand up to him over the smallest of problems.

In the other corner is the new job. I earn about $1K a week working part-time for them. They help pay the car repairs, insurance, cell. If I need parts I get them, or I buy them and they pay me back. I am treated like a human being. I got promoted, and as long as the decisions I make are logical management will back me.

I keep looking at the two jobs, and I wonder if there is anything for me to go back for at the old job as a Merchandiser besides putting the screws on the jerk of a boss of mine.

I could use other merchandiser's input here.

I am surprised you're giving the first job a second thought?

I cannot understand why you would stay at that first job if you have other opportunities? Low pay? Inconsistent pay? Miserable boss? Why is this even a question?

Yeah, I can't imagine how there is any sort of dilemma here or any input from others even necessary.

Comes down to a few things.

1) My old man never said burn your bridges.
2) Honor, I might hate the guy, but facts are he helped clean up my work history.
3) Be nice to make him realize his days of terrorizing me are 110% over.

So if you put in two weeks notice (or even more magnanimously offer to work until they find a replacement for you) then how are you burning bridges or being dishonorable? And how is that not nice? I am also confused on how you can get fired for inactivity, you are not getting ANY jobs from them at all? How is that paying your bills...????

You have a better opportunity. Move on. I would understand if you still felt some loyalty to your accounts you have been servicing or if you felt you were leaving a manager you liked in a bind. Since it is none of this, do what is best for you.

1). I don’t think you’re burning bridges if you leave peacefully.
2). He helped you and now it’s time to move on.
3). His days of terrorizing you are done if you move on as well.

The way you described your options above sounds like you already know what you should do. I’m not a merchandiser, but these are my 2 cents...

I know who the old company is and I can say that I now have what was my boss' job because he was a dickhead and it finally caught up. That company was started by a family man with family values. It's growth is attributed to acquisitions and mergers; thus your job and your supervisor's job exist, due to them buying the 5 major marketing companies in Canada. How big is the company you are working for now and is there a possibility that they will buy it? They continue to purchase companies and bought Actionlink just this year. They now have 25 of the top 30 consumer packaging companies as clients. I know that respect is huge, it is huge for me. I would contact his supervisor for resolution. If you have not been offered work, in the U.S., for more than two weeks you are considered laid off and eligible for unemployment and that agency will investigate your status. I don't know what it's like in Canada.

Since you have work with the new company and no work with the old company, it's a no brainer, for now. You're true dilemma will come when the old company starts to offer you work. I would like to know who the new company is but it doesn't seem like you want to say so I can't tell you their stats.

For what it's worth, I am 99% certain I am done, heck I was certain of that after my "helpful" conversation with the head of human resources back in January. Frankly I don't like how the company feels it can offer low wages, no promotions, and can bully people despite claiming that they are their best people. Talk is cheap know what I mean? Given how I started with them back in 2014, I paid my dues ages ago.

I also know we all see things differently. This is one of the bigger Merchandising companies in Canada and the US BTW so I brought it up here. I know if I leave them it's like leaving a Disney, a Google, a ect, a mega company of the industry, so career aspirations in this field are dead, but what do I have after all this? Heck I fought my boss, human resources, and the head of human resources, and all they are offering is a $2.00 raise.

Someone asked how I survived without work, well I saved up before the showdown back in October/late November. My boss didn't know how much I originally feared him, and him kicking to be to the curb turned that to hate. If you saw a thread from last year you'd see I was looking to leave already. Much easier to tell your boss to go take a hike when you know you can pay your bills for six months with zero income.

Call it some advice, you will mess up thinking 3-5 moves ahead, but it doesn't mean you can't prosper from it. Since while you might not get what you want, you get sometimes more than you need.

Can you name the companies or not?

Sounds like no work in your first job ended up being a blessing, forcing you to find something better, more pay, treated with respect, why not move on, why would you go back to less, doesn't make sense, you were so lucky. STAY WITH THIS JOB, YOU WON!!

Do you need help writing your resignation letter, because that is all you have left to do at the first company.

I never expected this thread to be resurrected, but I will update things.

On May 21st I asked my boss for one assignment, and laid out the new rules for him. Which were no more favor locations, no more Energize resets, and no contact unless its in regards to a mistake I made. I also informed him I expected that assignment within the next 60 days.

On June 21st I followed up with his boss as a reminder since no assignment had been given.

Both so far have failed to respond, and if I do not have an assignment by July 21st I plan to contact HR who will have 72 hours to settle this situation or I will go to the local labour board.

Some of you no doubt wonder why I've elected to take this course of action. In essence I lost the war, but it doesn't mean I can't go down without trying hurt the bastard! And either I want a clean termination or to keep my job. I have left negative reviews on several popular job boards speaking out against this company.

I wish HR hadn't viewed this as a "personal problem", since its outside my depth how one resolves a personal problem in the modern work force.

Me landing this new better job was one of my long shots since I applied for it in February 2017, several months before my boss and I had our falling out.

As per why I don't name them, well I am unaware of forum rules, but their shorten name is PRS. A third party support company.

And Canadians aren't a disposable society like we are in America, the USA anyway so they don't just flip around to different companies without resolution. I think you have a lawsuit case and I would seriously explore that with the Canadian labor board as well as an attorney. What you have experienced amounts to workplace harassment and I would say discrimination based on how they assigned certain assignments, and the bulk of assignments, to a new employee.

I don't think you need our advice, you know exactly what to do, whether you do it or not is up to you.

@JerseyGirlShopper wrote:

And Canadians aren't a disposable society like we are in America, the USA anyway so they don't just flip around to different companies without resolution. I think you have a lawsuit case and I would seriously explore that with the Canadian labor board as well as an attorney. What you have experienced amounts to workplace harassment and I would say discrimination based on how they assigned certain assignments, and the bulk of assignments, to a new employee.

Technically I had a bulk of assignments (60% for me, 40% for the new guy), but the new guy had lower overhead since his/her locations were closer, i.e. higher profit margins.

Last time I spoke to them there was nothing the Quebec labour board could do, but things change. Like I said it is my last card.

I know some people might view me as asking for opinions and then doing my own thing as counter productive, just look at the time line please. It was several months between my last post, and my decision. We've all had times where it takes time to decide things, and I hope you can respect the fact that I did weight everything before I chose a course of action.

@OldDog you do what you need to do, you asked for our opinions and we gave them. That is all they are, and I hope they were helpful to you, whether you chose to use them or not. Have a great day.

Update

60 days came and went, contacted the person I last spoke with in HR. She now has me blocked. I wrote our benefits department, they said someone from HR will be touch promptly. Waiting until Tuesday to do follow up here.

My gut tells me I am going to be fired due to inactivity, because my great manager refuses to give me one assignment, and HR refuses to mediate what they view as a personal problem. I wonder if this a$$ (something dark/deep) not giving me one assignment they view as a personal problem/work problem.

On the upside another head hunter called me about $40K-$50K a year job with car. If one of these things actually sticks I will so gladly quite in a style worthy of youtube!

Update: Took me threatening registered letters for someone in HR to get back to me. For the record someone who already made a bad impression with me back in November/December.

It now appears I was always "part-time and on call", and sadly there have been no available in my projects since I requested one back in May.

I don't know about the rest of you, but how many Merchandiser positions are advertised as "part-time and on call" when they post the ads? Yes as ICs this is a mutual right, but as employees who get T4s, I never once heard this line of drek.

When I get some free time I am going to work on a letter to "clear the air" between my boss and I. Right now there is nothing he can do to hurt me, and he will never be able to do so again.

We have it all in the U.S. Employers covering their bums and the gov't allowing them to. Part-time/on-call, on-call-cover, right-to-work state, all the client needs, depending on business environment, Mine is part-time, up to 38 hours a week with no benefits. No benefits because they work you full-time for 6 weeks in a row and then dump 2 hours off of your 7th week, thus disqualifying you for benefits. If you do not have a masters degree in this country, you could be subject to all kinds of 3rd world treatment. The company I work for, meanwhile, posts it's extraordinary profits and the even more extraordinary profits of it's clients, to their website for the benefit of their investors. Look at Apple, posting it's worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Meanwhile, the Apple expert might be earning $14 or $15 an hour. You can't even buy a house on that if you're single.

Maybe get with your Gov't representative and tell them to stop allowing US companies to bring their dirty little tactics to Canada; they will ruin your countries economy by bringing huge gaps between the rich and the poor there.

@JerseyGirlShopper wrote:

Meanwhile, the Apple expert might be earning $14 or $15 an hour. You can't even buy a house on that if you're single.

Actually I figure us Merchandisers make closer to $5 an hour on a $14 an hour wage, since we need to pay for food, fuel, insurance, taxes on that.

Well here is a good chuckle/update.

Remember how HR swore that they didn't have any work for me?

Well interesting thing I can read online job postings, take three guesses who is hiring in my area for my job.

Ever since this mess started if management had ONCE taken its collective head out of its rear, and treated me like adult none of this would've happened. A simple, "We are doing cuts for reason X," or a "I am sorry for how we treated you, let's talk."

Instead it's been stick, stick, stick, interesting thing, beat someone long and hard enough and when they fight back they might loose, you are going to be in for a world of hurt.

This whole thread is very confusing to me and there must be a lot more to the story. As I understand it, you didn't like working there and found a better job, but you still want to work for them? And although you made it clear to them you didn't like the working conditions, you are surprised they are trying to hire someone to replace you after you left? It seems they don't have work for you under the conditions you specified, not that there isn't work.

@cm wrote:

This whole thread is very confusing to me and there must be a lot more to the story. As I understand it, you didn't like working there and found a better job, but you still want to work for them?.

It's not that I didn't like working there originally, it was just the pay and hours were too low to cover the bills. Like any adult, yes I will work other jobs, and apply for other ones. We've all see what food, fuel, car repairs, insurance, ect do to a semi-decent wage. $14.00 isn't decent.

As per wanting to stick around, who couldn't use a few extra bucks here and there? Rather the devil I know over the devil I don't.

@cm wrote:

And although you made it clear to them you didn't like the working conditions, you are surprised they are trying to hire someone to replace you after you left?

I didn't like my boss being a bully, no more than HR being a bully. How else do you intrepid statements like, "Take my call or I will mark this resolved.", or "Take the 40% cut to your normal stores, or you will get nothing." Would anyone seriously like those kind of statements being given to you by your employer.

After several months of stewing I did reach out to my boss to resolve our "personal problems" as HR called it. No response. Hard to resolve a problem if the other side won't talk to you.

@cm wrote:

It seems they don't have work for you under the conditions you specified, not that there isn't work.

I told HR & my boss the truth, due to my new job I can't commit to any mega projects requiring 4-6 hours worth of work. Unless the company has had some major changes usually the projects have a 2-3 week period, and take an hour or two to resolve.

What am I suppose to do? Write my boss a flowery letter begging him to let me work for him, to give me another chance? Since I am ready to work under the old conditions, the only big change being I am no longer going to quake in fear when he calls. This job is now at the bottom of the priority list, just above my writing, training, and school.

Updating the situation.

4 weeks ago I sent my boss an e-mail asking him to reach out to me, or give me an assignment. Reminded him of my phone number. No Response

2 weeks ago I sent my letter of resignation, to him, HR, and his boss. No Response.

This morning I am still able to log into my profile, which means despite me sending in a letter of resignation (something the wanted), they haven't acted on it.

Monday morning I have an interview scheduled, and then I am going to call up the head office...

Since I sent in my letter of Resignation I have no qualms naming this great company. Premium Retail Services, great manual, great website, toxic cooperate culture where they haven't gotten the memo that right now its a sellers market, not a buyers. Time to act like it. Wouldn't have cost 10 cents to treat me like a human being and not some indentured slave because you helped me out.