The Highlander Movie taught me one thing: in the end, there can be only one. "Look out for number one" is another saying that does not involve cutting off peoples' heads. At this point and time I need to be thinking about me. The number one thing is my happiness. That's my goal. Pretty simple. But right now I'm not even close to that goal.
The hotel is always blocking my goal of happiness. It sucks the life from me and I let it do so. I think I've finally woken up. Here is why: the night auditor hired to replace the lady quitting on the 10th of this month is making ten dollars a hour. The last raise I got put me up to 8.75 a hour. That was well over 5 years and 6 months ago. Which really confuses me. I've been here longer than any of the current managers. I have not missed a day in ten years.
So why don't I make what the new people get? What is my sin that I get paid 1.25 less than them? Is it this website and my attitude? Is it that I expect managers to show some common courtesy to their employees that makes me such a bad employee? If you listen to Some Guy I'm not even fit to work in the industry. Again, because I speak up about the things that I see are wrong? I'm a bad hotel employee because I expect these things that I see wrong to be fixed?
And because of these beliefs/ideals of mine I deserve to make 8.75? I'm not worth any more is that it? Some new person that I doubt will stick around as long as me gets 10 bucks to start. That's fair I suppose isn't it? I tell you what is going to be fair. August 10th the one lady quits. Also on that day the sheriff goes on vacation. With any amount of luck I am going to do my damnedest to quit that day. It's only fair that I repay the hotel the same loyalty it shows me.
I told the sheriff in the beginning I would not give two weeks notice and I have every intention of upholding that. It's the least I could do. If I get my way this is what I'm going to do. On the 10th I'm going in at 11pm as per the usual. After the second shift person leaves I'm going to call the gm in his hotel room and tell him he has 5 minutes to come down and take over. Five minutes later I'm leaving. If the gm is down at the desk or not I'm gone. It will have been a long time coming. And yes it's a cheap, childish thing to do. I don't care. It's going to make me feel good.
I'm going to track my progress to the deadline on the 10th here on my site. I'm going to write about it in every detail. The places I go to apply at, my resume, anything that provides information on my progress towards my deadline of the 10th. I have a lot of work ahead of me and I'll need all the luck I can get.
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$8.75 an hour for the audit shift? I have no idea of the market in your area, but considering your experience and obvious expertise, you could easily command $11 to $12 in most places. And I have worked with auditors that throw staplers, punch computer keyboards, and cus and swear at customers (This was the guy I replaced here so he could be promoted to another property in managment!) Maybe it’s different here in Daytona Beach. Turk, maybe it’s time you worked for a property that’s willing to pay for your know-how and not a property that pays someone for how big, wet, and juicy his/her lips get on the boss’s ass.
Thanks for the words of encouragement Some Guy. I’m glad you came around to see my situation.
Turk,
Up north, ’bout five hours you can command $11.00 to start and a raise at 3 months. The way I see it the night audit holds the place together, completes all the work the day staff does not. And if your hotel is like mine, does it all alone while the day staff has a full line of breakfast attendants, house cleaners, maintenance people, two desk clerks, sales staff and managers.
Then the night audit comes in and fixes up the paperwork, gets out the bills, answers telephones, takes reservations, tracks down pillows, delivers towels, sets wake-up calls, keeps rowdy guests in line, makes coffee, deals with every guest demand for service, gets airline crews off, make beds, walk guests, search (and find) rooms for the over-sold guarantees when everything is sold-out for 50 miles, and I could go on and on, only to be relieved 5 to 15 minutes late(everyday)by daytime front desk staff worried that you might have neglected to pull and or file guest folios from the bucket that they left from the day before as they were to busy playing w/ myspace to do their job.
Night audit does it all and saves the managers/gm tons of trouble w/ corporate and does it with little to no contact with anyone else in the operation. (And yet must know intuitively everything that’s going on in the hotel). Seems like it ought to be a $20/hour job to me.
Now you could not sell me a managers job because i like walking away at 7:10 to 7:25 without a worry in the world. But it seems the night sudit commands a lot more respect that they get!
Good luck with your job search! Should be easy with the experience in multi-taksing that an auditor is used to!
Thank you UpAllNight. It is nice to see our little (very little) community agree on this. I’m just out of my mind now. The idea of everyone not getting raises is fine. But to start a new person out at more than I make is terrible. Makes me wonder if the managers even feel guilty for doing shit like this? With any luck I can leave on the 10th.
UpAllNight — VERY WELL SAID!
So two week later heres where I’m at. A few days after this post I did go and apply at a number of hotel in a 20 mile radius. Of course none of them have called. Story of my life.
I had picked up an app from the hi express in this town filled it out and just never turned it in. Well yesterday I dropped it off after getting off at 7am. At 5:30pm I get a call asking me to call them. The lady in charge is in at 9am and I’ll be going in to see her.
With any luck I’ll at least make the horrible 8.75. With some really good luck I’ll make more than that. And as long as I get what I make at this shithole I’ll take the job. It’s full time and it’s run by americans. Two things as important as making at least 8.75 an hour.
Wish me luck.