Has anybody else ever been assaulted physically by a manager?
My story, like many, begins with a fraudulent ad that I discovered -- actually, several fraudulent ads, all posted on careerbuilders.com, monster.com, and the like. I had graduated the summer before, and had been working at a local hospital in an attempt to earn and save some money to put towards grad school.
Unfortunately, they were not working me full-time, so I needed to find another job fast. The job market is less than great in Jackson, so I was excited to see an ad offering a base pay of 25, 000 to 45, 000 per year at the entry/new grad level for what sounded like several different positions. (Incidentally, I would strongly encourage anyone who comes across these ads to report them to the site -- because they do not accurately describe the job and they do not specify that the job is 100% commission, the violate the terms of service of every site they are on.)
I was even more excited to get a prompt call back! I was offered a same day interview, and was to naive and inexperienced to know that this was actually not a good sign. I went in for the first interview, but I was not truly interviewed. I was questioned only briefly about fairly inconsequential things, the majority of the ten to fifteen minute interview was devoted to pitching an "exciting opportunity" for a management training program.
All questions about pay, benefits, etc, were brushed aside. I was told I would find out if I was asked on a second interview. I was not told that the job was basically door-to-door sales. The manager, Shanara Anthony, spoke so quickly and with such enthusiasm that I was thoroughly dazed, and when she asked me to come back on a second day interview I automatically accepted.
I was excited when I went back for my second interview, which the called a "day of observation". I still hadn't been told that the job was 100% commission. I didn't find that out until the end of the day. But the girl that I was sent out with was fabulous and fun, it seemed like I would be providing a useful service to local small businesses, and I needed money.
When Shanara warmly offered me the job at my third interview, I happily accepted it. The leader who had taken me out had told me the job was 100% commission, but Shanara did not check to make sure that I knew that. She did not tell me that there were no benefits. She did not tell me that I would not get a gas allowance. She did not mention the long hours that I would be working, or all of the unpaid time that I would be expected to be in the office.
I spent a week shadowing different "leaders", who were supposed to show me what to do. I was then turned loose, on my own. Every morning we spent at least an hour in "Atmosphere", yelling our heads off and jumping around, or in workshops. Mainly, we pumped up our attitudes and practiced our pitches. At first I thought all of this was great. I really liked most of the people around me, and I thought it was all fun. I thought it was nice that we all came back to the office to check in, and that the after work team meetings at local bar/restaurants was a great way to unwind and have a little fun.
Then I began to see that all of these things were simply keeping us from noticing that, given the number of hours we were working, we really weren't making that much money, not after gas, car maintenance, and food expenses -- and god forbid we need to go to the doctor or dentist, or pay for any prescriptions. I was sent on a road trip, and was shocked to find myself sleeping on the floor of another manager's apartment.
No money was provided for food on this week long trip. (Also, I was placed in several dangerous situations while "working territory" -- at one point a strange man tried to get me into his car. This last bit isn't the fault of the company, but if you are a young woman considering this type of job you should be aware of the dangers of such a position - and consider how they stack up against no salary and no benefits)
I began to notice favoritism within the office, and the subtle ways in which Shanara cut down people whose production was low. I had initially thought that the environment was very positive -- then I began to notice that, no matter how long it had been since your last "slump", Shanara always managed to bring it up, even when praising you for doing incredibly well. Since the people being slighted were some of the most hardworking, this didn't sit too well with me.
Additionally, Shanara was constantly berating the women about our appearance, telling us that we needed to be dressed professionally and that inappropriately dressed "day of o" kids were our fault, as they must be emulating us. It is difficult to stomach such lectures from someone wearing see-through, lace up blouses that practically reveal nipple paired with stiletto heels, no matter how many blazers she owns.
I found that it was necessary to keep a very close eye on what apps you did, as occasionally someone else would get paid for them, and vice versa. A girl I had worked closely with had her childcare fall through and had to leave for at least a little while. She called about picking up her check, and was informed by Shanara that, because she felt that another employee had helped her in getting the app Shanara would not pay her for it, but would instead give it to the girl who had helped with the paperwork. I realized then that I should definitely leave, and planned to resign at the end of the week.
The next day I was sent in a car packed five deep to a location over two and a half hours away. We did not get back until after seven o' clock that night. I had another obligation to take care of, for which I was an hour late, so I told everyone else in the car to inform Shanara that I had to leave immediately and would file my paper work the next morning. I was lectured severely about this the next day, was told that I needed to come in every night and stay for longer than I had been (for no pay -- that's what really blows my mind! I always assumed that doing things for which you were not paid was *voluntary*), was told that I obviously must have a horrible attitude, and that I needed to reexamine my priorities.
So I left, and I thought about my attitude, and realized that it was really horrible to be chipper and enthusiastic about being taken advantage of. I reexamined my priorities, I realized that staying on in an environment where I was simply an unappreciated cash cow was ludicrous. And so, that evening, I resigned. This is where things started to get really ugly.
When I came in Shanara asked me how my day was and how many apps I had brought in. I said my day was good, but I only had an app from the day before to turn in. As she made a face at me, I told her that I would need to speak to her privately.
We went to her office, and I told her that I was afraid it would be my last day, thanked her for the opportunity of working with her, and wished her luck. She asked me why I was leaving, and I, trying to be polite, stated that it was for many reasons but there was no reason to go into detail. She pressed me further, so I admitted that I had some concerns about the way that money and payment was handled, and that I additionally had found her "motivational lecture" that morning to have revealed a detached, out-of-touch approach.
She immediately focused in on the last bit, saying that she was sorry if I had felt she was personally attacking me, it was a tough business, etc., etc, and that if I was so thin skinned it probably wasn't the right business for me. Seeing that she didn't understand what I had been saying, I clarified myself, stating that I did not see the lecture as a personal attack, that I had decided to resign before she had even delivered it -- it had just made me realize hat it was ridiculous to finish out the week as I had planned.
She immediately began to press me about my concerns regarding the payroll --she was relentless! She kept claiming that everyone was paid only for their own apps, I informed her that I knew this was not the case, and she the admitted that such errors did occur, but they were caught clerically. When I stated that such errors should be caught before the checks ere cut, she simply pressed her lips together angrily before going back to claiming that I was really leaving because I felt that she had personally attacked me.
Once again I said, even more plainly, that my reasons for leaving were due to her management and the "hiccups" involving payroll. I told her that I knew about the re-assigned app and that I did not want anyone playing God with my money. She blatantly lied and said the incident had not occurred. She then patronizingly told me that she was very concerned, she could not understand why anyone would be interested in what happens to another person's checks. She assured me that my final checks would be perfectly correct. She would not tell me how or when I would receive payment. I asked explicitly, and I asked twice. She told me she didn't know and that she would call me. She refused to discuss the matter further. I had no choice but to leave.
She was very angry. She had always had this hang up about how people were either weak or strong, at the time I simply assumed that her anger was because I wasn't allowing myself to be classified as leaving due to being weak.
I receive no call from Shanara the next week. I suspected she would try to get out of paying me. I went to the office midmorning. The receptionist informed me that there was no check for me. Shanara was in a meeting with some Cydcor people, so I waited twenty minutes for her to finish. Again, I asked when and how I would be paid. She said that I was down for a check that week, but that there wasn't one for e -- she guessed that I was getting a final check at some point. I asked when and I asked why she didn't know what was going on with my payment. She said it was all handled by Cydcor, and she would call me when my final check came in. When I asked why Cydcor was issuing checks that were headed with "Innovative Vision Group" she refused to answer me.
THIS OFFICE IS RUN BY RICKY TOMASIC, CHRIS KRAUS, JOEL, AND MICHELLE GEDDES IS RECEPTION.
Ex ds max-er
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
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