Supervisors Should Air Their Concerns as Group

Q Nine of us supervisors were told that we were being put on salary instead of our hourly pay at our business. We were given a 10% increase to compensate for any extra time put in.

A week later, the owner decided that since business is not doing well, we will forfeit our 10% increase until business improves.

We have no way to vent our frustrations. The human resources department is run by a family member, which makes it quite difficult to discuss any problems.

Any suggestions on how to resolve this?

--D.K., North Hollywood

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A Despite your reservations about talking to the human resources director, it is very important that you and the other supervisors voice your concerns. The HR director seems to be the proper person to approach first.

I think it is important that you do this as a group to show solidarity--and so that no one is unfairly singled out.

Discuss both the inequity issue--being asked to work overtime without appropriate compensation--and your concerns that there needs to be better communication between upper management and the supervisors.

Even if you don’t get the compensation reinstated, you might get a better sense of the reasons behind management’s decisions, and you should begin to open up future lines of communication.

--Ron Riggio, director

Kravis Leadership Institute

Claremont McKenna College

If you have a question about an on-the-job situation, please mail it to Shop Talk, Los Angeles Times, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626; dictate it to (714) 966-7873; or e-mail it to [email protected].