Asking for a promotion

Bethanee Harper

October 5, 2021

To whom it concerns:

I am writing this letter to ask in proper form for a position change for myself. I want a position change based on my performance and the professional quality of work that I offer. I feel that I bring a lot to the table, and I can improve on specific skills and learn new and different skills to earn and deserve a legit full-time position. The legit full-time job that I need pays a reasonable, consistent actual cost of living wage. I recently wrote a whole paper on how the system is messed up and requires many changes. One person cannot make changes, but it takes just one person to say something to get the ball rolling. I'm choosing to be that person.

"I started as a part-time cashier at Family Fare in Oscoda, making $10.25 per hour plus tips if I worked online shopping. I did all of the computer classes, learned how to fix specific issues, prevent certain problems, and put into action specialized on-the-job knowledge; despite how much time, hard work, effort, and everything that I put in, no significant increase in pay. Finally, I received a promotion to the full-time online shopper lead and got a raise to $11.95 per hour plus tips; but, in my opinion, for all of the tasks that were on my plate with the new position, the pay did not reflect."

"I have done all of the required computer classes; I have perfected specific tasks. I have learned certain lessons well enough to be a well sought out teacher; I help out in multiple departments, I help manage the front end of the store whether the customer service manager is there or not! I have learned most of the tasks to help run the service counter; I know how to run and teach regular register and service counter. Daily, I operate the quick ordering, shop multiple orders, call computer support or customer support (as required). I cover register breaks, service counter breaks, answer phone calls, answer emails, efficiently assist customers, clean (as necessary), and so much more!"

Above is a couple of quotes from a paper I wrote that I am attaching to this letter. I would like for you also to read that paper because I think it helps prove my argument for this letter.

SKILLS:

1. Cashier

2. Fast lane shopper

3. Service counter

4. Grocery stocking

5. Dairy/frozen stocking

6. Fast lane lead

7. Janitorial

I have more skills than the few that are listed. I can most certainly add to the list by learning new skills and tasks around the store. I have many versatile skills for being a semi young individual. I know that I have a lot of growth left to continue doing, which I am working on, but I also hold a lot of wisdom and knowledge that I feel I need to share with others. I enjoy learning new tasks and teaching other peers tasks that I currently know and do. I love working with others and getting things done as a team! Working at Oscoda Family Fare has been my most favorite job in my adult career thus far.

Working full-time hours every week at the store and still barely scraping by and making ends meet. I did a lot of soul searching over the past year and reflected a bunch before deciding to go back to college and go down to part-time hours at work. I dreaded going down to part-time because I was not too fond of the idea of relying on the government for assistance. I already was relying on the government for help, and I was busting my butt every day and never getting ahead in life. I know that things need to change, and the changes need to start with me first.

Over the last year, I have done a lot of self-reflection, figuring out what I want to do with my life. Sadly I have never been a person of having a goal list for myself, I have always had things in mind that I would like to do with my life, but I'm not very good at planning and executing said plans. I made a goal list for the first time in my life, and I am doing everything I possibly can to succeed. I found Capella University to be the best fit for me; every time I interacted with one of their staff members, whether via email or phone, it has always been amicable and professional. Versus other schools I looked at didn't seem welcoming to me and gave off bad vibes.

To an extent, I am grateful that the system works in the way it currently does, but the government assistance life is not for me. I'm thankful now that I chose to go down to part-time when I did because it helped me get my life on track. I mentally didn't think I could handle school and working full time, and legit, that is not the issue at all. Since starting college in August of 2021, I have learned so much about myself. For the first time in my life, I'm focusing on my goals and stopping at nothing to succeed. I stepped down part-time to focus on college and, for lack of better words, take advantage of the system and use it to help myself since I wasn't getting anywhere working full-time. Since I stepped down to part-time, I realize now all of the hard work I did at the store had to stop because I had to make changes to help make my life better and give Madaisha and me a bright future. The hard work that I did at the store over the past year has barely gotten done since I had to go to part-time hours. I only went down to part-time hours because of not making enough money to live. Untimed and unprepared when I went down to part-time but the way the government assistance works, I had no other choice, primarily based on my current pay rate and living situation. **note** I lived with my friend and her family, along with my five-year-old daughter, for over a year. I paid rent to live there and tried to search for a place of my own but couldn't afford anything no matter what I did, so I had to give up my fast lane tips to qualify for state assistance and get an apartment for my daughter and me to have a place to call home for ourselves.

Money isn't everything; I grew up taught to work hard for what you want out of life. I am not afraid of hard work; give me a job and the proper training to complete the needed tasks, and I'll get it done. Life is expensive, and the pay doesn't reflect the hard work presented and completed; that's why things are suffering. I want to work, I want to work full time and go to college full time, and I know that as long as the pay reflects appropriately, then I know that I can do both because I know that the only thing holding me back is money. I don't particularly appreciate working minimal part-time hours, especially when I know tasks need completion. I can complete the necessary functions; sadly, I cannot complete those tasks for my current pay rate. I understood last year when I first got promoted to fast lane lead that I only received a dollar raise. Reflecting on all of the hard work I did on top of the actual job duties and almost had nothing to prove that based on my pay, I had no other choice than to step down from my full-time position to go off on a different path of life.

When I was working full-time hours, I was barely making ends meet, couldn't afford rent, groceries, household supplies, gas for my car to get to work and back, medications, you name it, I pretty much had to choose which necessities are essential and then go from there. That is not a way someone who works their butt off should have to live. I still have to live that way even more now, and it is driving me insane! I despise sitting around doing nothing, especially when I am available to work. Currently I can work a max of twenty-four hours a week and I have recently only been scheduled tweleve hours.

General manager training program:

A program that helps train individuals much like myself that enjoy being busy and versatile. Many tasks need completing around the store, we suffer from inadequate staffing, much as the rest of the world. We need backup people for basically every department. The general manager training program would only be open for people that have been with the company for at least a year. Individuals who prove their worth and physical capabilities to do necessary tasks and retain the knowledge of essential duties, individuals who show effort in wanting to expand their knowledge and work skills, would be eligible for this training program.

I would love to be the Guienne pig here at Oscoda Family Fare, and if it is successful, I would like to see it be implemented company-wide. I would love to go back to full-time hours and back to all of my regularly scheduled duties and learn skills in other departments such as scanning, meat, bakery. I will stay in college because I am working towards my dream, but I want to change things to afford to live independently. I need all of these changes for my daughter and me. I refuse to go live a socially traditional life. I refuse to go back to a marriage with a man that I have to rely on to live, which makes me, in turn, feel like I don't want to be alive. I also refuse to be in a relationship with another person I have to rely on similarly. I ended my toxic marriage to create a better life for my daughter and me. I will do that independently at whatever costs. I am a strong independent woman, and I know that I can handle whatever life throughs at me. Pay me a proper living wage of $18 an hour plus tips if I work fast lane and benefits. Give out appropriate raises in a reasonable, timely fashion, maybe based on work performance? I know you give out $20 gift cards to employees who get their names mentioned on positive survey's but what about actual compensation for those employees and all of their hard work? What about the employees who don't get their names mentioned, not because they aren't good at their jobs but because the system relies on customers to acknowledge employees' hard work, instead of the corporations honoring and valuing their employees properly. I know things will significantly improve for me, and if you follow suit with other employees, I think you will notice a considerable improvement from everyone!

Many other individuals like me think that the system is failing because things aren't changing with the current way of the world. Everything is not black and white, every person's situation is different, and I think there should be more tier-based scales in how things operate. The way the government and big corporations use and control things, individuals like myself fail because they are left with no options to help make things better. Everyone says, "Go and get a job!" talking like that is the fix-all to being able to afford life. In my opinion, the low starting wage should be for people who are just starting, not people who have put in a copious amount of time and effort; companies need to offer raises, not just yearly. If companies want to see valued work, they need to value and appreciate their employees. The high turnover rate isn't just because no one wants to work; it's also partly because of the workers who have worked through everything and have had no reward or appreciation shown. Parties are great, but they don't help pay the bills and other living expenses.

In February of 2021, I received a phone call from Aldersgate Apartments in Oscoda, MI. I put in an application back in November, but thanks to COVID, the processing took extra time. When I put in for an application, I was seriously at my witts end; I was suffering through life with pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, and seasonal allergies while living in my friend's basement with my five-year-old daughter. I was doing everything I could to survive life as independently as possible while going through a divorce and living with my friend and her family. Last year, dealing with my aliments caused me to miss tons of work; I was not too fond of that. I did not want to be at home sick, barely able to breathe. Finally, in February, I was diagnosed correctly. I started a daily treatment for asthma, which I developed due to my annual spring and fall allergies.

Finally, in March, I heard something back from Aldersgate; [Somebody] informed me that I made too much money to qualify for state assistance. I was frantic. I couldn't afford to rent anywhere on my own, and having a child, I don't just want any person as a roommate. I opted out of receiving fast lane tips in April because that put me over the income limit. I kept my same hourly rate of pay. I didn't ask for a raise because a bit of raise of a dollar or something similar isn't going to help me; it'll hurt me. I need something substantial actually to help allow me to afford life independently. In May, I finally got an apartment; I finally met income guidelines and qualified to get an apartment for my daughter and me. I was at full rent payment, received almost no food stamps; I was barely scraping by and making ends meet. All of my money went to rent, bills, groceries, and medication; I had no money for anything else. I had to cut down on my hours and start college to get better state assistance to provide a better lifestyle for my daughter and me. I did not want to do that, but I had no other choice because I couldn't ask for a raise, work any more hours, and am already at the max limit for income guidelines.

I've been thinking and working on this paper for over a month. Almost two months if you include the other essay I wrote that also involves this situation. If I honestly reflect, I didn't want to step down from my full-time position, but I had to with the income guidelines from workplaces and government assistance. If I receive even a dollar raise, I make too much money and lose state assistance, but that raise doesn't help me make enough money to afford to rent a place on my own.

I thought Katie, who started in grocery back in May, seemed like an excellent person to add to the fast lane team. I needed someone to help cover my vacation in July. Even though she didn't have a lot of training due to staffing issues and needing people in specific departments, she caught on the too-fast lane and completed the job tasks for the most part. I attempted to train her more once I got back from vacation and other fast lane team members tried to teach her while I was gone. I wanted to help her get the full-time fast lane lead position because I thought it would help provide a more stable income and life for her and her family. It didn't fit with my life because of my income. Different events have happened, and in my opinion, she has proved how she is not fit for the job. I want to go back to full-time hours; I honestly want to work at the store and continue to go to college.

I need to make at least $18 an hour for living independently without any government assistance. Let's talk about making that raise a possible reality because Jerri-Lynn also applied to the fast lane lead position, and I know that she doesn't like to work mornings, and I can't work evening shifts because of having a young child at home. I know that if you listen to your workers, your consistent workers, and make the changes they need to see to help make their lives easier, they will do the required work at the store even better. Treat us like the adults we are, everyone is an adult here, and no one is better than the next.

My thought process on asking for this raise is to help me get off-state assistance; I believe I have six months to find a place of my own, and if I get a good enough raise, I will pay max rent, save up money and be able to live my life independently. If this raise doesn't happen, I have to continue working and rely on the government to live.