It’s been 15 months since I was at the credit union! I can’t believe it’s been that long. I’ve worked there since June 10th, 1996 and had 4 maternity leaves – so if you actually count up the time actually worked… it’s a lot less. 😉 I have taken multiple courses from pre-financial planning to getting my Mutual Funds licence to Customer and Sales Service. I think I have a lot to offer!

I was a bit excited to go back this morning, like the first day of school. I sat in my supervisor’s office and we talked about what I remembered and what I had to learn and/or re-learn. She then said to me, “We never discussed your wage did we?” I said, “No I was wondering about that” but thinking, “why would it matter… it shouldn’t have changed any.”

When she said the hourly amount it was like I couldn’t hear her talking anymore, my heart started pounding and my mind was racing. You may be thinking, “this sounds like a good thing!”. Well…. it’s $1.89 LESS an hour that I was making when I left on mat leave. I was taken aback. She did add that I would now be on commissions so that is the reason for the decrease. She tried to reassure me that with commissions the possibility for making quite a bit more is there, the potential is great. I was still kinda deaf.

I tried to explain to her that this “new” wage is even lower than when I was working for the investment department and WAS receiving commissions. I tried to think back to what I was making then but my brain was pounding. I just wasn’t expecting this.

Here in Canada your job/wage is 100% protected for 1 full year while on maternity leave. Your job within the organization is 100% protected for another year beyond that. The company must make a place for you no matter what (after 1 year the same job/same wage and after 2 years a job within the same company).

My supervisor tried to explain the difference in the wage by saying, “You requested the Member Services Department.” LIKE A HAD A CHOICE… no, not really. My last position was working in the IT/Marketing dept, part-time. I was bored stiff! There wasn’t enough work to keep me busy. I explained that to the General Manager when we met back in June to discuss my return date, of which should have been the end of July by law but they requested a continuence until they could figure out where to place me. I couldn’t return to the financial planner’s office…. that was a full-time position. WHERE ELSE WAS I TO GO? I have waited… WITHOUT PAY… while they shifted and planned and “made room for me”.

At the end of our conversation she gave me an “incentive sheet” to show me where I could make up the income. I’d have to “sell” 1 -2 financial products/services an hour to make up the difference – more to excel. I am working the “lunch hour” shift from 11am-3pm – I wonder how I’ll manage to do this… She also said that’s it has been a while since I was up front as an MSR (read: teller and it’s been since 2002) and I needed to prove myself first before a wage increase, it might not be permanent is how I heard that. I’ve been working in varying degrees of the financial world since my first “teller” job back in 1991… I can tell I don’t know what I’m doing… I wonder if they’ll give me my last years annual bonus that they paid to everyone else back in September 2005…

I’ll settle down and figure out what to do. I know that increase comes from the Lord and He will take care of business! In the meantime… I have to go out and buy stuff for goodie bags – Liam’s 4th birthday party is tonight and I forgot to pick everything up! 😉