Misled About Raises and Promotions

**yimmyone** · 04-28-2008, 04:07 AM

My question involves employment and labor law for the state of: Virginia.

The employment deal maker:
Meet level 1 goals for 3 primary performance measures and receive a bonus. Meet level 2 goals and double the bonus. Deal based on 2 inventory management and sales goals.

The reality after employment:
1. The state of the organization was unknown to the ownership due to past mismanagement. Once the reality was investigated, calculated and evaluated it became clear the problem was huge directly affecting my goals.

2. After revealing the problem and solutions to upper management it became apherent there was no urgent desire to correct the problem.

3. I also became aware that my ability to control inventory, sales and make decisions to correct the problem would not be granted due to an over-contolling owner whom was unsure himself, as to, what to do. I was denied the simplest authority to correct the problem for at least one year. I could not sale price items, not allowed to advertise, promote or create a positive influence to correct the inventory nightmare. Although I made a significant impact through hard work I could not meet my goals due to the value of old non-moving inventory producing a nagative impact on the goals. (special note: all decisions at this satellite location must be passed through the owner)

4. As advised by instructors of the industry, who teach mangement goals, it would be fair and normal for an owner to eliminate past inventory mismanagement from the starting value for a new manager. Now in my 3rd year this has not occured.

5. A change in supervisors for my location has helped in making the matter clear to the owner but no efforts are being made to compensate me for my efforts up to this point. At my request the ability to renegotiate has been denied.

6. There is no annual pay raise stucture for my position.

5. My location manager has given up on making suggestions for the owner to take urgent measures to correct the problem; benefitting not only employees but the business in general.

6. This is not my first time in this position. I consider myself an experienced expert in my industry and entered the agreemnet with the ambition and skills to tackle the problem. I now suffer from anxiety issues and I am currently seeking employment elswhere.

**hr for me** · 04-28-2008, 06:35 AM

What exactly is your question? It sounds like your reality hasn't met your expectations. While that is not fair, I don't see anything illegal based on what you posted.

Once you knew the performance measures would not be accomplished, your only choice was renegotiating the bonus structure. If the owner refused, there was not much you could do about it. No laws require bonuses especially if there is no written contract/plan. And even in your own perspective, the performance goals were not met. Regardless of whether they even could ever have been. The business owner doesn't have to abide by "fair and normal in the business industry".

If anything, the courts would only enforce a valid contract and you would have to prove this was (1) a valid contract and (2) that you met your side of the contract. It's usually hard to enforce a verbal contract regardless of this.