ASK HR: My boss expects too much from me for negligible pay

She expected us to shop, eat and even socialise in upmarket places only. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • It is best to address the issue of your salary separately on the basis of your contribution to the organisation, rather than the requirement concerning organisational image.
  • There is a bit more to salary adjustment than the change of the outlets you patronise.

Q. My boss, the sole owner of an upcoming PR company, recently called my colleagues and I to her office and told us that since we sold image, she expected us to shop, eat and even socialise in upmarket places only. This would be fine by me, but she doesn’t pay us enough to afford the expensive places she listed. How do I point this out without coming across as rude?

Every organisation desires to be perceived by its stakeholders in a way that advances its business interests or the purpose for which it was created.

Some organisations are more exacting than others in how they promote and preserve their image, which may include minding how their employees come across.

While it is right to expect employees to promote a positive reputation of their organisations, it is possible that in their quest to build and retain a certain perception with stakeholders, some organisations may inadvertently invade the personal freedom of their employees.

Might your boss have wanted to stoke your aspirations rather than expect you to change your lifestyle overnight? Is being seen in certain places sufficient to promote a positive organisational image?

And is this recent requirement a basis or merely the cherry on the cake of promoting your organisation’s image?

Although it cannot cost nothing to look the part, it would be mistaken to assume that keeping a certain image is driven purely by choices that have financial implications. Image does not start and end with how organisations position themselves, stakeholder perceptions often have more to do with the quality of client experiences in the course of service delivery.

It is possible for the employees of an organisation to shop and socialise in all the right places and yet be perceived poorly by stakeholders. Image abides more in the heart than on the high-street.

Find a quiet moment with your boss and share your concerns and constraints, aware that her expectation forms only a part of the wherewithal needed to promote a positive image of your organisation.

Find out whether she has suggestions on what you and your colleagues could do in the circumstances, as she must be aware that her requirements present certain personal obligations.

It is best to address the issue of your salary separately on the basis of your contribution to the organisation, rather than the requirement concerning organisational image.

There is a bit more to salary adjustment than the change of the outlets you patronise.