I have to get certifications as part of my job and because all of my coworkers and I keep failing these really hard tests, we aren’t allow to study during downtime on the clock. We were told to study on our own time.
Getting certs is part of what is required for me to get bigger raises and get promoted and all that jazz. I don’t want to use my personal time for this. None of the people who are in this predicament do.
I have a meeting in a few days to discuss goals and I need to figure out how to tell my boss that using my own time for work shit is unacceptable.
I really like this job other than this one aspect of it and I don’t want to make anyone mad, but I need to express my boundaries and all that
At my last job I was asked to get a certain cert as one of my yearly goals. When I asked for time to study, I was told to do it on my own time. I said “If you want me to do this on my own time, clearly it is optional and I’m not doing it.” and then I didn’t.
In my case there was no raise to be had from doing it though, so it was easier to refuse. Good luck!
Those promotion and raise promises are often not kept, so get them laid out in writing. If getting certified is part of your job then you should get paid for it in time and money.
I wish I had a better idea of industry norms. The company I originally worked at was willing to pay for udemy classes and similar and was known to put a couple of us up in important conferences where we could reap a lot of knowledge (and network.) Then we got bought and the new company doesn’t pay for shit. Has an education “stipend” to reimburse you for things you pay out of pocket towards education/training, but it has a yearly cap.
I can’t tell if I was privileged before the acquisition or just kind of fucked over afterwards.
I’ve had both. It’s a good indicator of what the company really thinks of its employees.
Had the same conversation with my boss, and I specifically asked him “Is this certificaton job related or is it just so someone can check a box on a spreadsheet somewhere? If it’s job related, I’m absolutely down for it, what does the new role entitle and what’s the increase in pay for it?”
Response? Silence.
You state “Getting certs is part of what is required for me to get bigger raises and get promoted and all that jazz.” So this is not a required part of your CURRENT position. If you want a better position, you will need to invest in yourself, using some of your own time. Sounds like the employer is already paying for the courses and tests, the rest is now up to you.
Do not go in to your meeting with a bad attitude, you will just piss off your boss. Accept that if you want a promotion and higher pay that you are going to have to give up some personal time to get there. Remember, they’ve already given you time, and you failed, multiple times from what you wrote, so now it is time for you to hunker down and do it on your own time.
I hate the idea of “personal” time. It doesn’t belong to my job by default. It’s all my personal time. If they want any of it they will need to pay.
FULLY AGREE.
I am lending my employer some of my personal time. Therefor if they want more, they need to pay for it. This ideology that you are owned by your company is shitty and needs to stop.
If your company, for which your boss is an agent and therefore part of, is ASKING YOU to get this cert, then the study is labor done as a part of you position. You need to be paid for this work.
If the company is only making it a prerequisite for advancement, and not asking you to get it per se, then reimbursement is reasonable.
If you happen to have a Union then check with them.
Based on what you said, these are not required for you to do your job, only for you to improve your position. It is not unreasonable for you to use personal time for self-improvement. It’s also not unreasonable for you to use company downtime for self-improvement.
Not just downtime. There should be room for training.
Employers aren’t obligated to invest in you, but then you know how much you should invest in them.
1000% this. Spending even an entire work-day to go attend training is part of being in the work force. I’d be spending my personal time dusting off my resume.
You know you’re allowed to print off a new copy
If you need a cert to keep your current position and it wasn’t required when you started, that’s one thing.
If you need a cert to promote and climb within the company that’s totally different. That’s education and qualifications that you need if you choose to climb the ladder and make more. There isn’t really any reason the company should have to pay you for this time for you to study and obtain those certifications. If you decide you want more money, then you will decide to study outside of work. If you wanted a position that required a bachelor’s degree at your company, would you expect the company to pay for your degree and pay for your time at college?
I definitely expect companies to provide continued education opportunities to employees that they value. There’s a difference between taking a couple of online classes and asking the company to pay for a bachelor’s degree, so of course each company is going to have to figure out what works best for them, but only foolish bosses would throw away perfectly good employees who want to improve.
“Using my own time for work stuff is unacceptable to me, and I am prepared to quit this job and get a different one that doesn’t ask me to work off the clock if you press this matter.”
Don’t try to reason them into accepting your way of thinking, just state your position and what you’re willing to do to pursue it
Incidentally, if “I am prepared to quit this job” does not currently apply to you, you should not be having this conversation.
e; partial_acumen had a way better answer
“Using my own time for work stuff is unacceptable to me. It was not enumerated in the job listing when I was hired that off-clock unpaid work was required to keep this job and
I am prepared to quit this job and get a different one that doesn’t ask me to work off the clock if you press this matterif the company terminates me for refusing to work unpaid off the clock I’d be happy to raise that with the Department of Labor for a case of wage theft.”e2; this is all assuming you’re ok with losing this job and waiting through a lawsuit and several years to get what you’re owed by this employer
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a trait of professional careers. Do you think doctors, nurses, etc only study on work time?
If you’re not in such a professional field, discuss remuneration for doing it in your free time as the company will benefit. You need to figure out how much you want for a raise, and if things fall through remind them you’ll be more employable and you can go elsewhere after passing. Maybe even push for an early raise now to keep you as it seems they like you.
I don’t know about medical professionals, but Professional Engineers do, in fact, often get reimbursed by their company for the cost of earning their PDH credits.
If the company doesn’t pay me for a certification they want me to have, I will choose whatever certification/training to meet my requirements. If the cert is something I am interested, cool beans, otherwise the company can pound sand.
This is an intervention. All your posts are full of vitriol. You need to take some time out.
After repeated failures to pass a test, I do not think it is unreasonable for the business to stop paying for your attempts at a certification. Either directly via training sessions and testing fees, or indirectly via your working hours.
If the certs were not required, you have a point. If they are required to the point where OP has to have a discussion about not doing them with his boss, then the buisness needs to keep paying, drop the requirement or find new employees.
