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I have been working at a small television station for the last two years. This is my first job out of college. When I started working here, the station was undergoing some big changes. My co-host and I were new producers/hosts, and we had a new director. We were recently awarded "Best Morning Show" by our network, and we are both ready to be done with a boss who can't seem to stop lying.
As it is a small station, and our college professors taught us about television news but not contracts, we can leave at any time. But, we can't make him keep his promises of increased pay or vacation time. What is our best option to get a better situation?
Frustrated First Job
I asked a friend, Scott Libin, managing editor of Poynter Online and a faculty member at the Poynter Institute, to tackle your question, as he has more TV experience than I. This answer is from him. -- JoeDear Frustrated,
Congratulations on your "Best Morning Show" award. It may come in handy when marketing yourself for your next job. From what you say, you aren't feeling as appreciated by your boss as you were by the contest judges.
Your letter leaves your contractual status a little unclear to me. If, as you say, you can leave at any time, that must mean you have no contract at your current station. If you are contractually free to go, this may well be the time to do so. It's difficult to hold people to "promises" of increased pay or vacation time if those promises aren't in writing. The parties to such agreements often remember things differently. That's why contracts exist: to minimize misunderstandings about who is obligated to what.
On the other hand, you say your college professors didn't teach you about contracts, which makes me wonder if you have one after all. It's a critical question that you ought to be able to answer. A contract is a legal document binding on both parties. If you have one and you feel your employer isn't living up to its part of the bargain, you should consult a lawyer.
Either way, I hope this unpleasant lesson helps you negotiate your next employment agreement in a way that will lead to greater satisfaction. There is, unfortunately, no guarantee that you'll be any happier with your second boss than you have been with your first, but at least you will have the benefit of experience. That might make you better able to head off misunderstandings at the outset, before you get frustrated.
Coming Thursday: This news assistant at a major metro is overwhelmed by a feeling of complacency and a loss of enthusiasm for hard news, but doesn't want to lose two years of experience.
