unfair treatment

17 Comments

1. AnonymousJune 1,2024 at 1:14PM UTC

   You are correct. You should not be asked to work off the clock as an hourly employee and in most cases it is illegal. Turn in your mileage! I also work for a nonprofit and encourage staff to turn in their mileage. As an employee, the current reimbursement rate is .67 per mile. Maybe you are over thinking the mail. Tell your supervisor there is parcel to be picked up. Notify them via email for documentation, then let it go. If they don’t pick it up, that’s on them.

2. AnonymousJune 2,2024 at 9:19PM UTC

   Is the .67 by state? If was told .29. When it comes to large packages I do leave a note on teams that it is at the post office. If the post office told me who it is for I notify them directly. The maintenance manager went to the post office picked up some packages (I never saw them, only was told LARGE) and dropped them on my desk and said these are your large packages. neither addressed to me.

3. AnonymousJune 1,2024 at 1:34PM UTC

   No, you're not being taken advantage of. This is the unwritten role you have been expected to perform. This is a typical non-profit. They are dicey, not well managed and usually highly highly dysfunctional. Acceptance is usually the way forward. But do everything on the clock.

4. AnonymousJune 1,2024 at 2:03PM UTC

   If you use your personal vehicle for work related tasks, in many states, if you are in an accident, your vehicle insurance will not cover damages.

5. AriaJune 1,2024 at 2:47PM UTC

   I would follow through on your threat and submit mileage comp. Or indicate that I cannot run errands anymore as I am not provided with a proper company vehicle (and follow through by not doing it). If you are not willing to make good to your comments and complains then for sure nothing will change. Good Luck.

6. AnonymousJune 2,2024 at 9:22PM UTC

   I plan on it. I’m wondering how far back I can go? I have an app that tracks my mileage/drives.

7. maria roseJune 1,2024 at 6:35PM UTC

   Since the “company vehicles” are unavailable to be used for the package pickups and delivery of packages and mailing to the Post Office and that is considered part of your job duties, you should be giving in mileage statements for every time you are using your vehicle for this purpose. Let their HR figure out how to reimburse you or you can also include the mileage deduction on your tax returns filed. You probably were not offered use of a company vehicle as a perk of your job so hence the limited availability. You probably didn’t realize how many packages and mailings you had to deal with in your role but now that you do, and have to use your vehicle for this function, keeping a mileage record is just a standard practice.

8. AnonymousJune 2,2024 at 12:57PM UTC

   Additionally, you are assuming the liability driving your vehicle, no? Also, managing package delivery can be linked to inflow/outflow of mail. They aren’t taking advantage of you necessarily on that. But at the very least, you should be providing mileage statements for reimbursement. I would check on what the company policies are around personal vehicle use as well because it may be limited or not at all BECAUSE it creates liability issues. Working ff the clock is not ok. You do not owe any company your time for free.

9. AnonymousJune 2,2024 at 12:38PM UTC

   I would check with my auto insurance company and ask if there could be issues if you get into an accident while running a company errand with your personal vehicle. If so, you have a strong case for being allowed to use a company vehicle.

10. AnonymousJune 2,2024 at 12:50PM UTC

    I agree with two previous comments - talk to your auto insurance company and submit mileage to.your team. Also, if any repairs had to have been made during the use of your car (which was not im assuming part of the requirement when you took the job), I would submit that as well. Their tune will change very quickly.

    Who is using the other vehicles? Why can't their be a schedule ? For example, you are to pick up packages every Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 and Noon.

    Same-ish situation. This is why I need to leave the non profit sector. "we don't have money" and yet I see postings for $200k director position while I got scolded during a staff meeting (55 employees) on hiring a moving team to load boxes to an off site venue as we don't have a company car.

11. AnonymousJune 2,2024 at 9:32PM UTC

    Company vehicles get used for anything. For anyone who works onsite (except for 1 other person and me) and needs to go offsite for work they drive it. I’ve been there 5+ years. We are supposed to take a “drivers test” before we are allowed to drive. However the person in charge of those tests will not give me one sitting they cost time and money.

12. AnonymousJune 2,2024 at 3:37PM UTC

    Here’s the part that isn’t great about NPs… you wear many hats and do extra things not part of your job duties. However, hourly pay and mileage reimbursement is part of the requirement they’re responsible for if you’re spending time and using your own vehicle. And I agree that you need to speak to your insurance provider to inquire what limitations or exceptions they have for using your personal vehicle to run company errands. Some providers extend coverage with additional costs and some do not allow it. Ask them to email/mail documentation about such coverage. Regardless of anything asked of you, the NO you work for is required to pay you your hourly, for mileage, and they may also be required to pay part of any additional insurance coverage if they require you use your personal vehicle for errands. Unfortunately, saying things like “it’s not my job” is sort of the polar opposite of how most NPs operate. One of my former employers was a NP. I loved the job but disliked the low pay for all the work. Working for a NP is a labor of love over pay, no doubt. And I, too, had reeled at the 6-figure income our director made over the top pay of other staff. It feels very unfair. If you like what they do, their mission, maybe look at an industry or other company that aligns with your NPs mission (or works with your NP group) and see if they have openings. I don’t think I’ve never works in a job that didn’t have toxic or dysfunctional staff, regardless of industry or location but I did work with fewer of them or at least those who had better behaviors. I hope things work out for you. Do a little homework and then present your supervisor and Director with your vehicle insurance documentation. Show them that in order to use your personal vehicle it requires additional coverage and they will need to pay the difference, along with mileage reimbursement - or you can be allowed to use a company vehicle on Mondays and Thursdays for PO runs at an approved time and your personal vehicle for all other company errands. If your insurance doesn’t cover your work errands, request a copy of the NPs worker’s compensation agreement and submit your mileage reimbursements from this point forward. If they do not offer you a copy to keep (or where to find it, or who handles their worker’s compensation claims), let them know you cannot run other errands until you receive that information and know what coverage you have. This should certainly prompt them to work something out. I have said NO to using my personal vehicle before and was allowed to use an alternate vehicle. Your personal car is rarely a reason to hire/fire someone. If you’d like to teach them a lesson, as well, if you have a friend who can drop you a few block from work on the way to their work and you explain your car is “in the shop,” I assure you you’ll hear some allowances for using a work vehicle!

13. E CJune 2,2024 at 3:59PM UTC

    I worked for a non-profit organization with similar issues. Work-life balance meant finding a way to have a life after doing unpaid overtime. Personal vehicles were the only option unless we were traveling more than 50 miles, and we were strongly encouraged to "donate" local mileage to the organization. I found out after I left that the Board of Directors was not aware of how bad it was, and wished that staff would have come to them. Keep that in mind if you need support. All the best.

14. Maggie MaoJune 2,2024 at 7:06PM UTC

    This is a question of boundaries and perhaps even legality, but I am not a legal expert.

    The described situation can occur at any type of organization, whether non-profit or for-profit. I see it happen more often in smaller organizations, as larger ones typically have more structured policies in place.

    I wonder why you wouldn't consider leaving. The truth is, boundaries need to be set early on, like when you start a new job. Since you have been doing this for many years, you have essentially given people permission, and it has become 'okay.' If you have already tried to communicate with everyone in your organization about this issue and they haven't budged, the reality is that it might be too much of an uphill battle.

15. AnonymousJune 2,2024 at 11:13PM UTC

    Stop using your vehicle for company business unless they reimburse you for mileage and operational costs.

    Time to look for a new job....

16. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJune 3,2024 at 1:47AM UTC

    You wrote "Recently we have an influx of packages being delivered to the PO. It is not my job responsibility to get them."

    Then why are you picking them up and why are you stressing about this?

    Honestly, I think you need to set boundaries with yourself. If it's not your responsibility to pick them up, then let the person whose responsibility it is worry about it. Or the person who the package is addressed to.

    I don't quite understand why you are going to all this aggravation talking to vehicle managers etc. for something that's not even part of your job.

17. AnonymousJune 8,2024 at 6:31PM UTC

    I've worked and volunteered at small non-profits for years and some environments (non-profit or not) tend to demand more of their workers and use words like "team player," "loyalty," "everyone chips in," etc. Sometimes, even if the request is new, it's fine. It's part of the culture. Sometimes, it's okay to say you can't do it - or have a proactive meeting about the subject (e.g. Lots of big packages at the P.O. this week, who can help?). What is tacit expectation vs. unspoken policies vs. where can you push back.

    And, especially in today's job market with burnout and the economy, folks are really evaluating their time. (And some companies just attract well-intentioned folks and burn them out. You need to figure out if you can make it work there).

    If any of this rings somewhat true, I'd recommend getting all the documented facts (e.g. employee handbook and policies, job description, rules about reimbursement, price of gas, etc. and review them). If it's as simple as saying something like , "Heads up, I can't do the P.O. mail run anymore. I was helping when I could."). Could be a subtle stepping away boundary. Maybe that solves things. If there's expectation/scope creep where that environment just expects you to help in certain ways that are "other tasks as assigned", then have a conversation with your manager or leaders/HR about wanting to be a team player, could we find a way forward- perhaps have team meetings and see if others could help out. If all your efforts of stepping away or speaking up (whether subtle or direct) prove to be problematic, then yes, I'd suggest looking elsewhere for a job (because it won't get better).

    Good luck!