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The Raise

Richard K. Williams

    I had been employed at this electronic security company for two years. On second thought, if memory serves me, it was closer to three years. I was originally hired on as a piece worker, which meant I was paid based upon what I installed. The terms of my employment worked as follows; their packaged residential security alarm systems consisted of a control panel, keypad, indoor siren, three contacts (usually installed on doors), a motion detector, and a connection through their phone line to a central monitoring station. This was a hard-wired system which meant I had to drill holes and run and fish wiring to each device. For completing this installation, I received seventy-five dollars. The same package was offered in a wireless version with the same number of devices for which I was paid the same amount. The difference was that for each extra hardwired device I installed I was paid fifteen dollars per device, and five dollars for additional wireless devices. I was expected to install two packages per day. This also included driving to jobs, for which I used my own car, hauling the equipment and my tools into the houses, and showing the customer how to operate the system as well as instilling confidence in the customer that they were getting a professional installation. I was good at my job. I always managed to complete the expected two installs per day, customers called the office and praised my work some wrote letters of praise expressing their satisfaction.
    The office employed two telemarketers that kept the work flowing by making appointments for salespeople to get into potential customers homes to sell more systems. The salesperson would evaluate the residence to see if the standard package was a good fit or they would upsell additional devices. At times the salesperson would sell enough extra parts so that I only had to complete one system to make the same amount as I would have had I installed two systems. My success rate was based upon my ability to quickly adjust install techniques to find the fastest neatest way to get wiring around the house to the devices. Like utilizing closets for vertical wire runs instead of snaking walls which can eat up more time.
    The alarm industry was in a period of transition. When I first started working in the industry the average home security system cost between five and seven thousand dollars installed. The systems were normally purchased by people with enormous houses and lots of money. But that market became saturated, so, the marketing people shifted focus to middle class and lower. To perform this maneuver companies began selling packages with multi year monitoring contracts. The companies would lose money on the install and make up the difference by only leasing the equipment to the customer but they would break even at the end of the five-year monitoring contract. So, the customer didn’t own the equipment and they were locked into a five- year contract.
    I had bounced around from small companies to multinational corporations and found myself here doing piece work, installing packages but I was doing a good job. One day I went into the office and saw that the telemarketer’s desks were empty. I went to see one of the owners Frank who always had always been honest with me as well as being outrageous. Once I recall when he was going away for a few days he had me follow him around the office shouting instructions. He said “don’t touch the fucking phone settings, don’t touch the fucking on-hold station, and don’t touch the fucking thermostat!” I’m getting ahead of myself. (That incident actuslly occurred some years later when I was promoted to installation manager). So I went to ask Frank what was up with the telemarketers and he said. “We are moving in a different direction here and are no longer offering residential package installations.” I understandably got nervous seeing as how those packages were my job and if they were not going to be doing them anymore, what was I going to be doing? Frank sensed my apprehension and said. “Don’t worry Rich I want to make you an offer to stay on as an hourly employee. Let’s go into my office and discuss the arrangements.”
    His offer was acceptable, and I became a full-time technician.
    Fast forward another year. I came into the office one morning and asked Frank if I could speak to him. He invited me into his office. I sat down in the chair in front of Frank’s desk. Frank was sitting in his chair he looked at me and unprovoked he unexpectedly said to me. “I want you to know you are worth double what I pay you. I mean that you are worth double, I couldn’t ask for a better employee.” I thanked him for the complement and told him how much I enjoyed working for him. He asked me why I wanted to see him. I said. “I wanted to ask you for a raise.” Frank maintained eye contact and said. “How much were you looking for?” “I was hoping for a two dollars an hour increase.” I said. Frank continued to his steady stare at me then suddenly he raised his voice began raising his arms over his head and said, “TWO DOLLARS, TWO DOLLARS! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? I CAN’T AFFORD THAT KIND OF MONEY!” I sat there more stunned than before. Then I began to laugh, hard. “WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?” Frank bellowed. “Because.” I said attempting to catch my breath. “Ten seconds ago, I was worth double, now I’m not worth two dollars?” Frank’s resolve cracked and he began to laugh along with me. “I guess you have a point there”. He said. The end result was I got a dollar an hour raise, and Frank told me to get the fuck out of his office. Not two dollars and definitely not double, but a raise is still a raise after all.

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