I should be packing my bags right now, but instead I'm blogging. And trying to remember why I thought leaving at 6:30am on a Monday morning was a good idea. It reminds me of something Jasmin said, about how in the workplace, women tend to devalue themselves and cut corners in ways that men never would. Like getting up at 5:30am on a Monday morning in order to avoid having to have The Company pay for a hotel Sunday night. Or staying in cheap chain hotels while all of my colleagues are staying in 125€ ($170) per night Holiday Inns & Radissons.
I guess maybe she's right - I am the only woman and I know the CEO isn't happy about me working from France and not from the US like everyone else. I'm also paid in euros now (and all of my expenses are in euros), so wage-wise, I'm costing them more than a lot of my co-workers. So to compensate, I try to keep my travel costs as low as possible, in an attempt to prove that it really is cost-effective for me to work from here.
Which I guess is why I will find myself heading over to Montparnasse at 6am tomorrow morning...
Labels: Working girl
posted by Ksam @ 12:37 PM
9 Comments:
Don't worry you have your head on right. Even the the CEO seems to not get it, if he has any business sense I am sure he notices. And if need be, at least you can always point it out if you ever need to justify why you are located in France.
but I will be starting on the road tomorrow about the same time... so it might not necessarily be man verses woman and more of a sign of good work ethics. ;-) ... or maybe I am just more like a woman, hmmm :-(
I (and most of my male coworkers) leave at 6:30 or earlier Monday mornings. Not because we want to avoid the hotel charges (our company would pay) but so we can have the extra afternoon/night at home.
I got the impression that you do lots of European trips for work, so would it be worth it financially for the company for you to be based in the US?
Hi
I know I should know this by now, but what exactly do you do for work?!
Haha Justin, you crack me up!
Sally, I'm not really sure, but all of my co-workers are based out of the US and they each fly a minimum of 100,000km per year (all over Europe, Asia, South America, etc). I'm actually jealous of the frequent flier miles & perks they get - almost all of my customers are in France so that means I drive/take the train everywhere!
And Emmy, don't feel bad, I've never actually said what I do - I don't really talk about it here because of privacy issues. The Company is the only company in the world offering this particular service, and I don't really want co-workers or clients finding my blog via google!
It seems like Jas makes a good point, but the real question is: What does your gut tell you about what you're doing? Do you feel guilty, overworked, resentful, excited, full of anticipation? Check in with yourself to decide whether or not you're okay with your decisions (and work ethic) or not. Then you'll have a better view of what's really at stake, or what the problem is. I think your work ethic is admirable, and because The Company is doing you a favor, you're willing to make some sacrifices. It seems only fair. I bet if you were back in the middle-of-nowhere working for them, you wouldn't be making such sacrifices. But they also wouldn't be providing you with the resources to live a truly fabolous life! See? It's just a little give and take :)
where is this trip to again? i can't keep them all straight!
I left my work ethic back in the US where it's more at home.
Pfff, I'm sure you're not costing them anything compared to what you help them take in. You're an asset and you deserve to be treated like one. Stay in the nicer hotel, arrive the night before if you prefer and let them worry about saving their pennies.
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