I would like some tips on how I should approach this situation. It'll be nice to get some insights from people working in the legal or HR field. If there are other CEOs, I'd like your feedback on this too.
Should I bring this up with my CEO and tell her how I felt about this situation?
.......
When I first started working as an independent contractor at my current startup, my salary was way below the market value based on my years of experience and the multiple roles I'd be responsible for. I took the position anyway because of career growth, opportunities, and the culture the CEO is trying to build - being transparent and open, honest and humble with each other. The CEO and I built good working relationship and being transparent with everything. Sometimes, I can be honest and tel her that her actions or decisions aren't the best.
As part of my contract renewal discussion, I asked for a fair and competitive compensation because I got promoted and my responsibilities increased in addition to my other roles. Parts of the package include a $15k raise in base salary, paid vacation days, and stock options to closely align with the market value. The CEO agreed to meet most of those requirements and suggested to substitute parts of the base salary with stock options.
CFO was preparing my extended contract and suggested to exclude the paid vacations section on the contract and state it in an email instead. She mentioned that since independent contractors do not get "paid vacation", it is advisable to exclude them on the contract for tax purposes. I told her I'd like everything in writing. She hesitated and insinuated that I don't trust the CEO will honour the vacation days and mentioned how I was being too detailed and technical. I mentioned that I do trust the CEO, but I would still like everything in writing. Afterwards, I asked her a lot about the stock options and what the company's valuation. She mentioned there isn't one at the moment because we're in the process of raising more equity.
Few days later after the offer letter was prepared by the CFO, I asked the CEO about the stock options to get more clarification. I wanted to gauge how much each option is worth, to see if I'd need to renegotiate the compensation package, since parts of the asked salary will be substituted with unknown amount of stock options. She explained and based on the projection, each option is potentially worth X amount of dollars. She called the CFO into the office just so we're all on the same page.
CFO sat down and mentioned to me that I'm being too technical with everything, and commented that what the CEO agreed to offer me - $15k increase and X amount of paid vacation days - is extremely rare and unheard of, especially in a startup company. She insinuated in front of the CEO that I don't believe in the company and her, and that I was unappreciative and should be more grateful with the offer. She mentioned that if she's in my position, I should just accept it and thank the CEO. She continued to mention that if my values don't align with the company, then I should look elsewhere. (Her last comment crossed the line and pissed me off because she doesn't work with me and know what my responsibilities are like on a daily basis. $15k raise may seem like a lot within the same company, but I only asked for a market value salary)
Afterwards, the CEO began to question my "loyalty" and asked if I believe in the company and her. She mentioned that even though I tell her that I do, it contradicts with what I asked from the CFO - putting the vacation days on the contract.
The CEO mentioned that me being one of the first key members on the team, she's shocked that I'm not trusting her and there's an absence of transparency between us.
td;dr - I asked for a competitive compensation package and CEO offered. I wanted to get some clarification about the offer and have everything in writing. CFO wanted to exclude vacation days on the contract for tax purposes, since I am technically an independent contractor and contractors don't get "paid vacation days". CFO later mentioned in front of the CEO that I'm being too technical with the offer letter and unappreciative.
Submitted August 05, 2018 at 09:43AM by MochiTastic https://ift.tt/2MlmdFH
