Commission Impossible, Part 3
I work in real estate. A friend of mine tells me they’re looking to buy a nicer apartment, and I end up having just the one for them. Her husband works in tech, so they get a million-dollar apartment (hey, it’s San Francisco), and I expect to get a healthy commission from the sale.
Except when my pay slip comes around, in which I am expecting to see it… nada. I bring it up with my boss:
Boss: “We can’t exactly go rewarding you with commission on an apartment you sold to your friends.”
Me: “Why? How is that any different from you selling that house to the owner of the golf club you go to?”
Boss: “That’s different.”
Me: “How?”
Boss: “He’s not my friend.”
Me: “But you were able to sell him the house because you knew him outside of work, right?”
Boss: “Yes, but that’s networking, not friends!”
Me: “I fail to see the difference in this instance. Do you agree that I sold the apartment and made the commission for the company?”
Boss: “Yes, but—”
Me: “—and so you’re saying because I knew the buyers in a non-professional context, I do not deserve my own commission?”
Boss: “You’re spinning words.”
Me: “No, I’m just calling out the hypocrisy. So, will I be able to tell my friends the good news that the company will be returning the entirety of the fees that they paid? After all, if I don’t deserve my commission, then neither does the company, right? They’ll be so thrilled; they’re saving for a new car.”
Boss: “We’ll talk about this later.”
We did not talk about it later, but I did get a check cut out for my commission by his confused secretary at the end of the day.
Related:
Commission Impossible, Part 2
Commission Impossible
