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NoBogeys

Sales Director

Member
Contributor
Fire Starter

Should my company compensate me for covering during another seller's maternity leave?

Context: a seller on another team will take 3 months of maternity leave in Q1 2022. Our business is largely relationship based (we take people out and they give us business when they need us). In my head, you could argue 1 month is “covering” for someone. But three months to maintain + grow a large book of business? That’s a lot of work on top of my existing account deck.


My boss says situations like this are the reason we make a base salary, but does three months sound excessive without compensation?


Maybe I’m just a greedy asshole.


-NoBogeys

🧠 Advice
🏅 Competition
16

26 comments

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funcoupons
WR Officer
12
👑
A few weeks is one thing, a few months is another as it's absolutely going to eat into the time you have available to make money for yourself. I'm puzzled as to why this isn't the responsibility of your boss.

You absolutely should be receiving compensation, even if it was splitting the commission with the person that's off. Whether it's smart to fight it is another story. Depending on your company's management and culture, speaking out against it could deem you an insensitive jerk/not a team player. At the very least I'd prioritize my own stuff first, and if it came to the point where my own tasks were suffering because of the extra work I'd be having a conversation with my boss.
NoBogeys
Member
3
Sales Director
Much appreciated, Queen Coups.
funcoupons
WR Officer
3
👑
No worries, best of luck!
hh456
Celebrated Contributor
3
sales
yes - that's a whole quarter. tell them to find someone else or pay you.
NoBogeys
Member
0
Sales Director
Thanks, Grizz
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
3
SaaS Eater
Are you not getting commissions on the deals you close for them while they are out? 

Disclaimer I didnt read any of the comments if this has been covered already
NoBogeys
Member
1
Sales Director
Nope - would have to put mat-leave rep on for 100% commission. 
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
2
SaaS Eater
Ya thats nuts. No way you should be doing that amount of work without getting anything from it. 
Incognito
WR Officer
1
Master of Disaster
Fuck. That. Noise. 

You have bills to pay. Ask your boss to do it if they think it’s cool to work for free (I mean, I’ll work for free for an eventual payoff but this is not that). I’m assuming they get bonuses based on revenue generated, right? So if they grow the book, they actually DO get compensated.
TheOverTaker
Politicker
2
Senior Account Executive
Agree with Queen Coups. Definitely seems excessive with no other compensation for you. BUT its a tough subject to bring up because you don't wanna be the asshole. I think best course of action is to treat your accounts as priority A and the others as priority B. 
emooney
Opinionated
2
RSM
Usually in established sales orgs there are policies that define these scenarios. We essentially get spiffed if covering for another rep and closing their business. Doesnt retire our quota, and the SPIF is alot less than what payout would be with quota reitrement.
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
2
Rolling 20's all day
For months, that will make a difference in your income as you'll be *presumeably* doing twice the work covering their accounts.
It sounds like your manager is trying to make you just accept it without being fairly compensated. 
Do you have a small team with no one else to help?
NoBogeys
Member
0
Sales Director
Small team. Next guy who would take this on just got the bump to AE, SDR beforehand. 
LordOfWar
Tycoon
2
Blow it up
Yes, they should be comping you for that time you cannot invest in your own pipeline and commission farming.

My response to their base salary comment would be "Understood, so what is the new base?"

Depending on the mat leave policy, the company is likely saving money while increasing your workload.
NoBogeys
Member
0
Sales Director
Firm handshakes
braintank
Politicker
1
Enterprise Account Executive
Did you volunteer or were you volun-told?
NoBogeys
Member
1
Sales Director
Volun-told. I'm the next most senior rep in the territory so they came to me. 

I do have leverage because my boss literally said "I need you for this." Maybe it's the Catholic guilt getting to me.
braintank
Politicker
0
Enterprise Account Executive
Yeah it's a tough spot. You want to help and not look like a jerk but also gotta look out for #1.

I think it's Ok to express concern that your own client base will suffer to your boss and see if there's a way to get compensation or share the load with others.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
So, I'm assuming you make a decent base rate, which is great, and probably why your manager thinks it's ok to ask this of you.    However, if you're like me, 50% of your OTE is tied to commissions.  So  is it ok for them to expect you to work for half-rations?  It shouldn't be.   Where I've worked, I've seen a number of ways to handle this so both reps get covered - quota retirement is tied to the territory, so the rep who is on leave gets that, but any commission $$ goes to the covering rep.   I mean, I'm happy to cover for a colleague for a week or two - PTO or unexpected sick leave, but 3 months is straight up coverage and effort expected.   There should be additional compensation for doing that.
NoBogeys
Member
0
Sales Director
Appreciate it, Sunbunny
CuriousFox
WR Officer
1
🦊
Yes. Any commissions from deals you close should be yours. 
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
0
☕️
You'll be compensated with the commission earned from those deals, correct? That seems like a bonus in and of itself...and you're eating from someone else's plate.
NoBogeys
Member
1
Sales Director
No commission from the deals I close from her book - therein lies the dilemma. 
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
0
☕️
Whooooooa nelly...heck no.
princess_slaya
Fire Starter
0
RVP
Whenever I have a rep covering for another, even if they're just on a longer vacation, they split the commission.
SaaSecurity
Opinionated
0
Enterprise Account Executive
What everyone else has already said. A week or two then no but for a few months yes you should be compensated on deals you close otherwise why would you spend anytime there. I know my company pays ppl out on maternity or paternity leave like 85% of their number and the rep covering has until they come back to close business and get credit for that.

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