What ever happened to good old fashion work?

[mafols]

I visit the DRN forums almost daily,and although I post very seldom, I do spent alot of time reading what others are talking about. This time I'd just like to solicit a little opinion on something that is chapping my a## worse than riding a Harescramble with designer underwear.
I have worked for this large corp. for the last 12 years and have always been satisfied with quietly doing my job the best that I could, doing it right the first time, and modestly saying thanks to anyone who might happen to notice. I am a "blue collar" worker and have always prefered working with my hands over being cooped up in a cube.For some reason the company I work for seems to find it neccessary to rotate Supervision on an anual basis and of course...with guys fresh out of college. My current Sup. has thus far demonstrate his natural ability to be a prick and would have certainly made a promising young tyrant some 200 years ago. :worship: He is 17 years younger than me which means I was doing this job when he was entering college to learn how to one day be a boss over some lowly subordinate, such as myself. I used to try to imagine "where do they get these guys" but I've come to realize that they are being groomed to fill such an honorable calling. Work experience is being replaced by Management 101 and common sense has taken a back seat to " well... the policy says".
The other day a co-worker recounted a conversation between him and our Sup. on what does it mean to give 110%. The co-worker when offering his definition,used the following example: doing a job in 2 hours that usually takes others 4 without sacrificing quality,safety,etc. To which my boss replied..."Well, that would be good,but my idea of 110% are those that, upon completion of a job...send me a personal e:mail explaining what they did and how it has improved our manufacturing process and offers ideas on how to make things better"( this...in addition to our normal means of passing on information to "EVERYBODY" invoved in the job). Is it just me...or is this guy promoting an enviroment of "rear smooching" and -30 INWC ( no...I don't work for HOOVER).
Please believe me...I've always been willing to earn any respect afforded to me and have never had a problem with insubordination even with those that didn't deserve it. What ever happened to good old fashion work and the pride and self-satisfaction that goes to those who aren't ashammed to do their job just because of who they are.
In todays corporate world it seems that up and comers are trained to accept and promote the idea that "this is what it takes to compete in todays market" and that those at their disposal will some glorious day be replaced by robots that won't bog the process down with " human attributes". :moon:

 

[junkjeeps]

I haven't been at it as long as you, but I feel your pain!

 

[Akira]

I am still in high school and have not "experienced" the real work force yet, so I don't know if you will take my opinion seriously or not but here it is any way. In this world there are those people you can't make happy no matter what you do. The only thing that I can say is grit your teeth and bare it. Also continue writing these post and make fun of them :thumb:. Just go with the flow man, you will be fine.
-Akira

 

[nephron]

mafols, you've got to realize that those types are fresh from courses or training where they were brainwashed to regurgitate those meaningless phrases including the words "ideas", "sharing", "improving", "cooperation", etc.

As far as some real advice, I can say that being in a unique position, I decided to take on the Hospital Administration here. It was a knock down, dragout fight...very ugly. Very time consuming. Very energy consuming. In the end, it's just not worth it. Take heed. Although you may consider me a stuffy doctor, I bust my ballz 24/7 only because I love my job. Like you do.

 

[gwcrim]

Yeah, Neph is right. Ya can't fight City Hall. I've been self employed and I've worked for the Corporate Empire as a lowly peon. There is no Nirvana. The men in the Ivory Tower have more money and time and have surrounded themselves with others like them. Be they governmental or corporate.

In my instance they've replaced a 100 year old vocabulary with newspeak terms that have nothing to do with anything other than to sort of justify their fat paychecks.

Or how about outsourcing (another of them newspeak terms) about 1/2 of the back office functions? We had very experienced and helpful support at the corporate level until some bunghole decided to fire them all (oops that wasn't newspeak) and give their jobs to a company that could screw up a one car parade and be extremely RUDE while they did it.

I just do my job and *try* to keep a low profile. And for me, that's a job in itself.

Keep yer chin up. It could always get worse:thumb:

 

[Chili]

I decided to take on the Hospital Administration here. It was a knock down, dragout fight...very ugly. Very time consuming. Very energy consuming. In the end, it's just not worth it.

Boy does that sound familiar. While I'm not a Doctor I too work in a hospital. I am constantly amazed at the rotation of management that comes through this place that has absolutely no idea how to accomplish the job at hand. Yet These folks feel the need to change every procedure or policy to reflect the "Legacy" they intend to leave on the facility. I firmly believe that all management should be required to at the very least shadow an employee for the day to see how these policy and procedures affect the end result.

Mafols I can't help you other than to say keep up the good fight and find your satisfaction within to try to keep going. Nephron if you want to come freeze your trail off in central Canada the Hospital admin here would kiss your tail forever as we have yet to have a full time Nephrologist on staff since our Dialysis unit opened 3 years ago. The position is covered by rotating one of three in from another facility.

 

[XRpredator]

I think Dapper said it to me once, and he says it best:

Work to live, don't live to work

 

[KaTooMer]

Fresh out of college, whether it's an undergraduate degree or an advanced MBA-type of degree, most people don't have enough "life experience" to know how to manage people. So they take something they read in a book and use it, whether it fits the situation or not. I think you have to work for a few different people to know what works as a manager and what doesn't. On the other hand, there's people who have been managers/supervisiors for many years who just aren't any good at it. It's not an easy job and I don't envy anyone in that position. One of my favorite definitions of a good manager is being able to motivate someone to do something for you, in a way that makes that person eager to do it. For me, that motivation can be one simple thing: money. Just show me the money, and odds are, I'll be happy to do it. :thumb:

 

[JE223]

Mafols
I have to agree with you. I am also a blue collar worker and proud of it. The new thing at work is "We don't sell product, we sell paper". Bullsh** I think this is managements way of justifying their job. Last year we had 99.97 percent production quality and they want us to justify the .03 percent product loss and how we won't let that happen again! I work in weapons research where we have about 3-1 ratio of management to worker. (yes, I mean 3 managers for every worker) I have been in this type of work for about 20 yrs. I am very good at what I do and it shows in my evaluations. This year I was told I am an exceptional worker, but I need to learn how to take notes on what I do, so that others would know how to do my job. I say to hell with them. If they want to learn how to do the job, maybe they should WORK and LEARN like the rest of the people that keep the company actually making PRODUCT not paper.

 

[Dirtbike'n man]

a certan song comes to mind when i read your posts some of u older guyz may know it its bye BTO

They get up every morning from the alarm clock's warning
Take the eight-fifteen into the city
There's a whistle up above and people push and people shove
And all the girls, who try to look pretty
And if your train's on time you can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job to get your pay
If you ever get annoyed look at me I'm self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And I've been takin' care of business everyday
Takin' care of business every way
I've been takin' care of business it's all mine
Takin' care of business and working overtime
Workout

If things were easy as fishing you could be a musician
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
Get a second hand guitar
Chances are you'll go far
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows
People see you having fun just a lying in the sun
And tell them that you like it this way
It's the work that we avoid and we're all self employed
We love to work at nothing all day

And we've been takin' care of business everyday
Takin' care of business every way
We've been takin' care of business it's all right
Takin' care of business and working overtime

Take good care of my business
When I'm away
Everyday

They get up every morning from the alarm clock's warning
Take the eight-fifteen into the city
There's a whistle up above and people push and people shove
And the girls, who try to look pretty
And if your train's on time you can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job to get your pay
If you ever get annoyed look at me I'm self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And I've been takin' care of business everyday
Takin' care of business every way
I've been takin' care of business It's all mine
Takin' care of business and working overtime

Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business
Everyday
Takin' care of business
Every way
Takin' care of business
It's all mine
Takin' care of business
And working overtime
Takin' care of business

 

[KXaggerator]

I too am currently in a bad position at my work due to my supervisor's personal life falling apart. My productivity has fallen off due to a lack of communication on his part. I try to call him and he almost never returns my calls. Normally he directs design/service work from his customers to keep me busy, as he is the regional sales manager and most of the customers schedule through him out of habit. The GM is calling me in to the Chicago office next week to discuss my lack of revenue generation lately. I take pride in my work and I hate that other people are making my work performance decline. I think that either they will let me go, or they will let him go next week. I am stocking up on Top Ramen just in case. If I am terminated I am going to take a shot at going into business for myself. In my contract I have a 6 month no compete clause, but after that...

 

[BSWIFT]

I know all too well of this you speak of. I was Fired, for doing a good job, making the company money, teaching the other employees, and making the customers happy. Think this is strange, this is what I was told right before I was fired. I will no longer have loyalty to a company or corporation. As far as I am concerned, it is screw the owner every chance you get and blame it on someone else. You shouldn't make friends at work, make enemies quietly. Let them screw up and hang themselves. I hope to be self employed soon and forget about the workplace as a I have known it for 24 years.

 

[mkdirt]

A co-worker put it best to me the other day. It doesn't matter to the dash! this was a boggling statement until he explained it. On you tomb stone all the crap won't make a difference to the dash between the date you were born and the day you die! In other words when you are on your death bed do you want to be thinking of the a$$ kiss you worked for that didn't have a clue or would you rather spend that time thinking of the 100' triple you worked up the nerve to do, or the one time you and 3 of your buddies al went in to the same turn bumping bars and rubbing tires on each others bikes and having the best time you can remember. :thumb:

 

[kmccune]

I hear ya, while I am a college grad, I hate the new way of business that they apparently teach in our "hallowed halls" these days. I think that my boss must spend most of his day sifting through details just to be able to do something. I have been in middle management for 16 years ( not sure what that says of me :ohmy: ) but I am more of a hands on type, if I ask someone to do a job I better be able to do it and if I can't then, well I better not criticize them for details that I can't fathom. I guess I don't fit well into corporate so I'll stay close to the floor where it really happens. Just in time, lean manufacturing, ISO cert. ect... these things sound good and they can be good if implemented correctly but they rarely are, I'm not going to say more because I'm getting annoyed even writing this, so I'll just say hang in there I'm with ya!

 

[firecracker22]

Our company does believe in good old fashioned work--and lots of it. They are bold enough to tell us flat out that they want more revenue out of fewer employees. Our office manager is trying to motivate us to get back into the top 5 billing offices corporate wide--so he can hang a trophy in his office and get a bonus (we don't get a bonus). Every quarter they take away another privilege. Last summer it was our attendance reward system. It's pretty cheap--you got points for every week you were at work all 5 days, and you could trade in the points for coffee mugs, t-shirts, pens, whatever with the company logo. Not anymore. Then at the first of the year, they replaced our 2 weeks of sick time with 3 days at only 60% compensation. And they also changed the way we earn our vacation--instead of getting 2 weeks to use throughout the year, you get 3.08 hours for every pay period. That way if an employee leaves, they don't have to pay her back for unused vacation time, and if she has used more than she has earned they will subtract the difference out of her final paycheck.

The newest plot is to shuffle our desks around the office. For some reason it was decided that if we sit in different "groups", we will get more done. I don't really get it. The supposed benefits are nebulous, and it will completely break down how our mail and inter-office paperwork is distributed.

Anyway, sorry to hear your story, and I feel your pain too. (BTW I am 25 with twice the education of most of the people I work with, just in between career moves haha) I think the best type of company to work for is a smaller company--more opportunity for advancement through merit/hard work, and also easier for your voice to be heard. And it's nice when decisions are made right there in front of you instead of in a corporate office across the continent.

 

[rickyd]

My work is going through a slowdown, so right now its kinda funny.. The supervisors are all kinda scared about getting laid off, so they are pushing the Worker around.. I got a feeling a few of the managers will be let go, w/or w/out them, the job still gets done by the worker..
Rick

 

[Neil Wig]

I think Dapper said it to me once, and he says it best:

Work to live, don't live to work

I made the mistake of telling a Japaneese company president that once......once was enough.....that's one of them "Career Limiting Statements" :flame:

As it turns out, we're playing musical cubicles Thursday and Friday of this week. :moon: