May 30, 2005

>> Employee Parking

[ Fools ]

Sophie Bean writes...

"So, my place of employment has an employee parking policy. The policy is that we have to park in the lot that is across the street so that guests and customers can have better parking spots. This is understandable because you don't want to take up all the good spots..right?

Well, today is a very, very slow day and I only came in for 3 1/2 hours to cover the morning so that my co-worker could go to an appointment. The weather is bad and I didn't think it necessary to park all the way across the street when there was not going to be any business today.(not to mention its cold and I only worked for a few hours)...okay so...I park my car...in the main lot...and when I walk to the door the first thing I see is this lady that works in the accounting dept. walking down the hall looking all angry...this is the conversation we had(short)

HER; You have to move your car!! You can't park in this lot, go across the street.

ME: I only work a few hours, I'll be out before anyone comes anyways.

HER: That doesn't matter...if I can't park there why should you be able to.

ME: Maybe because I am only covering for someone til they get in.

HER: Well, maybe I'll have to let (some manager) know that that is your car. Then maybe you'll have to move it anyways.

ME: Maybe, maybe not.

HER: (nothing...she just huffed and walked away...

okay....so my rant is that people like this sit and wait at a window so they can pounce on you when you first walk in the door...as if I need that at the start of my day...not to mention I was only there as a favor for someone else. So, turns out that (some manager) didn't care that I was parked there and even thanked me for coming in to cover...little miss accounting lady can just shut it!!"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 29, 2005

>> This fool is almost outta here

[ Fools ]

Anonymous writes...

"I work in public finance. We have a lot of regulations to follow, and the work is highly detailed. It's not necessarily difficult if you work at it and concentrate, but things have to "click" or you'll never get your work done correctly.

My boss hired a woman ("Connie") who can't do this job. She is lacking both professionally and socially. Connie doesn't follow directions, hasn't taken notes during any of her training (even though we've suggested, then pushed, her to do so). She's ignored the important training materials we've given her. She'll ask us a question on how to do something or about a certain procedure that we KNOW is listed in the papers we've given her. (I gave her MY training notes from when I started this job, and they're in alphabetical order by procedure/task, so things are easy to find.) This job has a million little details and there's no way anyone could remember all of it, so it's essential to take notes, pay attention, ask good questions, etc. But you also have to have a brain and be capable of doing the job.

It also was obvious early on in the training that she had little or no computer skills, beyond what a person would need to surf the internet. She didn't know any word processing shortcuts, Excel was lost on her, and she didn't seem to understand the "whys" of certain tasks, or how to work between two programs at a time (such as, type a column of numbers into Excel, then copy and paste them into Word). Even "File Manager" in Windows was a lot for her to grasp.

She also is creepy, in that she STARES at us a lot. My coworker Annie and I will sense that someone is watching us, and there is Connie, standing in her cube, just staring at one of us over the cube wall.

If two people have a private conversation (as private as you can have in cubeland), we do so in hushed tones. We're not talking about someone nearby or anything; we're simply having conversation that isn't for everyone to hear. But even then, Connie comes over or stands up to listen in. "Do you need something?" is met with a simple "No" response, and she'll continue to stand there. She doesn't get that she isn't invited into every conversation we have.

The other day, Annie was in Geri's office having a hushed conversation, and Geri gave Annie a weird look, and Annie all of a sudden figured out that Connie had VERY QUIETLY (and quickly) come into the office and was standing right behind Annie, trying to listen in on the conversation!

To illustrate the level of brain function I've been dealing with every day for five months now, here is one example, told to us by John, a coworker in another department.

He found Connie standing in front of an old printer in his area. He asked her what she was doing. She responded, "I'm trying to figure out how to work this stupid copier!" It's an old printer, and in no way could it be mistaken for one of those combination machines that does both printing and copying.

John: "It's voice-activated. You have to tell it to copy."

Connie: "Copy."

John: "You have to say it louder, because it's kind of old."

Connie: [loudly] "COPY!"

John then started laughing, and finally let her in on the joke, telling her, "I'm only kidding, it's just a printer, the copier is right there (and points to the copier that is maybe 10 feet away and OBVIOUSLY a copier).

Connie's job performance (or lack thereof) has gotten so bad that I went to my boss to complain (apparently after others had complained as well), and my boss has agreed to fire her "after the holidays." Not how I would handle it, but oh well. (I'd fire her NOW, and give her a nice severance package just to soften the blow.)

It's easier to cut her slack and not get so frustrated with her, knowing that she'll be gone soon and that her lack of learning her job duties isn't laziness or a lack of cooperation, but rather a true inability to learn the work. We all have our own limitations when it comes to what we can handle for a career, and Connie in no way can perform the duties of this job. (My boss doesn't check references when she hires people, so it's not really Connie's fault that she is in a job over her head.)

My boss is on vacation and will fire Connie next week, after Christmas, and some of us have decided to confront my boss and insist on being part of the selection process the next time. (Otherwise, my boss is great and very supportive of us, so I guess no boss is perfect.)"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 28, 2005

>> Idiot boss doesn't know how to dial a phone

[ Boss ]

Anonymous writes...

"I was assigned to a new project in our office and later told that they only wanted certain people on the project. I wasn't one of them, and that was okay by me. After I was supposedly taken off the project, my idiot co-workers and my bosses kept coming to me to put out the fires that they couldn't handle. They even had me train some people on the project, which I did willingly because then they would have someone else to bother with it.

Okay, fast forward a few months into the project that I am supposedly no longer on. The project headed south and the big boss was there to try the new "project" out for the first time. He couldn't because it didn't work. Now, instead of going to the people who were actually working on the project, the bosses come running to me asking if I knew what was wrong. Since I was working in a completely different department ever since they took me off the project, I told them no. (I'm not a psychic), and suggested that they contact the IT help desk because the project's problem was a technical one. I'm in Marketing.

My dunderhead of a boss demanded that I accompany her and try to fix the problem. So, I accompanied my boss to the site and looked at the problem along with her. She asked me if I knew what to do, and I said yes, call the IT help line. Apparently this angered the boss because her incompetence was about to show. She didn't know how to call the IT help line, and this wasn't about not knowing the number. I was absolutely flabbergasted.

Now, I had heard rumors about my boss making it to her level by sleeping around but I didn't pay them much attention because most people try to say that young women move up in my company by sleeping around. nfortunately, in her case, I think I am beginning to believe it."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 27, 2005

>> Operation: SNAFU

[ Boss ]

Trained Monkey writes...

"I work in academia, being a former dot-com refugee. It's been years since I started working here, but I still have culture shock.

Take my first day, for example. My boss told me that she never wanted to give me a deadline for anything, "Because that would tie you down."

But now things are in total chaos. A new department head is arriving in three months. So people are running around like beheaded chickens, attempting to fix what they've ignored since before I signed on.

Example numero uno is Operation: SNAFU. This is the department Web site, which is completely useless. It's basically been static since the last half-assed redesign three years ago--a few tweaks here and there,. But since none of them have bothered to learn anything since they first started doing pages in 1996, and nobody has any graphic skills to speak of, it's fairly lame.

Two years ago I got sick and tired of hearing them talk about dynamic sites in the abstract, so I whipped up a quick little PHP/MySQL page to demonstrate how modern sites work. Hurrah. It had a brief moment of excitement, but then they got sidetracked into a heated discussion of what color green that they hated most.

But now--panic! The new director is going to come in and notice they can't find their ass with both hands and a map, so they must fix thousands of pages in three months. The obvious solution: MORE BUREAUCRACY. Instead of one group doing work, they have three groups, one of whom generates ideas, one who judges, and a third that... does the work, I guess. And that project I haven't touched for a year and a half is somehow going to be magically relevant even though the data may be obsolete. The fools above me are patting themselves on the back already.

So now I get to work on something that I haven't touched in ages, and I get to hear people who don't know what a style sheet is lecture me about metadata, design, and how we really should make buzzword blah blah blah word I heard at a conference two years ago. It all sounds like the bit in the Peanuts special where the adults are talking. "Wuh wuh wuhwuhwuh wuh wuh."

The other day they were talking about giving us all nametags. I've been threatening to make gold stars for all of them, so I can give them out to decorate their nametags every time they say a word that might have something to do with Web design."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 26, 2005

>> More "Tales from Lyah"

[ Rant ]

Bobblehead writes...

"Some of you might remember my earlier rantings about "Lyah", from August (Laundry list of excuses), about her reasons for being late/absent from work. As entertaining as they were, and as common as the problem may be (I think most of us know a Lyah or two), things here in hell just keep on getting stranger.

Sure, there have been the requisite colds, bouts of Montezuma's Revenge and general episodes of the "not feeling well" type. But Lyah has added a few new, kooky weapons to her arsenal. She has apparently nearly exhausted her own personal excuses, so she's brought animals and time warps into the fold. Midgets, clowns and other assorted circus freaks are sure to follow. Here's just a taste:

-"My dog is sick. I need to be with her. This may be the end." WTF? Your DOG has a tummy ache so you can't make it to work? I'm a pet lover myself, but does a cranky Chihuahua really command 2 days off (paid) from work? Apparently it does. Take the dog to the vet on your lunch break and get your sorry ass to the office would've been my reply! And I guarantee you that if little "Chachi" someday takes an eternal siesta, she'll expect standard bereavement pay (3 days...or more).

-"My dog found the holiday chocolate and ate the whole bag-foil wrappers and all! I have to rush him to the vet!" OK, accidents happen. But this isn't the first time her dogs have eaten hazardous materials, and will surely not be the last. Folks, if you have pets (or children) have the common sense to lock things up (like bleach, candy, axes, dynamite) or put them out of reach. How her son ever made it to 35, I'll never understand. Although, repeated helpings of 'Drano' sure would explain a lot about him.

-One of my all time favorites. This was a little scary when I think about it. She called the office at 8:50am and in her most paranoid, confused and dramatic voice actually asked me "What time is it there?". Huh? Probably the same time it is at your house 4 miles away, you nutbag! I calmly said "Excuse me?" and had her give a repeat performance. I gave her the info she wanted and got a "Gasp! Oh my gosh! I'll be right there!" (btw, work starts at 8:30 for her). I figured she'd recycle one of her old stinkers on us like...my house lost all its power (along with all your wristwatches, too? Must've been a big EMP). But noooooo, she blew me away with this one: "I lost time. I wasn't watching TV, because you know how easily I get distracted. And I didn't wake up late. I simply lost time. I was staring at the clock but I could not register what it said. That's why I had to call you."

Double WTF?!!! She sounded like Edward Norton's dual-personality character in the movie Primal Fear. "I, I...j,j,just lost time." Creepy. I limited my interaction with her that day.

-But the all time "kick in the sack" came when she was discussing sick/vacation time with a fellow employee. She stated she liked how the company paid her at the end of the year for her unused sick time. Like a Christmas bonus. UNUSED?! Say it with me people...WTF?! This woman takes enough sick time to account for my entire office - and that is not an emotional exaggeration. If this were the IRS, Lyah would be working off that time for the next millenium. Unused. Unused. Now you know why I sign on as Bobblehead.

Until next time..."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 25, 2005

>> Behind the scenes at consumer protection

[ Work ]

Anonymous writes...

"I worked for some time at a well-known non-profit. This organization is best known for dealing with customer complaints for a wide variety of local businesses, and people tended to love it - and its employees - to pieces. If only they knew what went on behind the scenes.

Any non-profit has to get its money from somewhere, and this outfit was no exception. The problem was that the vast majority of its funding came from the same local businesses that we purported to help consumers with. Do the words "conflict of interest" mean anything to you? Complaints against members and non-members were handled essentially the same except that in the end if the non-member decided they weren't going to do anything, we wrote up a nasty report, getting more and more scathing as the number of offenses increased. When member companies decided they weren;t going to do anything, they got off with a slap on the wrist. Our manager simply refused to let anyone report badly on a paid-up member unless they maimed or killed someone.

Management aside, the place was staffed largely by alcoholic morons. Practically every day saw the management going out to get blitzed at one of the local watering holes for lunch and two or three nights a week the entire office went out for happy hours. The publications manager was the stereotype of the town drunk - he smelled constantly of scotch, and when he didn't show up for work (as he often didn't) everybody knew better than to ask - he was off on a bender. Those of us who didn't qualify for the management boozing incursions kept oil cans and malt liquor in the fridge.

When they weren't getting drunk, they were desperately busy trying to show each other how important they were. Our IT director was an Indian man who knew less about actual computers than our receptionist. But his knowledge of the phone system was beyond compare and he spent most of his time ignoring the aging terminals we had to work on and placing long-distance calls using one or another of his homemade black boxes. He had the hots (as did most of us) for the P.R. manager, who spent most of her time changing her hair color and coming on to the president.

Who, by the way, was at least 30 years older than her and completely uninterested. All he cared about was his single-malt and having plenty of it on hand. A charming old gentleman, full of balderdash and blarney, who'd be happy to buy you a drink if he saw you in the bar after work and then fire you the next morning.

Which left the chief of operations, the only guy in the place who had any real sense. Unfortunately, he also had no authority, and had to run any policy changes or assignments through the above-mentioned three people. Who inevitably tabled it and then wondered why nothing ever happened on any of those ideas that kept coming across their desk.

Notice I haven't said anything about the grunts. Nope, I'm not being classist. The mediation staff at this place TRIED for the most part to do a decent job. But after a while having no functional terminal in a system where everything has to be electronically generated, not being able to get ones reports approved, and in fact not being able to do ANYTHING really useful tended to grate on you. My office mate and I spent long hours playing chess, listening to Howard Stern, and dreaming about working somewhere that we would actually be accomplishing something. And drinking a LOT of beer.

I even found myself volunteering for extra duties just to keep from going completely nuts. I straightened out the literature closet 3 or 4 times a day. I took on the ordering and distributing office supplies, and dilligently spent hours going through 4 or 5 catalogs getting the best price. I even soent at least a couple hours a day on the approximately 9 months backlog of filing - something that was completely outside of my job description, but which nobody else was doing.

The only ones who were really blameless in this madhouse were the crew of telephone folks in the back room. Underpaid and overworked, it was their job to read what reports DID exist when people called to ask, patiently provide scripted explanations when a caller pointed out that the weasel-worded reports didn't really SAY anything, and in general have to deal with abusive callers and all the other joys that come with working with the public. I pity them still."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 24, 2005

>> The Crashing of a Company

[ Work ]

Deploying Parachute writes...

"I've been with this IT firm for almost 10 years. I have founders stock. It all means nothing. We made a product that was ahead of the times. We had a staff that knew how to function. Where could the problem be? At the top.

We have an operating agreement that makes it impossible to fire the CEO, it was also written by a crooked attorney and it makes him impossible to deal with. That's been a working arrangement for years though. I manage internal IT under what I consider a brilliant CTO. Unfortunatly you can throw a lot of good technology and planning into a company and have it all fail if the head of it all is irresponsible and unfit to lead.

Our CEO is pretty broken, mentally. He likes to contradict himself constantly. Can't distribute work load, he must do it himself, but it never gets done. Says he will sell, (because he also made himself President of Sales), but he won't call people. Points fingers as a way of dodging responsibility, and when he does own up, its only in a faux fashion of the old 'woe is me' idea.

A company cannot simply survive on air. It needs sales. We have a beautiful product, that was up until the last year run by passionate people. The hayday of this place is over. We used to have a sales staff that actually sold, but the CEO fired them over time and said they just weren't working. Well, we have no sales staff, a viable product, and a CEO who wants to be salesdroid that isn't selling. The company had three beautiful plans written up by our rather newly hired COO. Two of the possibilities were gangbangers, I mean rollin in the money because of well executed plans. The third was of abysmal failure due to lack of planning and sales. Can you guess what plan we are tracking?

What we realized was over the years we had enough staff to 'enable' our CEO to be a dumbass. As our staff left, fired, or was committed, the people who could enable our company could not. Yet the CEO still wants to blame others and will not recognize that the lack of sales is driving us into the ground. He continues to try and spin new ideas, new RFP's, as his efforts of work. Just sell.. SELL DAMMIT.

Well we tried to sell the company. We fired the CFO and realized he had been mismanaging our books. Realized an older company the CEO ran within these walls used that money for frivilous purchases. Realized after we tried to sell the company that we are at this time unsellable due to us being in the black. Thanks again CEO, thanks for always looking out for #1.

I've learned a lot in my time here. I've learned what I think to be 80% of the failures that can occur in a company, and even how to survive many of them. I have realized that shit floats and blame sinks. It doesn't have to be this way but many companies out there are run by idiots and really enabled by their staff to keep it that way. Its sad that this place is going to close sometime in the next year. Its pitiful that it was and probably is still avoidable, but alas I do not think anyone here cares any more. We've all tried to fight the grandpooba and end up in finger pointing arguments. Can't stick to the facts, accept responsibility, and just move forward? Too bad culling the herd just isn't possible.

Anyhow, I'll be stepping off the plane with a nice parachute into my own company before this one crashes. If any of you all find yourself in a situation as this, if you fail multiple times at a course correction, find an exit strategy. The worst thing you can do is sit and and just let the status quo be. You will stall professionally and possibly be unhireable or get a position elsewhere that you may not want. A corrupt people will corrupt others. I've seen bright hard working faces bent backwards with the dysfunction that is here. This place has made more than a few alcholics. Dysfunction breeds dysfunction.

We have very little control over the world but he have one great thing, choice. Choose better and accept the responsibility for the actions you do.

Ejecting,
One man with a parachute"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 23, 2005

>> No such thing as a free lunch

[ Boss ]

Cowtippler writes...

"Ah well...with another day comes another sunrise over the butt crack of mediocrity. Sunlight never beautifies what is best hidden in the seat of someone's pants - but there is the hope that the day will come were my pointy-haird colleague's brain will find its way back from this nether world to the place that God had originally intended it to be. Alas, today was not that day.

There comes that particular, uncomfortable point in most offices when birthday's are celebrated. Even the most reviled person has their place in the semi-annual rememberance of the day that their mother remembered never to again forget to take birth control seriously. Today was one such day for one of our team - actually one of the cool people who I work with, Juan the Peruvian programmer. Being that he is from Latin America, our pointy-haired boss, Tony, decided he would start a new tradition and celebrate Juan's birthday at the local B-rated Mexican eatery in Los Angeles. You see, Juan being from down south would "obviously" love the fact that a Mexican restaurant was picked...oh nevermind. The plan was set for 1:00 - I asked casually if we would need to bring money (hint: is the a company function or can I ignore the invitation), and was told "no".

So, 1:00 rolls around, we run out to James' pimped out g-wagon so that Tony had to ride with someone else. We ordered bad Mexican food and had stained conversation. No alcohol was allowed and promptly at 1:55, Stewart gets up to leave and collects the bill. He then proceeds to ask us all for for cash for our meal, to which I responded I had none as I said before we left. James coughs up the $3 for his mediocre burrito - half-eaten, and Juan has to pay for his own birthday lunch. Tony glares at me, James claims he has been gyped and we all ride back to the office pissed off at Tony.

Once we return, James confronts Tony and asks for a "formal definition of company policy around birthday lunches" to which Tony blithly reminds him that he didn't have to come if he didn't want to and therefore not only should pay, but that we all have to stay an extra hour to account for the time that we were away from the office.

At this point, I laugh and tell him that I will no longer celebrate my collegues birthdays if this is the new policy and that next time someone can just stop off and get me a Starbucks coffee. To which Tony replies that if I am not going to stay an extra hour, that I need to take it out of my PTO. I told him I would take it up with the president of the company tomorrow.

Sigh...you know...I was supposed to get something done today, but now I am not quite sure what the hell it was supposed to be."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 22, 2005

>> ATM Down ... Why Bother? It Is Only Money

[ Boss ]

theDUKE writes...

"I am an onsite service technician for a large ATM manufacturer. Sometimes getting the bank to give you access to the ATM, to effect repairs, is like a game of chess.

My work order said:

ATM at 600 E. Republic rd. has dispenser faults, ATM down, requesting service immediately.

contact Margaret X 555-555-5555.

It is 6:00 pm, and the bank is closed, and dark. The contact number is for a V.P. in another area code. I call the number in the name of CUSTOMER COURTESY. Getting only voice mail, I leave a message: Hello this is x, with x company, you placed a service request for your branch in x,

I am calling to see if you still want service this evening, or if tomorrow would be ok, please call me at 555-555-5555 (my cell phone).

Nearing the end my shift, and no call back from the bank v.p., I reschedule the work order for the following day, as per normal procedure.

Next day, enter my fool of a boss, who berates me, because angry bank v.p. calls him saying:

Your tech called me, bothering me at home asking if I wanted him to come out, to repair our ATM.

I WOULDN'T HAVE PLACED THE SERVICE REQUEST IF DIDN'T WANT HIM TO COME!

HE SHOULDN'T BE BOTHERING ME WITH THIS!

Foolish boss says: Take this as constructive criticism, and next time choose your words more carefully. Asking him to suggest what I should say, he said I shouldn't have called her, and just went to the bank and made the repairs. Explaining to him that the bank was closed, and the only contact number was the one I called, how was I supposed to do that?

His only response, was: I don't know, just watch what you say in the future. I said: Well, thanks for sticking up for me ."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 21, 2005

>> It's All Your Fault, Woman!

[ Boss ]

Peggy writes...

"I work at a public library where I do a lot of programs, over 150, per year. There's a procedure in place to book the meeting room and since I work 6 months ahead of my schedule, the first thing I do is follow procedure to see if the room is free by submitting the dates and times to the administrative assistant. After I get the go-ahead, I submit a work order to the janitor for set-up, and finally add the dates to the online community calendar.

On Monday I got an e-mail from my boss telling me he had booked the room for a day I had already reserved. "Would I have a problem", he queried, "if the room was used for his group since there was nothing on the calendar"? I swallowed hard and wrote back I would wing-it, even though I'm expecting 60+ kids and have no place to put them. I figured the administrative assistant had screwed up and, since she's working two jobs at the library, I'd fall on my sword and take the blame. (The date, however, was on the calendar, which he demands we update but HE NEVER CHECKS.

Lat night, I got an irate e-mail from the boss, sent to the entire staff, that he had to stay late and fill out a form for a group that had asked to use the room even though I had cleared it with the administrative assistant 6 months ago and sent a follow up e-mail to her that this guy and his group would be at the library at 7:00 PM. (And it was on the damn calendar, again.)

I sent him an e-mail, explaining the situation, and have not heard back. Will I still have a job this morning? I don't know since my boss micro-manages everything, is a misogynist, and a control freak I may be out on my ear after 20 years. That his administrative assistant commonly works 12-hour-days and some of us, salaried and female , are expected to put in 10-hour-days while bossy takes long vacations and constantly attends meetings, is really, really, starting to bother me. That he has two "pets" who come and go at will, perform little work, and bully the other staff is OK since they belong to his church and are male.

Getting fired might not be such a bad thing -- hmmm."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 20, 2005

>> Give up already!

[ Work ]

Frustrated & amused writess...

"I work for a very large debt collection agancy in New Zealand as an account manager. I deal with the people who have money owed to them. This the story of a client of ours that just wouldn't give up.

Our agency charges commission on debts we collect for our clients. Sometimes our clients can get the debtor to pay this (if they have a clause in the contract with the debtor). This client did not have that clause. I first encountered "Bob" a few months ago. He rang regarding the only file he listed with us (for $10K), which the debtor paid within 2 weeks of it being loaded. However he was not happy that he had to pay the commission and why couldn't we charge his debtor the commission. I explained to him that he had to pay as it was in his terms and conditions. He also requested we collect the interest (which was only about $150) that he had failed to tell us about originally (and legally we can't collect because we told the debtor that the debt was paid in full). He kept saying that he wrote it on the documents, but he didn't.

Genrally, he was just complaining, because he could about things that he already knew.

2 days later he called the sales person who orginally set up him file with us and said the same thing. The sales guy told him exactly what I told him and told not to call again.

10 days after that "Bob" called again with the same complaint, so I told him to put it in writing and not to call us again as he already had his answer.

He then rang 8 days after that and spoke to another account manager. He then asked this account manager for the debtor's bank account details and wanted to load a debt for "some interest he trying to collect from someone". SO she sent out a loading form.

A few days agothat form landed on my desk and it was for the same person as the orginal debt & for the same loan.

Needless to say, I sent it back to him with a polite letter advisng him not to contact us again.

Some people never learn and are never happy."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 19, 2005

>> Selective Hearing!

[ Rant ]

Nobraincausesotherspain writes...

"This is a general rant/fool superior to me/work issues and politics vent, but anyway...

This person is NOT my boss. She is not even on my team, but the work her team does affects my work. If her team screws up, people on my team spend hours verifying information that should have been properly submitted to us by her team. After the umpteenth time that myself and members of my team have noticed inaccurate, sloppy data-processing, and spent hours correcting and verifying information so that we could do our jobs, I emailed this person to make her aware of it. Well, she emailed my...let's just say at the company I work for, we each have what amounts to a parole officer/glorified guidance counselor. Mine has ice running in her veins. So my "complaint" was reported to my "counselor," and my team leader, and my manager, and taken as complete effrontery. This person is a team leader who never went to college, and can't spell or punctuate a sentence. She also holds a grudge. One day she overheard me saying something to another co-worker about someone else who is NOT an employee, and had NOTHING to do with work. My parole officer/counselor brought it to my attention and didn't even want to hear my side; why? Because the FOOL is a team leader, and it's okay for her to take items out of context and use them to damage another person's rise in the company, but not alright for me to object to it. Ironically enough, I am probably the only person on the floor who contributed to the Democratic party, is actively involved in the fight for Civil Rights and Human Equality and I am the one who gets accused of being a bigot!

Lesson: a little education is a dangerous thing. If you are more than a little educated, be careful what you say around idiots, because their stupidity makes you both a threat and a target!"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 18, 2005

>> Named to PCMag.com Top 100 Sites for 2005, Fun, Games & Oddities Category

[ Other ]

Wanted to share a bit of news with everyone and to any new visitors.

Thanks to PCMag for listing iWorkWithFools.com as a Top 100 in their last issue of "2005's Top 100 Sites You Didn't Know You Couldn't Live Without"

>> You Have No Experience? Sure, You Can Lead!

[ Work ]

Misfit Momma writes...

"I used to work in billing/collections for a transportation company. After being there for a few years, I finally got pregnant, but it never impeded me getting my job done (unlike other people who did half of my workload). In fact, I was one of the best they had, as they told me over and over again I was a leader in the department.

When I was about 8 1/2 months pregnant, they created a supervisor position for my department. I had been telling them they needed it for years, and I was excited because I was sure with my knowledge and skills I would be at least a contender. Well, in the end it came down to two - myself and a employee from another department, who didn't know anything about billing or collecting. Her experience was based on the fact that she was a assistant manager at a shoe store at some point in her life.

Her real coup was that she was friends with the manager. I also blame the director for not giving me the job because of my pregnancy, no matter how much she denies it. I even offered to take a very short maternity leave to help them out, it wasn't like I was going to be gone long. Once they gave the job to "Kate", the worst thing of all happened - I was expected to train her. Not just on complex things, like special tasks or issues we were having. I had to start from scratch, like a new employee, and teach her how to do what I already knew! She didn't even know how to run the computer system! It burned me to no end that I had to train the person whose position I should have had.

When I came back from maternity leave (which was a little shortened still), I switched from a biller to a collector, but I was still in the same department, same "boss", same everything, just a different title. Things soured in my department with the office politics and a heinous coworker (that's a whole other story), and I was to the point of crying at my desk. Another department had an opening that I was perfect for, and the supervisor of that department wanted me to move. Our company has a policy that you have to be in the same position for one year before moving unless you get VP approval, so I went to my boss, then my director, and explained that things weren't working out, I technically still had the same job, and I really needed this opportunity (not to mention the 3.00/hour plus pay raise). The director and the VP, who I loathe, told me no, that I would have to stay there the rest of the year. I was so pissed, they let people do it all the time, and they just flat out refused me.

Obviously the minute my year in hell was up, I transferred to another department, where it is wonderful. When I tell them about my issues upstairs, they just gasp at their audacity and evilness. Not even a year after I moved, I was Employee of the Month, so I had to be doing something right. Now I'm next in line for the supervisor's position in my current department, and at least this time those other fools won't be in charge of the hiring!"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 17, 2005

>> Reg rage

[ Fools ]

Charlie T writes...

"I work with a total buffoon called Reg. Reg is one of those complete berks who thinks he knows just that bit more about everything than everyone else. He knows more about computers than the IT department. He knows more about people than the personnel department -- "I know how people tick" is one of his more repeated statements (his personal best standing at 12 repetitions in one day). I am quite sure he would attempt a squabble with Stephen Hawking about black holes, or a debate with Kofi Annan about diplomacy, he's that cock sure of himself. Crucially, and most annoyingly, he reckons he knows more about my job than me. Big mistake fool.

Amongst other things, I update our company intranet -- making sure there's always a lively array of news and views. Reg has submitted a number of so called news stories for consideration, including one about his medal collection. Yes, Reg goes tapdancing at the weekends and he has a collection of medals, which he thinks will be of interest to the other 350 people in the company.

I have put some of his stories up on the intranet in the past, just to stop him banging on about what he thinks makes a good news story. As far as I can tell, in Reg-world there is only one criterion for what makes a good news story and that is this: is it about Reg? Yes? Great news story then. Wrong, fool.

Reg sits opposite me so I have to look at his beardy-weirdy face all day long. I often look up to find him staring at me, which is mildly frightening in that he doesn't look away when you catch his eye. In fact, he's staring at me right now as I'm furiously bashing at the keyboard -- I can't seem to type this fast enough.

So thank you, to whoever you are who set up iworkwithfools.com. You have, quite possibly, prevented me from killing Reg with an office implement, as I feel much better now that I've finally been able to offload my Reg-rage.

Long live the website!"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 16, 2005

>> What's my job?

[ Boss ]

12acres writes...

"For the last three years, I have been working at a small software company with seven employees. It's a cosy place with an informal atmosphere and everybody pretty much knows each other.

My job is, basically, systems development. I do some programming and I think of ways to improve the product. That's it.

A couple of months ago, the boss was showing one of the company owners around the office, introducing the staff and showing the premises. I could hear them, slowly working their way up to my workplace. And there they were. The boss introduced me: "This is X. X works in graphic design. That means he's responsible for the way the system looks."

Flabbergasted, I just shook the owner's hand, and they strolled off to the next person.

The boss has known me for three years, so you would think he would at least have a remote idea of what my work is. After all, we have weekly staff meetings where everyone talks about what they're doing at the moment.

A couple of days after this incident, I went to my boss' office and asked for a chat with my him, supposedly to give him some info on my current projects. During this chat it must have become pretty obvious what I do.

Sadly, a week ago, the same thing happened again. One of our largest customers was doing a courtesy visit to our company. During the grand tour, the boss introduced me using the same phrase as the last time.

He knows what everyone else does. My work, however, must be of such a complicated nature that it is utterly incomprehensible to anyone but myself. [sigh]"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 15, 2005

>> You Do It, Then I Can Leave Early

[ Fools ]

BS Runs Downhill writes...

"My boss needed a filing cabinet for a new worksite. As I'm on the lowest rung here, the other two secretaries normally do the office shopping. One is on vacation and the other is here, but usually absent somehow. I told her what he requested and she said she'd pick it up today at X store. I told her during my lunch I had to take my cat to the boarder's and that I may be 10 minutes late. She said since I would be near X store, I should pick up the cabinet. Great. Now I have to fit a four drawer cabinet into a coupe plus cat carrier, etc.

I agree to do it because I try to be as accommodating as possible. Before I left, she asked if I could pick her dog up some treats that only X store has...and she gives me a hundred dollar bill to pay for it with. So, I didn't know that X store has a limited selection of office equipment. That in fact, they had only one model available priced at $150, which I knew was outrageous. I couldn't see myself explaining the over priced purchase to the other secretary, or come back to the office without a cabinet that my boss requested. But the check was typed to X store, so I had no choice but to come back without it. I did, however, stand in line for 15 minutes to but a $10.01 bag of dog treats -- and no I didn't have a penny because I gave the boarder the last cash I had without time to go to an ATM.

My hour lunch turned into an additional hour to forage through a huge warehouse for a purchase I couldn't make. And when I return sans file cabinet, she grabs the treats and says, "Oh, I'm going to leave early since you had a long lunch." Today, the last work day before two paid days off... Let me explain that she does the leave early thing twice a week on an average and only excused me to go to the store so she could sit on her butt and not get her own dog treats then have an excuse to leave early. I feel used and I should've told her I didn't have time to get the damn thing. I'm never asked to run any errand whatsoever because the other two claim outrageous mileage on each trip and don't want to lose the money. I shouldn't have bought the damn treats and I should've gone to another store and paid out of pocket for the cabinet so my boss isn't upset -- SHIT."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 14, 2005

>> Shattering the Glass Ceiling

[ Fools ]

Anonymous writes...

"The Senior VP for Operations, an ardent feminist, observes that we do not have any women in senior management. This will never do. We must show the world that we embrace diversity. We need to hire a female VP. But we don't have any openings in management. Hmmm. That is a problem. Solution: create a new position: VP of Client Services. But, wait a minute. The VPs of field operations handle client services. All the client service managers report to them. Are we going to reorg and place all the CSMs under this new and yet unkown VP? No, that won't be necessary, the CSMs will remain is field ops. So what will this new VP do? She will add value buy coordinating the activities of the CSMs. But the CSMs don't need coordinatiing. Each of them manage client relations independently. And if we do need to have someone in such a postition, would it not be better to promote one of the CSMs? We have several women who are more than qualified. Why not reo!
rg, promote one of these women and relieve field ops of this task. It's not that simple, we're told.

So a few weeks later, we are introduced to Maryanne, our new VP of Client Services. She's married, pregnant and has a grand total of three years work experience since graduating from college and this was in between two matrunity leaves. Her first task will be a review of current practices for "process improvement" in the IT department. The IT department?!? Does she have any IT experience? No, but she has an MBA from a night school, so she can adapt. What does client services and IT have to do with one another? Oh, you'll see how much easier she's going to make your lives. Emails start flying. Endless and pointless meetings. This woman needs to be retrained daily on how to attach a spreadsheet to an email message. Document after doucment need to be reviewed. Then suddenly she has her baby and will now be out on three months maturnity leave. She's been with the company six whole weeks.

The three months pass and she'd almost forgotten. Her process improvement project shelved. Rather than return to the office, she elects to work from home for an attitional two months. During this time, we see nothing even closely resembling work come out of her. She does come into the office from time to time to attend meetings and scribble on a legal pad.

A year passes. Then two. She is being paid $160,000/yr. plus bonuses and deferred compensation. She "works" from home two to three days per week. No one knows exactly what it is she does. She is pulled into every meeting with a client if there is a woman on the client's team. She has no staff, no responsibility, no spending authority, no accountability. She's useless and after two years still doesn't have a handle on our business model. The rest of the management team ignores her.

Then she's finally given another project! She will be responsible for organizing this years gala Christmas party. It'll be a formal affair on a Thurdsay evening in an event facility on the opposite side of the city (20 miles away). There will be a buffet, a small swing band and an open bar. Because of the distance and because people will need to get home and get dolled up, we will need to close the office at 1:00. Total cost to the company: $268,000.

But, we've shown that we value women and that's what counts. Right?"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 13, 2005

>> No wonder I don't respect him

[ Boss ]

Voice like Dino writes...

"I worked at a popular amusement park with their summer day camp program for the past 3 summers. The staff there has a very high turn over rate, and at the begining of this past summer, I was the most experienced person there. They had also lost one of the managers in the process of the off season because she got a better job relating to her major. The guy they replaced her with not only had never worked with our program, he'd never once been a manager anywhere else, and the only connection he had was that he worked in another part of our department.

He would constantly joke around with the other employees, then try to order them around, without so much as a please or thank you. He once commanded me to sort these booklets we had into sets of 20. I questioned it, because there was no need for it, it would waste time and take up more space, and the groups were very rarely in 20s as it was, so we wouldn't need bundles of 20s, we'd constantly have leftovers. Knowing the way the staff typically functioned, I knew that those would just get tossed in our cabinets and pile up, uselessly. He made me do it anyway.

He did a number of other stupid things, including one incident that was quite dangerous. We have a lake in the middle of this park that's used for a show involving water skiers. Well, the park lets kids go down to the little beach in front of it during the short time before the show starts to amuse themselves. We don't, as a rule, because it's technically considered a pool activity, and since none of us were lifeguard certified, we weren't allowed to let them. We'd just finished telling our campers that they weren't allowed to go down there, when he yells and says they can all go down there. So not only did he potentially endanger all those kids, but he contradicted us in front of them all.

Problems like that happened all summer. I would use an online diary site to rant and generally blow off steam, so that I wouldn't explode while at work at him about all the moronic things he did. When I went in for my end of summer evaluation, they told me that they had read it, and that "someone" had sent them this one particular entry, where I had basically cussed him out for being a moron. But I knew the "someone" was him, because of comments he had made near the end of the summer about things. He trolled on there, leaving anonymous comments, in one of which he said that "u a voice like Dino".

And somehow, this moron was my manager. They complained that I gave him no respect, and I told them they were right, because I don't just automatically respect people. They have to earn it, and he hadn't at all.

Needless to say, I now have another job, in which I'm very happy, and I made the journal friends only. But I know if I ever see him someplace in public, I'm going to tell him exactly what I think of him."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 12, 2005

>> The truth shall set you free

[ Boss ]

Catbert writes...

"I am the HR "department" at a mid-sized nonprofit agency, fondly known to my colleagues as the Doyenne of Documentation (well, not really, since none of the fools I work with would know what a "doyenne" is, but they DO know of my fondness for the truth of the Written Word in all matters HR, and faithfully submit copies of documentation to me "for file" on their errant subordinates).

Recently, my boss--the second-in-command, (let's call him Napoleon, as he suffers from his namesake's "short-man syndrome": self-absorbed, conceited, thinks he's literally and figuratively bigger than he is, one of those WASPs who is fastidious in the pursuit of his precious "five-year plan", even if that entails stepping on the backs of others while taking credit for their hard work and ingenuity)--emailed me about a questionable transaction that had taken place between his boss (our Fearless Fool Leader, "Adolf", feared tormenter of many for the past three years) and the president of our Board of Directors.

Napoleon had been involved in this transaction, by being a co-signator with Adolf on a check loaning a sizeable sum of the agency's endowment money to our Board president, who ostensibly needed the funds to keep his own struggling ("for-profit") business afloat. While Napoleon had counseled Adolf to seek Board approval for this transaction first, he nonetheless co-signed the check. No written terms of the loan were ever established, though Napoleon had been told that half of the loan would eventually be repaid with interest, and the other half "in kind" in the form of office supplies from the Board president's business. Knowing that this arrangement was not favorable to our financially strapped agency, the spineless Napoleon--ever wary of the importance of his compliance in working toward his Brass Ring of first-in-command--signed the check.

When Napoleon emailed me about this, I was stunned, and immediately told him that I thought this arrangement was unethical, if not outright illegal. Napoleon urged me not to say anything to anyone about the incident, due to his own involvement (however reluctant), and shrugged it off. This was on a Friday.

Over that weekend, I spent hours on the Internet, researching laws governing nonprofits in my state. I sent an anonymous email inquiry to the state Attorney General's office, asking about the provision of such loans by nonprofits to board officers. My research and response from the AG confirmed that the transaction was indeed illegal, no matter how it was "spun". From home, I emailed Napoleon's work address with excerpts from articles I had found, and urged him to notify someone "of authority", another board member or lawyer or the agency's CPA. I felt like a regular Erin Brockovich.

Monday arrived, and Napoleon read my email and research, but still squirmed at the notion of notifying someone, since doing so would "make it look like he was gunning for Adolf's job". I urged Napoleon to put his self-interest, discomfort, and appearances aside for the good of our agency, and to do the right thing, which he eventually did (two days later, though in a very cagey and roundabout way, by advising our CPA during his annual audit of the agency--coincidentally being conducted that week--to "closely scrutinize transactions that had taken place within the last few weeks"). His "notification" prompted discovery by the CPA, who in turn notified the rest of the Board of Directors, which eventually led to a Board investigation, a spinning of crafty lies by Adolf and the president, and cumlinated in the ousting of them both. Erin Brockovich indeed!

While the fact of the transaction was egregious enough, and the ouster of Adolf--who definitely lived up to the vile, narcissistic, vengeful, manipulative character of HIS namesake--ultimately satisfying, I was repulsed that Napoleon--when emailing to the CPA and when questioned by the Board--claimed that HE had done the research, and had discovered the illegality of the transaction, never admitting my role (to them, to himself, to me) in helping to right the wrongs, or impelling him to do the right thing.

After the Board meeting--during which Napoleon was grilled on his role and (lack of prompt) response to the situation, which he managed to somehow squirm out of (I was present for the discusssion)--I confronted Napoleon about the manner in which he had very publicly and blatantly lied about "the research HE had done" and how "he had notified the CPA right away about what he had discovered". I told him I thought that wrong, that he had had the opportunity to do the right thing by acknowlegding my efforts and support, and fully disclosing his own poor judgment and response. He denied he had done anything wrong, never thanked me for essentially saving him his job--and even accelerating his five-year plan--and has begun proselytizing his virtues to all. (This part never happened to Erin Brockovich...maybe my boobs aren't big enough.)

And now, our agency is out of the fire and into the frying pan, so to speak, as Napoleon has been anointed our "Acting Fool Leader". But to him I say, "the truth shall set you free." Fool."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 11, 2005

>> Don't you have anything better to complain about?

[ Rant ]

geauxtigers writes...

"I have a federal job working in a section Department of Transportation as an administrative assistant. We have a secretary that takes the phone calls, but when she is out or doesn't answer the calls then comes to me. A few days ago i recieved a call from an older woman that went something like this:

Her: "Hi, do you know anything about the crosses on the side of the road?"

Me: "I'm not sure what crosses you're talking about"

Her: "You know, those crosses people put up on the side of the road when someone dies in a car crash"

Me: "No ma'am, our department doesn't have anything to do with that..."

Her: "Well who would i talk to concerning that? I mean isn't there like a law against putting those up? I mean, it is just ridiculous!"

So i gave her the number to another section of the department because honestly i have no idea who would deal with that...I just thought it was completely insenstive and obviously she has never lost a loved one in a wreck. And really... how often do u see those crosses and are they really that distracting to you when you are driving?"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 10, 2005

>> A day in the life of our admin...

[ Rant ]

Anonymous writes...

"8:00am Waltz in to work. "Hello Dahlin'!" These people are so glad to see me and so interested in what I have to say. Oh good - my assistant is already in.

8:01am Gossip to assistant about dogs, men, holidays, my tan, the gym, swimming, hair. "And he was like ... and I was like ... and he said like ... so I said ... and woOoo!"

9:30am Failed to notice assistant's eyes glazing over. Luckily (for my assistant) someone else comes over to my desk. "Hi-yuhhhh! How's you ?" Gossip to person and assistant about to assistant about dogs, men, holidays, my tan, the gym, hair. Must remember to talk loudly - all these people will be fascinated by my cool lifestyle.

10:30am Person who came over to my desk only wanted keys to stationery cupboard. Luckily they got the full benefit of my wisdom on dogs, men, holidays, my tan, the gym, hair. "And he was like ... and I was like ... and he said like ... so I said ... and woOoo!"

11:25am Realise no-one has heard my fabulous ring tone all morning. If I leave my mobile at my desk ... with the volume turned up ... and then walk off and call my mobile - everyone will be able to hear the full effect. They'll be amazed at how cool I am for having that ring tone. Cool Bananas! I can hear my ring tone from the other side of the office! I am so cool.

11:30am Finish gossiping to assistant. Must read email. Ooh! - an email that looks like it should go to the whole department! Send it on without reading it or checking it for sanity or considering that there might be a more efficient way of distributing a 500k Word document.

11:35am Realise work is backing up a bit. Moan loudly about work backing up so that everyone will realise how busy and important I am.

11:37am Gossip to assistant about dogs, men, holidays, my tan, the gym, swimming, hair. "And he was like ... and I was like ... and he said like ... so I said ... and woOoo!"

12:00pm Go for lunch.

12:30pm Return from lunch. Gossip to assistant about dogs, men, holidays, my tan, the gym, swimming, hair. "And he was like ... and I was like ... and he said like ... so I said ... and woOoo!"

1:00pm Someone comes over to my desk. "Hi-yuhhhh! How's you ?" Gossip to this new person about dogs, men, holidays, my tan, the gym, swimming, hair. "And he was like ... and I was like ... and he said like ... so I said ... and woOoo!"

1:30pm Realise I've probably forgotten to eat lunch. Exclaim loudly to all in surrounding area "I'm just going down to the canteen to get a salad". Every-one will realise I am healthy because I eat salad. The salad will counter-act the chips I had for my early lunch.

2:00pm Wander back to my desk. Gossip to assistant about dogs, men, holidays, my tan, the gym, swimming, hair. "And he was like ... and I was like ... and he said like ... so I said ... and woOoo!"

2:30pm Exclaim loudly that work is backing up. That way everyone will know that I'm working really hard and still being snowed under by the amount of work I have to do. Luckily I have an assistant to do all my work for me in a quiet and efficient manner.

3:00pm Check email. Oooh! An email that looks like it should go to the whole department! Better just add my own touch to it to make it look like I'm involved and important: "If anyone needs any more information please just speak to myself or my assistant". Yes, that bit about the assistant was good. I'm so busy that I need an assistant. Send it on without considering that there might be a more efficient way of distributing a 5Mb Excel spreadsheet.

3:15pm Gossip to assistant about dogs, men, holidays, my tan, the gym, swimming, hair. "And he was like ... and I was like ... and he said like ... so I said ... and woOoo!"

3:30pm Phone estate agent "just a quickie" to see if any new 5 bedroom houses have come on the market. Must talk loudly so that people will know that I'm smart, clever, and looking for a 5-bed house. Argue with estate agent so that people will know I'm a tough no-nonsense business woman. If I stand up and talk loudly, more people will be able to benefit from my wisdom and realise how cool I am.

4:00pm Ooh I'm to busy to start any new work now. I'll go home and start afresh tomorrow."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 09, 2005

>> The Director cant buy his own birthday presents?

[ Boss ]

red17 writes...

"I'm slaving away over a hot mac one day when the accounts lady at our work (a mid size electronics firm) buzzes through asking me if I wish to "chip in" for the Directors 60th birthday present.

Now id only wished I hadnt taken a bite out of a muffin only seconds previously, the resulting stifled laugh caused me to choke and bang the desk in a crazed attempt to free my throat from blueberries wedged into it by such a preposterous suggestion.

"What" I said, managing to swallow my morning tea finally "Doesnt he have enough cash to buy his own damn present? Nobody else around here gets birthday presents", I proclaimed, trying not to alert eavesdroppers in the cubicles next door.

Ok, to set the scene for you here, this Director is a man who is the sole profiteer of a company that turns over about 14-16million AU per year. He has... *ahem* .... a 50 foot boat, an inner city penthouse, a suburban mansion (in the same city no less), an island retreat, a REMOTE island retreat (for those times when you just need to be that much further away from other people), approximately 7 high performance cars ranging from an Audi TT to a 650hp Skyline GTR, 6 inner city apartment projects, a million dollar wine collection.... need i go on?

Firstly, what can my 5 dollars possibly buy this man he hasnt already got, or have the financial ability to get? Secondly, where the FSCK do people get off asking to buy their boss a present?

This is the same man who refused to give me a 2k pay rise? 2000 dollars for gods sake! Im not sure what the suggestion by the accounts lady was, but I think it was along the lines of "well you should feel grateful to even have a job, so cough up ok". Like employee's should feel like they owe the company they work for, for the sheer priveledge of doing so.

When i'd finally stopped laughing, she had hung up. I guess she got the idea. She then ensured that the Director would know exactly who chipped in and who didnt by handing a birthday card around which you could sign ONLY if you coughed up the cash.

I'll endure many things in a job, lord knows I do already, but I will not endure the ass kissing of an uncharitable, psychotic, ignorant, potsmoking PRICK.

Thank you :D"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 08, 2005

>> New job with a temp agency...

[ Work ]

Lucifer Caitiff writes...

"So I quit my job working for a slimy tyrannical pathetic excuse for a human being...to work for fools.

Working for fools is much better than working for asswipes, though. Well maybe not, its probably just as bad. My only hope is that when I actually get my assignment...I wont be stuck with fools.

SO I just signed up with an agency, theyre supposed to be really good, been around forever. I submitted my resume, and I got a response saying ythat my resume was too hard to read...im thinking "what? how?"

My resume is simple, 2 pages. It states my objective, my education, work history of the past 4 jobs (my position, my manager contact, responsibilities and special recognition), then I have special skills, and finally I have 4 references...2 business and 2 personal. THATS IT! it's all spelled out in simple words, organized neatly and all that good stuff.

she said to get rid of my references, and make it easier to read...so I ditched the 4 references, assuming that my employer would want to know who my last supervisor was at LEAST.

well apparently not. She send me back a sample template and started putting in a bit of my info and asked me to finish it. What I got was unbelievable simple and just plain god awful. its a table, and heres how it goes
Name
Objective
Job #1 (time worked, company, position)
Responsibilities
Job#2 (time worked, company, position)
Responsibilities
Education (only my college?)
Additional

she cut out everything important about me. Who did I work for? Why did I leave? What special skills do I have? Unbelievable.....

Ive got to put my portfolio together."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 07, 2005

>> Leave me alone! I quit, remember?

[ Rant ]

katydid writes...

"I was working for a small drugstore chain as an assistant manager (ass man, even though I am a woman). It started off as a pretty good job. At one point, this chain filed for bankruptcy. Since then, the entire corporate staff has changed, not necessarily for the better or for the worse, but it changed all at once, so it was a mess. My district manager, fondly known as Hitler, was the biggest pain in the ass to walk the face of retail. I could go on and on about what a fool she is, but I will save some of those stories for another day. I recently found a new job (thank the lord above!) and I put in proper notice to Hitler and the HR staff. It took my resignation for Hitler to show me any respect. Up until this point, she had only told me everything I had done wrong. As soon as I quit, she told me I was "of high callibur" and she didn't want to lose me. This is not an exageration for dramatic effect either. This is how she treats all of her managers. Fool! My store employees were sad to see me go, but they all understood that the situation I was in was terrible and I needed to escape. I should note here that I really liked my store employees, and if the store had been independent, instead of part of this horrid chain, I would have stayed. Since my last day (Thursday, Nov. 4) I have been called THREE times by employees at this store. This is because the store manager decided that she was too stressed out to work, and took a two week leave of absence starting Friday, Nov 5, the day after I left. The girl replacing me is very new to the company, so she isn't ready to run the store by herself. The bookkeeper, a friend of mine, has had to pick up the slack, and she is not getting compensated for acting as manager. A manager from another store has had to step in to help out, since the Christmas season is rapidly approaching. I don't mind helping them out if they have questions, but why couldn't they find adequate help in a timely fashion? Oh yeah, because the store manager gave a one day notice for her two week leave! I feel terrible for the people I left behind, but I want to leave that company behind and start over with a company with less fools."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 06, 2005

>> Miffed in Manhattan

[ Boss ]

Kanthath writes...

"I work with the world's biggest idiot, hands down. He's this big burly dude from Kansas. He reeks of armpit funk mixed with street vendor "Hugo Boss" cologne. He has a lisp (ex: I'm from Thalina, Kanthath) and he is dirty and unkempt. As if these shortcomings weren't bad enough, he has the nerve to be the most arrogant, yet unqualified jerk alive. He is an Emporia State (I've never heard of it, but if some of you are alumni, sorry) dropout, yet he thinks he is smarter than anyone in the office (the rest of us are college grads and grad students), including our boss. Here are some stupid things, this douchebag has said: "Is the Dominican Republic near China?" "Do Macs have assembly?" (note: all computers have assembly. This guy thinks he is a hacker and the IT guru, yet he doesn't know this) "People are thmarter back in Kanthath" (note: we work in NYC where no one gives a fuck about Kansas) "I'm the only one in this office with a clue" (note: this is spoken from the same guy who thought that Latino people live in Asia). This guy sits at his desk all day messing with the office router and thinking of devious ways to disconnect us from the Internet. He never has anything to contribute during meetings, yet he always brags about how much more he accomplishes than the rest of us. Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse, it turns out he kinda lives in the office too. He sleeps here and keeps clothes (both clean and dirty) in the drawers of his cube. He also stashes his shoes and toiletries here (like deodorant, cologne and mouthwash which he never uses). Our boss had to tell him that he couldn't stay here at night. It's not like he doesn't have a home. He lives RENT FREE with a bunch of young models as their super or something, but they all hate him, so he never goes home. He keeps saying he's quitting and going back to Kansas next week (like we'll beg him to stay), so keep your fingers crossed for my coworkers and me. I'll let you know what happens."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 05, 2005

>> Evaluate THIS

[ Boss ]

Debbie writes...

My boss is an ass. He lies, backstabs, talks behind people's backs, is sexist, selfish, many other adjectives but suffice to say he is evil incarnate. My job deals with pets, and the law says that any job that could possibly be construed as fun: 1)Could not possibly pay above poverty level and 2)Must have a asshole supervisor involved.

Every move I make is a chess move. For example, we are to get evaluations every year from our supervisor. They're always late. Sometimes up to 6 or 8 monthes late. Richardhead (my supervisor) uaually waits until he has something bad to say before he will put out an evaluation because (god forbid) we get a 3% raise if we get an excellent evaluation. The only recourse we have to is to file a grievance with the personel department. So to avoid any grievances, Richardhead will purposely wait until we've planned a vacation for the year and the last day before our vacation he'll say, "your evaluation HAS to be in today" He'll throw it at you and expect you to sign it at 4:30 friday before you leave for your vacation REALLY!! So to outsmart his butthole plan I always call in sick the day before my vacation. I can feel him fuming all the way from Disneyworld!

This is butt *sic a small example of his evilness. Other incidents include wearing a horrible toupee, cheating on his wife with subordinates, stealing equipment, taking credit for other people's work, and making a fun job hell."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 04, 2005

>> Whiny Old Woman

[ Boss ]

TiredOfThisShit writes...

"I'd like to start off by saying that I just began working at this (retail) store about a month ago. I had prior experience and was hired based on this and my personality. The store I work in is a popular chain that sells novelty items, as well as some apparel, home decor and gag gifts (such as rubber dog poop, etc.). Now, most of the people that shop and work here are young. It's nothing against older people, it's just a fast paced environment. We play rock/pop music loudly, and most of the things we sell cater to teenagers and twenty-somethings.

My gripe is about a supervisor, Bonnie. She's... older... Probably in her seventies, but in her case; with age does *not* come wisdom. She's worked there for a while and her position is solid. At first I didn't mind her so much, and tried to get along. If she needed help with reaching somthing on a high shelf, or bagging for a customer, I did that for her. Then I began to really notice that everything I did amounted to not one "Thank you." She's one of those people that assume that just because they're higher than you in the chain of command, that they don't have to respect you. I don't fly like that.

I spoke to a friend/co-worker of mine that has the same issues with this woman, but she won't confront the manager because Bonnie "is just an old lady" but this woman is crafty. She kisses everyone's asses (all of the higher-ups) but talks to the rest of us as if we have shit for brains. For example, she likes to tell me what to do, exactly at the time I am in the middle of already doing it. She's always looking over my shoulder, disregarding the fact that I know what I'm doing. Even though I just began this job I worked the store at another location.

I'm not a newbie!

That and the fact that she's going senile. She does things backwards, and when I try and explain what she did wrong she insists that she did it the right way. If someone has done their job for years and suddenly doesn't know something as simple as handling a farkin gift card, I'm all for suggesting retirement.

People come in buying some of our racy things, like edible underwear, vibrators, etc. and she actually gives them chastising looks. It's these people and their sales that pay us, asshole. Who are you to 'tsk,tsk' anyone??

I just don't think that she should even be there. She's rude and completely disrespectful. I'm not going to kiss her old, decrepit ass just because she's my elder. I don't think so. She just annoys me. If I stayed here trying to describe everything that annoys me about her, I'd be here all day. I like my job. I like talking to people, hanging with my co-workers and working the store. She sucks the fun out of a store that has the word "fun" and "party" in their motto.

The thing is, I'm so not in any position to do anything about it. Also, since none of the other managers is ever the brunt of her behavior, they don't know the severity of it."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 03, 2005

>> Never Wrong

[ Boss ]

Anonymous writes...

"The Chief of Staff at our organization, who basically runs the place in the absence of the CEO, is a very intelligent woman, with absolutely horrendous people/management skills. One of the biggest problems with her is that she is convinced that she can do no wrong, even when confronted with evidence to the contrary. She'll simply try to warp the circumstances to make it appear that her reality is the correct one.

My personal run-in with this situation happened yesterday. About 5 weeks ago I'd had a brief chat with her about changing how we purchase a specific tool. She seemed amenable, and a day later I forwarded her a lease agreement to have legal review and get CEO to sign. I asked her 2 weeks later about the status, and she simply replied "Not ready yet." Fair enough.

The last week or so people have been asking for more of this tool, and since I wanted to fulfill the requests in the new manner, simply told them that Executive management/Legal was reviewing contracts, and they'd get as soon as that was completed. I made sure that she heard about this, as something to stir her to action.

Yesterday, I got called in to her office and told that the paperwork wasn't going anywhere, as I had not submitted a rationale/CBA. Stunned, I told her that if she had at any point told me she was waiting on that, I'd have given it to her weeks ago (took me an hour to compile afterwards). Her icy response was that "it was inappropriate for me to suggest that she should have told me that she was waiting for this- I should have known." I was then dismissed.

I bit my tongue and walked out shaking my head, of course, blatantly signalling that I did not share her views... I wasn't aware that mind-reading was part of my job description.

Of course, I had to ask her about something else about 2 hours later, and she was all pleasant, as if the prior exchange had never happened..."

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 02, 2005

>> Work is bullshit

[ Rant ]

TheFURY writes...

"I really hope this site allows some cussing because sometimes they're the only words that really convey how you feel about work...

I hate my job. It's killing my brain and my body. I can't help but wonder why the hell I bothered with getting a college degree to only become an 'admin asst.' I think I was more appreciated and stimulated when I worked at the mall! Basically, I get to sit on my ass all day and take orders from everyone while my phone rings off the hook and my eyes glaze over from staring at my computer screen. Does anyone else feel like we as human beings shouldn't be sitting in cubes all day staring at monitors, eating crap and getting fat??? Seriously, how is this supposed to be fulfilling?"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled

May 01, 2005

>> Mr. Arrogant

[ Rant ]

SLIK writes...

"Hey this is my first but sure not to be my last rant on this fool i had the shear pleasure of working with for way to many years!. Anyway this guy is the most elitist/arrogant and the list is to numerous to go on fool you could work with he takes the cake.Oh, and did i say a slob too?.

This fool likes not to wash his hands after he takes a piss and then proceeds to reason this behavior away as there may be fecal matter on the door handles in the company bathroom so washing his hands is a waste of time. Get this when he reaches for a piece of paper to put in the printer which is very often throughout the day he licks his fingers like a quarterback before a pass to get a better grip on the paper.Hmmmmmm.....poop on the door handle, touching his uncircumcised dick and he's afraid of ecoli???? this is one of the many rants i have and will be posting many,many more enjoy!"

01:01 AM - Posted by Disgruntled