Time, time, time…is on my side
Okay, gotta admit…I really don’t like people who have that who sense of entitlement mentality. You know the ones…you try to work with them and nothing you do to help them is enough. I am dealing with one, now.
Employee X has been given a long leash for years. X has some difficulty in understanding that attendance policies are intended to allow Managers to effectively balance manpower to workload ratios. If I did not need for you to come to work, you would not have a job. Now, the wrench; I understand that people want to save vacation and sick time whenever possible. But, when you schedule an appointment in the middle of the day, don’t expect a Manager to just let you leave work without regard. If you are going to be gone for 2+ hours, you need to use some of your PTO. Don’t like it, then donj’t make your appointments in the middle of the day. This is exactly what your PTO was designed for.
So, employee X contacted HR because I would not approve unpaid time allotting to over 4 hours out of the workday. I tried to be nice, I tried to explain, I tried to accommodate. But, in spite of being able to award some flexibility, I just could not do enough to make employee X happy. but, I have to admit…I don’t really care. I am so tired of whiny employees. I am sick of people who put their ideals above the Company and their co-workers. And, I don’t think this makes me a bad Manager. In fact, I think I am better for it.
Topics: Business | 1 Comment »
Up in Lights (or down in flames?)
I just wanted to ask for a little help. Over the years, I have dealt with alot of personalities and I have notified alot of folks that their services were no longer needed with Companies. I don’t like terminating people, but it is s necessary evil and goes hand-in-hand with running a business.
But, some were more difficult than others. Some were folks that I enjoyed being around. Some were, well…not so much. Within this “not so much” group, there is a sub-group of folks who apparently possessed some talents of which I was unaware. It would not have changed the position of the Company because standards and policies are intended to govern the masses. But, I love artists and persons with unusual talents. It is to you and your friends that I reach out.
Some of you told me, upon exiting the Company, that you would “show me” and that you’d “be a big star” and such. Well, I gotta tell ya that I have not yet seen your name on the marquee. I am certain that I have simply overlooked you or you are using a “stage name”. So, please share with me. I would like to be proud of you and your accomplishments. I woudl like to know that terminating you from the Company did not leave you “down and out”. So, please let me know. Hey, I might even be able to find some of your old disciplinary actions and sell them as autographs…unless you “refused to sign”.
Topics: Business | 1 Comment »
Sell Out?
Okay, so I’m a sell-out. I wanna be that hippie guy sitting in the corner of the coffee shop pecking away at his keyboard. Y’know, the guy who everyone wonders if he is blogging or hacking the CIA database. I wanna just hang out with my kids and enjoy life. But, alas…bills gotta be paid. So, I have started looking around for a…a job (gag). My background is in Operations management and I have been quite successful. Turnaround operations…been there. Hatchet man…done that. Shut-down operations, got the T-shirt.
What I wanna know is why things have gotten so difficult in the workforce. I mean, whatever happened to telling an employer what you know and they decide if they want you…end of story? I am in the middle of accepting an offer from, what appears to be, a great employer. They are hung up on my college attendance. I don’t have a degree, told them I don’t, and I have not attended college in over a decade. I ordered a transcript and they returned my money with an e-mail response indicating that they have no record of my attendance. WTH?!? Also, have a look at my post about the “application from hell”. Can’t we just have lunch, decide if we like each other, make an agreement, spit in our palms and shake on it?
In fact, I have even shaved my beard and been on a couple of interviews.I’m not so sure I should go back into the workforce. It hurts…and I haven’t even set foot on the worksite, yet.
Topics: Business | No Comments »
Step 2 in reclaiming American jobs
In my follow-up to “Step 1 in reclaiming American jobs“, I would like to introduce “Step 2 in reclaiming American jobs”. But first, to recap Step 1, we must understand that we are American. We speak English, just as Tim James from Alabama stated. Step 2 is a little more “messy”. I reference Arizona’s new immigration laws which have come under great scrutiny.
Arizona introduced and passed legislation (sb1070) which will allow police officials to question anyone they reasonably believe to be undocumented in the US. In it;s most essential form, the law allows “no immigrant would be allowed to wander around in the Arizona State without his/her documents and police reserves the right to investigate and question anyone they find suspicious”. The opposition states that this will lead to racial profiling.
Uh…yeah, it probably will. But, is that a bad thing? Use the example of the placement of Japanese-Americans into camps during WWII. We have an obligation to protect Americans. I have to accept legal immigration that is conducted within the parameters set forth by my government. But, I can vehemently oppose illegal immigration…from all borders. What do you think would have happened in the height of the cold war to a Soviet illegal immigrant in the US? They would have been labeled as spies and likely imprisoned. This is America, we welcome foreigners with open (too open in my opinion) arms. So, why circumvent the procedures unless you enter with some sort of malice or alternative agenda?
Coming full circle, we still have a high unemployment rate in the US. he argument is that illegal immigrants are filling roles that Americans don’t want. Jobs like working in the fields or slaughterhouses or even janitorial services. But, I think Americans do want those jobs. Sure, they don’t pay much, but why fill them with undocumented workers? There are an estimated 30M illegal aliens in the US and an estimated 32M unemployed Americans. Apply minimum wage and safe working conditions to these jobs and let’s see if Americans will take them. Maybe I’m wrong. But, let’s follow our own rules on immigration, let’s apply fair standards to the “undesirable” jobs and let’s see what happens. Prove me wrong, America!
Topics: Business, Political | 3 Comments »
Step 1 in reclaiming American jobs
I have previously, and loudly, posted my views on American jobs as they relate to undocumented workers in the US. I won’t stand on my soapbox today. I just want to call attention to Tim James. He is running for Governor in Alabama. One of his campaign advertisements indirectly discusses how we, as Americans, have taken things a little too far. How we have abused political correctness which is sending a ripple through Americanism. I think he “gets it” and is one person helping to take the first steps in recovering America. Can he get elected…I dunno. But, he has made his statement loud and clear. Have a look at the video. Tomorrow, we will discuss another step: Arizona’s new laws concerning Illegal Aliens.
Topics: Business, Political | 6 Comments »
Fluff Management
So, I have decided that I will need to go back to work. Yup…sellout, I know. The problem is that I don’t like “the machine”. In many ways, I am anti-establishment. I like structure, I like reward for performance…I like almost everything about work…almost.
Why do we still have to deal with whiny employees? I mean, this is work, people. If you don’t wanna do it, you don’t have to. But, “the machine” says that if I am going to manage people, I have to be sensitive to their concerns. I have to stoke their egos. When, as a Country, did we decide that it was okay to act like punks to get what we want without producing? Since when did we decide that everyone should be equal instead of rewarding those who excel and dismissing those who lag? It is like the new way of kids sports or like the national “no kid left behind” programs. It is crap, people. In the real world, you don’t get to play ball if you suck. In the real world, you should be left behind if you cannot keep up.
Good management = giving employees proper training, proper tools to do their jobs and an expectation. Reward people for their for successes, counsel them on their failures. In the Army, I learned to lead by giving the following; task, conditions, standards. It is really simplistic leadership; tell the employee the task to be completed, the conditions under which they will be expected to perform and the standards by which they will be judged.
If you, as an employee, do the best you can, success or failure is irrelevant. You can still go home at night and lay your head on your pillow and say that you did the best you can…even if it wasn’t enough.
Topics: Business | 13 Comments »
Vaca
Okay, it is obvious that I abandoned our little community for a spell. No worries, I have just been sick to death of the crap that has been handed to us as Americans and as worker bees. It seems that everywhere we turn someone is trying to stick it to us. Jobs are still low, unemployment is still high, we now must all pay for the healthcare of one another, we are considering oil drilling off of the US coast and now the government is trying to put measures in place to govern the financial segment. Am I crazy or does this sound alot like another Country and its leaders from a few decades ago?
I do not like the idea of government influence in business. It is anti-Capitalistic. Take the financial institutions for instance. Sure, the US economy crumbled. But, what were the underlying causes; high risk investments. That’s it, in a nutshell. Some of those investments were in real estate whereas some were hedge funds and other investments. It is concerning that people could have lost their homes when the real estate businesses went belly up. But, why does that become my problem? Instead of continuing on our Capitalistic (may as well say Darwinistic) ideals, we bailed ‘em out. Then, we drug the entire country down with the banks. So, instead of a million people being affected, we spread it across 32 million people. Forget the beef, “where’s the math”?!?
Topics: Business, Political | 1 Comment »
Illegal and lovin’ it!
It astounds me that the government would believe that illegal aliens would complete and return a US Census form. I don’t like the presence of illegal (no problem with legal) aliens. But, the US government is idiotic to believe that these illegal aliens would complete the forms only to reveal their whereabouts.
However, I suppose that if the US Government has taken no significant action to rid the US of illegal aliens in the past, what should make us believe that they may do so in the future?
Topics: Business, Political | 1 Comment »
Over a barrel
I gotta say that companies have their employees over a barrel right now. They know that employees are afraid to step over to a new job. They know that employees are having a tough time with mortgages. They know that employees are worried about their futures. And, employers are feasting on the madness. And, I wonder how much of this is actually government supported.
Sure, conspiracies flourish in times of need. But, look at a few we are dealing with now…Obamacare was passed last week. This is at a time when only moderate job related bills were approved by Congress. Think about it, keep people unemployed and nationalized healthcare becomes more widely accepted by persons who have been without job/insurance. What about the President seeking to secure funds to pay mortgages for people who are “underwater” in their loans? Is that really something that should come at the cost of all of the Americans who managed their mortgages satisfactorily? Why not address the credit reporting system to allow for more relaxed credit evaluations for those seeking to downgrade homes because they have been late in paying for the over-priced homes?
Really, it looks a little like this country is being run more and more like a business. Unfortunately, it is also being run with a business mdel that has been shown to be fallible.
Topics: Business | 2 Comments »
