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| Job/Work Advice Needed; A different kind of scenario | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 15 2015, 10:26 AM (457 Views) | |
| Aqua Letifer | Jul 15 2015, 10:26 AM Post #1 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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So, I'm in a rather unique position at my current place of employment now because I've been promoted to manager! Don't I feel super special and important! What I feel is only marginally relieved; training the folks coming in to do what used to be my job is only slightly less time-consuming than doing it myself. Things have been more or less okay here, but far from perfect. We're so terribly understaffed that I can only do things 85% of the way, and that really annoys me. Other people can tell, and although very few of them complain, I freaking know. It's just not right that we half-ass what we're supposed to be doing. Also, I have very real concerns that at some point, my bosses are going to ask me to do something that I feel is completely unethical, and I'm going to have to decline and maybe get fired. So far that's not been a problem, but I can fully see that happening. I've started looking around for places to jump ship. My parents don't really know too much about what I do, but they did mention when I returned from Oz that "some guy I maybe went to school with" does similar work in my region. I should hook up with him, she said. But she didn't have his contact information, his name, and couldn't tell me if it was indeed a he or a she; my mom only knew the family. Okay, great. Most solid lead. Well the freaking guy came in off the street today to answer our ad for a part-timer. I never met him growing up—which puts him at least four years older—but I knew his brother well, was best friends with his cousin, and both his parents taught me in high school. (My dad taught him.) We're well aware of one another. Guy has an awesome resume. I consider myself pretty knowledgable about some things but I'll be the first to admit my work experience isn't impressive in the traditional sense. No big titles, no big names. I felt bad interviewing the guy, who could easily have my job, except that he'd never apply for it because he'd never work for such low wages. But he was the nicest guy—his whole family's like that—and his resume just kicks ass. I wanna ask the guy about job leads, but how screwed up is that? For the project he'd be helping us with, I'd be his boss, but it's limited with a set goal in mind. Should I ask him about job stuff once we're done? Also, how in the hell do you couch this kind of conversation? "Thanks for all your help over the past few months, underling. P.S. my job sucks, got any leads you could send my way?" I can't make that scenario make any sense no matter how many ways I think about it. |
| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 15 2015, 10:33 AM Post #2 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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Got yer new avatar, man. ![]() |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 15 2015, 10:34 AM Post #3 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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Aqua as manager really is a cornucopia of humor, more than one could ever ask for.
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Jul 15 2015, 10:36 AM Post #4 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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This is closer: ![]() Actually, I consider myself a pretty good manager. Mostly because I hate it. |
| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 15 2015, 10:39 AM Post #5 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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Get the work out of the way first. Also, it is better to rule in hell than serve in heaven. What are the top three things you could do to improve quality? |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Red Rice | Jul 15 2015, 10:43 AM Post #6 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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AL, if this guy had any good job leads, wouldn't he have followed them himself? |
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Civilisation, I vaguely realized then - and subsequent observation has confirmed the view - could not progress that way. It must have a greater guiding principle to survive. To treat it as a carcase off which each man tears as much as he can for himself, is to stand convicted a brute, fit for nothing better than a jungle existence, which is a death-struggle, leading nowhither. I did not believe that was the human destiny, for Man individually was sane and reasonable, only collectively a fool. I hope the gunner of that Hun two-seater shot him clean, bullet to heart, and that his plane, on fire, fell like a meteor through the sky he loved. Since he had to end, I hope he ended so. But, oh, the waste! The loss! - Cecil Lewis | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Jul 15 2015, 10:50 AM Post #7 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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He has, and he's doing fine with them, which is why he's even willing to do some work for us. It'd be a flexible part-time thing to do in addition to his 9-to-5. For him it'd be more out of interest than for any financial reason; otherwise we couldn't afford to pay him. |
| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| brenda | Jul 15 2015, 10:50 AM Post #8 |
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..............
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“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
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| Red Rice | Jul 15 2015, 11:01 AM Post #9 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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In that case, I agree with Mik: wait till the job is done, and then just be honest with your request. Networking is all about the lack of shame and the pursuit of self-interest. It's all good. |
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Civilisation, I vaguely realized then - and subsequent observation has confirmed the view - could not progress that way. It must have a greater guiding principle to survive. To treat it as a carcase off which each man tears as much as he can for himself, is to stand convicted a brute, fit for nothing better than a jungle existence, which is a death-struggle, leading nowhither. I did not believe that was the human destiny, for Man individually was sane and reasonable, only collectively a fool. I hope the gunner of that Hun two-seater shot him clean, bullet to heart, and that his plane, on fire, fell like a meteor through the sky he loved. Since he had to end, I hope he ended so. But, oh, the waste! The loss! - Cecil Lewis | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Jul 15 2015, 11:06 AM Post #10 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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That's why I find it entirely slimy.
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| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| Red Rice | Jul 15 2015, 11:13 AM Post #11 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Says the guy who kidnaps blueberry muffins.
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Civilisation, I vaguely realized then - and subsequent observation has confirmed the view - could not progress that way. It must have a greater guiding principle to survive. To treat it as a carcase off which each man tears as much as he can for himself, is to stand convicted a brute, fit for nothing better than a jungle existence, which is a death-struggle, leading nowhither. I did not believe that was the human destiny, for Man individually was sane and reasonable, only collectively a fool. I hope the gunner of that Hun two-seater shot him clean, bullet to heart, and that his plane, on fire, fell like a meteor through the sky he loved. Since he had to end, I hope he ended so. But, oh, the waste! The loss! - Cecil Lewis | |
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| John D'Oh | Jul 15 2015, 11:19 AM Post #12 |
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MAMIL
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It's only slimy if you're slimy about it. You don't owe anybody anything as long as you don't lie to them - you work for them, they pay you, then you leave. I got my job in Canada thanks to a lab-technician who worked for the company where I was a team-leader, interviewed for the job when he was on vacation in Canada, but didn't get it as he wasn't really qualified. He gave them my name as he knew I was pretty fed up, and I ended up getting flown to Canada on the company's dime, and given an expenses-paid week exploring the Toronto area with the soon-to-be Mrs. D'Oh. Best job interview ever. It's amazing what companies will do if they actually want to hire you. At the interview I told them I could only really commit to 5 years, and they were OK with that. We were actually hoping to settle there, but it didn't quite work out for other reasons, so we moved on after 5 years. |
| What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket? | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Jul 15 2015, 11:57 AM Post #13 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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Dude, those were delicious. |
| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| brenda | Jul 15 2015, 11:59 AM Post #14 |
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..............
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Have another! (Those are mugs of tea or coffee, very good with muffins.)
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“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Jul 15 2015, 12:01 PM Post #15 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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I'll have to take your word for it. My downfall is that I have completely and utterly failed to make any professional connections. But that's because I don't make very many friends at work at all. Almost invariably, I find the very people in a position to help me to be dumbfucks, and the highly competent folks I like working with are always in the same crappy position I'm in. |
| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 15 2015, 12:02 PM Post #16 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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Vultures gotta eat, same as worms. |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Steve Miller | Jul 15 2015, 07:50 PM Post #17 |
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Bull-Carp
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Yeah, I'm old. But I have to ask - have you ever made an effort to visit the folks you work with socially to figure out where they are coming from? I mean - as a manager it's kind of your job, right? To utilize the skills and abilities of those who report to you to get the job done? Fire away... |
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Wag more Bark less | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Jul 16 2015, 04:45 AM Post #18 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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As a manager—a very new one—I can't say I have a problem with anyone I'm responsible for. (There was one woman, but we just didn't ask her to come back.) None of them are interested in making friends, though, and that's okay. They're good people and all of them are at least somewhat competent. Most aren't stellar, but that's our fault; our pay rate is crap. On the employee end, I never get to know the people whom I consider dumbfucks. Wasting a graphic designer's time to make pictures of yourself at National Conference X more "flattering" is not only retarded, it should be fireable. Threatening an IT worker with losing his working visa, and implying what would then happen to his kids, because the system had a random hardware problem is evil. Canning your manager of 8 years because in the thick of the recession, you company only made the same net profit as the year before is avarice. I have had bosses who have done all these things. No, I would not like to make nice with shit like that. |
| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 16 2015, 05:01 AM Post #19 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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I hear you. But seriously, Aqua...this is an opportunity to try out the things you wish your mangers had always done. Don't get bogged down in the fact that it is imperfect. It always will be. Get involved in making it better. Understand that the bosses above you need trophies to trot out in meetings. They don't have to be real, they just have to LOOK real. Two of the very best things you can do to look impressive is reorganize or apply a methodology. If you can get them behind you you can get them to invest in your plans. You just have to make your plan look like their plan and make sure they reap career benefit. But you will have your kingdom more as you want it. |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 16 2015, 05:04 AM Post #20 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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Always remember what I learned working on farms. A kid cannot force a cow to move - it is much bigger than you and cares little for your goals. You have to make the cow think it's her idea. So it is with bosses. |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| John D'Oh | Jul 16 2015, 05:34 AM Post #21 |
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MAMIL
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IOW - suck it up, peon. |
| What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket? | |
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| Copper | Jul 16 2015, 05:45 AM Post #22 |
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Shortstop
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When I met a new manager, and everyone was my manager at one time or another, I told them I expected two things of them. One, help me find my next job. Two, make sure I'm well paid. And don't worry about me I'll take care of the work. It sounds to me like you have some work to do with the pay rate. |
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The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 16 2015, 05:49 AM Post #23 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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Brevity is the soul of wit. But not always.
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Jul 16 2015, 06:11 AM Post #24 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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I do hear you, Mik. And when I started out here, I honestly tried something like that for a year or so. But my bosses are not interested in doing a good job; they're interested in making fast money, and I am being literal when I say that if they could get away with selling bags of shit as gold bars, they absolutely would. The stuff I've heard them say in the past year indicates to me they have no idea what the hell they're doing. (They use "e-mail" and "internet" interchangeably.) So I don't care. It's back to the original plan. I've found a way to automate most of the busy work, but I keep that a secret and use the hours I've saved working on my own stuff. Fuck them. Regarding the folks I'm responsible for, though, they're just trying to build their resumes, keep themselves afloat until something better comes up, etc., so I do what I can to help them out if they want it. Because like you said, this is somewhat of an opportunity to help others for a change. |
| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 16 2015, 06:24 AM Post #25 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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One of the things you will see if you have your own business is you are sometimes faced with unpalatable choices between quality and profitability, often driven by competition. I have been fortunate enough to be able to choose quality, but that is largely because I also do the work. When you are a step or two removed from that and you have employees cash flow can become more important - it's great to do high quality, but if it causes you to shut the doors and turn off the lights? A more difficult decision. People lose their jobs and you lose your company. What I see is this - you are the product here. You can automate the busy work. Which means you can accomplish more in a day than three or four other people can. What is to stop you from going out and pursuing this type of work on your own? Is it connections? |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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(Those are mugs of tea or coffee, very good with muffins.)

4:56 PM Jul 10