Being edged towards the door at my job...

[John Picard]

Unionizing solves nothing. (Most) people are inherently spineless and if they don't have the cajones to band together as a group and call management out on it's BS then fuck 'em.

I learned a long time ago that if/when I leave a place of employment I could care less if it burns to the ground. It's not my problem. I also fail to let management sweat me about daily operations, etc. That's what management is responsible for.

BTW - Here's an interesting read,
10 Things Human Resources Won't Say

Good article, with sound advice. The HR department here is all of two people, and I talk to them pretty regularly. It's interesting to see the hiring process from the other side, too--I'm involved in interviews, evaluating coding tests, and looking over resumes. I was surprised at the things people would take issue with in a candidate, too.

Yeah, my dad (now in his 80s) always rolled his eyes when people talked about how important HR is. He would always refer to HR people as nothing more than cattle herders, which they pretty much are. I used to get pissed having to "interview" with idiot HR people in the past, as they have no clue about the job, and IMHO "asserted" themselves into the process to give themselves a sense of importance. It's funny how, after being hired, HR always misplaces vital paperwork.


Slightly off-topic, and I am uncertain if the thread exists, but people have come here asking for opinions about obtaining a degree from the University of Phoenix. My Financial Accounting instructor has her Masters in Accounting and worked for one of the top 3 auditing firms in the US in the past 10 years. She stated that *any* resume with University of Phoenix listed on it is immediately trashed. Regardless of what the UofP tells people, it's considered a joke of a school whose "degree" isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Unionizing solves nothing. (Most) people are inherently spineless and if they don't have the cajones to band together as a group and call management out on it's BS then fuck 'em.

I learned a long time ago that if/when I leave a place of employment I could care less if it burns to the ground. It's not my problem. I also fail to let management sweat me about daily operations, etc. That's what management is responsible for.

BTW - Here's an interesting read,
10 Things Human Resources Won't Say

Good article, with sound advice. The HR department here is all of two people, and I talk to them pretty regularly. It's interesting to see the hiring process from the other side, too--I'm involved in interviews, evaluating coding tests, and looking over resumes. I was surprised at the things people would take issue with in a candidate, too.

Yeah, my dad (now in his 80s) always rolled his eyes when people talked about how important HR is. He would always refer to HR people as nothing more than cattle herders, which they pretty much are. I used to get pissed having to "interview" with idiot HR people in the past, as they have no clue about the job, and IMHO "asserted" themselves into the process to give themselves a sense of importance. It's funny how, after being hired, HR always misplaces vital paperwork.


Slightly off-topic, and I am uncertain if the thread exists, but people have come here asking for opinions about obtaining a degree from the University of Phoenix. My Financial Accounting instructor has her Masters in Accounting and worked for one of the top 3 auditing firms in the US in the past 10 years. She stated that *any* resume with University of Phoenix listed on it is immediately trashed. Regardless of what the UofP tells people, it's considered a joke of a school whose "degree" isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

I wouldn't tell J. Allen that.

If I ever go back to school, which I expect I will someday, I'll probably go for a reputable brick-and-mortar university with a complete online/correspondence program. I would prefer to do all the work at home, but I'd want a degree that's actually worth something!

 

[John200]

A job is one big mental institution isn't it?

 

[Mr Awe]

No, if you leave a bad situation for you, you win! Start looking for alternatives now! Also, I can't tell you the number of times that I've known someone who returned from vacation only find they lost their jobs. Seems to be a pattern. Not saying that it'll definitely happen to you, but I'd say the odds increase around a vacation.

At any rate, have an escape plan ready.

In general, it's always risky standing against management. That's not to say that it's not worth doing, but there's definitely risk involved. You have to accept that risk when you do that. So, don't be surprised, and do be prepared. The risk is heightened during tough financial times when companies have even less incentive to keep "troublemakers" around.

Mr Awe

 

[Garm Bel Iblis]

Good advice. I've gotten a couple of things lined up, but the vacations paid for and i'm not about to interview for a job in may and say "oh by the way, i need 10 days off in july." Hopefully i can really hit the job postings in June set up niterviews and get the ball rolling then while I'm on vacation, here back and return with a resignation letter.

 

[Mr Awe]

^^ Well, you wouldn't mention the vacation during the interviewes. You'd only mention it if you were offered a job. If you want the job, you just say, I accept but I have a pre-paid vacation coming up and would need that time off (unpaid leave), or start after it. Generally speaking, employers will accept that. If they don't, it's a bad sign anyway. So, I wouldn't delay because of the vacation thing.

 

[John Picard]

^^ Well, you wouldn't mention the vacation during the interviewes. You'd only mention it if you were offered a job. If you want the job, you just say, I accept but I have a pre-paid vacation coming up and would need that time off (unpaid leave), or start after it. Generally speaking, employers will accept that. If they don't, it's a bad sign anyway. So, I wouldn't delay because of the vacation thing.

Agreed. A potential employer should understand that you may have other commitments and will work around it. Like Mr Awe said, if they won't, then I'd think twice about working for a place like that.

 

[Garm Bel Iblis]

^^ Well, you wouldn't mention the vacation during the interviewes. You'd only mention it if you were offered a job. If you want the job, you just say, I accept but I have a pre-paid vacation coming up and would need that time off (unpaid leave), or start after it. Generally speaking, employers will accept that. If they don't, it's a bad sign anyway. So, I wouldn't delay because of the vacation thing.

Agreed. A potential employer should understand that you may have other commitments and will work around like. Like Mr Awe said, if they won't, then I'd think twice about working for a place like that.

^ all goodpoints. submitting applications now...

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Mr Awe and John Picard are right. Any professional-level job worth its salt isn't going to niggle over you needing to start late, or taking an unpaid vacation early on. They realize people have prior commitments that may affect your availability.

 

[John Picard]

^^ I forgot to add that I once let a potential employer pressure me into deciding to accept their offer, and he was one of the biggest assholes to work for. One employee of 13 years quit (which shocked a lot of people), plus he was violating employment law (regarding my situation), which is very funny considering it was a law firm. I got him burned for that and he retaliated on me by cutting my hours. It was no big deal as I was already looking for another gig and eventually left. He was fired about 4 months after I was gone and he eventually had to leave the State as no one would hire him. From what I knew, he never voluntarily left an employer.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

My current employer cut me a lot of slack since I was moving from Indiana to New Jersey for the job. I asked for three weeks to get things in order and they had absolutely no problem with it.

 

[Garm Bel Iblis]

^^ I forgot to add that I once let a potential employer pressure me into deciding to accept their offer, and he was one of the biggest assholes to work for. One employee of 13 years quit (which shocked a lot of people), plus he was violating employment law (regarding my situation), which is very funny considering it was a law firm. I got him burned for that and he retaliated on me by cutting my hours. It was no big deal as I was already looking for another gig and eventually left. He was fired about 4 months after I was gone and he eventually had to leave the State as no one would hire him. From what I knew, he never voluntarily left an employer.

I remember back in 2004 I applied for a job at Wells fargo as an Underwriter, but we couldn't reach a salary agreement. The HR rep litterally called me everyday for a week begging me to reconsider. As things turned out, 3 years later my dpeartment moved to Nevada and I ended up at wells for less than the shitty salary of the underwiter doing collections on charged off unsecured lines of credit, worst possible job imaginable.

Goes to show that $$$ ain't everything if it's a job you love and you can make it work with your budget. Since 2008, I've worked for 3 different companies, thought I found the "one" which I'm at now, but the above start going down.

 

[Jan]

Coming in late (as usual) but whatever you do, document *everything* that happens that you feel is contributing toward 'edging you out the door'. That way, if whatever job you leave them for doesn't work out, you might not lose part of your unemployment benefits by claiming Constructive Dismissal. In other words, you quit but it was their doing. Also, when you resign, make it short and don't necessarily mention any reason at all. Finally, you mentioned all of the hours being forced on the staff. I'm no expert on employment law but you might want to check into how your job categories are viewed regarding exemption from overtime. Just because you might be on 'salary' doesn't mean that you're overtime exempt.

Good luck.

Jan

 

[Alpha Romeo]

So, I'm kind of the "advocate" of the department, because I work with a bunch of people absolutely terrified of losing their jobs. Management knows this. I had a meeting with the director last month and she indicated how people are working so much hard and there is no sign of any trouble because of the economy.

Well since then, there have been constant demands for OT, and outrageous changes to the way we do our business. Everyone in the department is upset, but they are as stated above, spineless. So I’ve stepped up and during meetings have questioned the reasoning behind the changes and expressed my dismay, while not speaking for the department as whole.

Now I'm being viewed as a rabble rouser and the lone troublemaker trying to stir the pot. I've received half a dozen little nitpicky emails about some mundane thing or another. Basically "we're putting the cover pages on the TPS reports" kind of crap. But it's building and the management team is becoming outright cold around me. Used to be, they would at least make the attempt at casual conversation, now they appear to avoid me. Yesterday morning I realized I had left my security badge on my desk and called a manager to let me in. I thanked him, and he GRUNTED and walked away.

So the writings on the wall, I've got my ass in their sites for being an apparent trouble maker and pack leader. I've been working OT, being very deliberate and cautious and covering every possible angle and filing hardcopies of all emails and my responses.

HR in this company consists of one person, who is related to my boss, so I doubt I'll get much movement on that angle.

Any ideas? Right now the plan is simple, soon as I'm back from vacation in July, I’m getting the F outta here. But then they win, don't they?

Perhaps you should have kept your mouth shut. Now you're gonna loose your job, and for what? Helping a bunch of spineless twits keep theirs?

 

[Garm Bel Iblis]

Yeah, not big on sitting down and shutting up.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Which is why you're going to lose your job.

 

[John Picard]

Which is why you're going to lose your job.

I've seen/heard of business owners who were asked why they didn't fire certain "insubordinate" employees, managers, and the like, and the response was that a "Yes Man" is what ruins a business, while the so-called insolent bigmouths keep the boss grounded in reality. I hate, hate, HATE mangers who can't handle the fact that sometimes, someone else has a better idea.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Which is why you're going to lose your job.

I've seen/heard of business owners who were asked why they didn't fire certain "insubordinate" employees, managers, and the like, and the response was that a "Yes Man" is what ruins a business, while the so-called insolent bigmouths keep the boss grounded in reality. I hate, hate, HATE mangers who can't handle the fact that sometimes, someone else has a better idea.

That's definitely true, problem is, there are also offices like Garm's where "the nail that stands up will be hammered down."

My current work environment practically embraces conflict, hostility, and disagreement with management.

 

[Garm Bel Iblis]

Which is why you're going to lose your job.

I've seen/heard of business owners who were asked why they didn't fire certain "insubordinate" employees, managers, and the like, and the response was that a "Yes Man" is what ruins a business, while the so-called insolent bigmouths keep the boss grounded in reality. I hate, hate, HATE mangers who can't handle the fact that sometimes, someone else has a better idea.

Have had my fill of the yes men, used to be one, when I stood up to management when I worked with Citi group i ended up promoted and in charge of establishing an entire department to run. Ran it damned well to, until the enconomy took a shit on me.

 

[Garm Bel Iblis]

Which is why you're going to lose your job.

I'd rather go out with my head high than waste away and be beaten into submission. You can'tbe unemployed forever, I'd work at mcdonalds andthe gas station and sell Mary Kay to dowhat i have to do for my family.