So you want to hear some real bullzhit? (vent about work...)

[rockhardzj]

Well, to start off, I have a fairly new job (6 weeks now) and about the 4th week in, somehow, I was the lucky bastard who got selected for a "promotion". The promotion comes with few benefits, and too much responsibility/getting bitched at.

 

Well, anyways, I get selected for the promotion, and i begin my new duties, coming off of pulling presses, and now being in the lab doing samples and what not. Lab work is one of the reasons I left my previous job, but I figured, here, I would give it another shot. So with the new job, they want me to work 7 days a week, sundays being half days, and 12hr days the rest of the week. I don't like this, but at any rate, I'm willing to give it a shot. Well, being I was off this past weekend, stuff that usually would get done on a sunday gets done yesterday morning. after that, I go out in the zone and pull presses for almost the rest of the day. I should have stopped a bit earlier than I did, but I got back to the lab work to start last night a bit late, and therefore, one of the guys on night shift had to finish where I left off (not all that much work).

 

Today, I go about my normal business, and about 8:15am, I get called up to the boss's office trailer. Well, I get bitched at for about 15 minutes, to find out that the one dude wants to fire me, but he doesn't have the authority, so the superintendent told me to take 2 days off and think about my job and future with the company. Now, I'm royally pissed, as I loose 2 days per diem (35/day), and 2 days pay (168/day).

 

The worst part here by all means isn't that I'm sent home and loose 2 days pay, but more of the fact that they really don't care what I have to say, or how I feel about anything they are forcing me to do. Now, they are also writing me up for insubordination against my boss, and that makes me look bad, which doesn't even begin to piss me off compared to how it will come around to my sister who helped me get the job and make her look bad. That is the thing I am pissed off the absolute most about.

 

Also, If I quit my job, it will make my sister look even worse, which I don't want to do!

 

 

What would you do in this situation?

[carnuck]

BS like that needs to be rolled downhill. Point out the other guys left you a load of work late so you couldn't get there in time. That or ask to be put back down where you started for now because you were advanced before you even had a chance to learn the job. Say you're willing to take more training to learn what you need to advance in your job but no-one has even shown you how to do it yet.

Once they realize how adept you are at putting the blame on someone else, you are a shoe-in to higher advancement in management where the balls are smaller and the blame flow starts. You just have to deal with it all quite calmly. Point out that if they think there's trouble now with a shortage of employees, how low will production drop when you aren't there to take up the slack the others left for you?

3 weeks into my last job I got advanced from cashier to counterman (no big surprise but no extra pay) then a week later I became an assistant manager (with no wage increase, but twice the responsibilities) then I got my ASE partsman cert and should have been bumped up to first assistant manager. I got all the duties, but none of the glory or benefits (or wage increase)

Then after 6 months, I started getting moved around store to store, getting further away from home each time (until I found out there was a fuel stipend they had to pay from my "home" store. As soon as I started collecting that, I was put into a store closer to home) A year goes by and I switch around a couple local stores (I would go in, organize the place and then move on to the next mess)

I got put into a store where the manager decided he was going to move to one closer to home a week after I got there, so I started working open to close and organizing that store (one of the worst due to the previous manager not wanting to be there) and I got in 2 hours of unpaid overtime after close to ensure the place would be shipshape for the incoming manager.

First thing the new manager did was praise the previous guy for doing such a bangup job on keeping a sinking ship afloat and rag on me and the others for the store being in such disarray (WTF? Wish I'd taken pics before I started!)

First thing the new guy does is transfer out the good staff I had and keep the dregs that I caught stealing and ripping off people's passwords so they could steal sales.

Then he tried to claim I took money from the safe (I knew something was up because he was nice to me before he left, so I recounted the safe and called the security team and played back the video of him taking the money from the safe) "Oh, I was taking that to make change" he lied.

I had gone to the bank a couple nights before he got there (Christmas season) with 5 days of deposits that were in the safe when I got there. $37,000 and every penny of it arrived. He tried to claim they had no proof that the money had made it to the bank, but I knew the teller and she got copies of the deposits for me to show corporate.

Then the new guy started to sweat bullets because he realized that even with my head injury I had him figured out, so he faked a heart attack (to keep from being fired) and stayed home for 8 months on a Doctor's orders (I had a run in with the quack before. He's been banned for malpractice since)

I got stuck open to close for those 8 months and at the end, 4th of July '03, the "crooks" blew off 3 days and I had to work the store by myself. I called the District Manager who told me to call other stores for extra employees (who would go to work on a long weekend?) which I had already done, but I called around again. No luck.

The DM ignored my calls (I had up to 20 customers at a time in the store and given the area, I'm sure lots of stuff walked away) so I called the head honcho (Sunday, before noon his time, 4th of July weekend after an all nighter party) and HE called the DM and told him to get his @$$ to the store.

DM shows up and says "What's the problem?" I'd been working since open with nothing to eat (I'm hypo-glycemic) or a bathroom break. He watched the store which I had my 20 minute break, and then he was about to leave and I asked "So when do I get a wage increase?"

He said the store was a horrible mess (with no-one to put anything away and less than 1/2 staff, what did he expect? I did 2 hours of unpaid overtime every night as it was putting stuff away and cleaning until the alarm company called to find out why the alarm wasn't set on time) so I obviously didn't have things under control (I was refused permission to fire the thugs and found out all the writeups I had done on them were removed from their files right after I put them in) and not to expect any more income.

I said to him "How many employees do you see here?" He looked around and said "One". I replied "Unless you just looked in a mirror, you saw none!" and I handed him my keys and shirt right off my back and walked out.

[chicofuentes0224]

It's simple. If you don't want the job, go out and find something else and then walk up to evryone who pissed you off, grab them by the back of the neck turn them around and simply kick them real hard in the @$$ and make sure it's low enough that their balls feel it. Then you light a large havana, put your shoulders back, and walk out a proud man. Nobody will believe you actually did that so they won't do anything about it. Consult a lawyer first though.

Option two: You wanna keep that job. Hire yourself two good illegal aliens. Pay them each $100, have them follow whoever pissed you off home and have them beat the $#!& out of them. Consult with absolutely no one about that one and don't brag about it later. It could implicate you legally. You get to keep your job and you get revenge.

Chico

[pingpong]

Things like you describe ofeten happen where I work at. The problem is the other employees are probrably pissed that you advanced so quickly and they are setting you up for failure, or you tried to hard.. and management so potential.. and they exploited you. I am assuming this is a non-union work situation and you have no choice but to accept the discipline, but if this is a union shop... get your shop steward, or area rep involved and see how far it goes.

 

As for the amount of hours you work.. welcome to my world... Where I work at.. they often take our time off from us (allowed by contract with 16 hrs notice), tell us we have to stay over ( as long as they pay us 1.5 times and gives us a meal pay), and make us work 16 hr days :eek: (mandatory 8 hr break by contract). Mind you where I work.. we don't shut down (unless a major screw up happens and then all of the above gets thrown out the window, and you work til we tell you to go home), so this includes all holidays.

 

I feel for you.. if you can afford to quit before you get in too deep

[rockhardzj]

Can't really afford to quit. I have a plan though. Kind of tough to explain, but seems like it may have a good way of getting me out into the zone again where I want to be, and put the guy who wants to work in the lab where he wants to be. For now, I'm just using the time to relax, and enjoy myself before I have to go back to work.

 

Thanks for the enlightenment, guys.

 

Hiring illegal aliens? I don't know where I can find any in green bay...

[chicofuentes0224]

Just check your local pizza shop. :brows:

[rockhardzj]

I don't even know where a pizza shop is... :cry:

[whowey]

Can't really afford to quit. I have a plan though. Kind of tough to explain, but seems like it may have a good way of getting me out into the zone again where I want to be, and put the guy who wants to work in the lab where he wants to be. For now, I'm just using the time to relax, and enjoy myself before I have to go back to work.

 

Thanks for the enlightenment, guys.

 

Hiring illegal aliens? I don't know where I can find any in green bay...

 

Look in the hog packing plants(that's where they are in IL)... Or in front of Home Depot(I always see them there in CA)

[Kenosha Warrior]

I just started at an autoparts manufacturer. I work with 30 year olds who act like they are 5.

[Eagle]

Can't really afford to quit. I have a plan though. Kind of tough to explain, but seems like it may have a good way of getting me out into the zone again where I want to be, and put the guy who wants to work in the lab where he wants to be. For now, I'm just using the time to relax, and enjoy myself before I have to go back to work.

Plan? Why do you need a "plan"?

 

They told you to take two days to think about where you want to be in the company, right? So, when you go back in ... tell them. Where you want to be is NOT in the lab, but back out where you were hired to work. Tell them you left your previous job to work for them so you would NOT be in a lab.

 

By the way -- you really do need to talk to an emplyment attorney. You are getting SCREWED on wages and hours. Do you understand about straight time and overtime, and "exempt" vs non-exempt? If you are being paid any way other than "salary" (which means your paycheck is always the same, no matter how many hours or days you work in a pay period), you are subject to both state and Federal laws regarding overtime. And I'm certain that if you check into it, you will quikcly find that for anything more than 8 hours in any one day or 40 hours in any one week, they must pay you time-and-a-half.

 

"Exempt" means that you are exempt from the overtime payment requirements and they can treat you as salaried. But the requirements for who is exempt are very strictly spelled out, and if they can chew you out and suspend you for two days over the incident you described -- you are not a salaried, "exempt" employee ... no matter what they try to claim.

 

Look into it, amigo, because if you have any plans to remain with this company, you had better get the ground rules straight at the beginning or you'll be letting them keep their hand in your pocket for however long you work there.

 

I've been there ahead of you. I quit what was supposed to be the "perfect" new job after 7 months, over "stuff" much like what you describe. Remember, I said I quit -- I wasn't fired, layed off, or any other such euphemism for being canned. Yet I filed for unemplyment and I got it, because the chicken $#!& they threw at me was so egregious that the hearing officer ruled they had forced me to quit. In employment law lingo, that's called (apparently) a "constructive discharge." Then, as he was folding up his files, the hearing officer also told me that the way they had been paying me was illegal and that they owed me a pile of overtime. He referred me to the Wages and Hours complaint department, I gave them the facts, and a few months later I received a check for $1400.

 

Do not be a doormat. They will use you to whatever extent you allow them to use you.

[CEThomas]

I will give you my take from the management side. You stated "I go out in the zone and pull presses for almost the rest of the day. I should have stopped a bit earlier than I did, but I got back to the lab work to start last night a bit late, " If your first priority is the lab and you were out doing something else and did not get your lab work done, then you were at falt. They do not want to here why, just that it will not happen anymore.

 

You should never take a "promotion" in your first 90 days or probation period, and then if it's something you do not want to do then just say up frount that you do not want it. If you have a job when you get back ask to go back down the job you had prior.

 

I know what you are feeling, but being in management for the last 23 yrs I know what they are thinking :cry:

[rockhardzj]

By the way -- you really do need to talk to an emplyment attorney. You are getting SCREWED on wages and hours. Do you understand about straight time and overtime, and "exempt" vs non-exempt? If you are being paid any way other than "salary" (which means your paycheck is always the same, no matter how many hours or days you work in a pay period), you are subject to both state and Federal laws regarding overtime. And I'm certain that if you check into it, you will quikcly find that for anything more than 8 hours in any one day or 40 hours in any one week, they must pay you time-and-a-half.

12/hr regular, 18/OT. I already get overtime for like half the week. I think you mis-read. I know how it works, and in that respect, they aren't paying me in any illegal way.

 

Also, I let them know loud and clear that the lab isn't for me. They said they really don't care about my opinion and that I had better get the job done.

 

I really don't want to quit, as that entitles finding yet another job, and probably having to make less money.

 

You should never take a "promotion" in your first 90 days or probation period, and then if it's something you do not want to do then just say up front that you do not want it. If you have a job when you get back ask to go back down the job you had prior.

I wasn't given the choice, they moved me as they pleased. Yesterday in the meeting, I asked them why I was the one selected to go in there, and they couldn't even figure out any good answer, beyond about 3 minutes of thinking and then blurting out "because you were". They have a more qualified person who wants to be in the lab, and they know it, but they told him "no" straight up, when he asked if he could change positions with me, which I am all for.

[JeeperjohnfromPA]

A word of advice.

Do a search on the internet for a lawyer who specializes in job related discrimination, and is in your area.

 

Whenever they "write you up", and ask you to sign it, take it home, and write a rebuttal, and then sign it with the rebuttal attached, and write on your rebuttal with a CC: (lawyers name).

 

That will make them nervous that you will cause them trouble if they "let you go".

Then what you do is start looking for a new job.

 

Get out of there.

[CEThomas]

Well you need to start looking for a new job. Not sure what is going on as you never force someone into a "promotion", been in management to long for that to be right. Were you forced on them??? For you sister to get you the job and send you to WI from NY with out local input sounds like they have marked you as a non team player.

 

But I will tell you this much, while you are on your probation period they can dump your a$$ for less then what you did and no lawyer is going be able to help you if they keep good paperwork.

 

Just hang in while you look for something else.

[CEThomas]

Whenever they "write you up", and ask you to sign it, take it home, and write a rebuttal, and then sign it with the rebuttal attached, and write on your rebuttal with a CC: (lawyers name).

 

That will make them nervous that you will cause them trouble if they "let you go".

 

I have seen that done, and it just makes you a much larger target :D

[pingpong]

Whenever they "write you up", and ask you to sign it, take it home, and write a rebuttal, and then sign it with the rebuttal attached, and write on your rebuttal with a CC: (lawyers name).

 

That will make them nervous that you will cause them trouble if they "let you go".

 

I have seen that done, and it just makes you a much larger target :D

 

I am not positive about this, but if you are not working in a Union enviroment.. they can terminate you at will, even if you are not on probation. The are only a few reasons they can't fire you for.. they are all based on age/sex/religion-ethnic background.

 

A little bit of advice.. if you need the job... just try and lay low, and fly under the radar. By this I mean be social, just don't complain about the job to anyone you work with, also don't discuss your current discipline situation. Do just as you are suppose to, and don't try and over achieve. Often in a factory enviroment the squeeky wheel gets replaced.. not greased

[rockhardzj]

Well you need to start looking for a new job. Not sure what is going on as you never force someone into a "promotion", been in management to long for that to be right. Were you forced on them??? For you sister to get you the job and send you to WI from NY with out local input sounds like they have marked you as a non team player.

No, I knew I was coming onto this job before I got hired. I just didn't think the bosses wouldn't care about the employee's story.

 

Either way, I'm going to lay low for a while. and I should be getting out of the current position without complaint. I wouldn't mind filling in when someone else is sick or something, but a day in and day out job, I just can't do it.

[CEThomas]

I am not positive about this, but if you are not working in a Union enviroment.. they can terminate you at will, even if you are not on probation. The are only a few reasons they can't fire you for.. they are all based on age/sex/religion-ethnic background.

 

 

 

At will non-union employment can do that, but most likely will not. Most people do not think about it, but it cost a lot to hire someone, give them some training so the last thing we want to do is kick them out the door. Back 7 yrs ago when I was doing hires, it spent about $700 just to bring them in the door and put uniforms on them.

[CEThomas]

No, I knew I was coming onto this job before I got hired. I just didn't think the bosses wouldn't care about the employee's story.

 

Just lay low and look for something. Not sure the full story, but I think it may have more to due with the fact that you were sent to them w/o local input. Unless you are in management and get moves, the locals view others that are sent into a job site from the head office as a mole ;)

[pingpong]

I am not positive about this, but if you are not working in a Union enviroment.. they can terminate you at will, even if you are not on probation. The are only a few reasons they can't fire you for.. they are all based on age/sex/religion-ethnic background.

 

 

 

At will non-union employment can do that, but most likely will not. Most people do not think about it, but it cost a lot to hire someone, give them some training so the last thing we want to do is kick them out the door. Back 7 yrs ago when I was doing hires, it spent about $700 just to bring them in the door and put uniforms on them.

 

I am sure it does... I know the drug testing (hair test, and physical) plus all the training costs them a fair penny.. but I know where I work (union work enviroment) we have a 9 month probation period, and they have been known to fire ppl with 8 months and 3 weeks. There are some companies close to where I work at have a 2yr probationary period (budwieser, and philip morris).

[whowey]

I am not positive about this, but if you are not working in a Union enviroment.. they can terminate you at will, even if you are not on probation. The are only a few reasons they can't fire you for.. they are all based on age/sex/religion-ethnic background.

 

 

 

At will non-union employment can do that, but most likely will not. Most people do not think about it, but it cost a lot to hire someone, give them some training so the last thing we want to do is kick them out the door. Back 7 yrs ago when I was doing hires, it spent about $700 just to bring them in the door and put uniforms on them.

 

 

It costs me roughly $1500 to hire a warehouse laborer.

 

Physical,drug test, background check(thank you TSA), uniforms. And you still haven't worked a day. OSHA 'right to know', HMIS, HM-126-F, Forklift Cert, UPS/Fed-Ex Cert, WMS training, Sexual Harrasment Training, Sarbanes-Oxley and I still haven't taught you anything about the products.

[CEThomas]

I left the private area and went into govt. work about 7 yrs ago just when all the Physical,drug test, background check were strating up. I am sure it's much more now.

 

rockhardzj

 

Let us know how it goes when you get back.

[whowey]

I left the private area and went into govt. work about 7 yrs ago just when all the Physical,drug test, background check were strating up. I am sure it's much more now.

 

rockhardzj

 

Let us know how it goes when you get back.

 

Its gotten worse the last few years. We deal with alot of air freight, and I thought OSHA and DOT were bad. TSA is so unbelievably stupid its amazing.....

 

I try to hire vets that got their honorable discharge. Why, it proves without a doubt they can handle the day to day type of work responsibilities. Its actually harder to get them cleared to the TSA's satisfaction than it is for me to get someone that just walks in.

TSA= Terminally Stuipid a$$holes........

[rockhardzj]

Little update.

 

I am working again, and where I want to be. The dude who wanted to be in the lab got moved into the lab where he wanted to be, and I am out for good (might have to fill in here and there, which I don't mind, just not a daily basis).

 

I was talking to the dude who was in there before me, and he said one the he went into the project managers office a bit after I had left, and my (no longer due to position change) boss was telling the manager and supervisors to fire me, and they told her no, they are keeping me.

 

long story short, my supervisor and project manager both said I'm a good worker, and they like me, and they see that I just need to be in an environment I like. So, i found out my supervisor and project manager are both 'for' keeping me, which is nothing less than awesome. my ex boss (shes not fired, just not my boss anymore due to me changing positions again) can't really do anything, but hope I slip somewhere. problem for her is that I always do my work in the zone, you don't catch me slacking, unless there is absolutely nothing to do, in which case, I'm the first up when anything pops up.