Got suspended from work. by Gorramreavers

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Got suspended from work.

POSTED BY: GORRAMREAVERS
UPDATED: Saturday, January 22, 2005 10:31
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VIEWED: 10581
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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 11:40 AM

About 6 months ago 'they' started a new policy. If you punch in later than exactly 8am twice in one month you get a verbal warning. If you do it again within 3 months you get a written warning. If you do it again you get 3 days suspended withou pay, then termination. :(

So I did OK the first couple of months, maybe punching in a min or two late once or twice overall. But then October, I had an 8:01 and a 8:03. Then in November another 2 days under 8:05. I was good thru December but this month I had a 8:01 and then today...disaster. Somehow managed to shut the alarm off instead of SNOOZE, and I was almost an hour late.

So now I have a longer weekend than I would like. I feel bad because this is something that I could have avoided and my coworkers are now short a man. I do think the policy is a tad harsh but I know they need their people ready to go when it is time for a shift to start. I am an internet tech at a smallish ISP. This has happened to a co-worker/friend and he actually found another job with his time off. I am not ready to move on or anything but it is a bit scary to know that if I manage to screw up again, Im out of a job (in the middle of winter..no less). This came down about 2 hours ago so I am still reeling a bit.

Anyone here go through something like this?

"..it is my very favorite gun."

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 12:39 PM

MALICIOUS

Wow, that IS a bit harsh. Nevertheless, it IS "their" policy. If you want to continue to work there, you must tow the line.

Personally, I am a real stickler for being early for things. It's just the way I am. However, my company is quite lenient and if you come in late, you just stay that much longer at the end of the day. Tardiness is just not that much of an issue anymore since they instituted the arrive late/stay late policy. We can do that for up to an hour's late time. Anything longer and we need to take personal/vacation/sick time. Which I think is very fair.

I'm sorry you are stuck with this situation. How you handle it will show the kind of person you are--your character. I hope you step up to the challenge and handle whatever happens well.

Mal-licious

Co-Holder of the Red Bell from Hell

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 12:52 PM

MRSKBORG

Had the same problem last year with my boss. Don't get me wrong he had a point but a minute or two after start time for two or three days in a row..was a bit pedantic if you ask me. I guess it would have been a whole lot different if it had been say twenty or thirty minutes regularly. We had words, calm but to the point. And I reminded him that in the previous three years I had clocked in late about 5 times in all. We came to an understanding. But I guess it depends on your Boss.

"This movie may be a beautiful butterfly, but I loved that damn caterpillar." Joss Whedon.

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 2:01 PM

SHADESIREN

man, I am NEVER late to work. My last job, they had to ask me to stop showing up EARLY (granted, we're talking 5 to ten minutes, but whatever).

Get this - I got fired from my job.

They write people up for "smirking" (the girl in question is 19, and scared to death of the "boss" types. She smiles when she's nervous, which is whenever they come to our desks, because they are always yelling at us for stupid stuff, or stuff we didn't do.)

Another girl got written up be cause SOMEONE ELSE left a file that was supposed to go to her in a weird place, and it's "her responsibility top keep track of them" even if she doesn't even know they exist yet.

I got fired for being "defiant" (something I NEVER am, not to my BOSS, sheesh!) and for not doing "good enough" (even though they kept telling me how amazed they were that ever since I started doing the job, it was being done "so well!!")

I wish I could say I missed my job, or felt bad because now that I'm not there, no one else knows how to do "my job".

But I don't.

http://home.comcast.net/~shadesiren

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 2:24 PM

ODDNESS2HER

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. You didn't mention how you normally get to work: drive, public transport, car pool, etc. , or what factors in your home contribute to your punctuality issues. Maybe you could use your downtime to come up with a plan to ensure getting to work on time every day. Leaving home 5 minutes earlier than you're accustomed to could make a world of difference. Good luck in the future!

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 2:49 PM

HEB

Quote:
Originally posted by Shadesiren:
man, I am NEVER late to work. My last job, they had to ask me to stop showing up EARLY (granted, we're talking 5 to ten minutes, but whatever).

Get this - I got fired from my job.

They write people up for "smirking" (the girl in question is 19, and scared to death of the "boss" types. She smiles when she's nervous, which is whenever they come to our desks, because they are always yelling at us for stupid stuff, or stuff we didn't do.)

Another girl got written up be cause SOMEONE ELSE left a file that was supposed to go to her in a weird place, and it's "her responsibility top keep track of them" even if she doesn't even know they exist yet.

I got fired for being "defiant" (something I NEVER am, not to my BOSS, sheesh!) and for not doing "good enough" (even though they kept telling me how amazed they were that ever since I started doing the job, it was being done "so well!!")

I wish I could say I missed my job, or felt bad because now that I'm not there, no one else knows how to do "my job".

But I don't.

http://home.comcast.net/~shadesiren

Even though you're happy to be rid of your job couldn't you still claim for wrongful dismissal or some such? I'm not one for all this sueing malarky but it sounds like your boss'll do it again if someone doesn't say something and these laws are there to protect employees for a reason.

...................
Well, my sister's a ship... we had a
complicated childhood
.................
I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 2:49 PM

HEB

Quote:
Originally posted by Shadesiren:
man, I am NEVER late to work. My last job, they had to ask me to stop showing up EARLY (granted, we're talking 5 to ten minutes, but whatever).

Get this - I got fired from my job.

They write people up for "smirking" (the girl in question is 19, and scared to death of the "boss" types. She smiles when she's nervous, which is whenever they come to our desks, because they are always yelling at us for stupid stuff, or stuff we didn't do.)

Another girl got written up be cause SOMEONE ELSE left a file that was supposed to go to her in a weird place, and it's "her responsibility top keep track of them" even if she doesn't even know they exist yet.

I got fired for being "defiant" (something I NEVER am, not to my BOSS, sheesh!) and for not doing "good enough" (even though they kept telling me how amazed they were that ever since I started doing the job, it was being done "so well!!")

I wish I could say I missed my job, or felt bad because now that I'm not there, no one else knows how to do "my job".

But I don't.

http://home.comcast.net/~shadesiren

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 3:38 PM

FREMDFIRMA

Asinine.

Unless your employer is paying for, and/or has complete control over your form of transportation, a few minutes either way should NOT be an issue, especially since if you punch in late, you're not gettin paid for that five minutes (or 15, as most employers use 15min blocks) anyhow, so what's it to them ?

Why punish someone cause somebody ELSE had a traffic accident and there was a backup on the way to work... what do they expect you to do, ram your way through ?

I'm sorry, but Unions were created in the first place in direct response to exploitation and mistreatment of workers, and your employers policy sounds like excuses to me more than anything else - we're already asking ungodly hours of most tech workers, on a salary (on average) for 40 hours, and you see them in there for 60-70... and to drop a policy like THIS ?

The Tech sector needs to put the squeeze on the bossmen, cause abuse, exploitation, and 'outsourcing' are just getting too much.
I totally feel for ya, man.

Me, I used to work in the tech sector, but my BS tolerance ran out.. I drive a cab, pick my hours, enjoy my life, have MUCH less stress, and you know what ?
I make more money.

Ain't that just a rip ?
Tell em where to stick their policy and report it to your local EoE office, I am quite sure they'll find it... interesting.

-F

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 5:37 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Bummer. I'm glad I left the punch clock world behind. It always felt so ....High School-ish. Adults who are worth hiring should not be treated as children to be told when to show up, when to go eat lunch, when to return, when to go to the bathroom....... you get the point. It's not that I don't mind authority, but come on.....as long as the work gets done and it's done properly... being 5 minutes late or so should not be what determines if you get fired or not.

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 5:42 PM

KNIBBLET

Suggestion: Go to bed 15 minutes earlier and set your alarm for 15 minutes earlier than you have it set now.

Now for a story about how this type of pedantic policy procedure can bite a boss in the ass.

Back in prehistoric times, I was in the Air Force. Being a young, enthusiastic jr NCO (who had the gung hos for becoming a senior NCO), I'd show up to work one hour early every day. I'd set up the launch/recovery schedule, check the tool room and make inquiries about our supply orders, go over the log books, make coffee, etc.

Every day for two years I came in one hour early.

One week, I had a bad week. I was coming down with something evil -- 'flu, ebola, stigmata or something equally exhausting -- anyway, I was late three days in a row. I came in just as roll call was beginning and would have to mooche into the end of the line.

My supervisor was a guy named Harry. Harry called me into his office and wrote me up. I looked at him and said, "I've been coming in here an hour early EVERY day for two years. I have one bad week and you're going to write me up?"

He replied, "You don't have to be early but you do have to be on time."

I looked at him in stunned disbelief and replied. "Yes, Sir. You are correct. From this day forward, I will be on time."

After that day, I came in two minutes before roll call. Not one minute earlier. I was on time every morning.

After a couple of weeks of this, Harry asked me in front of the whole unit (including the OIC) why I wasn't coming in early anymore. "You make the flight run smooth and I like smooth."

I looked at him and said, "MSgt Richardson, I don't have to be early. But. I. Do. Have. To. Be. On. Time."

Guess what. He still didn't get it. Moron.

"Just keep walkin, preacher man."

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 7:06 PM

CAITE

I had a job last summer where ONE SECOND was considered late. Talk about harsh! I once came back from lunch four minutes late because the zipper had broken on my pants and I ran home to change. I told a superviser this, and she gave me the go ahead to go home even though it might make me a tick late. However, I STILL got called into the managers office and reamed out for being late. I explained, and told her that my zipper breaking in the middle of a shift was unlikely to happen again.

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 10:21 PM

HEB

Quote:
Originally posted by Knibblet:
Suggestion: Go to bed 15 minutes earlier and set your alarm for 15 minutes earlier than you have it set now.

I have to say that, as someone to trying to shake the habit of being late for things, for my type of lateness this does not work. I always expand to fill the time no matter how early I get up. Not sure what the solution is exactly - maybe prioritise like get dressed first eating breakfast can always be skipped once or twice if you run out of time maybe.

I've just started uni though and it's fantastic - where I was always up to 10 minutes late for things, students are like half an hour late. I'm always one of the first ones at anything - it makes such a nice change.

...................
Well, my sister's a ship... we had a
complicated childhood
.................
I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 11:19 PM

SHADESIREN

Quote:

Even though you're happy to be rid of your job couldn't you still claim for wrongful dismissal or some such? I'm not one for all this sueing malarky but it sounds like your boss'll do it again if someone doesn't say something and these laws are there to protect employees for a reason.

Yeah, it's a thought. The good news is that after I applied for Unemployment, they made me wait kind of a while, but they DID approve me for it.

The funner news is that I apparently have a hearing problem, and part of what they complained about was my not "listening" and my "talking to loud" - both issues directly related to hearing problems. If they decide to try to fight me over it, I'm going in with results from the hearing test I'm going to go get. I already KNOW I have a problem... I'm taking the test results in to the Unemployment office, anyway. Just because.

http://home.comcast.net/~shadesiren

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 11:45 PM

SIMONWHO

Bosses. Talk about power tending to corrupt. Thankfully I work for myself now so I only have to answer to me but I still carry enough horrible memories to sympathise.

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Wednesday, January 19, 2005 2:27 AM

SAFFY

I totally respect you for owning up to your part in this problem, but a time clock in the white-collar sector is ridiculous. (I work in IT, and if we had to punch a clock, I'd be fired and so would my boss and my boss's boss and the VP, etc.)

One suggestion I have (if you decide to keep this job) is to reorganize your routine so that you do something else in the morning before work -- like go to the gym or run. That way you're getting up earlier and can skip that or cut it short if you're running late. I'd also suggest setting both your alarm clock and the alarm on your cell phone, because it is WAY too easy to set an alarm improperly.

I manage to do it at least once a month, and I've had the same clock forever. ;-/

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Wednesday, January 19, 2005 3:05 AM

CONNORFLYNN

Quote:
Originally posted by Gorramreavers:
About 6 months ago 'they' started a new policy. If you punch in later than exactly 8am twice in one month you get a verbal warning. If you do it again within 3 months you get a written warning. If you do it again you get 3 days suspended withou pay, then termination. :(

So I did OK the first couple of months, maybe punching in a min or two late once or twice overall. But then October, I had an 8:01 and a 8:03. Then in November another 2 days under 8:05. I was good thru December but this month I had a 8:01 and then today...disaster. Somehow managed to shut the alarm off instead of SNOOZE, and I was almost an hour late.

So now I have a longer weekend than I would like. I feel bad because this is something that I could have avoided and my coworkers are now short a man. I do think the policy is a tad harsh but I know they need their people ready to go when it is time for a shift to start. I am an internet tech at a smallish ISP. This has happened to a co-worker/friend and he actually found another job with his time off. I am not ready to move on or anything but it is a bit scary to know that if I manage to screw up again, Im out of a job (in the middle of winter..no less). This came down about 2 hours ago so I am still reeling a bit.

Anyone here go through something like this?

"..it is my very favorite gun."

I spent 5 years as a Manufacturing Engineer with a bootcamp like set of policies. They were so bad that the Department of Labor got involved and made the company president post signs on every door listing his infringements LOL (Great thing for customers to see when they arrive for business meetings hehehe

). I have to say..in a NON-Manufacturing/white collar position, unless they are keeping track of every billable minute, why on earth would they have a policy like that? I wish you luck.

As for manufacturing hehe..I did a time study in a 300 employee plant. I kept track of each department for 1 day. On average each employee left their stations about 5 minutes earlier (then the normal 5 mins for cleanup) for 2 breaks, for lunch and before it was time to go home, and took on average 10 minutes to resume work after each break. There were 2 breaks a day plus a half hour lunch break. I was asked to keep track of the number of times employees used the bathrooms and for how long..but I refused hehe. I felt that that was over doing it and an invasion of privacy. (Fortunately the HR person agreed with me, since I probably would've lost my job for being "Disagreeable" roflmao)

Anyways..the time added up quickly if you use the info as an estimate. Each employee was "non-productive" for an average of 50 minutes a day. So that adds up to approximately 15000 minutes a day or 250 man hours per day. If you put a $60 an hour price tag on those hours, it adds up to about $3,900,000 a year in "Billable product and time" that is lost due to non-productivity.

Now I don't know if your employer is a freak about billable minutes or productivity..but the above was just an example of how companies perceive employees.

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Wednesday, January 19, 2005 4:01 AM

ZOID

Connorflynn wrote:

Quote:
...If you put a $60 an hour price tag on those hours, it adds up to about $3,900,000 a year in "Billable product and time" that is lost due to non-productivity.

Now I don't know if your employer is a freak about billable minutes or productivity..but the above was just an example of how companies perceive employees.

Wow, that is so cool! I just love it when statistics are used to reduce humans to machinery! I know, maybe we could just put the humans-cum-tools-of-productivity in harnesses. Harnesses are humane; draft horses don't seem to mind them, or at least they never complain about them. When the employee dons the harness in the morning, they'll know your business means business. Then if they start talking to a co-worker, or get up to go to the bathroom (again? what is she, pregnant?!), or spend too much time fixing the boss' computer (wait a tick... who's that guy and what's he doing to my computer?)... Why, you can just give them a subtle jerk to remind them whose beneficence is keeping the roof over their heads and food in their children's mouths. And of course, the beauty of 'be fruitful and multiply' is that -- should one or two shuck off the traces -- you can always plug in a new 'team member'.

Being a wage slave sucks. The only advice I can give is to watch "Fight Club", and then take up a job as a waiter or nightwatchman.

Anarchically,

zoid, Subtle Jerk

P.S.
Just kidding (like David Fincher). Ummm, and where can I get one of those $60-per-hour jobs? Just tell me the name of the company; I can complete the application, interview, hiring, orientation and payroll processes by computer, from the comfort of my own home.
_________________________________________________

"Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me." The Ballad of Serenity

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Wednesday, January 19, 2005 4:09 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Hey Gorramreavers.

Sorry to hear about your situation. Clearly it's something you feel bad about, y'know letting down your fellow workers, and that's a nice attitude. Ultimately though - does it really matter? So many of us go chasing things, day in day out, again and again, but y'know does it really make any sense. An hour, a minute, fifty nine seconds etc.... It's all so abstract.

Time. You know it's not set in stone. Time is frequently being tampered with, ok it's microseconds I know, but a day isn't exactly 24hours everyday, apparently they have to add and substract nano seconds on occaisions to make everything work out properly - it's crazy! The calendar month makes even less sense. 30 days, 31 days, 28 days then Blam!!!! Have 29!!! WTF? Crazy nonsense - and yet we all live by it. These strange bizarre rules that some faceless society way back when concocted and now we adhere to as though we're damned if we don't.

I dunno, I just think that when we're all done, and it's our time in the mud-box are we really going to evaluate our lives by the frequency with which we kept our punctuality???

Ok, we know the rules and we live by them, sure but maybe there are other things more valuable to take hold off.

For my part I'm freelance so I largely dictate my own times for things, so maybe my attitude is somewhat skewered, but I'd like to think that I would't punish a person for showing up one minute late for work..... To me that's just obsessive and ultimatley, extremely negative.

Hey so long as you DO your job right.

Anyway all the best and I hope you don't torture yourself over this one OK.

Later
TheSomnambulist

www.cirqus.com
For Pictures:
http://www.cirqus.com/lightfantastic.html

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Wednesday, January 19, 2005 4:17 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

I am of the same mind as Malicious & Knibblet. I am never late for work. One of my pet peeves is being late and I strive to do all I can to avoid it. I am consistently 15-25 minutes early for work. My philosophy is that if my start time is 7am, then I am at my desk, my computer fired up and ready to go before 7am. Call me a bit uptight about it, but that is how I was raised.

Now I do have staff under me that are constantly late. No big deal really as it is normally only 5 minutes or so, but there are some that take advantage of my easy going nature. There are some that are 10-20 minutes late every day, then punch in and have to go get coffee, make the morning rounds to chat, etc. These people have been warned, it turns up in their files and at review time, and they are advised they have to stay late to make up the time or their checks get adjusted. After that they are Human Resources problems if they continue to abuse the lack of policy enforcement.

I have never understood how people can be late. As Knibs said, all you have to do is go to bed a bit earlier and get up a bit earlier if your current schedule is seeing you getting in late too often. Better to lose a bit of sleep or free time than a job in this economy.

__________________________________________

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Meet Up:
http://firefly.meetup.com/9/boards/

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Wednesday, January 19, 2005 5:45 AM

CONNORFLYNN

Quote:
Originally posted by zoid:
Ummm, and where can I get one of those $60-per-hour jobs? Just tell me the name of the company; I can complete the application, interview, hiring, orientation and payroll processes by computer, from the comfort of my own home.

ROFLMAO..me too:)

The $60 is a figure the company established for Overhead costs and labor costs..that get passed on to the customer per billable hour:)

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Wednesday, January 19, 2005 8:41 AM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by Gorramreavers:
So I did OK the first couple of months, maybe punching in a min or two late once or twice overall. But then October, I had an 8:01 and a 8:03. Then in November another 2 days under 8:05. I was good thru December but this month I had a 8:01 and then today...disaster. Somehow managed to shut the alarm off instead of SNOOZE, and I was almost an hour late.
. . .
I am an internet tech at a smallish ISP.

The hell? The almost-an-hour-late I can get, but being docked for under five minutes? At an ISP?!?

I guess my ISP (who tends to staff the office on a "whenever we feel like it" basis, take the servers down for maintenance without telling anyone, ignore tech support emails, and not realize a server has died until someone phones them to tell them) is in the minority.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Wednesday, January 19, 2005 9:18 AM

THEGREYJEDI

I once got fired for being late a second time. Twice. Of course, the manager just got canned so the blackshirts from the home office were running the show. But still. Twice. The first time I was only 3 minutes late to open the store. Which I couldn't have done on my own anyway since the blackshirts had changed the locks. And I was on time by my own watch. The second time was two weeks later. They changed my schedule from 1PM coming in to 10AM. And didn't tell me. So I came in at 1PM. And they canned me. Whee.

------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.jed-soft.com Gamer Rigs, Budget Prices
http://tomeofgrey.blogspot.com
Real Fans Wait - 09/30/05

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Wednesday, January 19, 2005 10:30 AM

RHYMEPHILE

I was suspended from my last job for cursing at a fax machine. No, really. Not at a specific person, mind you, an inanimate object, which I called a piece of shit. It deserved it.

My boss was one of those "figurehead" bosses, i.e., he didn't know his ass from his elbow, and when dealing with me he was always intimidated -- and made sure someone was in the office with him whenever he talked to me.

To offset his inadequacies, he liked to claim that I was "disruptive" -- among other things -- but that was just his way of sticking it to me when he really knew I was one of the only people who knew what they were doing. The Great Fax Machine Debacle cost me three days at no pay.

Rambling here, but suffice to say, after that, I finally realized what a piss-poor job I had, what a dick my boss was, how much I really really hated my life there, how depressed I had become, and that I needed to get my ass in gear.

Now I have a super cool job with great perks, and looking back I'm certainly glad I offended that sensitive fax machine.

Sometimes little things, like punching a time clock where coming in a minute late can get you fired, can interfere with keeping a healthy body and stress-free mind. Maybe it's time to re-examine your time there and start looking for another job where the company puts more energy toward making the workplace better, rather than bitching you out about inconsequential minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My office! Burgled! Plundered! Purloined! Ha ha ha...loins."

-- Phil Sebben, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law

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Wednesday, January 19, 2005 11:59 AM

MALICIOUS

Rhyme!

I keep a Dilbert comic strip from a couple of years ago on my desk as a reminder of how crappy large corporations can be:

Pointy-haired boss man during yearly review: "Asok, your work was excellent this year!"

(Asok is thrilled)

Pointy-haired boss man: "I've rated you 'poor' to keep a paper trail in case we ever need to fire you."

(Asok is astounded)

Pointy-haired boss man: "You're probably feeling a surge of motivation since you got feedback."

(Asok wants to kill himself or others)

It's funny because it's TRUE.

Mal-licious

Co-Holder of the Red Bell from Hell

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 2:02 AM

SNOWGUARD

I really feel for those of you who have anal bosses. I work in Railway, and as you'd expect, there's a lot of need for us to keep everything on time. However, I don't drive trains, or control them, or even have to run a station. I'm just a Porter. As such, I get sent home early. A lot. Half an hour most shifts, an hour at others. Of course, I'll sometimes have to start at crazy hours. (Have two 0330 starts next week) I guess because I do my work, don't get on anyone's nerves, and the fact that there are strong unions in the rail (even though I'm not in one) most 'bosses' I see day-to-day are really not that different from me.

The gorram fei hua in the ivory tower at Rail Centre 1 is another matter altogether.

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 2:02 AM

SNOWGUARD

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 4:47 AM

MAUGWAI

I have planning first block, so I'm usually walking in when the bell rings to start school. Still, when I do have first block classes, if I'm late kids wait outside my door and everybody know it. And if they get into fights because nobody's monitoring them and someone gets hurt, it's officially my responsibility. That's enough motivation to be on time for me.

A friend of mine is a reporter, a job that has such felxible hours it would seem common sense to make it salaried. But many papers, including his, still use a time clock. He usually gets to work around 10:30 or 11 a.m., but some days works for twelve hours.

Lately they've decided every reporter should arrive at 9 a.m., attend all necessary meetings and late-night events and work late to meet deadline, and somehow avoid getting overtime. The first three days of this new policy, the editor was an hour late to work while all the reporters were on time.

"Dear diary, today I was pompous and my sister was crazy."

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 5:08 AM

OPTIMUS1998

Quote:
Originally posted by Gorramreavers:
About 6 months ago 'they' started a new policy. If you punch in later than exactly 8am twice in one month you get a verbal warning. If you do it again within 3 months you get a written warning. If you do it again you get 3 days suspended withou pay, then termination. :(

DEAR LORD!
I would be fired in a week!( last night was the first that i've been on time in 2 weeks, and those last 2 weeks were 15-20 min every night!)
i'm one of those people who no matter HOW early i set out, i still end up 5-10 minutes late.
now in my company, (retail grocery/general merchandise, aka: "supercenter" type), they use the 15 min blocks, but as long as you work 8 of the 15, you get paid for the full 15.and they do give us the option to stay over and make the time up.

I'm ALLWAYS late. as i say often:" i was born 3 weeks late, and haven't been on time since."
it's almost like a curse.

now to add the funny part.

my last name? Early.

...May have been the losing side, Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 8:28 AM

GORRAMREAVERS

Thanks for all of your posts. I am planning on picking up that second alarmclock before Monday. Just gotta hunker down and not mess up. I am trying to enjoy my time off but it feels like Im skipping school or something. I sometimes work at my brothers woodshop on the weekends so I have gone in there the last two mornings and got some work in. That was cool. Anyway, thanks again for giving your input folks.

"..it is my very favorite gun."

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 9:23 AM

CAITE

One method I use is set my alarm clock 1/2 an hour earlier from when I really need to get up. See, I have a tendency to hit snooze a lot myself, and this way I can do that a few times before I honestly need to get my butt out of bed!

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 9:37 AM

DIETCOKE

My heart goes out to you, Gorramreavers. *hug*

Couple of questions: Are you a shift worker? Does another employee have to stay at work until you arrive? Are you a union employee?

The reason I ask, is that if you are a union employee, your boss doesn't have much flexiblity and has to go by the union contract. The employee that has to stay at work until you arrive, must be paid over-time (time and a half.) In places that I've worked the employee that stays over their regular shift must be paid a minimum of a 1/2 hour's pay. So, it costs the company money.

Also, if someone else can't leave unil you arrive it can be very frustrating for the employee that wants to go home and can't until you arrive. Often they will put pressure on the manager to do something about it, which could explain this new policy.

Now, if your job is not the type of job that relies on someone being there at a particular time for another employee to leave or that someone must be there to cover the phones, you might have some options.

Are you working a shift that just goes against your internal clock? If that is the case you might ask the manager if you could change or hours so that you could arrive an hour or two later and the work your full shift.

Is it because of a bus schedule? If so you might again ask your boss if you could plan your schedule so that you arrive 15 minutes later going forward.

If it is a written company policy, your manager really has to follow it. If they allow one person to be five minutes late then they have to allow ALL employees to be five minutes late. If the company has 12 employees and all of them are five minues late that adds up to an hour of lost productivity every day. If being five minutes late is okay, do you then fire the employee who is six minutes late?

If you start leaving your home at least 15 minutes earlier you should be fine. Bring something to read if you get to work early. It's just not worth loosing a job over it.

Best of luck!

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 12:21 PM

RUXTON

How do all you clowns like being SLAVES to corporate America?

Yup, you're all slaves. The whole idea of ANY successful corporation hiring you is that you earn more for them than you get paid. Otherwise you have no value to them, corporations being what they are to produce a PROFIT. Once you understand this simple condition, you realize you're screwed unless you TOE (not TOW) the company line.

It doesn't matter how much you make, just understand you're being paid less than you earn for the company for which you work.

The solution has always been: WORK FOR YOURSELF.

Good luck.

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 12:37 PM

BRUISERSMOM

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 12:43 PM

BRUISERSMOM

A friend of mine worked for Dillard's department store. The third time late to work or back from lunch, you were fired. That's how she lost her job there. She was covering for a sick employee on her day off when she punched in a couple of minutes late from lunch.

I would mentally plan to arrive at work at 7:55 every day. That's what I do where I work, so that I don't show up a minute or two late.

I know how you feel. I've had that sort of thing happen to me. I went on a trip abroad with a professor who must have been a member of the gestapo in his previous lifetime. He was very rigid and authoritarian. We had to show up for breakfast at 8 a.m. and be done with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. every morning. I was always done with breakfast before 8:30 a.m. and ready to do what we needed to do that day but a couple of times, I showed up for breakfast at 8:01 and 8:03 and he pulled me out of breakfast to lecture me about showing up on time to eat. That's when I started telling myself that I needed to be down there at 7:55, so that I would be a couple of minutes late. I moved on after my obligation that summer was over.

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 12:44 PM

BRUISERSMOM

A friend of mine worked for Dillard's department store. The third time late to work or back from lunch, you were fired. That's how she lost her job there. She was covering for a sick employee on her day off when she punched in a couple of minutes late from lunch.

I would mentally plan to arrive at work at 7:55 every day. That's what I do where I work, so that I don't show up a minute or two late.

I know how you feel. I've had that sort of thing happen to me. I went on a trip abroad with a professor who must have been a member of the gestapo in his previous lifetime. He was very rigid and authoritarian. We had to show up for breakfast at 8 a.m. and be done with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. every morning. I was always done with breakfast before 8:30 a.m. and ready to do what we needed to do that day, even if I showed up for breakfast at 8:02 a.m. However, a couple of times, I showed up for breakfast between 8:01 and 8:03 a.m. and he pulled me out of breakfast to lecture me about showing up on time to eat. That's when I started telling myself that I needed to be down there at 7:55, so that I wouldn't be a couple of minutes late.

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 12:55 PM

VETERAN

Don't squat with your spurs on.

Man 'reavers that sucks. I'd take the time to get my resume together and find a new job.

A while back, the firm I worked for had a sign in sheet. Everyone used to put the time when they came in on the sheet. That's the way it was when I was hired, so I just followed suit. Well I came in late a couple times and my supervisor spoke to me about it. When I pointed out that he arrived after me he said it didn't matter.

I asked the VP incharge of the office why we had a sign in sheet, since we filled in time sheets and submitted them every Friday. The VP said it was a "Fire List." If we ever had to evacuate the building they would use the list to take a head count and know if the building was clear, or not.

The next day instead of putting down the time I just put a check by my name. Within a week all 50 people in the office were doing the same. (even my stuperviser... I mean supervisor).

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 1:01 PM

BRUISERSMOM

I wonder if those employees like their jobs and if their jobs keep them interested in their work. Sometimes I think that behaviors from childhood follow us into adulthood. I work at a school right now and when students don't like the work that they have to do in class, some of them spend as much time as possible doing other things like getting ready to do their work, going to the bathroom, staring at the wall, talking when they're not supposed to be doing it, etc. and they try to wrap up the class at the end of the period as early as possible. I've had students start packing their bags to leave as much as eight minutes before the bell rings and they're not done with their work yet.

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 1:24 PM

ZOID

Ruxton wrote:

Quote:
How do all you clowns like being SLAVES to corporate America?
...
The solution has always been: WORK FOR YOURSELF...

I'll answer your question with a question, dumbass. Why do all the unemployable shitheads like you join a fan club website and then start insulting people you don't even know?

I mean, if you're such a successful entrepreneure, why would you need us to put down? Couldn't you just insult one of your thousands of employees?

To wit, Half-Wit: If everyone owned their own businesses, we'd be living at a pre-Medieval technological level. Unless you're claiming that your business is mining and refining ore, manufacturing steel and then single-handedly crafting automobiles, that is. In which case, you have my sincerest apologies.

Otherwise, go get stuffed, you wanker.

Angrily,

zoid

P.S.
To everyone else, trying to add something useful (or at least humorous or thought-provoking), I apologize for the profanity. I just don't like being called a 'clown' any more than being called a 'sheep'.
_________________________________________________

"Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me." The Ballad of Serenity

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 8:06 PM

RUXTON

Some guy gets dunned because he was tardy, comes looking for sympathy in the form of a website thread (on this beloved Firefly forum) dovoted to his mistreatment, and people actually bother to respond? What else are you but clowns?

In self defense, the translation of my suggestion (to anyone who wants to take control of his life) was to realize the overall state of affairs in which you are submersed and take responsible action.

If you take offense at being called a clown, that's your problem. If you persist in the wanton use of profanity, your Bozo nose only gets bigger.

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 10:40 PM

ZOID

Ruxton replied:

Quote:
...What else are you but clowns?

We're people who've made mistakes ourselves, and over the course of our lifetimes, have tried to improve on those mistakes. We feel that this experience may be helpful to 'reavers.

The reason people are responding is to try and help another human being. Ponder this in some depth, before repeatedly insulting those who have sympathy for a guy who's struggling...

Instructively,

zoid

P.S.
I'd rather be a wage slave any day, than a wage slaveowner. Nobody ever got to be rich without first lusting after more than their rightful share, and then exploiting the efforts of others to take and keep it.
_________________________________________________

"Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me." The Ballad of Serenity

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Thursday, January 20, 2005 11:53 PM

SIMONWHO

>> I'd rather be a wage slave any day, than a wage slaveowner. Nobody ever got to be rich without first lusting after more than their rightful share, and then exploiting the efforts of others to take and keep it.

What is someone's "rightful share"? And surely if you believe that paying people a wage is "exploiting" them, then you must agree with Ruxton's idea that if you work for someone else, you're a slave?

For what it's worth, I think he's wrong. For one thing, the very definition of "slave" means that you don't get paid for it. Given that there are still actual slaves in this world, I think it's a bit much to claim ownership of that label when you're earning tens of thousands of dollars a year.

For another thing, some people like working in a company. You get the company of others, you get told what to do, you get fringe benefits like paid holidays and so forth. Plus you get money which can be used in exchange for goods and services.

So what if what you do makes somebody else money? When you buy a loaf of bread, you're paying more than it cost for them to make it. Should you refuse to buy anything because you think you're being exploited?

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Friday, January 21, 2005 3:52 AM

MALICIOUS

Ruxton,

This is a thread "dovoted" to someone who needed some commiseration. Those of us who commiserated gave him some support. Should you not wish to do the same, you are more than welcome to NOT.

And bite me regarding the "toeing" the line. In my 41 years on this planet, I have never seen the phrase in print, I've only heard it and assumed it was used as if "towing" a vehicle.

Mal-licious

Co-Holder of the Red Bell from Hell

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Friday, January 21, 2005 3:55 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

Quote:
Originally posted by zoid:
We're people who've made mistakes ourselves, and over the course of our lifetimes, have tried to improve on those mistakes. We feel that this experience may be helpful to 'reavers.

The reason people are responding is to try and help another human being. Ponder this in some depth, before repeatedly insulting those who have sympathy for a guy who's struggling...

Instructively,

zoid

P.S.
I'd rather be a wage slave any day, than a wage slaveowner. Nobody ever got to be rich without first lusting after more than their rightful share, and then exploiting the efforts of others to take and keep it.

Well said Zoid, though I doubt there is one among us who would expect less from the most eloquent of Browncoats.

I can see Ruxton's point about being a business owner instead of an employee, and have even at times had some thoughts along the lines of how I bring in millions of dollars in revenue per year w/ my ideas and hard work, and how relatively little I get paid in return. The thought has occured to me many times that I could and do deserve better. I do however realize my own limitations when it comes to trying to own and operate my own business.

Honestly my wife is the financial wizard in our home, and she proves it by running not one, but now two small businesses. With her plan she will be able to sell them both and retire in the next 10 years and be set for life.

My point is, as Zoid pointed out, not everyone can be an owner. If they could, who would work for us? How would anything get done if everyone is a boss and there are no employees. That is like an army of generals and not one soldier to implement the orders. Maybe you just didn't give your post too much thought Ruxton, but it truly is illogical and impractical.

__________________________________________

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Meet Up:
http://firefly.meetup.com/9/boards/

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Friday, January 21, 2005 6:56 AM

GORRAMREAVERS

Dietcoke:

Yes, I am a shift worker. Hourly pay. Good bennies.
We outsource out 3rd shift so nobody is waiting to leave their cube when I get in. I have considered asking to move to a 10-6 shift but we shall see.

I am not in a position to start my own buisness so I had better find some big red shoes and some makeup.

I enjoy my steady job and the people I help.

"..it is my very favorite gun."

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Friday, January 21, 2005 10:44 AM

BLINKER

Quote:
After a couple of weeks of this, Harry asked me in front of the whole unit (including the OIC) why I wasn't coming in early anymore. "You make the flight run smooth and I like smooth."

I looked at him and said, "MSgt Richardson, I don't have to be early. But. I. Do. Have. To. Be. On. Time."

Guess what. He still didn't get it. Moron.

I'll say. He butchered that quote! A better reading might have gone:

"When a man engages in military maneuvers, he has this preference for things being smooth." [points at Knibblet in front of the whole unit] "She makes things not be smooth."

Point-missingly,

z...er, Blinker

_________
Sliders: Gate Haven - http://slidersweb.net/blinker

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Friday, January 21, 2005 4:44 PM

REGINAROADIE

For the one year that I worked at McDonalds, I always showed up about five to ten minutes early so that when I punched in, I would punch in exactly the time I started. I have OCD, so I'm a bit anal when it comes to starting at an exact time.

As for work experience, I have plenty. For the most part, I work at my dad's seed cleaning plant. It used to be a full time thing, but after I started to go to high school in Regina, and then college, I would only work there on either holidays, weekends and summers. I try to land a job here in the city, but the best I could do was work at a McDonalds for a year (which is long enough for anyone to work in a fast food joint.) Most other jobs I landed I only lasted a month in. These included two pizza delivery places, another seed plant, and this one textiles place I helped set up the drywall of. The first one I left because of a mutual agreement, the second I quit because I wasn't getting enough hours, the third I left because there was too much responsibility attached to my position (plus I kept getting allergic reactions to the canary seed dust), and the fourth I was actually fired from because I wasn't doing the job fast enough for them. I like to be careful and take my time when I'm building something, and they just wanted to rush the place. And I also worked for a day on two tv shows being shot here in Regina.

But I'm optimistic. I started up a small business of doing wedding videos (The Wedding Shooter) to supplement my income. And I'm currently looking for both part time jobs and summer jobs as well. My ultimate goal is to land a summer job working as a grip on CORNER GAS. It's this Canadian sit-com set in the praries that's become huge. I worked there for a day last summer (Sept 2nd, which is all the more special for me since it's my birthday) and got paid $17 an hour. So while I'll be searching for other summer jobs (if worse comes to worse I can just work at my folks place again), that's the main one I'll be looking to get. As for part time work, there's a miniseries based on Tommy Douglas that's shooting during my winter break, so I'll try like Hell to land a week working for them.

I know what it's like to work a small business and why most of them go under so quickly. I wanted this because I was tired of dropping off resumes and filling out application forms. And it pisses me off to see all these job offerings for jobs that require far more experience and education that I have. There arn't much job openings for a 19 year old with a lot of labor work on his resume trying to earn a degree in film.

And I think that part of the appeal of FIREFLY is it's ability to capture the plight of the common working man perfectly.

Agree/disagree?

"NO HAI ES BANDAI. THERE IS....NO.....BAND. AND YET....WE HEAR A BAND."

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Friday, January 21, 2005 7:10 PM

MONTANAGIRL

I know I'm a bit late, but *hug*. Just remember: Life is unfair. But it would be much worse if all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them.

And since I work for someone else and I've now offered you sympathy for your situation, where's my clown nose?

Packer fans welcome.
All others tolerated.

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Friday, January 21, 2005 8:12 PM

SYRYN

sorry to hear, hope you enjoy the long weekend.
i got fired once, not exactly the same thing but i was dumbfounded. it was STUPID.
It was the sunday after thanks giving. I'd filled in for a boss earlier in the week, only had the previous tuesday off, worked on thanksgiving wich was normally a day off (was glad to get the extra hours, worked 12 hours that thanks day instead of the 6 i'd been scheduled for), came in the friday, worked from 4:30pm-2:30am, came back in saturday at 6am-3pm, then walked in at 6am on sunday and the area manager must have been in a bad mood...i was slipping my card in the clock, he yelled at me "don't bother, you don't work here anymore, get out of my store!!! ....(i'm in amazement)...NOW!"
so i left. my bosses at the store begged me to come in the next day to talk about it.
the area manager said i was "too enthusiastic and serious about the job."
i told them i could "just get another job, adios. that that was really screwed up"
needless to say, my immediate bosses begged me to go to re-hire board, contest it and come back to work. i did, i loved my job.

just makin it up as i go (I.Jones)

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Saturday, January 22, 2005 10:31 AM

OLDFAN45

Quote:
Originally posted by reginaroadie:
And I think that part of the appeal of FIREFLY is it's ability to capture the plight of the common working man perfectly.

Agree/disagree?

I agree completely. Mal is always responsible for getting work to feed/clothe/house his family of eight others. No one works harder than the boss, esp if s/he is also the owner. I used to be a partner in a literary agency, and my partner and I paid everyone else before we paid ourselves. Otherwise we wouldn't have had an assistant...or a phone...or any clients.

Gorramreavers...I just got fired from a corporate job for making a mistake. I made well over a million dollars for them last year, and they fired me for making a mistake. This is the nature of things, though, if "they" don't like you (I was vocal in my absence of respect for my immediate supervisor, so my mouth got me fired). Is it possible that this is the case here? I mean, is there anything you can think of that makes the ISPbots you work for not "like" (how high school a term, but still accurate I fear) you? Just looking to set your mind on a different track than frustration.

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