Kevin's Watch

Avatar wrote:I wouldn't hold out much hope for your job suddenly treating you better. That pattern seems well set.

What field are you looking for work in?

[Sarge, will try put one up this weekend.]

--A

Oh, no. This is how they are. I need out. I'm looking for something in the HR/admin/office manager-type field. Preferably with an organization that I like - SPCA would be my first choice, though I can't afford to be picky. I have about ten years of experience doing such work, but the main problem is that I have no contacts. The last real place I worked no longer exists.

Deer, sorry for whatever you're going through - I empathize 100% and maybe we can make a party out of it.

Came into work this morning to find my workspace trashed. That's been... every morning this week, but today was spectacular. It took me over an hour to clean up. Usually I don't say anything - they know what they've done and don't care - they know there won't be any consequences for them, and if I complain, it just causes them to be trollish about it. But I was pretty livid about it today, and went to my supervisor and said 'I don't know who did it, I don't care who did it, but if they do it again, they're going to be the ones cleaning it up'.

So he gives his emphatic 'I totally understand that and am going to take care of it' nod, and I don't know if he actually doesn't understand - I can't communicate with him on any meaningful level - or if he uses communication issues to sweep things he doesn't want to deal with under the rug.

Anyway, this week:

Sorus, have you looked in to those types of positions with the local school boards, or maybe some colleges or universities?
Generally their online apps involve more than just sending in a resume, and once an application is on file, you can usually see specific job postings.

sorus - you have my sympathies. I learned that simply going for the job boards (interviews) at Terrell put me in a much better mood.

the warden who did both of the interviews seemed nice and I was able to explain my desire to get back to second shift. (more time with Julie, more time with her mom, a chance to volunteer at the zoo again, a chance to volunteer with the Angleton Citizen's Police Academy Alumni.)

i really miss the zoo. I loved working with the fishes the guys I worked for were great. in fact we plan on a cruise next year with one of them and his wife. he is from Maine, I am from New Hampshire so we had that shared experience.

and I really want off this unit I am currently on. it's a dead end, I did five years, but I need out. my work is not up to even my standards right now. I am doing everything I am supposed to do, there just isn't any fire behind it.

Savor Dam wrote:Anticipating deer's story...

Probably wouldn't be that interesting to hear. It's all about dealing with people who play, rather than produce; who pass off responsibility by acting ignorant; who decline to make things happen and figure Deer will wait around forever.

deer of the dawn wrote:
Probably wouldn't be that interesting to hear. It's all about dealing with people who play, rather than produce; who pass off responsibility by acting ignorant; who decline to make things happen and figure Deer will wait around forever.

...and they figure if they do it poorly, or not at all, they will be exempt from having to do it in the future, and you'll just do everything yourself so you don't have to pick up the pieces.

Useful people get used, useless people get promoted. And this is why I can't use my vacation time.

Sorus wrote:I would currently define success as: Being treated like a human being where I work. Not being ashamed to tell people where I work. Having enough financial security that I don't obsessively redo my budget in my head 20 times a day. More or less in that order.

survival mode, yes.
That sounds frenzied and miserable.

sorus wrote:I don't care about stuff or status.

Good. I say that shows there's hope for you.

Sorus wrote:I could go on and on, but complaining isn't going to help.

Good. I agree. But there are productive ways to talk about it...
(not claimin' I know all of 'em...)

What DO you care about... WOULD you care about if you had the emotional energy too?
or DID care about, back when you weren't in survival mode?

I think that worst part is that I DO care about my job. I do good work. I take pride in that. I don't need external praise or pats on the back or whatever.

And that's why I've lasted seven years.

I mind being treated like a robot slave by coworkers who seem to think they're 'above' doing the sort of job that requires heavy lifting. (They never stop that think that while I could do their jobs, they couldn't do mine if their lives depended on it.)

No, this isn't what I expected to be doing at this stage of my life and it's not something I would have chosen if there had been other options.

When I was talking to my boss this week about the general lack of respect, and communication issues, there was an outside technician doing repairs in the office and he approached me later and said "I know you've been here a long time and you're good at what you do."

I almost broke down and cried. Realizing that it's been years since anyone at work saw me as a human being, and the one nice thing anyone said had to come from a complete stranger who doesn't even work for the company.

It's part of the... I don't know what you would call it. "Culture" is the first word that comes to mind, yet it doesn't seem appropriate. Back when I was trained for this job the trainer's favorite line was "If you're not hurting yourself, you're not working hard enough." The expectation was that we would be used up and thrown out. They don't train like that anymore. Perhaps they realized that it does actually take someone months to become really good at this 'unskilled' job, and that it is necessary to care about doing a good job. I've seen the work of my counterparts in other locations. I know I am an asset to the company, yet I am treated like a piece of machinery. And I know that isn't ever going to change, so it's past time to move on.

treating you like a machine and not a human... we put in a certain investment of money (wages); attempt to maximize amount of money gotten out of it (where "it" is a human being).



(I'd meant what stuff do you care about outside of the work you're doing right now...)

Anyway, sorry for all of that - I really don't come here to complain about work, but I don't have anywhere else to vent right now and I guess I really needed to vent. Done for now, I promise.

Pfft.. I'm not sure what your apologizing for.
There are many, many conversations where I feel like, "Arrrg.. this person shouldn't be saying this."
This was not one of those.

Btw, the "we put a certain amount of money in" comment was meant to be from the POV of the company / whoever makes these decisions that result in people being treated like they're lumber or concrete or something to be used up rather than beings of great value.

Still glad that technician said what he said.

Sorus wrote:...he approached me later and said "I know you've been here a long time and you're good at what you do."

So tell him to let you know if he hears of any jobs going.

And don't apologise...venting and ranting and complaining is part of what this place is for. Community and all that shit, right?

--A

sorus - the captain that just quit never would tell me I was doing a good job. she would compliment inmates all the time. so I can feel your frustration.

took wednesday off for doctor stuff and still have to go in for a work meeting that will do me no good whatsoever. especially since I am trying to leave this unit. but still have to make a show of it.

Still feeling the lingering flu. Took the cat back to the vet yesterday so they could replace his cast.

Elbow was still in place, but he was in some pain, so more meds, and another week in the cast and locked indoors. He's not happy.

Just hope it all stays together when he's out the cast. If it doesn't, then surgery on the joint.

--A

Avatar wrote:Elbow was still in place, but he was in some pain, so more meds, and another week in the cast and locked indoors. He's not happy.

He'll get over it. One of my old (and semi-feral) cats had to spend the better part of three months in an oversize kennel after he hurt his back. He wasn't thrilled, but he did make a full recovery without surgery. (And if he hadn't been forcibly banned from climbing while he healed he would have injured himself again because he had a head full of butterflies.)

Haha, maybe a kennel is the way to go...he's driving us mad trying to get out.

--A

What about one of those cat enclosures you attach outside a window, so he's safely confined, but still outdoors?

Won't work in my place unfortunately.

--A

took today off. because of a doctor's appointment in the daytime. but half to show up for a mandatory one-hour meeting. boo. hiss.

I lucked out as today is chicken day. and inmates love chicken day. they love fried best of all, but it will be baked. they get dessert on wednesday for lunch. today will be frosted cake.

so I don't have to go through that hassle / headache.

The share purchase scheme opened up at work again today; you commit to paying in a small amount from your salary for a few years and at the end you get the option to buy shares at the price they were when the scheme started minus 15% discount, or just get your money back.

The shares are a lot lower now than they were when I signed up two years ago, so I have some decisions to make. The general advice seems to be to cash in your existing scheme to get your money back then sign up for the new one at the much lower price. But that requires a 3 or 5 year commitment. The place I work will be slowly shutting down over the next several years, I won't have a job at the new site, and I'm first on the chopping block if they decide to start compulsory redundancies again, so I can't guarantee I'll be around to see the new scheme pay out (if my job ends, I get the money I paid in back).

I could keep on with the existing scheme, where if the shares have gone up enough I'll pay £2 a share more than the current price but still gain. But the third option just suggested to me would be to cancel my existing scheme and just use the cash saved to buy shares at the current price, without a discount. It's a tempting thought, since I'd still be paying a lot less than the discounted price I signed up at. Shares are expected to rise, thought they seem to always say that.

Not sure what to do, really.

When did I become an adult?