...well, for me anyways.
Today at work the scene was so tense it almost made me sick to my stomach and for someone that (for mostly all intents and purposes) doesn't mind conflict, it kind of blew my mind.
The economy is bad and the numbers aren't great right now, and there isn't talk of layoffs but there is a hiring freeze company-wide and basically every cost except medical benefits and staff have been cut. I am thankful to have a job, and enjoy the actual work portion of it which I am good at but the people and corporate issues are starting to get to me.
My boss just got back from seven weeks off a few days ago, as he took 45 days leave beginning before Easter due to his wife giving birth. According to him he didn't know how he was going to be able to afford it due to his crushing debt load, and how he was going to catch up on work because he really hadn't done anything the previous six months anyway, but he took his month and a half. He's nice as pie but doesn't do much other than try to be everyone's friend, talk big or avoid conflict.
We have a new sales rep who in a tight environment should be getting us business, as he is assigned to quite a few of our biggest customers. The problem lies in that he does nothing, and when he does something it is nothing of value (he will spend half a day bringing someone a $2 item). Then he micromanages, blames others for problems (I have become a favored scapegoat of his even though I cross all my T's and dot my I's just so he can't blame me) and avoids taking responsibility for his actions.
He even had the nerve when I lent him my corporate credit card (he was new and basically needed it for gas to go on sales calls until his card came in) to fill up the company truck he took on vacation without permission, then act like I should write it off as an expense I accrued because his poo smells like roses. Not to mention all the extra meals he charges even though he is minutes from his house, not to mention many other things he "wasn't told he couldn't do."
He's made himself a major PITA for everyone around him, it is driving some of the other sales staff to quit, the man walks around like he runs the place and the boss or head office won't step in.
That, and the company has opened a snitch line to try and pare down the staff. He is eyeballing that poster a little more every day, and knowing what I know of how he acts he is going to try and sink the people who are basically holding the place together.
The man is so paranoid he drives with the windows at the back of the cab rolled down so the company decals aren't visible and he can't be "followed." We have caught him letting his wife drive the truck and with the vehicle parked at the bar after hours but nobody has done anything about it.
I think I am going to go put some yellow electrical tape stripes on the inside edge of the fog light bezels and under the back edge of the bumper so it is easy to pick out in traffic if he thinks he is so smart. I doubt he'll catch it, he couldn't figure out how to put it in 4WD in a storm.
So now it's degenerating into how can we get rid of him for doing nothing and taking advantage of the company before he gets somebody who does a factor of a hundred more for the company than he does because he phoned in about them checking their Hotmail account on company time because it was slow, even though he sits in his office trying to hide that he is reading the forum for his soccer pool.
I don't like this game when I lose but I am officially angry enough to play hardball...don't mess with my bread and butter or I will starve you to death.
Today at work the scene was so tense it almost made me sick to my stomach and for someone that (for mostly all intents and purposes) doesn't mind conflict, it kind of blew my mind.
The economy is bad and the numbers aren't great right now, and there isn't talk of layoffs but there is a hiring freeze company-wide and basically every cost except medical benefits and staff have been cut. I am thankful to have a job, and enjoy the actual work portion of it which I am good at but the people and corporate issues are starting to get to me.
My boss just got back from seven weeks off a few days ago, as he took 45 days leave beginning before Easter due to his wife giving birth. According to him he didn't know how he was going to be able to afford it due to his crushing debt load, and how he was going to catch up on work because he really hadn't done anything the previous six months anyway, but he took his month and a half. He's nice as pie but doesn't do much other than try to be everyone's friend, talk big or avoid conflict.
We have a new sales rep who in a tight environment should be getting us business, as he is assigned to quite a few of our biggest customers. The problem lies in that he does nothing, and when he does something it is nothing of value (he will spend half a day bringing someone a $2 item). Then he micromanages, blames others for problems (I have become a favored scapegoat of his even though I cross all my T's and dot my I's just so he can't blame me) and avoids taking responsibility for his actions.
He even had the nerve when I lent him my corporate credit card (he was new and basically needed it for gas to go on sales calls until his card came in) to fill up the company truck he took on vacation without permission, then act like I should write it off as an expense I accrued because his poo smells like roses. Not to mention all the extra meals he charges even though he is minutes from his house, not to mention many other things he "wasn't told he couldn't do."
He's made himself a major PITA for everyone around him, it is driving some of the other sales staff to quit, the man walks around like he runs the place and the boss or head office won't step in.
That, and the company has opened a snitch line to try and pare down the staff. He is eyeballing that poster a little more every day, and knowing what I know of how he acts he is going to try and sink the people who are basically holding the place together.
The man is so paranoid he drives with the windows at the back of the cab rolled down so the company decals aren't visible and he can't be "followed." We have caught him letting his wife drive the truck and with the vehicle parked at the bar after hours but nobody has done anything about it.
I think I am going to go put some yellow electrical tape stripes on the inside edge of the fog light bezels and under the back edge of the bumper so it is easy to pick out in traffic if he thinks he is so smart. I doubt he'll catch it, he couldn't figure out how to put it in 4WD in a storm.
So now it's degenerating into how can we get rid of him for doing nothing and taking advantage of the company before he gets somebody who does a factor of a hundred more for the company than he does because he phoned in about them checking their Hotmail account on company time because it was slow, even though he sits in his office trying to hide that he is reading the forum for his soccer pool.
I don't like this game when I lose but I am officially angry enough to play hardball...don't mess with my bread and butter or I will starve you to death.
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