The world has too many whiners. The winners better their situation.
Bad employers
- Thread starter CanAmAndMore
- Start date
Zee09
$200 Site Donor 2023
As a kid I remember visiting my uncle in the hospital. His employer supplied health insurance to his employees. My uncle was a never sick and didn't use it for years.
He finds out while in the hospital his employer let his insurance lapse 6 months earlier and he ends up living a nightmare before pancreatic cancer takes him.
He finds out while in the hospital his employer let his insurance lapse 6 months earlier and he ends up living a nightmare before pancreatic cancer takes him.
Zee09
$200 Site Donor 2023
Yeah that Obama care subsidy is the bomb until tax day where you get nailed for that cheap insurance. In the end it's cheaper to buy your own unless you have preexisting issues.
Perhaps someone can enlighten me, but it’s been common knowledge for quite some time that they didn’t have AC in their trucks. Every time you see one in the summer, the doors are open.
I understand it being an issue… I’m just surprised something hadn’t been done about it sooner. I’m also curious what the breaking point may have been.
Any person with a relevant skill set / training / education will always be in demand = many job opportunities.
Would there be so many whiners not wanting to pay their student loans if they were successful in their career ?
No need to get useless $70K dead-end degree to work as a Starbucks barista.
People don’t need a useless piece of paper with their name on it.
In any career field you always have to keep learning, build up your resume and keep your eyes open to any good jobs outside your current employer. My employer has 100% tuition reimbursement and I encourage all to take advantage of it. In a few years down the road it will be very important when you apply for jobs outside this company.
I’m at the end of my career and give all the youngins lots of quality advice to always look out for themselves. Do not get stuck on a hamster wheel if you are not happy at your job.
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You should post this on every, single rant thread…
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- Jul 10, 2022
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I try my best to be honest and objective, and attempt to qualify my point of view. This seems to be less effective in our society as time marches on.
My mom calls me a dummy for being honest hahahahahahaha
Anyway, I've only had 3 corporate jobs in my career, and I'm clearly middle-aged. Perhaps job hoppers would see more, or things differently, than I do.
I couldn't have had a "bad" employer or I would not have stayed over 5 and even 10 years a pop. That doesn't make them perfect.
My current job exposed me to a lot. Because it started out as a small co and is now almost 5 bil. (still small but not tiny at all, 15k+ employees).
How do I even remotely describe what I do...well, if I were to walk into a Costco, I have a very good idea how to set the infrastructure up, from the place being dirt, to a building. Ditto with say a skyscraper in Toronto. But that has shifted, late in my career I started doing the above about 8 years ago.
What is interesting about my career is I've never been trained, nor supervised. Left to my own devices. Maybe that wouldn't work for everyone, I don't know. Basically, here's our problem, you figure it out. My previous boss, who is my current boss' boss, told me once, I don't care if you travel to a site and put your feet up on their conference table the whole time, as long as you come back and the project is completed correctly, and on time. You make your own travel arrangements and have no supervision, so I don't need to micromanage you nor know what you're doing. Is this good, or bad? It's good if you like being your own person and figuring things out, it's bad if you want to have things spelled out, and a clear path to advance.
First job had excellent benefits (out of college). They paid for my grad school 100% (it was the 90's), and set me up for my 2nd job.
My 2nd job was in insurance so deep pockets. People stabbed each other in the back all the time. It was caustic. But I stayed 10 years. It has a pension. I was used to waste and things that made no sense. Reminded me of Dire Straits, "Money for Nothing."
I could go to conferences, stay at hotels for $400/night, but I could not ship a package via UPS. Manager approval needed (crazy, huh?).
My current job day 1--they gave me login credentials to UPS Campus Ship, huh?? They gave me a label maker, what?! They gave me a tape gun that costs over $50 today. Wow. Also gave me a per diem 1/2 of the previous job! But as I have mentioned on this forum before, we have employees with 50, 40, 30, 20 year tenures. Benefits not that good, yet people stay? I'm guessing salary above average and nobody is forced out due to age. I've seen some colleagues who need a walker, I'm not joking. But they are viewed as loyal to the company. The saying goes that such people bleed the co. colors.
I've often thought that job 3 has taught me what I'd need to know to do things myself, as my own boss. My buddy who is an entrepreneur says dude you'd make 3X what you make today, and you can get your benefits through your wife, what are you waiting for? Well, it's the fear of going into the unknown, not knowing.
My mom calls me a dummy for being honest hahahahahahaha
Anyway, I've only had 3 corporate jobs in my career, and I'm clearly middle-aged. Perhaps job hoppers would see more, or things differently, than I do.
I couldn't have had a "bad" employer or I would not have stayed over 5 and even 10 years a pop. That doesn't make them perfect.
My current job exposed me to a lot. Because it started out as a small co and is now almost 5 bil. (still small but not tiny at all, 15k+ employees).
How do I even remotely describe what I do...well, if I were to walk into a Costco, I have a very good idea how to set the infrastructure up, from the place being dirt, to a building. Ditto with say a skyscraper in Toronto. But that has shifted, late in my career I started doing the above about 8 years ago.
What is interesting about my career is I've never been trained, nor supervised. Left to my own devices. Maybe that wouldn't work for everyone, I don't know. Basically, here's our problem, you figure it out. My previous boss, who is my current boss' boss, told me once, I don't care if you travel to a site and put your feet up on their conference table the whole time, as long as you come back and the project is completed correctly, and on time. You make your own travel arrangements and have no supervision, so I don't need to micromanage you nor know what you're doing. Is this good, or bad? It's good if you like being your own person and figuring things out, it's bad if you want to have things spelled out, and a clear path to advance.
First job had excellent benefits (out of college). They paid for my grad school 100% (it was the 90's), and set me up for my 2nd job.
My 2nd job was in insurance so deep pockets. People stabbed each other in the back all the time. It was caustic. But I stayed 10 years. It has a pension. I was used to waste and things that made no sense. Reminded me of Dire Straits, "Money for Nothing."
I could go to conferences, stay at hotels for $400/night, but I could not ship a package via UPS. Manager approval needed (crazy, huh?).
My current job day 1--they gave me login credentials to UPS Campus Ship, huh?? They gave me a label maker, what?! They gave me a tape gun that costs over $50 today. Wow. Also gave me a per diem 1/2 of the previous job! But as I have mentioned on this forum before, we have employees with 50, 40, 30, 20 year tenures. Benefits not that good, yet people stay? I'm guessing salary above average and nobody is forced out due to age. I've seen some colleagues who need a walker, I'm not joking. But they are viewed as loyal to the company. The saying goes that such people bleed the co. colors.
I've often thought that job 3 has taught me what I'd need to know to do things myself, as my own boss. My buddy who is an entrepreneur says dude you'd make 3X what you make today, and you can get your benefits through your wife, what are you waiting for? Well, it's the fear of going into the unknown, not knowing.
What makes the piece of paper useless? If part of the requirements for posting to a role/advancing is a college degree is a degree in a "useless" field better than not having the useless degree?
I had a job that I now refer to the 18 months I wish I could have back. However, I learned a ton, and it helped me to grow a backbone, as I had to stand up for myself a lot.
Then I became part of a startup. Those people are still like family to me. I’ve never worked harder, and do t know if I’ll have that great experience ever again. It was hard on family life, so I’m not going after that type of employer again.
But the CEO got very greedy, and the company went to pot. Most of the team I built are no longer there, except 3 who are actively looking. The online reviews of the company as an employer and service provider make me very sad, as we all sacrificed to build that company.
I’m now back at my second major corporation, mainly for the stability and pay, but the environment is terrible. Leadership ends up creating a world of wave riders who only do what is required and nothing to better themselves, or their workplace, yet the complaints flow like wine. I miss the startup mentality of all being in this together, and thinking about how to make work and life better. I’m trying to do that with my team and hope to build it locally.
But, the pay and benefits are good, so I stay.
Then I became part of a startup. Those people are still like family to me. I’ve never worked harder, and do t know if I’ll have that great experience ever again. It was hard on family life, so I’m not going after that type of employer again.
But the CEO got very greedy, and the company went to pot. Most of the team I built are no longer there, except 3 who are actively looking. The online reviews of the company as an employer and service provider make me very sad, as we all sacrificed to build that company.
I’m now back at my second major corporation, mainly for the stability and pay, but the environment is terrible. Leadership ends up creating a world of wave riders who only do what is required and nothing to better themselves, or their workplace, yet the complaints flow like wine. I miss the startup mentality of all being in this together, and thinking about how to make work and life better. I’m trying to do that with my team and hope to build it locally.
But, the pay and benefits are good, so I stay.
From my most recent experience this is really true. I worked for the computer technology division of a Fortune 200 conglomerate. Like many of the divisions this company had, our division was formed from numerous acquisitions in our industry. At one time in this industry there were 10 companies competing and today there are only 3 left.....with one of those companies being a privately held concern with HQs in Italy. Many of these companies (at least 5) were acquired by the conglomerate.
Our division had over 17% turnover year over year for at least the last 3 years that I worked there. If you held a Senior Director or higher title you were treated much differently than the rest of the line and staff employees. I cannot speak for the other divisions, but I would say that "financial performance and financial engineering" were everything to senior management. Again since this company is a conglomerrate with shared common operational resources, it was nothing for them to change the rules of operation that suited them for the time being and shareholder attributes needed to maintain the stock price accordingly.
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Just over a year ago I was working for an engineering firm of about 80 people that was constantly understaffed. The constant stress was affecting my life outside of work. The new CEO of the company said in a meeting “we know we need more engineers but we aren’t going to hire any more because we don’t want to pay what they’re looking for.” We discussed turning away work to alleviate bottlenecks but the CEO didn’t want to turn away any work - even the low hanging fruit. A week or so later I put in my notice, changed employers and career direction.
If employers are having difficulty in recruiting workers, maybe they should look in the mirror?
Also, one's experience with any employer depends heavily upon what position you hold as well as the person to whom you have to report, and your own direct reports as well.
There are very few perfect jobs out there, but there are many most of us would find tolerable. There are also some truly toxic workplaces, where the workload for lower level employees is absurd and turnover exceeds 100% annually.
The really toxic large employers are pretty well known and there is a wealth of information available to help job seekers in determining what employers they should avoid.
It isn't really about money either. No amount of compensation can make up for dreading going into work each day, for what is, after all, around half of your waking hours five days a week.
Been there, done that and wouldn't face it again.
Also, one's experience with any employer depends heavily upon what position you hold as well as the person to whom you have to report, and your own direct reports as well.
There are very few perfect jobs out there, but there are many most of us would find tolerable. There are also some truly toxic workplaces, where the workload for lower level employees is absurd and turnover exceeds 100% annually.
The really toxic large employers are pretty well known and there is a wealth of information available to help job seekers in determining what employers they should avoid.
It isn't really about money either. No amount of compensation can make up for dreading going into work each day, for what is, after all, around half of your waking hours five days a week.
Been there, done that and wouldn't face it again.
After 1 year vacation is mandatory, and paid.
The amount of time off grows with the length of time as an employee.
I sometimes have to force my staff to take their vacation time.
Statutory holidays are also paid.
With me, an employee fills out a vacation time request form, and hands it in.
Then time off is given if possible to match those dates, but since not everyone can have the same weeks/days off, it goes by seniority. My 30 year staff can pretty much just name it, and get it. The 20 year people are likely to get it.
10 years or less not so much, they better choose lots of options, so they can get some.
Typically an employer owns the company, where as the boss is also an employee, but in a management position.
Some companies have no owner, such as those that trade on the stock market, nobody actually owns them, many people own shares of it is all. Then they have a board of directors who are like managers.
Your goals for life, are a lot different than mine.
Why do you stay?
I wouldn't have made a month there before quitting.
The company you work for sounds like a crappy, and also dangerous place to work.
Nothing should ever leave the shop until it is 100% perfect, no exceptions!!!
I get very good PTO benefits from my employer. On the manufacturing side of the company there are unions….. on the service side of the business there are no unions and management very anti union.
6 weeks vacation
1 week of paid personal business (40 hours, use as needed)
12 holidays (example: July 3 and 4th all employees off)
2 floating holidays, take whenever you want
Thats 9 weeks off per year paid and very flexible PTO requests.
Luckily I have 3 very good bosses in the ‘rank & file’ leadership structure. Lots of ex military officers / NCO in upper management positions.
6 weeks vacation
1 week of paid personal business (40 hours, use as needed)
12 holidays (example: July 3 and 4th all employees off)
2 floating holidays, take whenever you want
Thats 9 weeks off per year paid and very flexible PTO requests.
Luckily I have 3 very good bosses in the ‘rank & file’ leadership structure. Lots of ex military officers / NCO in upper management positions.
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It's only 2 miles from home and pays fair. Not great but ok. Local jobs here are very hard to get. My other option is to commute several hours a day. We only have so many trailers and such. If ones down jobs that pay millions are put on hold. They are required to have certain things done by certain days with no lienency. Most of it is govt work.
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Boy, that is the truth! All of the red tape and the federal employees go on vacation when deadlines are approaching.
They can be difficult to deal with, too. I heard one of the Feds went off on one of our helpdesk people because the training the Fed got wasn't good enough (new system with a new interface). As if the helpdesk person has any control over that. The Fed was instructed to bring the issue to their manager.
I'd *love* to find an IT job which isn't a Federal contract position, but finding one of those is difficult around here (Northern Virginia, which has an economy almost wholly dependent on Federal spending). (note: I did not choose to move here, I was dragged here by my parents back when I was 11, and they didn't move here for a Federal job or contract of any kind).
