Slacking employees

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: urchin


It is a modern US "cultural" empidemic. I think a lot of this can be attributed to no or poor parental skills, almost non existent ethical and moral standards in most of society, and maybe the most serious one directly to do with business, is that the br@ss hats (CEO, COO, President, ect) that run the show are many times not qualified, got the job via the "connections" they have, they are incompetent on the job, often destroying a company, in the process they still are rewarded for their incompetence, and in the end are often times HIRED yet again for big money and they do the same thing!!!

The latest example of this is Mr Leo Apotheker. Now CEO of HP.

Fired from SAP and hired by HP for big money . Now the guy is imploding HP almost the same as he did with SAP!

The little people notice this and it DOES influence them even if it is subconscious it creates a' " I could care less attitude. "

No this problem really does start at the top.

I see what you are saying and agree that the CEO's and such have very poor leadership....and many times cause companies to fail. But where I don't agree is to say that the problem 'starts at the top' as you stated. For a good, decent, hard working person raised with proper values....it matters not what the big-shots do when it comes to being accountable on the job. One of the strange aspects about some of the slackers at my work is that many are old timers....and I'm sure they know better. They don't care because they have become infected with the societal ills you spoke of (no ethics, low morals). To blame the CEO's however? I'll blame them for poor leadership for sure....but not for laziness or the poor work habits of the employees.

 

[daves87rs]

I think bottom line-people have forgotten what real work is.


There are times I really wish for a major depression....though that would just end up being major mobs/gangs/other stuff in this day and age....

 

[Colt45ws]

I have this 'cant beat 'em, join 'em" attitude lately. I used to give it my all; trying to help the customer. But I seen a lot of my co-workers just lazing it up. I ended up doing a lot more work, and the reports of how many jobs people were doing showed as much. There were three people that got the bulk of the work, another three that got alright numbers, and the other three were clearly slacking it off.
Basically since I was so readily taking jobs it was giving them more time to hold the concrete down.
Then as time went on we started losing more and more people either to firings or just plain quitting. Except they were not being replaced. Management is of course oblivious. Im working my butt off trying to keep the times down to something resembling respectable due to lack of help and they go and make it worse by cutting all the full time people back to 35 hours a week.
Still tried to keep it going as best I could. Times by this point were out of sight at times. "Two hours for a oil change!? Ill go some where else."
Then me and a couple other guys got our yearly evals. They were blatant carbon copies of one another and they were all for a "Meets expectations." Which is 40 cents. My friend, Tony, was one of them and I know if anyone deserved a "Exceeds" it was him. He was still the hardest working out of anyone. He took up the blatant copy and that he thought he deserved a better raise. He was told straight up, "No one out there will get more than a Meets."
Then I heard their excuse for why they have not replaced anybody. Sales are down. I thought that was the funniest thing ever. Im sure the people that drive away on those days where we are quoting 2 hour waits has nothing to do with it. Who can guarantee they will even give it another shot?
So at this point I just give up I guess. Whats the point? They are so focused on payroll they cannot see the whole picture. As a result the customer has to endure extended wait times and I get no prospect of getting rewarded for working particularly good.. Now I just work at a much more manageable pace. I dont laze it off if people are waiting, but I don't make a awesome effort either. But, if no one is waiting and everyone is chatting, or playing on their phones instead of cleaning? Im right with them. Just holding down the concrete. I also used to take short lunches on busy days to get back and get people out the door. A half hour instead of an hour. That has stopped. Its a money losing proposition. The most Ill make is $5.05 GROSS from doing that but it usually costs a tenner for food from a fast food joint. If it takes two and a half hours for an oil change? Oh well, not my problem. They can go some where else; it is a free country. Im sure they can complain and get it for free. Also not my problem. I still get paid.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
I have this 'cant beat 'em, join 'em" attitude lately. I used to give it my all; trying to help the customer. But I seen a lot of my co-workers just lazing it up. I ended up doing a lot more work, and the reports of how many jobs people were doing showed as much. There were three people that got the bulk of the work, another three that got alright numbers, and the other three were clearly slacking it off.
Basically since I was so readily taking jobs it was giving them more time to hold the concrete down.
Then as time went on we started losing more and more people either to firings or just plain quitting. Except they were not being replaced. Management is of course oblivious. Im working my butt off trying to keep the times down to something resembling respectable due to lack of help and they go and make it worse by cutting all the full time people back to 35 hours a week.
Still tried to keep it going as best I could. Times by this point were out of sight at times. "Two hours for a oil change!? Ill go some where else."
Then me and a couple other guys got our yearly evals. They were blatant carbon copies of one another and they were all for a "Meets expectations." Which is 40 cents. My friend, Tony, was one of them and I know if anyone deserved a "Exceeds" it was him. He was still the hardest working out of anyone. He took up the blatant copy and that he thought he deserved a better raise. He was told straight up, "No one out there will get more than a Meets."
Then I heard their excuse for why they have not replaced anybody. Sales are down. I thought that was the funniest thing ever. Im sure the people that drive away on those days where we are quoting 2 hour waits has nothing to do with it. Who can guarantee they will even give it another shot?
So at this point I just give up I guess. Whats the point? They are so focused on payroll they cannot see the whole picture. As a result the customer has to endure extended wait times and I get no prospect of getting rewarded for working particularly good.. Now I just work at a much more manageable pace. I dont laze it off if people are waiting, but I don't make a awesome effort either. But, if no one is waiting and everyone is chatting, or playing on their phones instead of cleaning? Im right with them. Just holding down the concrete. I also used to take short lunches on busy days to get back and get people out the door. A half hour instead of an hour. That has stopped. Its a money losing proposition. The most Ill make is $5.05 GROSS from doing that but it usually costs a tenner for food from a fast food joint. If it takes two and a half hours for an oil change? Oh well, not my problem. They can go some where else; it is a free country. Im sure they can complain and get it for free. Also not my problem. I still get paid.

Don't become one of 'them'. I know it sucks that you have a horrid leadership staff where you work....but don't change who you are just because of the losers on the top....or bottom. Take pride in yourself that you are doing the best you can. That's all anybody can ask of themselves.
Why don't you find another job? Sounds like with the attitude you started out with you would be a good employee at another place of business....and be appreciated more.

 

[Spazdog]

It does seem at some workplaces that the reward for efficiency and hard work is more work.

Those that do the work well, consistantly, and efficiently are rewarded for their effort with increasingly more difficult jobs and expectations.

Employees that just "meet expectations" are rewarded with easier jobs.

You work hard, you get the [terrible] job task every day. Phone it in and you get more pleasant tasks.

This is the hallmark of a bad manager.

Many would argue that it is actually a good manager. That he is using his resources in the best way possible. (ironically usually those with a business degree of some sort) I disagree. Those managers end up running off their best and most productive employees and end up with a staff of people that just phone it in.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
It does seem at some workplaces that the reward for efficiency and hard work is more work.

Those that do the work well, consistantly, and efficiently are rewarded for their effort with increasingly more difficult jobs and expectations.

Employees that just "meet expectations" are rewarded with easier jobs.

You work hard, you get the [terrible] job task every day. Phone it in and you get more pleasant tasks.

This is the hallmark of a bad manager.

Many would argue that it is actually a good manager. That he is using his resources in the best way possible. (ironically usually those with a business degree of some sort) I disagree. Those managers end up running off their best and most productive employees and end up with a staff of people that just phone it in.

You've made a good point. It's well known at my work that the people that actually work....get worked harder (or at least expected to do more), while the lazy bottom swill gets to surf the web. One good thing though can be that sometimes when overtime comes around, and the slackers don't have the job training to do the required minimum to qualify for overtime....those that work get a better chance at making some serious bucks. Management cut off the slackers from getting overtime a few years back when many were working every weekend (time and a half saturday, double sunday). These jokers were actually making more than the managers that ran the building! I know of many hourly slackers that made over $100k a year because of overtime. Only took the suits several years to figure that out.

 

[urchin]

I'll state it again, "It all starts at the top".

There is no way in Hades that the top brass don't know about how the most productive and best employees are treated vs the worthless slackers. NO WAY, PERIOD!

If top management allows this they are as worthless as the lowest level slacker they have on staff.

Honestly I don't blame the outstanding employees if they do notice the disconnect and start to only meet expectations. Why should they excel? They aren't getting the rewards they deserve, yet those br@ss hats aren't missing out on theirs are they.

I agree if you are not being justly rewarded for excellent performance you should continue to perform, but only to "meet" expectations, not exceed them. Why should incompetent management get rewarded for allowing this situation in the first place?

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: urchin
I'll state it again, "It all starts at the top".

There is no way in Hades that the top brass don't know about how the most productive and best employees are treated vs the worthless slackers. NO WAY, PERIOD!

If top management allows this they are as worthless as the lowest level slacker they have on staff.

Honestly I don't blame the outstanding employees if they do notice the disconnect and start to only meet expectations. Why should they excel? They aren't getting the rewards they deserve, yet those br@ss hats aren't missing out on theirs are they.

I agree if you are not being justly rewarded for excellent performance you should continue to perform, but only to "meet" expectations, not exceed them. Why should incompetent management get rewarded for allowing this situation in the first place?

The reward for a job well done is not always monetary. To have pride and a sense of accomplishment in ones self has much value beyond being recognized from those above....or even a reflective paycheck. As I've seen stated before....real integrity is how you behave when no one is watching.

 

[Colt45ws]

Ive applied at other places sure. But I never hear anything back. I guess having this job on my resume is holding me back.

 

[urchin]

Originally Posted By: andrewg
[
The reward for a job well done is not always monetary. To have pride and a sense of accomplishment in ones self has much value beyond being recognized from those above....or even a reflective paycheck. As I've seen stated before....real integrity is how you behave when no one is watching.


I agree to a point. But at which point does having "integrity" make you a complete fool AND a "tool"?

Again you'll notice I didn't say not to perform at all. I mention that you should meet expectations. Another words do an honest job, but you don't have to do more. Really you shouldn't if the folks running the show have contempt for you as an employee why should you go that extra mile for them. They clearly don't care, why should you.

As long as you give the customer what they paid for, you have integrity.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: urchin
Originally Posted By: andrewg
[
The reward for a job well done is not always monetary. To have pride and a sense of accomplishment in ones self has much value beyond being recognized from those above....or even a reflective paycheck. As I've seen stated before....real integrity is how you behave when no one is watching.


I agree to a point. But at which point does having "integrity" make you a complete fool AND a "tool"?

Again you'll notice I didn't say not to perform at all. I mention that you should meet expectations. Another words do an honest job, but you don't have to do more. Really you shouldn't if the folks running the show have contempt for you as an employee why should you go that extra mile for them. They clearly don't care, why should you.

As long as you give the customer what they paid for, you have integrity.

You are never a fool or a 'tool' because you give 100%.
I know that if I do my job in a way that I know is 'just getting buy'......I don't feel very good about myself.
I would say that a worker can become a fool if he/she knows they are of value yet continue to work for a boss that doesn't have the ability or desire to notice. I say do the best you can....with integrity....while trying to find another job.

 

[Colt45ws]

Back when I was 'giving it all' my feet and some of my joints would ache and hurt by the time I was done. Im 23 years old. Im not in any hurry to beat the heck out of my body. Especially for this place. So that was part of it too. I might not feel very good about just shrugging my shoulders and going, "Oh Well" when someone is not happy with our service. However, Im not miserable at home.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Back when I was 'giving it all' my feet and some of my joints would ache and hurt by the time I was done. Im 23 years old. Im not in any hurry to beat the heck out of my body. Especially for this place. So that was part of it too. I might not feel very good about just shrugging my shoulders and going, "Oh Well" when someone is not happy with our service. However, Im not miserable at home.

I don't think one should work to a degree that causes injury or pain. That's not real smart as you'll be of value to know one by the time you reach 50. I have serious back issues and have many body aches and pains....but I've never been accused of being slow or lazy (not saying you are....I'm sure you work hard). Pace yourself. If a customer isn't happy with the service due to a decision the manager makes I would suggest to the customer to call the corporate office and complain (just make sure it's not your fault and give them the customer the managers name). Problems like staffing and poor managing is not your fault. Just be sure to do the best that YOU can for the customers. Once in a while a little explanation to an unhappy one can SOMETIMES make a big difference.