Originally Posted by
green427
JohnJ80 & Chipcom:
Both of you have good points, let me fill in a little more detail about the kind of people I work with:
The owner is a former union sheetmetal worker (tin-knocker). When he is dissatisfied with his employees, he resorts to yelling and uses language that would make Al Capone look like a saint. All of the managers were field workers that were promoted for the wrong reasons: Other companies offered them positions, they handed in their resignations, boss needed them, so promoted them to well-paid managers and gave them company vehicles. When painful decisions are made, the owner & his wife disappear and leave the managers to do the firing/layoffs. I've been there for 11 years now, and had maybe 4 or 5 very brief discussions with the owner, even though his office is 50 feet down the hall. My direct supervisor takes personal time off without informing anyone on his team. Bosses sneak out the door two hours before closing time and hope no one notices. I have a disabled kid, and my supervisor openly told a few co-workers that my kid was "all f----d up" while I was standing there. He repeats that often. Things got somewhat better after we hired a CFO that has worked for big companies and gave the owners some tips on how to run a business better.
Not everyone is unprofessional. I would say about 50% are decent, respectful professionals. The 'ribbing' I get is probably 50% funny, and 50% downright insulting.
Unfortunately, some of the immature employees happen to be the managers. Fret not, I have my way of dealing with their behavior, it is just irritating. This week, I will commute on my bike, and will see if anyone has something positive to contribute now that gasoline prices are outrageous, 80% of the office has been told they are at risk for cardiovascular disease & diabetes (we had a fitness strength test a couple months ago), and 40% are chainsmokers. Hopefully they will look at me differently.
I will keep y'all posted on what goes on.
p.s. I asked a few employees if they would be interested in joining me after work for trail riding not too far from the office. Only two showed interest, the rest all had the same excuse..."my butt hurts whenever I sit on those dinky little seats".
p.s.s. I have to agree with JohnJ80: No employee should have to be subjected to ridicule for his/her personal decisions. And no employee should have to resort to revenge-type behavior to make a point.
Welcome to the world I grew up in - blue collar rust belt. I know those guys - my Dad was one of those guys, my brothers are those guys...as much of a dick as I can come off as on BF...I ain't one of those guys (but there before the grace of God go I, for sure).
Knowing those guys, you got two choices:
1. Take it and give back as good as you get, good-naturedly. When they cross the line (which is up to you to draw for yourself), let them know about it in no uncertain terms, then pat em on the back and tell em that's enough about that and move on...till the next episode.
2. Report it up the line and ultimately quit the company for better conditions if they don't take your complaint seriously and/or turn YOU into the cause of the problem, the squeaky wheel, the non-team player, which is the even-odds result, unfortunately.
It's up to you, bud...only you can decide what acceptable working conditions are for you. Lord knows that jobs don't grow in trees these days, so I'm not gonna cheer lead for falling on your sword in the name of honor when I don't know the slightest thing about your unique circumstances, all I can give you advise about is how to deal with them if you hang around.
With my very unusual last name, mug only a mother could love, non-conformist attitudes...and the fact that I ride a bike to work, I have taken a lot of crap over the years from people too...so I do have some expertise in your shoes that I am happy to share.
