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Does anybody else use Autonomy? Last year my company spent a big pile of cash trying to get us to use it rather than the network drives we all know and love. This happened mostly so that the legal department could enforce the document retention policy and generally limit our exposure to the discovery process in the event we get sued. However, I'm pretty sure the intended purpose of Autonomy is to make it easier for remote project groups to share documents. The previous effort failed as soon as we all noticed that Autonomy is incompatible with linked Excel spreadsheets, but apparently they're going to give it another try later this summer. If/when Autonomy fails again, I'm afraid that response will likely be to lock down the network folders such that access will be limited to files maintained by people reporting to a particular manager. As far as I know, my company has never had any legal troubles related to these issues. (Say what you will about companies being run by their accounting departments, but it is far worse when a company is run by its legal department.)
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# ? Jul 14, 2014 01:16 |
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# ? Jun 10, 2024 18:46 |
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My email is an absolute mess. I can find things but every once in awhile stuff just is really hard to find in outlooks dumb rear end search. Until my company is assimilated into the Corp Borg Core, we are using this lame GMS Gordano mail thing which has a ton of sync problems where you just slip into a phase where you can't mark poo poo read, move it to a folder, delete, nothing. Everytime I complain to IT about problems he just tells me "that's because GMS is being used in a way it was never intended" which i understand there are impossible things but that doesn't help me with my email mess. I suppose I should just be grateful I don't think it's ever failed to deliver anything... even the poo poo that gets caught in the outbox and never moves to sent. OH IT SENT, it just doesnt move. 100 or so messages I've just learned to not worry about but make searching stuff i sent even more convoluted. You can't even move poo poo in the web interface. gently caress. My inbox has 1000s of emails. 100s of them unread which have really been read.
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# ? Jul 14, 2014 01:19 |
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FrozenVent posted:Update: Things at the office have taken a turn for the ridiculous (people were ordered to take time off, written lists of recriminations came out of drawers). I think it all started because I went to the big boss and told him what was going on; he wasn't aware of how bad things were apparently (including thinking I was still in charge of a big project he'd assigned me) I know I already quoted this but given you are in Ottawa StatsCan is hiring Field Interviews again, I see a bunch on the internal site so they will filter to the public in about two weeks. Enjoy quick way to the Fed. #2 if you want.
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# ? Jul 14, 2014 15:29 |
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Today was the first time I've had to ask a project team to calm down when it comes to email. Usually I get 4 or 5 emails per project per day for the projects I'm involved in. This one? 87. And it hasn't even started yet. For bonus points, most of these were one massive chain CCing about 10 people. If you've got that much to say, sort out a drat meeting. I'm actively involved in around 10 projects at any one point, there's no way I'm responding to 87 emails for a project which doesn't even have a specification. This poo poo is right up there with the people who CC you on a 2 week old chain with the words "please advise" or "what do you think?" and nothing else. No. Go back, consider what it is you actually want to achieve, then ask me an real question which shows some thought has gone into it. Don't try to push your own laziness onto me. rolleyes fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Jul 15, 2014 |
# ? Jul 15, 2014 19:38 |
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sbaldrick posted:I know I already quoted this but given you are in Ottawa StatsCan is hiring Field Interviews again, I see a bunch on the internal site so they will filter to the public in about two weeks. Enjoy quick way to the Fed. #2 if you want. Shooting the messenger, but for all the stereotypes about the two countries and their approaches to government, Statistics Canada sure is awful about making its data available. The US is way, way better for the most part.
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 02:10 |
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rolleyes posted:"please advise"
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 02:13 |
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Kim Jong Il posted:Shooting the messenger, but for all the stereotypes about the two countries and their approaches to government, Statistics Canada sure is awful about making its data available. The US is way, way better for the most part. If you can say what you don't like about http://data.gc.ca I can talk to people about it. There is a relatively huge push to work on this right now. EAT THE EGGS RICOLA fucked around with this message at 13:03 on Jul 16, 2014 |
# ? Jul 16, 2014 02:16 |
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I just started a new job, which is cool, but dear lord no one at this company documents anything. I was beating my head against SAP after another employee had been beating her head against it before I came here, and then I finally found out that I didn't have the access I needed to check if invoices were paid and that was very, very important. I'm the one vendors bug when we don't pay them, after all. How did I find this out? Homebrew documentation from a wonderful EA a couple time zones away. Also, we have no org chart, so good luck finding who you need to talk to! Accounts Payable and Treasury are a black hole of communication, too, which doesn't help matters. I have a sneaking suspicion that the terrible system is used specifically so we can delay paying vendors as long as possible. At least my team is grateful I'm here? They needed someone like six months ago.
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 02:36 |
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seacat posted:God, these two words make me want to gouge my eyes out. "Please advise when results will be available". What's wrong with "When will results be available?" Do people really think that phrasing it in the form of a weak statement rather than a question will get them a faster answer, is this something they teach in MBA school or something? It's particularly common among military and military civilian contractors, I've noticed. Though phrasing it that way helps soften it and make it sound more like a suggestion; helpful when a more direct question to someone higher up, especially touchy types, might come off as overly interrogative and/or impertinent.
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 02:49 |
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Wishy washy stuff like "please advise" is great when you don't really want or need a response on something, like a shipment plan. "Please advise if any changes are required" means that I usually won't get another email*, but "are any changes required?" sounds like I am not confident in what I'm doing, and need their approval. And it also means they're more likely to send me a pointless email saying "yeah that's fine", which is just a waste of time for both of us. * That's a lie. Customers want to change everything all the time. Even when they're the one to give you the schedule, chances are they will desperately need to change it a few hours later. I once spent a whole afternoon reorganising a shipment for a customer, who called me up 10 minutes before I went home to say that they didn't need the change any more, please put it back the way it was!
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 08:27 |
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We use please advise all the time, maybe it's a traditional sort of thing or whatever. In my case it means "what the gently caress do you want me to do with this?"
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 12:13 |
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FrozenVent posted:We use please advise all the time, maybe it's a traditional sort of thing or whatever. Yup. I use it passive-aggressively with folks who haven't given me the correct (or any) information.
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 15:39 |
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Cup of Hemlock posted:Yup. I use it passive-aggressively with folks who haven't given me the correct (or any) information. I've got a worker who ends pretty much every single e-mail with "Please advise." Even if she's the one doing the advising. It makes no sense. One day I turned to her and said something along the lines of "yup, you're right, consider yourself advised". Sometimes I'll write "Please be advised that..." in those situations. Makes much more sense to me.
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 15:49 |
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I had never heard "please advise" until I started working with our overseas department who uses it for everything and now its worked its way into my professional vocabulary. Most of the time its because of this thoughCup of Hemlock posted:Yup. I use it passive-aggressively with folks who haven't given me the correct (or any) information. In other, obvious, news.. MS Access is terrible and I hate it
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 15:58 |
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Our Offshore (India) teams use Please advise, kindly advise, do the needful, thanks kindly, on every kind of email or request ever. I tease them back sometimes and will sign an email with "needfully yours," which makes me chuckle. tesilential fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Jul 16, 2014 |
# ? Jul 16, 2014 17:11 |
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naptalan posted:Wishy washy stuff like "please advise" is great when you don't really want or need a response on something, like a shipment plan. "Please advise if any changes are required" means that I usually won't get another email*, but "are any changes required?" sounds like I am not confident in what I'm doing, and need their approval. And it also means they're more likely to send me a pointless email saying "yeah that's fine", which is just a waste of time for both of us. I'm ok with "please advise whether...", as long as you're asking specifically. What I hate is a forwarded email that just says "please advise".
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 17:40 |
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Kim Jong Il posted:Shooting the messenger, but for all the stereotypes about the two countries and their approaches to government, Statistics Canada sure is awful about making its data available. The US is way, way better for the most part. Sadly StatsCan has been badly hosed by the current government to the point where any data they have created in the past 10 years my have been lost
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 17:40 |
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detectivemonkey posted:I'm ok with "please advise whether...", as long as you're asking specifically. What I hate is a forwarded email that just says "please advise". I cant tell if they're actually being passive aggressive or nice.
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 23:24 |
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EAT THE EGGS RICOLA posted:If you can say what you don't like about http://data.gc.ca I can talk to people about it. Sure. Getting data about mappings of census districts, economic regions, and labour market areas was not explained well. I ultimately had to either scrape and clean these out of a PDF, or download a frontend (GeoSuite) of an Access database that was well hidden. Everything is way, way better in the US, as they make mappings of metropolitan statistical area and labor market area very simple in public Excel files. The worst part by far though was getting postal code data, which costs about a $1000 US and is inferior to private offerings. Ultimately, none of the vendors out there really had what I needed, so I bought the geocoder.ca lookup and went about creating my own master lookup from scratch. The US is kind of bad here too, but not as bad. sbaldrick posted:Sadly StatsCan has been badly hosed by the current government to the point where any data they have created in the past 10 years my have been lost Really? Again, could be Obama or just technological progress, but a LOT of the US data has gotten way better recently.
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# ? Jul 17, 2014 01:14 |
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Some brilliant rear end in a top hat in Logistics did a Six Sigma cost-reduction project and decided we could make do with 15% less printer paper. He failed to account for the fact that we've just switched away from our electronic SOP training system to an all-paper system. We're 17 days into the month and the entire factory is out of paper. Our manager literally ran out to costco to get us a box so we can do our job.
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# ? Jul 17, 2014 19:39 |
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Sundae posted:Some brilliant rear end in a top hat in Logistics did a Six Sigma cost-reduction project and decided we could make do with 15% less printer paper. He failed to account for the fact that we've just switched away from our electronic SOP training system to an all-paper system. And the logistics guy will get a bonus for cutting costs! I just went around 3 different bathrooms trying to find one where the seat didn't have poo poo on it. I work in a laboratory where everyone here who uses the men's room has at least a college degree but at least 3 of the 6 toilets have poo poo on the seat! What the gently caress?
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# ? Jul 17, 2014 20:09 |
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ladyweapon posted:"Friendly reminder " "Gentle reminder" Love that one.
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# ? Jul 17, 2014 20:28 |
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Sundae posted:Some brilliant rear end in a top hat in Logistics did a Six Sigma cost-reduction project and decided we could make do with 15% less printer paper. He failed to account for the fact that we've just switched away from our electronic SOP training system to an all-paper system. Part of the Six Sigma process is to check to see that the process you changed is actually working as expected. What a poo poo head.
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# ? Jul 17, 2014 20:33 |
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Tide posted:"Gentle reminder" My last job loved to say "Can you kindly handle..." as often as possible.
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# ? Jul 17, 2014 20:40 |
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I just...I don't know... I've written before about how promotions are going to be very difficult to come by in my department. Back in December, my manager told me that I had done everything necessary and was ready to be promoted. He said he would start the process. Every month I would ask where we are in the process and how things are progressing. Every month, he said he was working on it, things were moving, he just had to take care of a few more things. Annual review comes and goes, he gives me the same story. Also mentions that we moved buildings, and with annual reviews, there wasn't much time to move it forward. Cut to yesterday, where another person in my department (under a peer manager of my manager) gets promoted. While I was upset that THIS person got promoted, I was more wondering why I hadn't been promoted yet. I went to my manager to discuss it, spoke about how it was frustrating to wait all this time and wondered what more I had to do. He said nothing, I've basically been doing the job. Except, and here's the kicker, HE STILL HAD NOT FILLED OUT THE PROPER PAPERWORK TO PROMOTE ME. IN SEVEN MONTHS. That meant in the past seven months, he has been lying to me in every one of our meetings where he said he was "making progress, just a few more things to go." What. The. gently caress. Again, my anger isn't directed at the other manager or the person who got promoted. I think there were others on that team that deserved it more, but whatever. Promotions are not a zero-sum game, where only one person could get it. My anger is directed solely at my manager for his complete lack of actually MANAGING his people and putting them up for awards or promotions. Look at it this way: the peer manager has a smaller product portfolio, yet has nine direct reports, seven of whom are at the level above me. My manager has the largest portfolio, only has six direct reports, and all but two of us are at that next level. He simply does not believe it is his job as a manager to put people up for promotions or reward them in any way.
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# ? Jul 17, 2014 21:18 |
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Omne posted:He simply does not believe it is his job as a manager to put people up for promotions or reward them in any way. He's apparently correct unless you take action to make him wrong.
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# ? Jul 17, 2014 21:31 |
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:He's apparently correct unless you take action to make him wrong. Exactly right. The way to approach is to agree a timeline when you first bring it up. Once you meet all the requirements, there should be a proces in place for the promotion to go through. If you agree this with your boss then it becomes apparent much sooner if nothing's happening. With no clear deadlines in place, you're free to be strung along forever. If you had agreed that it would be done by, say, two months, and that deadline passed with no explanation, you can take action then - i.e. looking for another job or going to another department etc.
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# ? Jul 17, 2014 21:46 |
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Time to find a new job unless you can get a new manager.
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# ? Jul 17, 2014 22:33 |
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So I'm mostly through my first week at my new job, and I can't decide if I've fallen into a corporate paradise or my old job was just that much of a poo poo heap. My first day I didn't have working internet or a desk phone. I brought this to my boss's attention and both were fixed before lunch with profuse apologies. I actually had real tasks to do the second day on the job and people helpfully explaining company-specific processes to me instead of sitting around doing nothing bored out of my skull. I've had people come into my cube, look at the clock, say "oh you're about to go home, I'll come back tomorrow" instead of piling on new tasks 5 minutes before I was going to walk out. Some terrible Office Space-esque horror is lurking around the corner, isn't it?
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 00:16 |
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:So I'm mostly through my first week at my new job, and I can't decide if I've fallen into a corporate paradise or my old job was just that much of a poo poo heap.
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 00:28 |
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I always suspect people hate me because my peak productivity is between 3 and 6pm, which often means that I am turning around tasks and shooting off a bunch of emails right at the end of the day. I don't actually ask people to do anything, or expect responses, but I imagine there are morning people just trying to get through the last half hour and giving my emails a hate-glare.
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 01:16 |
What kind of lunatic doesn't start wrapping up their day around 3pm.
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 01:40 |
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Harry posted:What kind of lunatic doesn't start wrapping up their day around 3pm. I stick to documentation after 3pm. Unless there's an emergency (a real emergency)
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 02:20 |
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My work hours are 7:00-3:30. Getting up at 5:30 is a pain in the rear end (I have an hour commute each way ) but it's so nice to peace out at 3:30.
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 02:31 |
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Harry posted:What kind of lunatic doesn't start wrapping up their day around 3pm. My peak time is past 4pm, because I get the majority of my documents from people wrapping up between 2 and 4pm. This means I often work 30 minutes to an hour late. But, my manager is okay with me coming in a bit late the next day because I put my time in. Also, about the documentation for promotion, etc. I worked one job where someone was working way over his position and pay, and he documented all the foot-dragging of his supervisor, manager, all the way up to the VP of the office. He even showed hiring postings for the exact work he was doing for an open position in another supervisors' group, and the pay, salary, and position in the ad, etc. They pulled the posting and went with renaming all the job positions and criteria so that positions at every level have higher responsibilities than before so they could reject his pay increase. This also screwed everyone that came after him because his complaint led to a de facto across-the-board pay cut to all new hires. Blindeye fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Jul 18, 2014 |
# ? Jul 18, 2014 03:35 |
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So... Did a bit of aikido since one of my problems transformed into a completely different one. Thought issue was vendor didn't have funds. Turns out vendor had funds but didn't want to dispense funds. Created new solution to make vendor fall back in love and potentially saved the month. The thrills of billing...
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 03:59 |
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Someone just called me and when I picked up all I heard was chewing noises. I said "hello?" and got no response, so I hung up. So far, no call back.
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 15:51 |
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rolleyes posted:Someone just called me and when I picked up all I heard was chewing noises. I said "hello?" and got no response, so I hung up. So far, no call back. Congratulations on your first butt dial!
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 15:52 |
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Volmarias posted:Congratulations on your first butt dial! Was the butt doing the chewing, or being chewed? This is vital information.
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 16:05 |
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# ? Jun 10, 2024 18:46 |
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Might've been a pocket dial from someone walking around. Depending on other pocket contents it could sound like chewing. Just be glad you picked up, I've gotten extremely long pocket dialed voicemails.
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 17:04 |