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They have to, though. They really do. Those are the rules of the world mid/upper managers live in: all the other mid/upper managers are out for your blood and will bring out the knives if they sense weakness. If you take over a department and make no significant changes and the department proceeds to be successful--no credit for you. If you change everything around and the department manages to succeed, then you can take credit (and if it fails you blame conveniently placed underlings*). It is suicide for an executive to do nothing in their first year. It is actually better for their own self-interest to make harmful changes and then sell them at your yearly review as "painful but necessary realignment" and such bullshit. * It's so very painful to see someone super excited about having just been promoted to low level management by a new executive, too inexperienced to realize they're being set up to take the fall the first time something goes wrong. They're so happy that warning them of what's coming is useless and you have to watch helplessly as the ax inevitably falls and turns their joy into venomous bitterness that sometimes lasts forever. It really hurts.
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Oct 12, 2017 23:52
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Sydin posted:My company re-orgs at least twice a year, I've been bounced between seven different managers in the ~3 or so years I've worked here. Granted that makes me lucky, because at least I'm still around. It's mostly used as a device to get rid of older workers with bigger paychecks. Need to trim some fat out of your department's budget? Just re-org, break up the teams they're on, and inexplicably put them in new departments and teams that have nothing to do with their skillset or experience. Then gush about how it's an "opportunity for growth" when they complain about it, and lay them off next quarter because they got stack ranked at the bottom because they're woefully out of their depth. Yep. It's especially common in jurisdictions where the unemployment compensation law is worker-friendly (i.e. you're on the hook if you fire anyone unless you have mountains of supporting paperwork and the willingness to take them to court to prove willful misconduct), and thus much HR effort is invested in provoking unwanted employees to quit. Either way though, anyone with even a year's experience in any big company should know that when this poo poo happens to you, it's the company's way of letting you know now is the time to start looking for your next job.
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Oct 13, 2017 02:31
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Lord Hamsterbottom posted:A manager in our department has had the idea to buy a bunch of books and have all of the upper management autograph them, then sell them. As far as I can tell she genuinely believes this is something people will buy. Nah. She's kissing executive rear end.
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Oct 16, 2017 19:31
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FrozenVent posted:What's a good way to get yourself out of an unproductive funk? There's no magic way out of this. You might want to give some serious thought to hard questions on whether what you're doing now is really what you want.
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Oct 17, 2017 00:58
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Tnuctip posted:We have the flavia packs at work. I am a spoiled snob and i am used to my two dozen choices. They took away the espresso pods so now i can only have crappy half strength mochas. Pro tip, dont use the mocha packs, half coffee and half hot chocolate. Also for some reason im literally the only person to actually toss the full pack bin instead of leaving it full for the next person. I assume she's driving a company car? Because if they had to pay her mileage a plane ticket would be cheaper
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Oct 17, 2017 13:40
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I definitely wouldn't rule out the possibility that she's on the cut list and they're trying to aggravate her into quitting.
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Oct 17, 2017 14:51
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Tying together coffee chat and hosed up incentives chat: I did a short term gig in a particular department in a smallish company (just barely big enough to have official separate departments with their own VPs but each department was like 10-20 people) where the manager was ordering Folgers coffee through the office supply vendor when the nearby Costco, where they also had an account, sold the identical product for literally half the price. I called this to his attention, and he said, "Yeah, I know." Uh. Well... why are you paying twice as much? "Because last year finance decided employees have to buy their own coffee, and that's bullshit, and [low ranking staff accountant] checks all the Costco receipts whereas no one ever looks at the office supply invoices." Props to him for being a thoughtful boss, I guess, amidst a hosed up company. He was forced out by the new VP two months later and replaced with a crony who not only had no idea what he was doing but was also a colossal rear end in a top hat. Great times.
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Oct 18, 2017 03:00
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Mokelumne Trekka posted:What's the lowest raise you've gotten? Just curious as someone who the other month got less than 3%. Of course context, career, pay rate, etc matters and its probably in the eye of the beholder... Not a white collar situation, it was a retail wage slave but I personally saw someone get a raise of $0.02. Not two percent; two cents. We just implemented wage caps for your job level blah blah blah. As you may have guessed, his boss was eager to see him quit. And he did.
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Oct 20, 2017 02:46
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FAUXTON posted:Now I assumed it was the fault of the old employer, as gross and lovely as they were about things just like that, but is that a thing headhunters do? Just full on lie about a posting? That role was absolutely a specific position and equivalent to a VP, maybe highly placed AVP level. Team lead is, well, a team lead and at that place it meant you were managing entry level people with call center issues. Based on how you describe his competence I'm very skeptical the person you talked to is actually a professional headhunter.
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Oct 20, 2017 02:48
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This is exactly why it's so important to negotiate as much salary as possible when you start a job--IT'S ALL YOU'RE EVER GOING TO GET in that position, most likely. Promises of future increases in wages or benefits are worth less than nothing. When you negotiate your starting salary, do so under the assumption that your salary will slowly go down from there as long as you stay in that position--because it probably will, because raises in most established companies aren't keeping pace with inflation/bills. This is also why it's foolish to expect to stay in any one position longer than about 3 years maximum. The only reliable way to get a raise anymore is to change companies or change positions within a company. Exceptions for small companies/startups of course, but that represents you taking a risk that the company will grow and whoever owns it won't keep all the extra revenue for themselves if it does.
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Oct 20, 2017 14:29
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upsidedown posted:Any advice on recovering from burnout? I would The fourth bullet point on that list is the point at which your employer realized that you will accept an essentially infinite amount of abuse and can be freely taken advantage of. I mean, if your situation is such that your options are (a) continue to bend over for your current employer or (b) be deported back to Australia, and you find option (b) unacceptable, then, well, there's nothing to talk about here. Just be aware that your employer is already prepared to move on from you the instant you try to stand up for yourself. Sorry you're in such a lovely situation, but it sounds like the only cure for your burnout is telling your boss to gently caress off. If your residency in the UK is at your boss's mercy then they have you by the balls and you have no option but to tough it out (preferably while seeking another option, ANY other option, to get away from that toxic company and not lose your residency.) --------------- Addendum for anyone else happening to read this: If you look at the bullet list above in upsidedown's post, take note: Those first five bullet points? Many, MANY companies/bosses pull this exact routine with everyone they hire, to test how much poo poo you're willing to take. If you don't want habitually taken advantage of by your employer, bullet point three ("I get my colleague's work on top of mine") is the point where you need to respond "Unless you're paying me to do two jobs, I ain't doing two jobs, thanks all the same." upsidedown is in a lovely spot where the employer knows they have the employee by the metaphorical balls and is milking that fact for all it's worth. If your employer is well aware that you need them more than they need you, they are going to take full advantage. The first goal of any career plan is reaching the point where, whoever you're trading your time/labor to for money, they need YOU more than you need them. Eric the Mauve fucked around with this message at 03:37 on Oct 22, 2017 |
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Oct 22, 2017 03:32
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but I'm an Australian working in the U.K. and need a company to sponsor my visa.
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It's the same in Nowheresville PA where I live. I've gone in and talked to various managers/franchise operators and it's all the same story: minimum wage has fallen so far below living wage that the bullshit that comes along with those bottom-of-the-barrel jobs isn't worth putting up with. It's the difference between being unemployed and unable to pay bills, and putting up with rude customers, absent/lazy/crazy coworkers, and rear end in a top hat bosses and... still unable to pay bills. Why bother?
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Oct 25, 2017 14:35
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Tnuctip posted:Pro tip for all linkedin users out there: Do not list a PhD from the school of hard knocks on your profile, especially if the time was 14 years. I mean if you were in the clink for 14 years that's not something you'll ever be able to hide from a prospective employer. In fact at least in the US, unfair as it may be, you're pretty near hopeless to ever get meaningfully employed again unless you're spectacularly charismatic and stick to smaller companies. HR departments are far too risk averse to consider hiring a felon, and even if that weren't true you'd still be far behind in experience.
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Oct 27, 2017 21:53
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Dirt Road Junglist posted:Agree. Never having to beg someone for towels to block up a water leak in my server room, and never having a server room full of wasps, are two huge boons to working at a Real Company. And a helpful reminder that small doesn't always = good. The main thing about a small company is that usually it will reflect the personality and acumen of its owner--for better or worse. And worse as often as better. At small businesses you'll find some of the most awesome jobs and some of the most horrifying jobs.
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Nov 1, 2017 23:37
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Mourne posted:Guys! Guys! It's gonna be really funny when you come back after day 2 of the trial all like "OH GOD PLEASE HELP ME HOW DO I GET THE BOREDOM OUT OF MY HEAD!?"
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Nov 4, 2017 00:12
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areyoucontagious posted:Complicating this is the fact that one of my coworkers is on the hiring committee. She is older than I am and has been here for 7+ years. She is missing a degree but also doesn’t want the job. She does however think that I’m too green and so now I’m worried she’s pushing hard against me despite everyone else on the committee thinking I’m a solid pick. It's also possible she favors you but is trying to diplomatically/gently let you know the committee doesn't. Just remember, especially in a big company you're never just interviewing for one specific job. Sometimes you can give a great interview for a job that, as it turns out but you might not know at the time, was already earmarked for someone's nephew/sister-in-law/golfing buddy. Sometimes you're a good candidate but someone else is just flat out better. But if you present yourself well in interviews and any extra-interview conversations you might have with people, the positive impression you leave can create opportunities later. Plus all interview experience is a welcome opportunity to hone your technique!
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Nov 4, 2017 01:21
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FrozenVent posted:There's three guys who share my first name here. Depends which of you get which nicknames
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Nov 9, 2017 15:44
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Look on the sunny side: Had these people shown up they would almost certainly have been a complete waste of your time. It's not always a bad thing when lazy and/or disorganized people self-select themselves out of your candidate pool!
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Nov 9, 2017 20:00
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I was beaten to it, but I expect that big companies in big cities will begin to house their service staff on-site while paying them minimum wage (or possibly less, on the argument that the housing itself constitutes compensation) to bridge the 10-20 year gap between right now and basically all cleaning and minor repair being doable by robots.
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Nov 11, 2017 22:05
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therobit posted:A great way to ensure that they only get fresh college grads with no master's degree and that they all leave after a few years when they want to start a family. Still better than getting no one because they don't pay enough to rent even a lovely little apartment within an hour of the school.
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Nov 12, 2017 00:59
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Is that noticeably different from their general super pissiness about everything?
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Nov 13, 2017 20:30
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Zauper posted:If they're not willing to do that, I'd make them sue me and lose their lawyer money, or agree in writing to pay me ~10% interest on whatever money they had loaned on my behalf, plus the cost of recovering that (e.g. filing cost for taxes/etc). For what it's worth, depending on the jurisdiction, if they successfully sue you they can (and will, if they can) have their legal costs added to the award, turning a four digit mistake on your part into a five digit one. It sucks but honestly, unless you're willing to pay a lawyer a couple hundred bucks for a consult and get a clear picture of what you are and are not legally required to do in your state/province/whatever, the safe thing to do is pay them the gross and file to get back the difference. e: Might want to post the original question in the A/T legal advice thread and see if anyone there is familiar with the jurisdiction in question
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Nov 15, 2017 22:05
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Basically everyone older than about 40 (if they didn't work for a megacorp) or about 55 (even if they did) doesn't understand that all staffing runs through HR in the modern business world. I mean if you're applying at a very small business that only has one location then cold calling in person might have a prayer of working (except that even then, when the owner of such a business has a hiring need they generally hire someone they know). But any business big enough to have more than one HR person, you're just going to annoy people who don't actually have hiring authority anyway. e: Only once in my life did I ever get a job from an ad in the paper, and it was the worst job I ever had. Even my first job at 17 at a convenience store I got through a connection. In 2017, lots of jobs at all levels get publicly posted but 98% of them still go to someone who has a connection to the hiring manager or HR person in question. Eric the Mauve fucked around with this message at 22:48 on Nov 16, 2017 |
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Nov 16, 2017 22:45
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lol, that's the way all companies work. Just most of them would never actually admit it to applicants. e: as well they shouldn't, because if the director's crony/crony's kid is male and/or white it can get the company in a shitload of expensive trouble Eric the Mauve fucked around with this message at 20:23 on Nov 17, 2017 |
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Nov 17, 2017 20:21
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Being a likeable person that people enjoy being around is extremely important to career advancement, and having a positive rather than negative attitude is extremely important to people enjoying being around you.
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Nov 20, 2017 22:42
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CitizenKain posted:The true secret is to be miserable inside, but on the outside be likable and approachable. Yeah, your company won't be keeping that guy. Nothing for them to do but tender him an offer as a formality that he will certainly decline and move on to looking for someone dumb/unaware enough to be willing to work for less than they're worth.
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Nov 21, 2017 04:32
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Shrieking Muppet posted:I don't think management Seriously, the management selection and promotion process actively and aggressively selects against self reflection.
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Nov 30, 2017 16:21
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Welcome to the 21st century workforce, comrade!
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Dec 1, 2017 23:40
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Combining departments is preparation for layoffs, there is nowhere else that ever leads.
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Dec 2, 2017 03:29
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Suddenly coming face-to-face with the reality that your employer now considers you irrelevant always hurts real bad. You should explore the option of following the example of countless sufficiently experienced government employees and switch to Just Cashin' Checks Mode, either indefinitely or while you look for a better job.
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Dec 5, 2017 17:31
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Look, all they want--all they need, the way humans need oxygen--is numbers on their spreadsheet. They know nowhere near enough about the underlying data to have any idea whether the numbers you put on their precious are accurate. They'll just assume they are, hum happily along, and blame you if anything goes wrong later (and fun fact: even if the numbers ARE accurate, they'll STILL blame you if anything goes wrong later!) I'm not saying you should just make poo poo up. I'd never recommend such a thing. If you DID just make poo poo up there's no way the Big Boss could ever tell the difference, is all I'm saying.
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Dec 7, 2017 15:34
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FAUXTON posted:I applied for two positions (one is better than the other in basically every way, but the other is a gimme and something my bosses had straight up asked me to apply for) and I just found out that I'm heavily favored in both. I've been open with both managers about applying for both, but was mainly expecting the better role to be a harder walk than it's turning out to be, and didn't really expect to be on top of the short list so much as getting my name in the file for the next go-around Turning down the better position out of a misguided sense of loyalty to your employer is something you'll look back on as one of the biggest mistakes you ever made in your life. In fact I don't know all the office politics but unless the people running your current department are complete morons they MUST be working behind the scenes to prevent you from getting the better job.
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Dec 14, 2017 03:36
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:But this just reinforces bullshit. If that supervisor was doing something nice because they are good, and they care, they're not going to survive long in the corporate world. Very sad but very true
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Dec 16, 2017 23:49
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Higgy posted:You could’ve just told the actual story of the thing in your first post about it. On the other hand, it's amazing how many times I've sent someone a ~2 paragraph email detailing exactly what I need, only to have it ignored or get the wrong thing done, then the other person is like "oh your email was too long so I didn't really read it". I've worked for two particular, different people that immediately spring to mind who basically had an "if you email me and it's more than 3 lines long I am not going to read it" policy.
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Dec 22, 2017 18:19
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Higgy posted:Oh my god, this just made my eye twitch. The honest reality is that lazy people will always come up with some excuse that makes it someone else's fault they don't do any work.
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Dec 22, 2017 19:05
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A stranger calling or visiting and using my name 3 times in 15 seconds is one of the two failproof identifiers of a salesperson who sucks at their job. The other is calling me and opening with "How are you?" The impulse to ridicule them is always strong, but I don't want to risk accidentally alerting them that they suck at sales and provoking them to get better at it. It's a huge timesaver when someone tips you off three seconds into the interaction that they're about to try to sell you something you don't want.
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Dec 23, 2017 02:35
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I eat alone all the time and it's great.
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Dec 23, 2017 15:44
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Golden Bee posted:Looking to get more contracts for web development this year, what’s the secret process for larger companies? Every time I’ve pulled a big contract it’s because of a personal or at least college relationship. (Very rarely, their leads from people on my staff of previously worked for, but they are never large enough to support even a small project team.) The answer to the question you're really asking is: no, sorry, there really is no way to advance in the corporate world besides the three most important things: connections, connections, connections.
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Jan 1, 2018 23:20
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Unless it's at a really small business/startup nobody who gets above middle management ever starts at entry level. Entry level is for poors and a sky high brick wall separates it from management. "Paying your dues" is bullshit that in my experience is actually peddled less by management and more by the entry level people who have been there for 12 years as an excuse for being dicks to newly hired entry level people, which is their only fleeting joy in life
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Jan 2, 2018 16:25
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Ahh, the endless power of marketing
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Jan 5, 2018 00:49
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