Hokey's Work Rant!

[HokeyReligions]

It's been one of those days for about two months now!

 

I work for a large engineering firm. I am on a deep-water project that is transitioning from greenfield to brownfield (construction to production basically for those who are not familiar). We have been DMOBing for a while and I now have only 2 people working for me.

 

We are also moving to a new building at the end of the month. With that comes archiving of the files. Typically, archiving is part of the administrative costs of the project and is billed with the project. We have done a lot of this during the course of the project, but most had to wait until brownfield.

 

Our client has decided that they don't want to pay for the archiving. I have had three people working on this (overtime) to get it done before the move. We are about 40% complete and really only need one more Saturday. Now I'm told that the client will not pay any more OT and they won't pay for archiving. My girls know this and one said she'd only put down 3 hours for Saturday because she doesn't want to get in trouble. I told her that she wouldn't - I authorized the hours and if anyone says anything about it to her to tell them to see me. She is so sweet - she said she didn't want to get me in trouble either and I told her that it was my job and that I wouldn't be in trouble and can handle it. I'm not going to ask anyone to work for nothing, and legally I couldn't do that anyway!

 

We want to please the client, but the expectations are that we can maintain our productivity and deadlines AND archive AND pack for the move during the regular 40 hour week. I have been in budget meetings and scheduling meetings all week for the last two weeks and on and off for the last two months.

 

My own manager is so fed up with this client representative! She knows I have bent over backwards for this guy and that I have our company and myself covered, but I'm still caught in the middle.

 

By noon on Friday I will have 60 hours for the week just for my hours! I was handed a new phase a couple of days ago and before I hand that off to anyone I have to understand it and know how to do the work myself.

Crappy supervisor I would be if I just handed work to others that I didn't know. So, I had some questions on it. It's similar to work we've done before - we use the same tools. During my questions, I was questioned on a process and when we discussed it, the client rep pointed out a different way to do it. A way that would (could have) saved a few hundred hours over the last year. I asked why he didn't tell anyone that before (not in a nasty way) because I knew he would turn that on my company.

 

[side note] Our client hired this other firm to manage the transition and handover to the client. This other firm has been trying to make my company look like idiots because the other firm is actually a competitor wannabe - they are bulding their company on the backs of others like my company. So the client rep is sorta the enemy here!

 

Anyway, he came back with the comment I knew he wanted to say before I beat him to the punch and talked smack about my company not having done it right all along. Well, I wasn't in on it from the beginning and only when I was given this task did I ask and give enough information to really communicate. Great, his way is working and we are saving some time now.

 

But I've had to put up with this a lot since last October when I took this new role as a team leader for the transition and brownfield.

 

Now I'm getting calls and visits from my manger, her boss, my project managers, and other higher-ups in the company. I am dealing with it at work, but I'm so tired and stressed at the end of the day I can't wind down anymore.

 

PLUS, while all of this is going on, I am supposed to be preparing a presentation to give on April 8th to my entire department for our annual group meeting. I dont have a problem giving a presentation in front of a crowd - if I know what I'm talking about and have rehearsed it at least once!

 

My department is spread over many projects, in many buildings, and includes people at all levels. The GM of the company and the HR director will stop in for this too. I have not had time to work on it so I probably will go up on Saturday and work on this on my own time. *sigh*

 

 

And today I had to have a talk with one of my girls - who is fairly new - about her productivity. She should be faster by now and isn't because she's always on the phone or has someone sitting in her cubicle. I had to warn her that there could be cut-backs and that she needs to focus. I give her work and set deadlines and then follow-up and unless I sit over her shoulder she won't come ask me questions - so when I do get down there to check on her progress she is no where near where she should be. She's not stupid, she's young and inexperienced and its just a job to her. It is the client that is noticing and has told me that he will step in if I can't handle it. Oi! Anyone who isn't and aspires to supervise others - be prepared! She's not someone I hired (oh no - the one's I hired are now on other projects and doing great).

 

Plus, plus - the other girl I have working for me I've known for a while (I didn't hire her either, she's been w/ the company longer than I have) is a paranoid hypochrondriac who can't take any kind of instruction without taking it as a personal slam. She actually left this project for a few months last year and worked with a girl she absolutly hates so she begged to come back. She was brought back for a special project and shortly after that - who comes to the project? The girl I just talked about above! So I have one paranoid woman who hates the new girl, who is capable of listening and learning and applying herself (when she stays focused) and miss paranoia who spends most of her time complaining to anyone who will listen! She leaves the project at the end of the month (won't move with us) and now she frets to everyone that she's worried about keeping her job. She will - she can do some work, as long as she never has to make a decision and is just given basic instructions to follow so she never has to deviate. She should have "I'm just doing what I was told to do" tattoed on her forehead! Of course, she complains that she's never given any other work to do or a chance to progress. She had the same chances I had. She's even told me she was really upset that I have been promoted twice over her and I haven't been there as long. I even tasked her with getting an equipment count and listing the equipment numbers for the move when she asked for more responsibility and I even created a spreadsheet for her to just fill in the blanks. When I gave it to her she got mad and said "How am I supposed to know what equipment to list" so I told her to just count the bookcases in each office and the file room and common areas - I even listed room numbers and she had to do that 3 times because she came up with a different count each time!

ARRUUGGHH!

 

OK, sorry its so long. I needed to vent. Whoever thinks supervisors have it made are nuts!

[quankanne]

damn, hokey, it sounds like your company hired Underlings from Inept-land!

 

maybe it's time to call everyone to a meeting and lay it on the line: That you're under a time crunch because of these different projects, that from here on out, you expect everyone to operate efficiently and and in a timely manner to meet the goals because you cannot handle much more of what's taking place now. Then be specific with the two girls you mentioned, and let them know the company has a hell of a lot riding on them right now, so they need to put aside any personal hang-ups and just get the damned job done because they are professionals. That you dont have the time or energy for any more crap.

 

frankly, if I were the company head, I'd tell the client to shove it up his *ss. That if they expect the end product they've contracted you for, and they withheld certain information/strategies to help you perform at an optimal level, then they certainly can afford to pay overtime for THEIR gaffe ...

 

shxt, makes my rant of pissing away $70 on a criminal background check and getting unsatisfactory answers seem really trite.

 

I'm pulling for you Hoke ...

[HokeyReligions]

Thanks Quank.

 

We will get it sorted out I guess. I've had meeting after meeting with my team, complete with threats and praises when they do do something right. I'm just tired of it.

 

I asked my boss for a raise yesterday. I should have received one when I accepted this new responsibility (I pretty much had no choice but to accept it because it snowballed onto my shoulders) and she actually laughed at me!

 

Today wasn't that great - I know that they give raises outside of annual reviewes whenever someones scope of work and responsibility dramatically changes. My boss laughed and told me to wait and have a review first (in July) then we'd discuss it.

 

I told her today that I was hurt at her response and that I know raises can be granted outside of the review cycle and that my good work has earned an increase. She has not got back to me yet.

 

I put out some feelers for other jobs because I halfway expect her to tell me that if I'm not satisfied I can leave. I hate to do it, but if I have other options it won't be so bad. I can't see her really doing it, because (and I may sound boastful) but I'm one of their best, most dependable employees.

 

Well, we shall see. I can make more money if I go contract. I just happen to like where I am.

[Max Overclock]

awwe Hokey...

 

I bet you are one of their best! I hope that if you don't get the extra $$$, that options present themselves that are even better than what ya have now.

 

Unfortunately (and this goes against the way I think we were raised), sometimes the only solution is to "vote with our feet."

 

Keep us appraised of how things go.

 

Max

[Sweetlarry]

Take the dominant personality life approach.

 

Lay the facts out to the client, short of any weaknesses you may have on your end. Tell the client what will and wont be tolerated. The idea is to prepare yourself to tell em' to shove it.

 

If they do (shove it and leave), then you get the satisfaction of relieving yourself from that situation, while making to the client a point.

 

If they don't, then you get the satisfaction of knowing that they know where you firmly stand, while making a point to the client.

Edited March 7, 2008 by a LoveShack.org Moderator
External Link Removed

[melnmojave]

 

quit yer whining - it JUST A JOB! if you really hate it you can get another one - just keep in mind, they all suck!

 

 

 

It's been one of those days for about two months now!

 

I work for a large engineering firm. I am on a deep-water project that is transitioning from greenfield to brownfield (construction to production basically for those who are not familiar). We have been DMOBing for a while and I now have only 2 people working for me.

 

We are also moving to a new building at the end of the month. With that comes archiving of the files. Typically, archiving is part of the administrative costs of the project and is billed with the project. We have done a lot of this during the course of the project, but most had to wait until brownfield.

 

Our client has decided that they don't want to pay for the archiving. I have had three people working on this (overtime) to get it done before the move. We are about 40% complete and really only need one more Saturday. Now I'm told that the client will not pay any more OT and they won't pay for archiving. My girls know this and one said she'd only put down 3 hours for Saturday because she doesn't want to get in trouble. I told her that she wouldn't - I authorized the hours and if anyone says anything about it to her to tell them to see me. She is so sweet - she said she didn't want to get me in trouble either and I told her that it was my job and that I wouldn't be in trouble and can handle it. I'm not going to ask anyone to work for nothing, and legally I couldn't do that anyway!

 

We want to please the client, but the expectations are that we can maintain our productivity and deadlines AND archive AND pack for the move during the regular 40 hour week. I have been in budget meetings and scheduling meetings all week for the last two weeks and on and off for the last two months.

 

My own manager is so fed up with this client representative! She knows I have bent over backwards for this guy and that I have our company and myself covered, but I'm still caught in the middle.

 

By noon on Friday I will have 60 hours for the week just for my hours! I was handed a new phase a couple of days ago and before I hand that off to anyone I have to understand it and know how to do the work myself.

Crappy supervisor I would be if I just handed work to others that I didn't know. So, I had some questions on it. It's similar to work we've done before - we use the same tools. During my questions, I was questioned on a process and when we discussed it, the client rep pointed out a different way to do it. A way that would (could have) saved a few hundred hours over the last year. I asked why he didn't tell anyone that before (not in a nasty way) because I knew he would turn that on my company.

 

[side note] Our client hired this other firm to manage the transition and handover to the client. This other firm has been trying to make my company look like idiots because the other firm is actually a competitor wannabe - they are bulding their company on the backs of others like my company. So the client rep is sorta the enemy here!

 

Anyway, he came back with the comment I knew he wanted to say before I beat him to the punch and talked smack about my company not having done it right all along. Well, I wasn't in on it from the beginning and only when I was given this task did I ask and give enough information to really communicate. Great, his way is working and we are saving some time now.

 

But I've had to put up with this a lot since last October when I took this new role as a team leader for the transition and brownfield.

 

Now I'm getting calls and visits from my manger, her boss, my project managers, and other higher-ups in the company. I am dealing with it at work, but I'm so tired and stressed at the end of the day I can't wind down anymore.

 

PLUS, while all of this is going on, I am supposed to be preparing a presentation to give on April 8th to my entire department for our annual group meeting. I dont have a problem giving a presentation in front of a crowd - if I know what I'm talking about and have rehearsed it at least once!

 

My department is spread over many projects, in many buildings, and includes people at all levels. The GM of the company and the HR director will stop in for this too. I have not had time to work on it so I probably will go up on Saturday and work on this on my own time. *sigh*

 

 

And today I had to have a talk with one of my girls - who is fairly new - about her productivity. She should be faster by now and isn't because she's always on the phone or has someone sitting in her cubicle. I had to warn her that there could be cut-backs and that she needs to focus. I give her work and set deadlines and then follow-up and unless I sit over her shoulder she won't come ask me questions - so when I do get down there to check on her progress she is no where near where she should be. She's not stupid, she's young and inexperienced and its just a job to her. It is the client that is noticing and has told me that he will step in if I can't handle it. Oi! Anyone who isn't and aspires to supervise others - be prepared! She's not someone I hired (oh no - the one's I hired are now on other projects and doing great).

 

Plus, plus - the other girl I have working for me I've known for a while (I didn't hire her either, she's been w/ the company longer than I have) is a paranoid hypochrondriac who can't take any kind of instruction without taking it as a personal slam. She actually left this project for a few months last year and worked with a girl she absolutly hates so she begged to come back. She was brought back for a special project and shortly after that - who comes to the project? The girl I just talked about above! So I have one paranoid woman who hates the new girl, who is capable of listening and learning and applying herself (when she stays focused) and miss paranoia who spends most of her time complaining to anyone who will listen! She leaves the project at the end of the month (won't move with us) and now she frets to everyone that she's worried about keeping her job. She will - she can do some work, as long as she never has to make a decision and is just given basic instructions to follow so she never has to deviate. She should have "I'm just doing what I was told to do" tattoed on her forehead! Of course, she complains that she's never given any other work to do or a chance to progress. She had the same chances I had. She's even told me she was really upset that I have been promoted twice over her and I haven't been there as long. I even tasked her with getting an equipment count and listing the equipment numbers for the move when she asked for more responsibility and I even created a spreadsheet for her to just fill in the blanks. When I gave it to her she got mad and said "How am I supposed to know what equipment to list" so I told her to just count the bookcases in each office and the file room and common areas - I even listed room numbers and she had to do that 3 times because she came up with a different count each time!

ARRUUGGHH!

 

OK, sorry its so long. I needed to vent. Whoever thinks supervisors have it made are nuts!

[HokeyReligions]

Everyone is allowed a rant for petes sake! No, its not just a job. I have a career for which I have worked very hard - which is why I am a valuable asset and not just an employee.

Edited March 15, 2008 by a LoveShack.org Moderator

[melnmojave]

I am also a professional with a career - I try to leave my job at the office (sometimes impossible). We are what we do. And irritating and ridiculous things at work can cause serious heartburn.

 

Just keep in mind it's all part of the game - as long as you are doing all that you can, everyone who is important will see it.

 

I do alot of contract oversight - so you are on the other side of the fence from me. One thing I can say, as sucky as the folks that you are dealing with may be, they also represent future contracts. When we choose contractors - we consider more than work product. The most important thing to us is the working relationship - we can affect the quality and bring it to the level we need. What we need is a responsive consultant with a great attitude.

 

We don't expect them to work for free though - and we make adjustments where needed to get the job done. they just have to present a compelling argument why something should be done another way......

 

I dunno.....sounds like you don't have support from higher up?