(no subject)
Jan. 18th, 2010 11:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogWe have a tech in this office who's continually having to work after hours, on weekends, and before opening. He's basically perpetually on call for the execs here. On top of that, he still has to be 'on queue' every third day, taking incoming tickets to work on between getting calls at ten at night to reset passwords or having to be in downtown Chicago at six in the morning to set up a video conference. He's also been told that he's not eligible for overtime pay. The whole group of us used to be exempt employees, but I'm not anymore, so I'm not sure why he is. That seems fishy.
At the same time I got my new title, he talked to our manager about the absurd amount of stuff he does around here. Our manager agreed to take him off the queue and have him only work supporting the execs (which is what he was told he'd be doing anyway when he first came to this office after taking a pay-cut to stay on when the old office closed), but that he needs to make sure he logs tickets for every individual request for help.
He's worried about this. His concern is that the execs, and our CEO in particular, cut enough corners and do enough circumventing policy, that if he logs everything they have him do, he's going to get in trouble with them.
I can't even express how not ok that is. I think he may be worrying too much. On the other hand, I haven't worked directly with the execs the way he has. And he's not just idly worried; he's actively afraid that, if he starts logging everything they have him do, he could get in trouble or lose his job.
I've seen criticism from inside this company to the effect that, though we're a middling-to-large corporation, we're still run like a mom & pop shop. This is another example of the truth of that observation. This is a really crappy place to work.
I'm going to write an introduction letter to the electrician apprenticeship instructor at Gateway today. I've been debating between an email and a phone call and haven't contacted him yet because I'm not sure which would be better. Phones make me nervous, and in an email I can describe why I'm interested in the program and ask about a time to talk to him in person. I hope that's ok.
---------
I spent a while last night, after working with the framing stuff, trimming my hair while listening to a talk on human uniqueness from TED. There's a ton of good stuff on that site. The speaker was a professor of neurobiology at Stanford who had this awesome full beard and curly hair down to his shoulders. Among many other things, he talked about a troop of chimps who, due to human activity, had suffered the death of all of the more aggressive males of the troop. As a result, the remaining, more passive males, had begun grooming each other, which is an activity that no chimps in the wild do. They are always competing for standing, not being gentle with each other. Even better, adolescent males who join the troop have learned this behaviour from the existing males and will begin the same grooming behaviour. They are transmitting culture! That's so neat!
My hair looks better, though it still needs a little work. The gray in it is starting to be just a little bit noticeable in the right light I think. I like that.
----------
And eeeeewwww grody laptops!!!
At the same time I got my new title, he talked to our manager about the absurd amount of stuff he does around here. Our manager agreed to take him off the queue and have him only work supporting the execs (which is what he was told he'd be doing anyway when he first came to this office after taking a pay-cut to stay on when the old office closed), but that he needs to make sure he logs tickets for every individual request for help.
He's worried about this. His concern is that the execs, and our CEO in particular, cut enough corners and do enough circumventing policy, that if he logs everything they have him do, he's going to get in trouble with them.
I can't even express how not ok that is. I think he may be worrying too much. On the other hand, I haven't worked directly with the execs the way he has. And he's not just idly worried; he's actively afraid that, if he starts logging everything they have him do, he could get in trouble or lose his job.
I've seen criticism from inside this company to the effect that, though we're a middling-to-large corporation, we're still run like a mom & pop shop. This is another example of the truth of that observation. This is a really crappy place to work.
I'm going to write an introduction letter to the electrician apprenticeship instructor at Gateway today. I've been debating between an email and a phone call and haven't contacted him yet because I'm not sure which would be better. Phones make me nervous, and in an email I can describe why I'm interested in the program and ask about a time to talk to him in person. I hope that's ok.
---------
I spent a while last night, after working with the framing stuff, trimming my hair while listening to a talk on human uniqueness from TED. There's a ton of good stuff on that site. The speaker was a professor of neurobiology at Stanford who had this awesome full beard and curly hair down to his shoulders. Among many other things, he talked about a troop of chimps who, due to human activity, had suffered the death of all of the more aggressive males of the troop. As a result, the remaining, more passive males, had begun grooming each other, which is an activity that no chimps in the wild do. They are always competing for standing, not being gentle with each other. Even better, adolescent males who join the troop have learned this behaviour from the existing males and will begin the same grooming behaviour. They are transmitting culture! That's so neat!
My hair looks better, though it still needs a little work. The gray in it is starting to be just a little bit noticeable in the right light I think. I like that.
----------
And eeeeewwww grody laptops!!!
