Workplace Gripes – Vent Here! ! (or just share workplace stories)

[katyseagull]

Are coworkers or office politics driving you nuts? Any good stories? Talk to me people! (And feel free to offer your thoughts on the failures of management and business development. I’ve got lots of questions about those.)


I’ll start with two burning questions I’ve had for a couple years now –


1. Why do companies expand their staff on the idea that they MIGHT get some new contracts? This seems to go against common sense to me. I would think you would keep a small staff until you were awarded the contracts, then move quickly to hire people after the fact. Anyone else experience this in their companies?

Our company keeps adding to its staff when we already have more than enough workers to do the job. Three of my friends have confided in me that they often have nothing to do. Like absolutely NOTHING to do and nothing to put on their timesheets. They are a little ticked about the new hires. Any business planners or bosses out there want to try to explain this strategy?


2. Changing topics, what’s the point of the performance review (or staff appraisals)? A lawyer friend of mine once told me that they can fire you at any time they want, and they don’t need to justify cause. He said that having a history of good performance reviews is pretty meaningless in the end. Does anyone else find the process a total waste of time?

[VoraciousReader]

2. In most states they CAN fire you any time they want for any reason. But they do have to pay unemployment unless they can show that they fired you for "cause", at least in Missouri.

Also, I'm a fan of the "performance review" because that's usually when they give me a raise. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I probably shouldn't vent because I'm supremely unhappy in my job at the moment and the post would probably turn into an encyclopedia of gripes.

[diebitter]

[ QUOTE ]
... and the post would probably turn into an encyclopedia of gripes.

[/ QUOTE ]

i wanna hear them.

I work for myself now, but the last time I worked for the man, I just refused to do performance review. They said there'd be no chance of a raise. Seemed like a good deal to me, given the lousy raises they gave.

Also: perf review is just a sheet they'll use to justify layoffs or no raises, especially peer review, so be very careful what you say about colleagues. One little comment like 'he's late back from lunch sometimes' can turn into 'your coworkers have been complaining you're not pulling your weight. YOU'RE FIRED!'

I'm not kidding.

I thank my stars I have none of that nonsense any more.

[diebitter]

same company

I became 'team leader' for 30-40 developers, and a few weeks in, got called to a review board about a 45-day project I'd been handed cold about 35 days into it, to justify why it had run to 48.5 days.

Tough, tough bosses. REAL a-holes.


"So, WHY IS THIS PROJECT 3.5 DAYS OVER?" his majesty bellows (my direct line manager).

"Well", I says, "it appears it was approved without a suitable component for project management, which is usually a standard 10%. If you add that at 4.5 days, you'll find it's actually a day under budget."


"Hmmmm," says direct line manager, Mr X.

"And who approved it?" says bigger boss.

"Mr. X", I say, gesturing to my direct line manager.

ZIIIIING!

[katyseagull]

[ QUOTE ]

I work for myself now, but the last time I worked for the man, I just refused to do performance review. They said there'd be no chance of a raise. Seemed like a good deal to me, given the lousy raises they gave.


[/ QUOTE ]

haha! I hear you diebitter. This sounds like something I would pull, tell my employer that I refuse to do reviews. Given my teeny tiny raises it might be a fair tradeoff. In fact, I think I did that very thing years ago when I graduated college. It was a job I knew I would only be holding for like a year and I wasn't anticipating a raise anyway.

I once told a prospective employer that I do not like meetings and pretty much refuse to attend staff meetings. (I told him this before I accepted his offer.) He thought I was a hoot and laughed. But I got my way. I was sort of selling myself as a contractor. Of course these days I wouldn't have the nerve to try that. And I SO HATE staff meetings. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]


[ QUOTE ]


Also: perf review is just a sheet they'll use to justify layoffs or no raises, especially peer review, so be very careful what you say about colleagues. One little comment like 'he's late back from lunch sometimes' can turn into 'your coworkers have been complaining you're not pulling your weight. YOU'RE FIRED!'

I'm not kidding.

I thank my stars I have none of that nonsense any more.

[/ QUOTE ]


Ugh, I cringe when they ask us to do peer reviews. Who came up with that crap? I'm no more qualified to judge my peers than they are to judge me. I only want my managers judging my work. I HATE the old peer review process, like when I go out of my way to be complimentary and emphasize my buddies' strengths only to find out that they've decided to be painfully honest about my tardiness. I mean what the hell? Sheesh.

[katyseagull]

[ QUOTE ]
2. In most states they CAN fire you any time they want for any reason. But they do have to pay unemployment unless they can show that they fired you for "cause", at least in Missouri.

Also, I'm a fan of the "performance review" because that's usually when they give me a raise. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I probably shouldn't vent because I'm supremely unhappy in my job at the moment and the post would probably turn into an encyclopedia of gripes.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know much about how this unemployment stuff works. If they fire you then you're not eligible for unemployment, is that what you're saying? And they wouldn't fire you unless they have documented cause? So would you say that a performance review is more for the employer's benefit or is it a favor they are doing for us employees?


p.s. VR, you must share at least one of your gripes with us. Please? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Zurvan]

This thread came at the perfect time. My wife is tired of listening to me complain about the same thing all the time.

Some background: I'm a programmer in a market research company. When we do surveys, "open-end" responses (ie, What do you like about the product) have to be "coded" so that we can report results. Programming sets surveys up, and produces the final results. Coding happens in between those two processes. We have project coordinators, that work with all operations departments to manage deadlines, coordinate efforts, etc.

Now, the gripe: Every day, for the past two weeks I've gotten a phone call from one or both of the same two project coordinators asking me about a process around coding and internet surveys. It's a simple question, with a simple answer, and the process has been in place for two years. Why are we paying these people so much money to coordinate things when they can't even remember a simple, basic process that happens on EVERY project?

It's a big problem around here... programming is involved in pretty much every stage of projects. So, we get people asking us abotu every stage of a project, even if it has nothing to do with our job. Our project directors (the actual market researchers) require graduate degrees to even get an interview. Many of them have phd's, and 20+ years experience. Their bonuses are bigger than my annual salary. And they call me to ask how to do their job.

It's incredibly frustrating, because after they waste hours of my time doing their job, they complain that I'm late doing mine.

Which brings up giant bitch #2: If there's delays in any stage of a project outside of programming, they get extensions, etc. Programming time lines are set in stone. If I'm supposed to have a survey ready for interviewing on Monday, and I receive it 3 days late - too bad. It has to happen on Monday. I'm constantly working overtime to make up for other departments being late. And they are never held responsible - it always comes down on us.

[katyseagull]

[ QUOTE ]
Why are we paying these people so much money to coordinate things when they can't even remember a simple, basic process that happens on EVERY project?



[/ QUOTE ]


So, could the coordinators be eliminated do you think? Do they actually serve a purpose? I have often wondered if phase managers and project coordinators are even necessary. I wonder if there is too much redundancy (as they called it on The Office) in American businesses as it seems to me that it is often the programmers, techinicians and engineers who are explaining things every step of the way and pretty much making sure that the job gets done correctly. (From my own personal observations [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img])

[Zurvan]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why are we paying these people so much money to coordinate things when they can't even remember a simple, basic process that happens on EVERY project?



[/ QUOTE ]


So, could the coordinators be eliminated do you think? Do they actually serve a purpose? I have often wondered if phase managers and project coordinators are even necessary. I wonder if there is too much redundancy (as they called it on The Office) in American businesses as it seems to me that it is often the programmers, techinicians and engineers who are explaining things every step of the way and pretty much making sure that the job gets done correctly. (From my own personal observations [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img])

[/ QUOTE ]

They do serve purpose here. There's a couple of good ones, and there is a very obvious difference between studies managed by a good one, and a bad one.

Obviously, the key to any sort of coordination position is a basic understanding of the process and life cycle of a project. I know that some of them can't be bothered to learn it, because they can just ask someone else.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
This thread came at the perfect time. My wife is tired of listening to me complain about the same thing all the time.

Some background: I'm a programmer in a market research company. When we do surveys, "open-end" responses (ie, What do you like about the product) have to be "coded" so that we can report results. Programming sets surveys up, and produces the final results. Coding happens in between those two processes. We have project coordinators, that work with all operations departments to manage deadlines, coordinate efforts, etc.

Now, the gripe: Every day, for the past two weeks I've gotten a phone call from one or both of the same two project coordinators asking me about a process around coding and internet surveys. It's a simple question, with a simple answer, and the process has been in place for two years. Why are we paying these people so much money to coordinate things when they can't even remember a simple, basic process that happens on EVERY project?

It's a big problem around here... programming is involved in pretty much every stage of projects. So, we get people asking us abotu every stage of a project, even if it has nothing to do with our job. Our project directors (the actual market researchers) require graduate degrees to even get an interview. Many of them have phd's, and 20+ years experience. Their bonuses are bigger than my annual salary. And they call me to ask how to do their job.

It's incredibly frustrating, because after they waste hours of my time doing their job, they complain that I'm late doing mine.

Which brings up giant bitch #2: If there's delays in any stage of a project outside of programming, they get extensions, etc. Programming time lines are set in stone. If I'm supposed to have a survey ready for interviewing on Monday, and I receive it 3 days late - too bad. It has to happen on Monday. I'm constantly working overtime to make up for other departments being late. And they are never held responsible - it always comes down on us.

[/ QUOTE ]

Awesome post. I've been in this situation many times.

What makes it even worse is when you get some sly douchebag who KNOWS you will take over some of his work, so even goes out soliciting more work for "him" to do, so he can take all the credit and just pass it on to you. Worse yet, if it's just too much, he'll try to blame that on your not doing the work rather than him both overscheduling himself and you -- and then copping out on his own part to boot.

The only way I've found to deal with this kind of thing is to document what you're doing in memos and ask others what to do so that you can stick to a project and get it done. Especially useful when it's someone higher up than the douchebag and the douchebag is trying to horn in on time you needed to spend on the higher-up's project. Then the higher-up realizes he has to protect his ability to get his own projects done, and sets people straight. The "it's out of my hands" response as to what you can do, and the "The Boss" response when asked "Who authorized you to do that" can be delightful and a sorely needed comeuppance to weasels trying to throw their weight around and curry unearned favor.