Management Expectations

[NW-Bound]

Yes, it's 109F here in the shade. But that's not where I am.


I am inside, surfing the Web in comfort at 80F, ranting about the misuse of "it's" in one window, while keeping the other eye on the Quicken screen. I am chillin'.


Life is good (even if you are surrounded with dyslexics ) when you have money. I love money (but everybody here knows that already).

 

[38Chevy454]

It's not OK. I shall not chill. Revenge is what I have in mind for people who have tormented me with that word "it's".

Sounds like a capitol offense! I do not want to see the affects of that!

I better duck now.....

 

[eytonxav]

One of these days, when I cannot contain myself anymore, I will go on a rampage!

Perhaps it's time for a visit with Dr. Phil

 

[NW-Bound]

Who is Dr. Phil, and how do I get a sample of his writings for screening?

 

[Lisa99]

This forum never fails to amuse.

A fairly simple philosophical question has devolved to Larry, Curly and Moe

 

[NW-Bound]

See what happens when people have too much time on their hands, instead of being productive in a job somewhere? Aren't we exemplary retirees or what?

 

[MichaelB]

See what happens when people have too much time on their hands, instead of being productive in a job somewhere? Aren't we exemplary retirees or what?

Uh, I'll go with "or what".

 

[Lisa99]

I'm employed but apparently have too much time on my hands cause I'm reading this forum.

I'm in one of those valleys currently where I'm just counting the days until retirement. Took one boss change to make an enjoyable job pure h*ll.

On the bright side, I joined this forum in August 2010 and had a long 6 years before retirement. Down to two years and a couple of months... time sure is flying.

 

[steelyman]

Uh, I'll go with "or what".

We could start a band called "The Whats?".

 

[NW-Bound]

No, you are supposed to ask me to define what an "exemplary retiree" is or does. Then, you would call my bluff!

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Sounds pretty much like my w*rkplace. I never heard it in so many words, but the message from management is, "We had an employee who made a mistake once. He doesn't work here any more."

 

[ERD50]

I have read several bloggers who knew the difference between they're, there, and their, but still wrote it's instead of its. ARGHHHH!!!!!

I think I have caught William Bernstein (the author of The Four Pillars of Investing) once. ARGHHHH!!!!

I CAN'T STAND IT ANY MORE.

I have had to admit that I am terrible with possessives (possessive's?) OK, not that bad, but embarrassingly bad. I just have a mental block, I get lost in the excessive exceptions and illogical irregularities (and I love abundant alliteration).

But "it's" versus "its" is easy, even for me - it just takes a little attention. "Its" is possessive, only because "it's" means "it is". And that's (that is) all there is to it.

So yes, even I think people should get it right, along with they're, their, there. They're not that hard, I don't know what to think of the people who get it wrong, maybe English was not their first language, perhaps their home country is over there, across the ocean?

edit/add - I'm sure I've done it wrong from time to time, but not from a lack of understanding. Either a simple typo, ar maybe re-arranging the sentence as I type, and forgetting to change that word. Like editing from " It's their responsibility ..." to " They're responsible ..." .

-ERD50

 

[MichaelB]

No, you are supposed to ask me to define what an "exemplary retiree" is or does. Then, you would call my bluff!

OK, I'll bite. Whats a exemplary retiree?
As for that last part, what would I call it?

 

[steelyman]

Who's in the band? I'll be "Frankie What".

 

[ERD50]

No, you are supposed to ask me to define what an "exemplary retiree" is or does. Then, you would call my bluff!

Reminds me of the Dilbert carton - something along the lines of Dilbert quoting form the company report about how they have exceptional employees, and this is the key to their success. But Dilbert points out that at salary time, they say that their pay is 'competitive' with other companies. Shouldn't they be paying 'exceptional' salaries for all these exceptional people?

-ERD50

 

[NW-Bound]

They're not that hard, I don't know what to think of the people who get it wrong, maybe English was not their first language, perhaps their home country is over there, across the ocean?

-ERD50

No! English is not my mother tongue, and I've got my "it's" and "its" figured out long ago and remembered since the age of 12 (and English was not even the first foreign language I learned, or made to learn). And the people who get it wrong are native English speakers. As I said, I have noticed this in nearly every blog I have read on the Web. This includes blogs written by Americans, Canucks, and Brits. And many wrote better and more eloquently than I ever could. Hence, I just do not get it. Its is just a three-letter word!

Hmm... Just remember the Aussies and the Kiwis. I will look for their blogs and report on them later.

 

[ls99]

I tell ya English is a weird language. As foreigner had a hard enough time figuring out that anything with 's meant some form of possessive. Then there are all these exceptions.

Let's learn Esperanto insead.

 

[NW-Bound]

Reminds me of the Dilbert carton - something along the lines of Dilbert quoting form the company report about how they have exceptional employees, and this is the key to their success. But Dilbert points out that at salary time, they say that their pay is 'competitive' with other companies. Shouldn't they be paying 'exceptional' salaries for all these exceptional people?

-ERD50

I remember one of Jack Welch's (well-known former CEO of GE) management methods is to classify employees and fire the bottom 10% or so every year. Ranking employees is what all businesses do, but they usually use that list only when the economy is bad and layoffs become necessary.

I wonder if GE's salaries are above normal, or if that practice is still in effect.

 

[Chuckanut]

I had an friend who was an English teacher. He wanted to buy a used car for his son who was going to college. But, he refused to even call anybody who wrote that his car
"runs good".

 

[Ally]

That is way too much pressure. We have 10 managers here and everyone is human. We really try our best, but everyone makes mistakes sometimes. I am the director and while it's frustrating to fix mistakes, I think you have to cut people some slack from time to time, so they will be willing to pitch in and help you when you need it.

 

[Chuckanut]

I tell ya English is a weird language. As foreigner had a hard enough time figuring out that anything with 's meant some form of possessive. Then there are all these exceptions.

Let's learn Esperanto insead.

Nonsense! Now please excuse me while I go drive my car on the parkway and then park it in the driveway.

 

[ERD50]

I tell ya English is a weird language. As foreigner had a hard enough time figuring out that anything with 's meant some form of possessive. Then there are all these exceptions.

Let's learn Esperanto instead.

English is, IMO, plenty hard for those of us who learned it as our first language.

I find that some who speak it as a second language are actually better at some of these rules than I am. I can rely on what 'sounds right' to me, they have to know the rules, because they don't really have that built in filter from decades of using the language.

I became totally disenchanted with Esperanto, when I learned that their word for 'antonym' is not spelled backwards from 'synonym'. What a lost opportunity to make it easy to remember!

I've read that there is no synonym for the word "synonym".

-ERD50

 

[aja8888]

What was this thread about?

 

[steelyman]

What was this thread about?

Anything you want. It's fast and loose around here.

 

[travelover]

I remember one of Jack Welch's (well-known former CEO of GE) management methods is to classify employees and fire the bottom 10% or so every year. Ranking employees is what all businesses do, but they usually use that list only when the economy is bad and layoffs become necessary.

I wonder if GE's salaries are above normal, or if that practice is still in effect.

We adopted Welch's system at MegaMotors and it lasted exactly two years. It was a disaster. And don't get me started on Welch's personal corporate kleptomania.