Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-30-2009, 02:22 PM   #101
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,764
Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345 View Post
Especially when half of the fellow men in the immediate cubecinity are troglodytes I despise.

Hum your favorite song when things get bad. Like the Sound of Music has been playing lately..


Or one of my favorites.


Notmuchlonger is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 12-30-2009, 03:57 PM   #102
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,074
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarah in SC View Post
The world Brewer lives in is very very small, Chris. I think he would have an extremely hard time finding another workplace in his industry should he raise a big stink at this one. That is reality.

There is no dearth of courage in keeping your head down, collecting your paycheck, and taking care of your family. That is Brewer's first and truest obligation--the one he has to his family, not to come trumpeting in on a white horse to save his fellow man in the next cubicle.
Sarah, I live in a very small world too and I was once blacklisted very early in my career in finding other employment simply on the basis of the perception that I was a troublemaker. I'm not suggesting anyone make trouble, become some "hero," begin arming himself against a bunch of windmills in the path, or place his family at risk.

All I suggest is that people be stand-up guys about stuff when confronted with an issue. You don't have to be a crusader to do that! Balancing integrity in the workplace can be hard, but I personally have not seen it as a major risk to tell the truth, stick to the truth, and not shape the truth by opinion. And I've seen some crazy things in the workplace, and retaliatory conduct that was so unbelievable you'd think I was making the stuff up!

If you have to distort the truth about an issue, which some have indicated they have done, well it's time to look for another job, in my humble opinion.
__________________
Someday this war's gonna end . . .
ChrisC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-30-2009, 04:01 PM   #103
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
Mostly I just kept my mouth shut, for the record.

The thing that alarms me is the suggestion of a half day love fest with everyone involved. Will be sitting quietly in the corner if forced to participate.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

- George Orwell

Ezekiel 23:20
brewer12345 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-30-2009, 05:59 PM   #104
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: North of Montana
Posts: 2,769
Good idea, but pretend to be cooperative. The rest of upper management knows when a jerk is loose. If they don't reign him in without whining, how will whining help?
__________________
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who can extrapolate conclusions from insufficient data and ..
kumquat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-30-2009, 06:07 PM   #105
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Amethyst's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,596
Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345 View Post
Mostly I just kept my mouth shut, for the record.

The thing that alarms me is the suggestion of a half day love fest with everyone involved. Will be sitting quietly in the corner if forced to participate.
Wow, the wind really is up somebody's nose, if they're spending the $$ to have everyone stop work in order to hold a group grope.

These remind me of the mandatory "I Love Big Brother" sessions at the Ministry of Truth.

But this isn't 1984, so with any luck, the worst that can happen is you will have to put up with being MBTI'd with your colleagues. Again.

Amethyst
__________________
If you understood everything I say, you'd be me ~ Miles Davis
'There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Christopher Morley.
Even a blind clock finds an acorn twice a day.
Amethyst is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-30-2009, 08:19 PM   #106
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 479
This is how office shootings start.
JohnDoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2009, 05:11 AM   #107
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
freebird5825's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Nowhere, 43N Latitude, NY
Posts: 9,037
Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345 View Post
Mostly I just kept my mouth shut, for the record.

The thing that alarms me is the suggestion of a half day love fest with everyone involved. Will be sitting quietly in the corner if forced to participate.
The listener always has the advantage.
I think you are playing this hand perfectly.
__________________
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
freebird5825 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2009, 06:12 AM   #108
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnDoe View Post
This is how office shootings start.
I suppose so. In this case, that sort of thing is mitigated by the security gambit you run through to get in the building, the background checks everyone goes through, and the armed police officers (most of whom are marksmen) running around the place.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

- George Orwell

Ezekiel 23:20
brewer12345 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2009, 06:20 AM   #109
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
Quote:
Originally Posted by freebird5825 View Post
The listener always has the advantage.
I think you are playing this hand perfectly.
I sure hope so. I know for a fact that they essentially cannot afford to lose me, so I have a certain measure of protection. I dropped some hints that I was fully prepared to walk if I was too unhappy, expressing the view that as a subordinate my role is to get the job done, salute what gets run up the flagpole, and that if I did not like it I knew where the door was. The recent departure of another person who appears to have lots of FU money has thrown a serious wrench in the works, and that may have caused to hit the panic button.

As an aside, I really appreciate the thoughts, advice and support here. It helps to vent and get independent views, and DW gets too stressed listening to me. This is the sort of thing I will not miss when I get to FIRE.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

- George Orwell

Ezekiel 23:20
brewer12345 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2009, 08:38 AM   #110
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
vicente solano's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,116
Always liked Kennedyīs "Donīt ger mad, get even". Problem is that Iīve never been gutsy enough
__________________
I get by with a little help from my friends....ta ta ta ta ta...
vicente solano is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2009, 11:49 AM   #111
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
haha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Hooverville
Posts: 22,983
Quote:
Originally Posted by vicente solano View Post
Always liked Kennedyīs "Donīt ger mad, get even". Problem is that Iīve never been gutsy enough
Well the Irish have perfected that one over the centuries. So old Joe had good teachers.

Ha
__________________
"As a general rule, the more dangerous or inappropriate a conversation, the more interesting it is."-Scott Adams
haha is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2010, 06:21 AM   #112
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
freebird5825's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Nowhere, 43N Latitude, NY
Posts: 9,037
Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345 View Post
I sure hope so. I know for a fact that they essentially cannot afford to lose me, so I have a certain measure of protection. I dropped some hints that I was fully prepared to walk if I was too unhappy, expressing the view that as a subordinate my role is to get the job done, salute what gets run up the flagpole, and that if I did not like it I knew where the door was. The recent departure of another person who appears to have lots of FU money has thrown a serious wrench in the works, and that may have caused to hit the panic button.

As an aside, I really appreciate the thoughts, advice and support here. It helps to vent and get independent views, and DW gets too stressed listening to me. This is the sort of thing I will not miss when I get to FIRE.
In advocating a listening stance, I do not mean a submissive or non- participating role. A measured response always w*rked for me.
I actually used simple logic..if p then q...and mentally rehearsed...i.e. if such-and-such was said to me, then my best response(s) be.
By counting to yourself silently, one 1000, two 1000, three 1000...before responding...you can control the tempo of any difficult Q&A sessions or tense meetings.
In my experience, the "hot under the collar" talkers are usually the ones who make statements they later regret.
I personally was under a lot of unfriendly fire in my former j*b, and I found that the less I said, the less the predators had to w*rk with in attack mode. Button pushers thrive on the heated response to provocative statements. So I simply denied them the response they craved.
This technique w*rked very well for me over 25 years of dealing with an extremely unreasonable exMIL in my personal life as well as aggressive power brokers who viewed me as a threat in the w*rkplace.

You can get through this.
__________________
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
freebird5825 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2010, 07:12 AM   #113
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
Largely agree, freebird. Having said that, in my current and several past jobs I frequently have to interview/interrogate (in non-friendly conversations) senior management of some very large organizations. These people are used to everything that can be thrown at them and some are quite aggressive, but I have a lot of experience with this sort of verbal fencing and can usually get what I want out of the discussion without tipping my hand too much. That experience has been valuable lately...
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

- George Orwell

Ezekiel 23:20
brewer12345 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2010, 09:18 AM   #114
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
harley's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: No fixed abode
Posts: 8,764
I think if you have the annoy-a-tron overnighted to you you should be able to place it on Monday. Then when the annoyees complain you can make a claim that the noise must be related to the New Year/decade cutover. That should send them in the wrong direction resolution-wise. Eventually they will P.O. the BOFH (The SysAdmin From Hell), resulting in a ton of abuse not directly attributable to you. Happy New Year!
__________________
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." - Anonymous (not Will Rogers or Sam Clemens)
DW and I - FIREd at 50 (7/06), living off assets
harley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2010, 12:10 PM   #115
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
vicente solano's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,116
Our company had for many years a real tyrant as a director. Everybody was afraid of him. He imposed himself on several subordinates in order to play with them at tennis, golf, soccer on the weekends. Everybody let him win.
After having socialized with them on the weekend he, nevertheless, chewed them off on Monday....
Well, we are all retired now, him too. I would have thoght that his ex-subordinates would turn their back on him or, otherwise, shun or steer away from him....But no. Many of them continue to be submissive and suffer his heavy-handedness.
And the effect on the tyrant as regards those few who now can afford to ignore him? None, he couldnīt care less.
I bet that a lot of his mistreated subordinates will attend his funeral.
Such is the nature of people.
Iīm sure Iīm wrong, but sometimes I think we get the bosses we deserve or that the only way to teach them an effective lesson is to behave towards them in the same way.
__________________
I get by with a little help from my friends....ta ta ta ta ta...
vicente solano is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2010, 01:44 PM   #116
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
RonBoyd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Denver, Colorado
Posts: 6,256
Quote:
Originally Posted by vicente solano View Post
I would have thoght that his ex-subordinates would turn their back on him or, otherwise, shun or steer away from him....But no. Many of them continue to be submissive and suffer his heavy-handedness.
PTSD?
__________________
"It's tough to make predictions, especially when it involves the future." ~Attributed to many
"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is." ~(perhaps by) Yogi Berra
"Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge."~ Lau tzu
RonBoyd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2010, 02:07 PM   #117
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
Quote:
Originally Posted by RonBoyd View Post
PTSD?
I suspect my reaction to post-stress will be a large smile...
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire

...not doing anything of true substance...
HFWR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2010, 04:17 PM   #118
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
Well, all signs are that the hammer will be dropped very soon, based on frenzied manager meetings and some inside dope. I do not think that the culture will result in an outright witch hunt, and this is clearly more about checking the box than solving problems. But not much comfort there...
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

- George Orwell

Ezekiel 23:20
brewer12345 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2010, 04:42 PM   #119
Moderator Emeritus
W2R's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,472
Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345 View Post
Well, all signs are that the hammer will be dropped very soon, based on frenzied manager meetings and some inside dope. I do not think that the culture will result in an outright witch hunt, and this is clearly more about checking the box than solving problems. But not much comfort there...
Well, just hang in there, grit your teeth, and pretty soon it will all be over. (I'm sure you and other men hear the same from your proctologists all the time. ) At least you are not in the direct line of fire.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.

Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
W2R is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2010, 06:35 PM   #120
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
Quote:
Originally Posted by W2R View Post
Well, just hang in there, grit your teeth, and pretty soon it will all be over. (I'm sure you and other men hear the same from your proctologists all the time. ) At least you are not in the direct line of fire.
I am not entirely sure that is the case... Will find out soon.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

- George Orwell

Ezekiel 23:20
brewer12345 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Ive Been a Bad Bad Boy MXR Dad Hi, I am... 25 07-17-2008 10:15 PM
S.O.S - Terrible work situation - Advice pls. Tracker FIRE and Money 43 05-06-2008 12:26 AM
my situation tikitoast Hi, I am... 15 04-08-2006 04:21 PM
In-laws may need my money - how to cope? justin Other topics 23 03-19-2006 12:43 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:13 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.