Q: Worst part of your j*b?

[Bestwifeever]

Were most of you approached at some point to be managers or jump up the corporate ladder? Are you sorry you turned it down?

I was lucky that my managers and bosses were more mentorlike or partners, and am still close to some younger people who I hope I acted the same with.

 

[Bestwifeever]

On more than one occasion I have had to descend into sanitary manholes to investigate problems, mostly, uh you know, blockages... the log ride at Disneyland has nothing on this. In this line of work, you better have all your shots up to date.

Oh ER, how I desire thee. Soon.

Okay, I am nominating you as a finalist in the e-r.org "best job....to leave" competition.

 

[Larro Darro]

When folks come in my office, they often comment of the 'Director' sign on the door. I explain that you have to go through my office to get to my boss's. That she is the Director. Then I tell them I am second in command. After a few seconds' pause, I go on to tell them there are only three of us that work here. So I am middle management. All of it. I see my boss for about an hour in an average week. And about ten minutes for the other employee.

But the worst thing about my job is trying to keep kids out of my flowerbeds, and off the brick half-wall in the lobby. There are four big flowerbeds with real plants that I keep up. The sunken area around the fireplace is separated from the flowerbed by a half-wall. Something about that wall is like a magnet to little kids. The tramp through my flowerbed to climb up on it. An event like the Pee Wee Football Banquet is the worst possible. Little boys, each one trying to out do the others. And it is right in front of my door, so I can't ignore them.

 

[brewer12345]

Do you at least get to fly business and use a black car service?

When I was at mega corp consulting it never failed to amaze me how on one hand they would talk about being "green" and trying to reduce their carbon footprint yet have no hesitation about sending someone across the country for a short meeting (happened to my co-worker for a lunch meeting).

Nope. Against travel policy. Curiously, accounting tends to reject expense reports most often when you try to save on travel. Guess how hard we try to do that now...

 

[Sea Kayaker]

Okay, I am nominating you as a finalist in the e-r.org "best job....to leave" competition.

Thanks... I think.

Here's another one... As an outdoor worker in Canada, you most deal with extreme COLD. Once I had to relieve myself whilst still clothed in my rain gear (Vancouverite) because my hands were so frozen I couldn't manipulate my buttons.

The megacorp, office politics stuff, no offense to anyone here, seems so removed from the world of workplace misery I inhabit.

 

[Walt34]

Here's another one... As an outdoor worker in Canada, you most deal with extreme COLD. Once I had to relieve myself whilst still clothed in my rain gear (Vancouverite) because my hands were so frozen I couldn't manipulate my buttons.

The megacorp, office politics stuff, no offense to anyone here, seems so removed from the world of workplace misery I inhabit.

Yow, that's brutal! Back in the late '70's I heard of a state police agency that was hiring. It sounded pretty good until I learned where. They'd give you a car, a house, if you had a pilot's license (which I did) they'd give you an airplane, and a snowmobile. That last one prompted the question of "where is this Utopia"?

Alaska State Police. I immediately dismissed any thoughts of going there. I hate cold weather!

 

[Amethyst]

Reminds me of my dad who did high voltage construction just outside of New York City. Northern NJ winters are pretty harsh.

BUT...he did work in an office for a few years in his youth, and hated it. He preferred to work with his hands. As a construction foreman he spent part of the day in a heated trailer.

Amethyst

Thanks... I think.

Here's another one... As an outdoor worker in Canada, you most deal with extreme COLD. Once I had to relieve myself whilst still clothed in my rain gear (Vancouverite) because my hands were so frozen I couldn't manipulate my buttons.

The megacorp, office politics stuff, no offense to anyone here, seems so removed from the world of workplace misery I inhabit.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Thanks... I think.

Here's another one... As an outdoor worker in Canada, you most deal with extreme COLD. Once I had to relieve myself whilst still clothed in my rain gear (Vancouverite) because my hands were so frozen I couldn't manipulate my buttons.

The megacorp, office politics stuff, no offense to anyone here, seems so removed from the world of workplace misery I inhabit.

My sympathy for your miserable work conditions. That sounds like hell. May ER come to you ASAP. (gardenias would be my choice)
I have a new found appreciation for the term longjohns.

 

[brewer12345]

This is a nebulous thing, but it is a nagging doubt/worry every time I show up for work and one of the things I will be happiest to no longer have to deal with once I bail: the dread of being killed at work.

I work in a building that has (at least) hundreds of millions of dollars in it at any given point in time. Armored cars/trucks of cash come and go all day and night, and I have a window view of the parking lot where security kabuki gets played out with dogs, assault rifle toting guards, etc. There have been plenty of times when the building has been surrounded by an angry mob/protesters. There have been times when us lowly employees have had to sneak out the loading dock at the end of the day because the main entrance was unsafe to use. Even to this day, there are from time to time yahoos with bullhorns standing outside the building harranging passers-by about how my employer kills babies or whatever. I am not allowed to have so much as a can of pepper spray on my person as I go in and out due to the presence of cash (i.e. I am a soft target).

 

[MRG]

Thanks... I think.

Here's another one... As an outdoor worker in Canada, you most deal with extreme COLD. Once I had to relieve myself whilst still clothed in my rain gear (Vancouverite) because my hands were so frozen I couldn't manipulate my buttons.

The megacorp, office politics stuff, no offense to anyone here, seems so removed from the world of workplace misery I inhabit.

I can empathize, never had to do that, there were certain Megacorp execs that could get me feeling that way-.

Worked outside for years in the north(south of Canada), but I remember how useless cold hands and fingers became. I once was cutting 6×6s to a non standard length with chainsaw. Saw kicked, couldn't grip it. A minute later brother tells me I've cut my hand from the kickback, I turned around called BS on him. He asked then why is there a pool of blood on the lumber? No pain not a clue what happened.

After they picked me up, went to ER for bout 10 stitches. Could have been much worse.

Hope you get to FIRE quickly.

MRG

 

[Sea Kayaker]

Looks its going to happen sometime next year. DW and I had a talk about it this weekend. She has seen the mounting toll on my body and mind and if I can show her that our lifestyle will not be adversely affected without my work income... well, I'll be good to start the phase of my life.

 

[Alan]

This is a nebulous thing, but it is a nagging doubt/worry every time I show up for work and one of the things I will be happiest to no longer have to deal with once I bail: the dread of being killed at work.

I can relate. I worked on chemical sites for 30 years, the last 20 on a site that had the potential to have a poisonous gas disaster on the scale of Bopal. 6 weeks before I was due to ER I was working at a railcar loading spot and had a minor exposure that actually had me in medical, having my nasal passages flushed with saline. My BP was sky high, not from the exposure, but from the stress of thinking about how close I'd come to a serious injury or even death, so close to the finishing line.

 

[brewer12345]

I can relate. I worked on chemical sites for 30 years, the last 20 on a site that had the potential to have a poisonous gas disaster on the scale of Bopal. 6 weeks before I was due to ER I was working at a railcar loading spot and had a minor exposure that actually had me in medical, having my nasal passages flushed with saline. My BP was sky high, not from the exposure, but from the stress of thinking about how close I'd come to a serious injury or even death, so close to the finishing line.

Ugh, I can well imagine. Any long term effects, or was this just a temporary exposure type thing?

I was home on 9/11/13, but the email I got referencing a "training" that involved lots of unfamiliar vehicles, personnel and dogs that did not give me warm fuzzies. I am also increasingly uncomfortable with the armed officer walkby of the damn cube farm every day. Last week for the first time the k9 dude went by with the bomb-sniffing dog.

 

[Alan]

Ugh, I can well imagine. Any long term effects, or was this just a temporary exposure type thing? I was home on 9/11/13, but the email I got referencing a "training" that involved lots of unfamiliar vehicles, personnel and dogs that did not give me warm fuzzies. I am also increasingly uncomfortable with the armed officer walkby of the damn cube farm every day. Last week for the first time the k9 dude went by with the bomb-sniffing dog.

Fortunately no long term effect, this was one of the chemicals that doesn't do permanent damage in small doses.

Two years earlier I had been in Mumbai and the offices I worked in there had security guards on every floor so I can also relate to how you feel about that as well. The year after I'd been there I was horrified to see the terrorist attacks on the hotel and area I'd visited during my free time at the weekend of my 10 day trip.

Keep Calm and Carry On, you will soon be free and clear

 

[martyb]

Around 90% of my adult working life has been spent directly handling explosive devices like bombs (conventional and nuclear) missiles, rockets (doesn't take much to set them off) medium caliber ammunition (20mm, 30mm, 40mm) grenades, pyrotechnics (flares) etc. Usually it was under "normal" conditions, but sometimes under more hazardous situations (30mm ammo jammed inside of gun, ammo casings smashed & torn, with gunpowder sprayed all inside & I had to carefully disassemble the gun to extract the smashed ammo)....things like that....plus extremely close proximity (close enough to touch) to screaming jet engines (why I now have pretty bad tinnitus) and not to mention physical contact on a daily basis with a variety of bad chemicals whose effects on my body have yet to be determined....

Oh, did I mention I've had several episodes of skin cancer, including a recent mohs surgery on my forehead that left a large horseshoe shaped scar.....due at least in part to working outside in the Texas and Louisiana sun every day for 28 years?

Am I bitching....well, I guess not. Nobody forced me to do what I did, and that's life. You follow the path you're on & either you like it or you don't. If you don't, you find another path. Me.....I shoulda pursued my original thought of becoming an attorney...lol. Maybe next time!

 

[MooreBonds]

I work in a building that has (at least) hundreds of millions of dollars in it at any given point in time. Armored cars/trucks of cash come and go all day and night, and I have a window view of the parking lot where security kabuki gets played out with dogs, assault rifle toting guards, etc. There have been plenty of times when the building has been surrounded by an angry mob/protesters. There have been times when us lowly employees have had to sneak out the loading dock at the end of the day because the main entrance was unsafe to use. Even to this day, there are from time to time yahoos with bullhorns standing outside the building harranging passers-by about how my employer kills babies or whatever. I am not allowed to have so much as a can of pepper spray on my person as I go in and out due to the presence of cash (i.e. I am a soft target).

I realize it's little consolation, but realize that even 'crazy lunatics' (for the most part) aren't stupid. More than likely, they will see/know that the place is well secured, and that any attempted assault on the building will be met with swift counter-measures. If someone wanted to strike for motives involving either robbery or some crazy reason, they'd likely realize there are far easier, more effective targets to set their sights on that will be easier to have an impact/success with because they will be far less heavily protected.

And if someone doesn't have the faculties to realize that fact, odds are that they would never be able to amount to much of a threat to begin with.

 

[kgtest]

The only thing I like about my job is that its allowing me to FIRE. I started this job four months ago and my manager is worse than yours guaranteed. I was made lead, then this fictitious, unofficial title was thankfully yanked after an unnecessary suspension.

I have been berrated by the manager, told I was overpaid, underutilized, lacking in performance, cocky, arrogant and had a temper.

I've now just decided to put my ass in the seat on the advice of both FIRE and non FIRE folks.

I no longer have a much commute or traffic though so that is good.

 

[brewer12345]

I realize it's little consolation, but realize that even 'crazy lunatics' (for the most part) aren't stupid. More than likely, they will see/know that the place is well secured, and that any attempted assault on the building will be met with swift counter-measures. If someone wanted to strike for motives involving either robbery or some crazy reason, they'd likely realize there are far easier, more effective targets to set their sights on that will be easier to have an impact/success with because they will be far less heavily protected.

And if someone doesn't have the faculties to realize that fact, odds are that they would never be able to amount to much of a threat to begin with.

You would think so, but it has not proven to be entirely the case.

 

[MRG]

You would think so, but it has not proven to be entirely the case.

I would agree, your comment about being a 'soft target' reminds me so much of Megacorps policies, couldn't have anything like pepper spray, or even a pocket knife with 1" blade. The one thing they didn't ban(out of ignorance I'm sure), was defensive pens. I carried one every day.

MRG

 

[brewer12345]

I would agree, your comment about being a 'soft target' reminds me so much of Megacorps policies, couldn't have anything like pepper spray, or even a pocket knife with 1" blade. The one thing they didn't ban(out of ignorance I'm sure), was defensive pens. I carried one every day.

MRG

My keychain looks like a morningstar.

 

[FUEGO]

You guys couldn't keep sledgehammers in your offices? No crowbars? No hatchets or machetes?

 

[Walt34]

DW was at her nephew's house yesterday watching the kids and stayed late to avoid traffic getting home. He's a local manager at a cable company and gets up at in the dark to leave for work. During dinner at 6:00 PM he took five phone calls on work-related matters.

I wouldn't last long in that job because I'd turn the phone off.

 

[brewer12345]

Ugh, jargon. I just heard someone use the term "wing to wing" on a conference call. I think this means "thorough" or "complete" but as usual we are left to guess. I would have preferred "ass to snout."

 

[Cassius King]

I can't stand the people that are 110% into the rat race. They'll do anything to "get ahead". These people are the most unhuman, selfish, heartless people that exist. Why can't you get ahead by improving and making yourself better instead of attacking others and trying to bring them down? Will not miss that!

 

[killingme]

I can't stand the people that are 110% into the rat race. They'll do anything to "get ahead". These people are the most unhuman, selfish, heartless people that exist. Why can't you get ahead by improving and making yourself better instead of attacking others and trying to bring them down? Will not miss that!

My first job, the company had an 85% retention rate and your promotions were contingent on you training your own replacement from within. Those who were interested in simply getting ahead, left for Wall Street and MegaCorp.

After they got bought out everything went south. My final pre-fire life had too much administrative overhead and culpability without ability...it always your fault but you can't have the tools you need to do the job. Both serious impediments to doing a job right.