Posted on 04/18/2008 by NotTheLooker
Viewed: 284 times
My office was moved from one end of the building to the other, which put me closer to the production area. The guy who used to have my new office complained that he wasn't getting any of his work done because the production manager was constantly bothering him.
'Besides,' the PHB tells me, 'You're the art department and you need to have a close relationship with his department.'
Well, what am I gonna say to that? I was tired of the production manager shouting at me from down the hallway- this only happened like twice a day and always work-related versus the other guy who was the PM's smoking and gossip buddy. Also, this new office was much, much nicer than my old one (painted and furnished very nicely, the old guy was so desperate to get away that he let me keep that furniture (this should've been a clue.))
So I'm in this new office and it became apparent that I got screwed (again.) PM now thinks that I'm his production helper monkey.
Every damn time this guy walks by my office he's got some packaging crisis in production that I absolutely have to drop everything I'm doing and go help him. I now spend more time in that little room than in my own office. When I complained about it PM he said:
'You're young so I'll forgive you for not realizing that this job isn't always glamorous. We're a small company, you have to help out sometimes and the economy is so bad everywhere that you should count yourself lucky to have this job instead of working in retail- THAT'S hellish. At least here you get to do the kind of work you do SOMETIMES.'
PHB found me loading product one day while PM was out getting supplies and asked me why I was there. But I can't complain without looking like a whiner- we were backed up for a while and I honestly had some downtime in my department. Besides, PHB and PM are butt buddies, although...
I used to think that PM stayed loyal to the company (we had some rough spots lately and almost closed) because he was PHB's friend, but he's been saying things like 'I'm too old to start over' and now I wonder if PM is just sucking up to PHB for THE POWER or something.
Anyway, I don't mind helping out in other departments except that there are a lot of instances where I find myself working alone DOING HIS JOB while he's surfing the net for personal items.
And personally I find him abrasive and hard to deal with. He picks and picks and picks until I start to lose my temper and then says: 'lighten up, Francis.' And then he proceeds to talk about how things like that don't bother HIM, implying that I must be oversensitive.
I told him that he was hard to relate to and he'll say 'just look in a mirror.'
Between PHB's frequent 'comedic' references to his sagging sex life and PM's racist humor, I feel completely alienated. And add to this mix this older butt-kissing woman who just thinks they're the just the greatest bunch of guys around and I'm starting to think I have no sense of humor.
Maybe I don't, maybe I'm as interesting as a wet tissue.
But I do remember that the position I now fill (in addition to my REAL job, yes, I'm saying it SATAN! MY! REAL!! JOB!!!) has an extremely high turnover rate and that everyone who's ever filled it has come unglued once or twice and lashed out at Sa- I mean, PM.
The happy ending to this is, I've decided to move to a bigger city to find more moolah (and maybe a job where I'll spend more than 10% of my time doing what I went to school for.) I'm leaving in two months.
POST A COMMENTCK(04/18/2008)
One thing is that I would ask my manager what my duties are and how far they extend. If you are following orders from your boss and the PM comes in with a 'task' for you to do explain that that it conflicts with what you are currently doing and that you will have to ask YOUR boss first before proceeding with the PC's request.
It is important that you know the scope and boundaries of your job. If the PM pressures you just state that you need to finish with what you have been tasked with before you can accommodate him. In this way you are not saying "no" to him!
If he stomps out in a fit make sure you get to your boss FIRST!!! The PM may be running to your boss and you need to be taling to your boss first before he does - call the boss on hos phone PRANTO!! You need to explain your side FIRST!!!
Dumber than a Catbox full of sh*t(04/18/2008)
I do sympathize with your situation. What concerns me is that you are thinking that a big city will give you better opportunities--I work in Chicago and although I am a teacher--I have many friends in business and the job market here is tight. I hope you already are locked-in to a job in the big city--you could be sitting in Chicago unemployed for a long time--we have the highest gas prices except for San Francisco--I paid $3.60/gallon on Tuesday to fill-up and I am a mile outside the city limits. I shopped at Walgreens (our famous drugstore here) for a few items last week and my receipt revealed 12 and a half percent tax.
CK(04/19/2008)
Ouch! Big city or not the pain is everywhere you look. I read yestercay that Citi and ATT are laying off thousands of people. I don't live in a big city (with small minds) and it isn't any better here! Gas is alomost as much as what Cat pays - I saw one at $3.42 ... and the state, county, and cities are running out of money! They are cutting all sorts of services. They are laying off teachers and closing schools! But hey - the people wanted a tax cut ... problem is that people are STUPID! They have no long-term thoughts in their heads. It's no wonder why we are in the mess that we are in!
NotTheLooker(04/19/2008)
Thanks for the advice and the sympathy guys. I try not to lose my cool at the office but this particular manager is very difficult to ignore. These days it's the thought of leaving that's keeping me from cracking, so yeah, I'm probably being overoptimistic. The two biggest advantages to the move are getting to live near my family again and going back to school for my Bachelor's. I don't have a job locked in but I'm so homesick that I'm willing to bus tables at this point.
PM is just the hate-cherry on the sundae with this situation. I tell him I'm leaving a place that I've never been happy to be in to go and further my education and see my loved ones and 'yay I'm so happy' and his response is to shit all over me. And it's not that I crave approval from this dork, it's just that I feel this undercurrent of hostility that never lets up and he sugarcoats it in this layer of fake 'I'm just teasing you' attitude. Worse, his friends feel free to drop in and chat with him anytime and for however long they want so sometimes he has himself a little gang.
I wish I could just avoid this guy, the stress in the place noticeably disappears every time he takes a personal day. Unfortunately, I have a suspicion that PHB has decided to save money and combine my tasks with that of the Production Helper Monkey since he knows I won't just stop showing up to work as other monkeys have done in the past. I'm going to talk to the PHB about this on monday but this is what I'm afraid will come out when I do.
Been There .... Done That ....(04/21/2008)
I swear, when I was reading this.... it sounded as if you worked at my old theater company. The only thing different is that I am in New York.
As for being "bullied" --- the term that I would use is MANIPULATED. Your bosses don't want to get rid of you... they simply want to turn you into a workhorse and save company money!
You mentioned that you have decided to leave in a couple of months --- so you have resolved "one-half" of your employment headache. The only other part left is to understand why you have been put into this double-duty situation. By understanding the method to this madness, you will have an easier time getting through the next couple of months without going postal on those two nitwitts.
The first step is to remove your "artistic hat" and take a moment and get interested in the company's finances. See how you guys have held up for the past three years. If it looks like the company is in a slump and performance sales are not doing well --- the answer will be staring you right in the face. You are being "outsourced" within your own company to save money. Why should they hire someone else (with benefits, insurance, office space, etc). They've got you.
Your PBJs and KBGs "know" gave you an eye-candy office to make it sweet and natural for you to ease into double-duty. I cringed when you mentioned that one of the butt-buddies takes time to sympathize with you in private. He wants you to feel that he's concerned, that you are valued and appreciated. Don't be fooled.
Your butt-buddies are very much like my former two love-bosses. They argued in public, cut each other down to me, and on rare, rare, blue-moon occassions, (like robots) would let me know how great I am ... but every night -- when the company closed -- they would go home to the same house. Do not ever join either one of your bosses in speaking ill about the other --- this will get you out of the company before the leaving date that's marked on your calendar.
If you are truly leaving in two months, stay and collect everyone of those damned paychecks and watch your spending. You will need this for the move. Yes... it is rough out there, but there is still work. Until then, have faith in yourself, don't get involved in company gossip, keep your leaving date to yourself, build your references and plan well for your next adventure. It will get you far.
NotTheLooker(04/21/2008)
Thanks, Been There .... Done That ....
Just to update, I went and talked to the boss on Monday and after having a conference with everyone else he told me that he's been paying me way too much for the job I've been doing in production. He suggested paying me my regular wage when I actually do artistic work and paying me eight bucks an hour when I'm in production. This would suck hairy balls for me IF there was even forty hours worth of work in production to do BUT there's not- we've entered our summer slump and the boss is looking to cut corners. I was sent home after half a day. I asked them point-blank: am I being sorta fired? Because I'd rather be free to find other work than be on call for peanuts.
'Oh, nonono!'
But my gut tells me, yeah, I've been sorta layed off. I'm drinking at home at two in the afternoon. Y'know, I'm not as mad about getting let go as I'm that they didn't have the balls to say: 'You're fired.'
I'm gonna go look for a second job and I feel okay about it. I'm not sorry I spoke up, there'd been other shit to get upset about (like a few rubber paychecks) and I look at it this way: I seriously would rather work for someone who was tough but honest rather than have some ass-hat tell me I'm great to my face and then act differently. That hurts worse and it certainly... ah, I better go lie down.
(Been There .... Done That .... I'd been getting that 'you're the best' line too! Along with the 'we're like a family here.')
Muchas gracias everyone!!!
truck21(05/10/2008)
You think you have problems??? Become a truck driver. You haven't even begun to experience overbearing, inconsiderate bosses or people. And you complain because you are asked to do something that you don't want to. At least you get PAID for it. Even if you make minimum wage, you make more than most truck drivers. And you complain about BS you need to put up with. Try doing that job when it is "bossed" by some one that has no idea of what is going on. You people sit in offices, stand behind counters, etc., etc., and cry about how bad you have it. Become a truck driver, then we will see who has it rough.!!!
Wage Slave(05/11/2008)
Truck 21,
The purpose of this site is to VENT! Your problems are not worse than anyone elses. Don't pick on the posters.
My husband is a truck driver. He became one after working in an office because he couldn't stand office politics, not moving around and having a boss hovering over him every minute of every day. He has told me being a truck driver is a piece of cake compared to working in an office!
Have you ever worked in an office???????? I didn't think so! The mind games can really eat at you. Let people vent and don't be so negative.
truck21(05/11/2008)
News for workslave: I worked in an office for 8 years, I worked as a welder in ship yards for 10years, I worked as a cook in a truckstop restraurant for 3 years; I have probably had more jobs in my lifetime than you will ever have. You want vent? I have not read one post here that has given anybody any reason to "VENT". Complain? maybe, try and change--definitley. Anybody that has ever had a "BOSS" can always find somethng wrong. We live in a society of weak and strong. The strong lead--the weak follow. In other words--the employer BOSSES' and the employee follows. That is the game. If you don't try to change it (and "VENTING" won't) then it is just like politics: "If you don't vote -- don't b----ch.. Granted, there are a lot of bosses, and jobs, that should be buried 10' or more, but calling names, Venting if you will, won't change them. Doing what you can to become a boss, super, manager, leader, THEN INSTITUTING YOUR IDEAS, will change it.
You people always gripe, cry, complain, and call names, because you are in a situation, but you never come up with any ideas on how it can be changed for the benefit of everyone.
This site might be for "VENTING". Why not use it for both: Vent your displeasure, and at the same time, give a reasonable way of correcting the problem.
Wage Slave(05/11/2008)
I have worked steadily since I was 16 years old. I was a waitress (Dairy Queen TCBY yogurt), cook (Pizza Mia), I delivered phone books and junk mail. I was a deli clerk and had to operate an lunchmeat slicer(Convenient), I was a sporting goods clerk (K-Mart), I was a transportation billing clerk (American Trucking), Telemarketer (United Publisher Services). My sales were so good they made me the night manager, I made less money in management and hated it.
I was an insurance verification clerk (Stadlanders Pharmacy), paralegal (Westinghouse and US Steel and 3 other individual firms), I was the information lady at Westland Mall in Columbus, I was a toy salesperson(KB Toys), I have been a QA assistant (government doormat) and am a CSR.
On several occasions I have been encouraged by management to apply for Lead and that does lead to management.
Our district manager made my old manager hassle me while my sister was dying from cancer. Many of my coworkers had similar experiences when taking care of dying loved ones. I have friends that are managers in my office that have confirmed that is a usual practice to hassle people with dying family members. It's to see how loyal the managers are and if they are willing to follow orders. Managers start out in a manager training program and if they don't please upper management they don't become permanent managers. Unless you are in financial straights you don't apply for management in my office. The turnover is like a revolving door.
Before I had a child I worked two jobs at a time. When I think about the jobs I have had I think about that Johnny Cash song, "I've been everywhere man." Waitressing is the physically toughest job I ever had and I ALWAYS tip well because of it. Working in an office is the toughest overall job. More people have had heart attacks and died from cancer in my current position than anywhere I have ever worked combined. Stress is a killer.
In any case I don't you think you should berate the posters. I like these people they have offered valuable advice and support.
Wage Slave(05/11/2008)
Not the Looker,
You should not be treated as a pack mule. I love the way you write. Your post was hysterical. I'm glad you're getting away from these psychos. Please keep us posted. You have a terrific sense of humor and your reference to "yes SATAN I said it my real job" was priceless.
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