What's with some employers?

[Camperroo]

DH's company had a meeting before they let them out on Friday.  Since my DH joined the company a couple of months ago they have let 15 people go!!!  Well here they are all gathered just before the 4th holiday and this new guy who was hired as some type of manager had the gall to essentially threaten them during the meeting by saying....as you all know there have been several layoffs lately and that's not to say we aren't done yet...we are watching you and there may be more to come!  Can you believe that moron!!!  How dare he talk to a group of adults like that who work very hard day in and day out.  My DH was furious as he too was hired as a Supervisor and he couldn't believe this goof thought he could talk like that to not only him but his crew also.  DH is going to the VP today to discuss it as he wasn't at the meeting and he wants to know if he was aware of this guy's ego speech.  Most of the guys attitudes were they were going to start looking elsewhere because they wouldn't put up with this kind of stuff.

DH is just coasting along there until we can get our house finished and on the market and we can be on our way to FL.  They'll get their notice just like they've given to all their other dedicated employees...he'll walk in and quit.  The laid off employees came in on a Friday morning after working hard all week and were let go that morning without warning.  One poor guy drove a company truck and so they not only let him go but then they had to drive him home that morning as he had the company truck.  

Actually DH wouldn't mind if they laid him off because he'd collect unemployment while he finishes up our house and we can get out of here all the faster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Acts 2:38 girl]

I'd definatly let the VP what's up.  Nothing like a good motivational speaker to get you working harder. (sarcism mode off)  We have some people like that at my job too.  There are also a few regulars that think they are in a higher position and like to order you around.  I was ready to walk out yesterday I was so sick of it.  What makes it really bad is one of them is my sister!:eyecrazy:

[Firefyter-Emt]

Oh my Oh my... One of them?? Heck, I was getting ready to put the ladder up to sit on the roof you were so fuming...

 
BTW, you forgot to turn the "sarcism mode" on first...

[Trlrboy]

DH is just coasting along there until we can get our house finished and on the market and we can be on our way to FL.  They'll get their notice just like they've given to all their other dedicated employees...he'll walk in and quit

DH is a man that just started at this company and he's just coasting along?  You must be proud of him.....

[Acts 2:38 girl]

Oh my Oh my... One of them?? Heck, I was getting ready to put the ladder up to sit on the roof you were so fuming...  

Yeah, Yeah, it was a bad day!

[Camperroo]

Remember it wasn't me that said "one of them"!!!  That was a sister vs. sister comment!!  :eek:

However as for Trlrby comment...I sure am proud of him.  Since when are you such a presumptuous person?  This company hired my husband a couple of months ago with lots of promises that he's yet to see.  Instead, he's been watching hardworking guys and office support staff walk in a on a Friday morning after putting in a hard week's work and unsuspectingly be given the cut without so much as a goodbye and thank you and they've been with the company a lot longer.  What is your opinion of those who throw people into unemployment with no regard to their situations, working for 10 years with them, just having a baby and trying to support a new family, a woman going through a horrific divorce, she even had her popup listed for sale on the company board to make some money, and then two weeks later, she was the next "Friday victim".  Instead everytime one of these guys/gals is let go, my DH and his crew then have to take on that person or group's responsibilities on top of their own already, but of course no change in what they earn.   Everyone around him is getting laid off at this point, he's coasting or to be more "specific" for you, so as not to have you feel you have the right to insult my extremely hard working husband, he's just hanging in there until we are at the point where we can move out of the area.  He's just doing what he was hired to do and not anything more or less, given he and his guys have no idea if they are the next Friday pinkslip.  That's what a company like that deserves when they have no problem stripping the morale of their employees.  That's not how he went into this job, he thought it was a great opportunity for growth as they described.  He didn't realize at the time "growth" meant taking on the jobs of all the people they have been letting go.  Right now he's working hard to keep that stupid job, and be in a situation where some jerk can tell him "to watch out...he could be next" to be able to pay our mortgage and feed our kids, he's not sitting in some little cubicle with his feet up his desk twiddling his thumbs, he's out there on sites everyday putting in a more physically exhausting day than most people work in a year's time.   You bet I'm proud of him, what I am not, is meanly judgemental, as you seem to be.  So you bet he's going to coast, he'll use them, like they've used their former employees.   He didn't create that environment, the company did.

[Steve-o-bud]

It sure is tough, this one.

I would hate to work for a company that has no regard for their employees, I'm very fortunate in that regard.

Without passing judgment on this particular situation, I do believe that it should be a two way street. Company's should treat their workers with dignity and respect, and share in the riches that their workers produce for them. I believe the major cause for the decline of American business is poor management and lack of regard for employees.

On the other hand, I believe that workers should work hard, and put in an honest day's work, for an honest day's pay. They should be honest and have integrity. Sometimes it is necessary for company's to have to cut back. It's an unfortunate fact of life. My approach to surviving this has been to make myself as valuable to my company as possible, so if the ax does fall, they will look to some less, hard working, employee to give the boot. There are no garantees however, so when it looks like cut backs are on the way, I get nervous like everyone else. But, if I do ever get the boot, at least I know that it wasn't due to my lack of effort, and I can take all that I have had the opportunity to learn at my company, and go use it somewhere else.

I wish those in bad situations all the best of outcomes.

[Trlrboy]

Like I said... you think it's fine to "use the company?"  .  In any case if DH worked for me I'd dump him with a lousy attitude like he's got.

[MommaMia]

I think Camperoo's choce of words "coasting along"  have given a different impression than maybe she was trying to.  Maybe "biding his time" would have been better.  Either way I see nothing wrong with him doing either until the move to better things comes along.  After all, I am sure that any one of you would agree that no matter how hard you were working at you current job, if the atmposherre there sucked and something better came along, you'd jump at the chance to change venues.  And why should her DH go full throttle for them?  He's doing his job, getting paid to do what he was asked to.  He knows he's making a change soon so why bust a gut, going above and beyond, when it's not going to benefit him and he's out of the company shortly anyway?  And maybe he deserves a little extra credit  for  thickening his skin just enough to keep with the company after seeing all the crap his co-workers get dumped.

Here's my nickel.... anybody got 3 cents change?

[Steve-o-bud]

I think Camperoo's choce of words "coasting along"  have given a different impression than maybe she was trying to.  Maybe "biding his time" would have been better.  Either way I see nothing wrong with him doing either until the move to better things comes along.  After all, I am sure that any one of you would agree that no matter how hard you were working at you current job, if the atmposherre there sucked and something better came along, you'd jump at the chance to change venues.  And why should her DH go full throttle for them?  He's doing his job, getting paid to do what he was asked to.  He knows he's making a change soon so why bust a gut, going above and beyond, when it's not going to benefit him and he's out of the company shortly anyway?  And maybe he deserves a little extra credit  for  thickening his skin just enough to keep with the company after seeing all the crap his co-workers get dumped.

Here's my nickel.... anybody got 3 cents change?

It's been my experience that a person gets out what they put in. The disturbing notion for me is:

"What's in it for me?"

For some people, "what's in it for me" is satisfying their own work ethic. These are the sorts of people that I want on my crew, and the ones I like working with. For others, it's punching a clock, and expecting to get paid for the time they put in, nothing more, nothing less. That's fine for some, not others. Oh well, I guess one shouldn't then expect to get ahead or work their way up.

What I don't unerstand, is that some folks make it seem like they are held captive in their jobs. The truth is, where you wind up, and what you do for a living is largely based upon the choices that you make, and in some cases, luck. I wish I were a Doctor or a Lawyer, or perhaps a Captain of Industry or successull business man. But, I didn't do the hard work, get the great grades, go to Harvard or USC and put myself in that kind of position. Do I think I have the noodle to do some of these things. Heck yes. Did I do what was required, nope. So, it's my tough luck that I'm here, living paycheck to paycheck more or less. I make the best of it, and I enjoy my life, and count my blessings, which are many.

At our jobs, they are not poking us with hot irons, or locking the doors so we can't get out. It's not slavery. If we don't like it we can leave. And, if a better opportunity pops up, go for it. We'd be stupid not to do so. But, why harbor ill will for a company that helps pay the bills?

[labontefan]

If we don't like it we can leave.

Easier said than done sometimes. I worked for a coal company for almost 17 years. Then one day in December (about two weeks before Christmas), the superintendent called me in and told me that December 30 would be my last day. This was pretty much out of the clear blue!! I knew the company was shutting down some of the mines, but the mine where I worked (I was in the office, not underground) was not one of them. Merry Christmas!

I was more fortunate than most people who get laid off because I got 6 months severance pay in addition to drawing unemployment for 6 months. The only problem was that it took me almost 9 months to find a new job. (Although I have a college education and a good work record--almost never miss due to illness, etc.) And when I finally did find a job, it was at about half the pay that I had been making and I had to drive 100 miles round trip every day to and from work.

I don't know where Camperroo lives or how old she and her DH are. I do know that when you live in a small town/rural area and you lose the job you were planning to retire from when you're in your 40's, starting over isn't quite as easy as you make it sound.

The bright side is that after working the new job for about 3 years, I found another job closer to home that paid better. I've been here for just over 6 years and plan to stay here till retirement. (And I think the company's in good enough shape that I can.)

My point is that "if you don't like it, you can leave" may not be as easy as it sounds.

[Steve-o-bud]

Easier said than done sometimes. I worked for a coal company for almost 17 years. Then one day in December (about two weeks before Christmas), the superintendent called me in and told me that December 30 would be my last day. This was pretty much out of the clear blue!! I knew the company was shutting down some of the mines, but the mine where I worked (I was in the office, not underground) was not one of them. Merry Christmas!

I was more fortunate than most people who get laid off because I got 6 months severance pay in addition to drawing unemployment for 6 months. The only problem was that it took me almost 9 months to find a new job. (Although I have a college education and a good work record--almost never miss due to illness, etc.) And when I finally did find a job, it was at about half the pay that I had been making and I had to drive 100 miles round trip every day to and from work.

I don't know where Camperroo lives or how old she and her DH are. I do know that when you live in a small town/rural area and you lose the job you were planning to retire from when you're in your 40's, starting over isn't quite as easy as you make it sound.

The bright side is that after working the new job for about 3 years, I found another job closer to home that paid better. I've been here for just over 6 years and plan to stay here till retirement. (And I think the company's in good enough shape that I can.)

My point is that "if you don't like it, you can leave" may not be as easy as it sounds.

I agree, 'just leaving' is easier said than done. People shouldn't have to work for jerks, and they shouldn't have to make choices between working for a jerk, and quiting their jobs. I just can't endorse the notion that because a company is run by jerks, it justifies an employee not doing their best. In other words, two wrongs don't make a right.

I wish that employers treated their workers with the same sense of loyalty that they seem to want their employees to have. The notion of putting in your 25 or 30 years, earning your retirement, and being able to enjoy a nice retirement is something that I think every person who works hard should be able to have. I've seen what people go through. My folks used to work in the trucking industry, way back when it was regulated. They had good paying, union, clerical jobs. They made a good, decent living wage, with good benefits. We had a decent home, a decent car, took decent vacations. Nothing fancy. They had high school educations, but didn't really have a trade. They planned to retire in their jobs, having dedicated years of service to their company.

Then, the trucking industry became deregulated, and the bottom fell out. My Mom was a terrible employee, (I would never hire her if it were my company), so, she never worked in any decent job again. My step-dad, with a good work ethic, was able to find steady work again, still in the trucking business, but...non union. Much lower pay, much worse benefits, but, at least it was somewhat secure. For sure their standard of living went down, but they were lucky, and they got by.

I hate the Wall-Mart'ing of America that is going on now. It lowers the bar for many working people. I hate that manufacturing jobs are being lost. I really hate that good jobs are being outsourced, and off shored. Pretty soon, we won't have enough people around here to buy the products which keeps our economy going. Henry Ford had the right idea... you have to pay your people enough to afford your own product. I hate union busters. I hate employers that don't treat employees fairly, or when good people are fired a week before Christmas. I hate it that in rural America, the Company Towns are dying, and good hard working people all of a sudden have nothing but terrible choices that they are forced to make.

But, I also hate it that some folks might feel OK about giving less then their best effort at their jobs, because their boss is a jerk. Or calling in sick when they are not sick. Or, if they find themselves out of a job, not pursuing a new one till unemployment runs out, which means there is less unemployment for people who are trying their best to find a new job. These things are also bad for our economy, and bad for our country.

[MommaMia]

Oh well, I guess one shouldn't then expect to get ahead or work their way up.

What I don't unerstand, is that some folks make it seem like they are held captive in their jobs.

I guess what is the misunderstood, and not stated point, is that Campero'os DH will not be staying with this job.  There is no intention of long term employment there.  They have plans to move out of state and therefore, he has no real ties or affinity for this workplace.

Right Camperoo?

[MommaMia]

But, I also hate it that some folks might feel OK about giving less then their best effort at their jobs, because their boss is a jerk. Or calling in sick when they are not sick. Or, if they find themselves out of a job, not pursuing a new one till unemployment runs out, which means there is less unemployment for people who are trying their best to find a new job. These things are also bad for our economy, and bad for our country.

I hope you aren't implying that Camperoo's Dh is doing any of this, because I am confident this surley isn't the case.  Well, maybe he isn't giving his BEST effort, but certainly it's what is asked of him that he puts forth.  He's not running the system down, taking advantage.  Equal compensation for equal work.  That's the impression I get.

[Trlrboy]

Though it sounds like I may have shot my mouth off a while ago about this and given the impression I'm a heartless *$^%#$@&^%$, let me add this:

1.  I work for a company that 4 years ago had 3000 people in one manufacturing facility and telecom electronic design group.  It went from 3000 down to 540 over a series of 7 layoffs.  People that worked there for 20-25 years got cut.  

2.  The company I work for used to have 30 manufacturing plants in the US.  They now have none.  Everything has been sourced to Mexico, China or other low cost labor country.

People lose their jobs because companies are not price competitive and do not return enough profit to their shareholders.  That's the bottom line.  How a company handles cutting people and what, if anything, they do to soften the blow is dependent on the people remaining.  

I used to manage a group of about 28 employees.  I had to layoff 21 people in one day.  Some people on this thread seem to think that employers have some sort of perverse happiness out of making people's lives miserable.  That's just not the case.  I hated my job during that time.  I knew when I was going to work that day that I would be ruining people's plans and causing immeasurable grief and pain.  A lot of those people lived from paycheck to paycheck and this was devasting loss.

Although I could understand the company's motives for what they were doing, it is still a horrifying thing to experience.

All of this is part of a changing world economy.  American manufacturing is just going away.  Think about that the next time you want to buy an American made TV, stereo or most computers.  Think about where those sneakers for you kid are made or the clothes you are wearing.  

When a company looks at labor rates of $40-$50/ hour, which includes overhead for manufacturing plants (energy costs, employee pay, benefits, etc) and then look at a China subcontract manufacturer that can do the same work for $6/hour, you can see what is really going on.

An attitude shift needs to occur here and it starts with work ethic.  We used to really have that but it's gone when people figure they are "owed" something by their employer.   Think about that when your kid is playing video games 1/2 the day and on the other side of the world there is a kid killing himself to learn how to run a business.  Who do you think will be leading the economy 10 years from now.

I will now step down from my soapbox.