General Memo #7 - When Does The Boss Get Respect

When does the boss get respect?  Simple question deserves a simple answer - when they friggin earn it.  But here's where the complexity comes into play...

My opinion, the boss already has the respect from day one.  When they first open their mouth determines which direction their respect goes.  More precisely, the respect can go in all directions, meaning each employee will have their own perspective of the boss.  Some employees can't think for themselves and team up with others to form opinions.  Others manage to discuss constructively their opinions amongst themselves and will understand perspectives of others, which may influence their opinion.  However, the respect a boss will gain or lose is scrutinized daily.

Recently, my respect has taken a sharp downturn; like the stock market when banks screw up; like a submarine uncontrollably taking on water; like a toilet that just got flushed.  I'm one who believes everyone has a chance to prove themselves in their position.  Obviously, they will learn as they go even if they have worked in such a position before, there's always room to learn.  Each position has its own craziness to overcome.  They lose my respect when they become control freaks. Despite what your action, favorable or unfavorable, a boss who says they give you free reins because they trust you to know your job, yet jerk on the reins when you do something without first discussing with them for their approval, is nothing but a controlling asshole.

Without dragging my jibber-jabber out for the next 20 pages, I revert back to why this blog started in the first place.  I'm friggin fed up with co-workers who are... well... stupid for lack of a better word. And the bad part is, most employees know who the stupid ones are... hell, even the stupid ones know.  I can't say those in "the know" are afraid to say anything, I believe it's more of knowing how to say something politically correct without offending anyone for fear of reprocussions.  And I can understand how they feel. But for God's sake, someone needs to step up and say something or the stupid shit will just keep coming.  Example, refrigerators in the common lunch room will be overflowing with the dummies who can't see the issue of bringing a week's set of lunches and sticking them in the freezer.  I understand their thought pattern here, but what they don't seem to grasp is multiply that stupid move by 80, divide by 3 for those 80 that don't do this, then at least one frozen meal per person of those who won't eat all five meals that they bring in because they decided to go to lunch with a friend rather than eat another frozen Lean Quizeen spaghetti special, and will leave it in the freezer at the end of the week.  Yet that person will forget and bring another five meals the following week.  Do the math again, and you can see where the number will go at the end of the month.  Number's large enough that the friggin freezer door will not close.  Someone needs to point this fact out to all the stupidees out there.  And the way to do that is a "General Memo" to the entire clan in a humorous way to most, even the guilty will laugh at themselves and realize their stupidity.

When I started these "General Memos"... six years ago...  no one had any issues with them, they understood them, and the majority understood the finger was pointed at all of them, could laugh along with them... until the employee population exploded like the Baby-Boomer years.  And what happens then?  A handful will start to cry.  Why do they cry you ask?  Because they realize THEY ARE THE STUPIDEE!!!  But yet have no humor to roll with the punch and take the accusation as it's meant to be... constructive criticism.  These "General Memos" were up there with an approval rate above 90%, even had the approval of the Front Office.  The FRONT OFFICE for God's sake... they even saw the humor.  I was even given the "thumbs up" from the Front Office and, like reading the Sunday Comics once a week, they looked each week for the subject line "General Memo" to pop up in their email.

Then comes along a boss that tells me it's time to stop because numerous employees are complaining to their supervisors who tell their supervisors who bring the complaints to the morning Supervisors In Charge meeting and believe I'm out of control and need to stop.  That's what I'm told...  so, I stop because of my respect for the new boss.  Well, stupidity reached a new high recently and I couldn't help myself.  Some employee managed to spill a drink (looked like coffee to me...).  The spill wasn't just straight down to the floor, they managed to get it all over the wall.  Did they clean up their own mess?  NO!!!  They walked away and left THEIR mess for someone else to clean up.  Seems to me that attitude would piss off anyone.  (For those of you who are asking why would that piss someone off...  WTF!!!  You're a friggin moron too!)  So, in my own polite way (I was actually being nice...) a General Memo was born and sent out... Two, maybe three sentences was all.  Within two minutes my boss told me to retract that email now!  In fact, even sent another employee to my space to make sure it happened... (Guess the boss knew what I was thinking...)   Right there, in that one action, you know what I learned?  The majority of the employees weren't complaining of my "General Memos", it was my boss who didn't like the memos.  And the only reason the boss doesn't like those memos is because the boss can't control them.  Plain and simple...  A boss who feels they need control will squash everything with constructive meaning if, whatever the subject, wasn't in their control.  And that... is the simple fact.

Have any idea where my respect level is now for the boss?  Let's just say, I'm looking at the Jobs Available list on a more regular basis.  Retirement date can't seem to get here fast enough.

General Memo #6 - There is a God!

What could possibly be the best news to hear at work?  "Congratulations! You're getting a raise!"  Yes, that is good news.  But that's not it.  "Congratulations!  That job you applied for?  Well, you were selected for the position!"  Yes, that is good news.  But, that's not it either.  "The biggest butthead in the company got a new job, and it's with another company!" Yes! That's it! If the first two don't reflect on you, then the third message outranks the first two by leaps and bounds.  I don't know about you all, but I follow that news with a "Hallelujah Brother! There is a God! Thank you Jesus!"  Followed by a promise to attend church every Sunday... ok, maybe more often than usual.  What could possibly beat that great news.  I know!  A going away party... two parties in fact.  The first one for the loser leaving and all those people who lie to themselves and offer congratulations.  And the second party...  the weekend after they're gone!  You'll see me at the second party.

What happens next takes up the time between the announcement and when they finally walk out the door.  Raffles!  First, who's next in line to take the vacant position.  There's always one butthead to follow the outgoing butthead.  And that butthead meets the same butthead qualities or will exceed them beyond your worse expectations.  Or will it be the person everyone would love to see in the position. They go out of their way to please everyone, is a great team player, seems to be the workaholic who manages to be on top of every job.  Of these choices, here's what will happen.  The butthead leaves, but before they leave, they recommend the brown-noser who's been there acting in the position when butthead was gone on vacation or travel or whatever reason they weren't there.  The one everyone is praying will get the position, ain't going to get the job.  They're too nice to follow a butthead.  So the brown-nosing butthead gets the job, and everyone now not only hates the brown-noser, but now hates their own job.  At some point, management gets a clue and strongly suggests the brown-nosing butthead either find another job or management finds another job for them.  And who follows the brown-nosing butthead? Hopefully, the great team player, the workaholic... but chances are 60-40 management will now choose someone outside the company suggesting the department needs new blood. And so much for that raffle...  next raffle.

The butthead leaves, the new job is located in the same town, and we all wonder how many jobs can they create in their new position down the road, which all the brown-nosers who worked under them will now follow.  If we're really lucky, enough positions to take all of them.  But if they can at least create one, they will create a new position for the brown-nosing butthead and we can all sleep a whole lot better.  Give me an Amen Brother!