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Sunday, July 06, 2008

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The 8:44am Blog

It's Friday - another payday come and gone, and I'm waiting on Patti so I can take the van to work.

Lemme bring you up to speed on things as work is related. You see yesterday's post? It's the result of another "associate's" rants. I was sent this document, so I posted it and the author remains anonymous for reasons not required to admit.

My new position is a lock. Next Friday is my last day as a technician. I'm now considered "an outcast" at my job, and I feel like I've become a ghost in my department. Its as though I *never* existed. Any contributions I've done have been stricken from their memory, and my name is not to be spoken by anyone. Eye contact is forbidden by those in mangement, and any conversation is doubly forbidden. Dont see me, speak to me, or acknowledge my existence, except when absolutely unavoidable.

As the GO-date draws closer, I can feel the tension mounting for something to happen that will jeopardize my position. So, I must be ever vigilant to prevent this from happening, including what I say to others, or how I act near others.

Now 9:45am, at my desk I await the first shit-for-brains to call to ask the stupid question of the day. I'm wearing my hair without the pony-tailer, in silent protest of my departments inability to do what a real management team would have done along time ago - start taking 'care' of thier hard working associates (not employees).

I just can't seem to image how someone could work for you every day of every work day of every week of every month, of every year of seven long years and not so much as blink when you tell them that you're leaving the department for another position. I find it almost baffling that it didn't phase my boss, nor his boss in the least.


Not that I'm blowing my own horn, (listen closley) but for seven years, (not months) I've learned to wear the skin of chamelon to change with the 'rules' and 'responsibilities' that have ever-increased on me since beginning my tenure with this company. Let me also state that my rant is in no way directed to my company as a whole, as I still feel great respect for the company as whole, and have admiration for how it averted disaster during the really tough times. But that's not what this rant is about.

It's about people- certain people - who've failed to be the leader they needed to be when time came that it was absolutely necessary for them to do so. They failed to meet expectations time and time again to encourage fellow associates to strive for progress, falling short of recognizing accomplishments time and time again. Miserably, did they fail-when opportunity after opportunity to give simple 'Atta-Boy' recognition for a job well done, went un-noticed - but not by the other associates.

Poorly did they respond to the need of the associates who were already overburded by too many responsibilities when the one time of year comes and it is appropriate to show some compassion for one another (Xmas). I remember a time when a party was planned, and it was a grand event, and all the families of all associates attended, and all the department celebrated it's year of hard work and for only one night we were celebratory, for we knew it was back to work the next day, and new goals were to be achieved - we were eager then.

But no longer. We cringe, when the orders are delivered from the front of the conference room where the pin-headed, tight-skinned one stands, laser pointer wielded like a job-killer gun, shouting, at times how we are under-achieved once again, and have to do more with less, and push harder with less, and go farther with less and we're now going to be held to our task with accountability (the latest corperate fuck word).

As you read in the passage above, you read about how our money dried up, but the flow of incoming cash to the department increased - where's it go? Certainly not in our pockets. Certainly not to set out time for training or other assistance for us to perform our jobs more efficiently - we're required to have product knowledge, but no longer given the resources required to obtain the information; basically left to fend for ourselves like mice scurrying in the dark for the last remaining scraps from a time when the feast table was abundant with supply.

No more.
No more.
No more.

Ode To Technical Support

Im tired, tired of all the micro managing by both the managers and whoever believes they have a brainstorm on something we all should do.

Tired of seeing my pay erode and not keeping pace with inflation.

Tired of the company doing better but having it becomes harder to get promoted to get more pay.

Tired of going to cheer leading sessions that tell us of all the wonderful things we are doing but seeing evidence that we are valued less by Ingram. Perfect attendance for a year? Get a carwash coupon or 4 hrs tech time. The reward used to be $250.00, remember that? Gee, why would that go away? Saving more money right out of the pockets of the employees. Yes, employees, not associates.

Tired of being told that we are fortunate to have jobs at all in this poor economy while the company does better and better. It seems every group is short handed and when we do hire its not enough. We do more on the phone than we used to so taking less calls is not a valid reason for less employees. Providing more value per call takes longer and is much harder

Tired of getting kudos that are so cheap as to be insulting. Whats next? Beads and Blankets for Manhattan?

Tired of being rewarded in a meaningless fashion that indicates Ingrams unwillingness to put its money where its mouth is.

Tired of making numbers that put bonuses into Mr. Brooks pocket while I wonder how I?m ever going to afford a new pair of shoes.

Tired of appointments of "Supervisors of Customer Experience" when there is no one supervising our Technicians experience.

Tired of our company erring on the side of the customer whenever possible even when it is not reasonable and holding the technician to blame for the customers mistakes.

Tired of being asked for extra effort for an unending list of things that apparently are very important to management and their bonuses but make no difference in my pay?. but certainly do in my stress and job load.

Tired of being told there is an open door policy that anyone can speak up and deliver feedback, its encouraged! HA! Any fool can see this could be a job-killing move. This will be anonymous because I don?t trust management and I don?t trust my fellow co-workers to not let the cat out of the bag. There are too many little brown nosed climbers here.

Our jobs are far, far different than they used to be with a higher skill level required to do them both in a technical sense and in the personal skills area but our pay certainly has not increased to mirror this.

We have MILLIONS of dollars to spend for a solution center that comes from money spent by our vendors for their programs here at Ingram and yet none of these funds every really seems to translate into higher pay for the majority. We are ALL a team here and we all contribute but do not all share in the rewards. Claiming most do not do more than meet expectations and therefore don?t get a raise or get a laughable one is wrong. Meeting expectations is getting us to give more value to Ingram and our customers and is daily increasing our value but when does this ever equate to pay?

The company spin on the crap being shoveled out on a daily basis is an insult to any reasonable persons intelligence yet management is obviously of the opinion that the employees here are not very bright and continue with the shoveling.

We know, we understand and are aware of what the situation is here in Ingram. Many are not exactly happy but not yet willing to speak out.

Many are very unhappy, yet lack the courage to make changes or introduce a new idea because of the retribution that they will be railroaded out of a job after faithfully contributing for over 5 years of dedicated loyalty to the Blue and Red with the white field.

Many are burdened and over worked with tasks that management should be performing, but somehow find themselves performing these chores for better favor from their manager, only to be told they are sub par in performance and need to strive to ?lead? through example to make good on their new responsibilities.

Many are lured by the promise of favoritism, to fulfill the basic human need to feel wanted, and appreciated, to discover again, they are once more short of the ever rising bar of judgment from management - the expectation level once again rises to smash the elusive brass ring of accomplishment and proper compensation. Sorry, better luck next time.

Tired are we, of being pit against one another to compete for attention and what little recognition is sparingly distributed randomly once a month as someones name is read off a piece of paper jammed into a wooden box at the last minute, before the start of the monthly cheeleaders meeting, to make a pure mockery of a lottery-style recognition session (when time permits because of something FAR more important than the associates accomplishments has again taken precedence over it) with prizes, like a car wash coupon, that has "CARS ONLY" emblazoned across it - does one good when you drive a *van* now, doesnt it ???

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