You don't work for The Big B, by chance?

 

here where I work it's the typical politics. The well liked can do no wrong and the disliked can do no right. I'm just glad I am in the "liked" section.

The management isn't too bad, but not the best I have come across.

 

There are just 3 of us that have the same job position. One of them doesnt know how to do anything but she has a problem with one of her arms. So she brought a lawyer in and told them that they had to change her job description or she would sue for discrimination because she is "handicapped" she just doesnt have full mobility of one arm. This same person got another employee fired and one written up because she knows how to work the HR system and how to threaten them with bad press or legal suits or complaints. Now management just overlooks her screwups and the things she doesnt do. Me and the other guy still do the same job and more now, because we have to clean up after her.

 

The company I work for, German, is awesome. But (theres always a but), the local management is not so great. When I got the job, I figured "alright, German engineering and excellence". I am very disapointed to say the least. We manufacture high end appliances. I am a team leader on an assembly line. What I see is too much of the "good 'ol boy" network in management. There are nothing but locals in charge of production. Yeah, the plant manager is German, and we have tours on a regular basis by the high ups from Germany, but somebody is pulling the wool over the German's eyes.

I conjure up images of the automobile plants in Germany, where evreything is neat and organized, no scenes of frustration or confusion, and everything sparkles. Nope, not where I work.

Our engineers are the worst. I am in utter amazement at the size chip on their shoulders. As a team leader on the line, I see where all of the flaws in the design are. It is my job to raise the red flag when I spot them. I even so much as offer simple solutions to get it RIGHT. What do I get in return? The brush off. I'm just a stupid team leader with no engineering degree, how dare I even suggest there is a flaw in there design. Well, there ya go, your ego has just clouded reality.

Now, I must say, team spirtit is developed at the team leader level. My operators will do just about anything I ask of them, they rock. But I refuse to sell my soul to the company. I get the job done, and done well I might add, but when I clock out, that's it until tomorrow. Management want's us to be hard nosed and to some extend downright mean. I don't subscribe to that kind of leadership. I will throw down along side the operators, I will not ask them to do anything I myself will not do. I try to lead by example. I keep it friendly and light, and they work their buns off.

 

I have worked under some really lousy managers before. I now have moved into management and i run a service department. I was promoted over other employees who have seniority over me. It was very awkward at first but I made it work. I worked about 14 hours a day for a month straight. I changed some aspects of everything that we do. IMO one of the best things i did was to come from the bottom.
I know what my guys face every day and i have taken most of the B.S. off of them and put it on myself. I get paid more so i feel it's my duty to put up with a little more. This lets my guys focus on fixing equipment and we get more done with better morale. It also helps that my guys have seen me do every dirty job that I might ever ask them to do.
All of this is possible because our CEO has made it clear that our priorities are: the customer, the employees, the company, in that order. We have management meetings where he expects us to get heated and step on each others toes. I have the freedom to do whatever is necessary to benefit our priorities, and as long as I'm doing that we will be successful.

 

Blue oval - Here is some NAVY advice comin' at ya -

You should print this post of mine and show it to your supervisor, privately.

As the lead dog - NOBODY should be walking into his shop and bypassing him to get right at his people. If he needs to stiff arm them at the door to get their attention, the message he needs to send is clear:

"I am the man in charge of this space, buddy. And you need to talk to me first, before you go to anyone else in this room."

Chiefs in the NAVY use that tactic all the time (walking right past the sup, to see what he does or does not do about it.)

GET TOUGH! Take charge! It IS your shop.

Stop them at the door and politely explain that by passing him by to get at his troops, the (visitor) is ignoring correct shop procedure and workplace protocol. There is a chain of command everywhere, even if it is not called that, or thought of in that way. By treating your SUP as a doormat, these people are undermining his authority - that much is clear.

He has GOT to take a stand. Maybe that's what they are watching for him to do.

It would also be helpful if a shop meeting was held with the troops that work there, to explain the why and how of it, so that if these people persist - the people in the shop will first ask (when they are talked to) "Have you spoken to my supervisor yet, or are you wandering around without an escort? I believe my supervisor is over here..."

(This is of a piece with "team building". GET TIGHT! Stand together, and you will all benefit)


Bodabdan -

The most brilliant quote I remember from a supervisor was this:

"My job is to keep the crap that rolls down hill off of my troops backs so that they can do their job. If I do not do that effectively, my people will have so much stuff complicating their lives that it might even become impossible to do their jobs. I am a CRAP SHIELD. And very often management doesn't like it - but they know damn well that if they replaced me with someone spineless who did whatever they told them to do, and didn't give a damn about their people, the production numbers would go right back down to what they always used to be..."

You are a shining knight in the forces of the workforce! Treasure that, in the spirit that it is given....


~Wolf

 

Why thank you very much sir!! Like yourself I proudly served the Navy ( 1984-1988, Aviation Ordnanceman, S-3 Viking). The most valuable lessons in my life have come from my Dad and the Navy.
I must boast that i heard today that my biggest competitor fired their service manager because we were "kicking their ....". They have over 100 employees, we have 23. When i first started at this company we invoiced about $300/day. Because we have an upper management that is open minded and relies on the strengths of people that are trusted, we are now billing about $1300/day, and I do mean WE.

 

YEAH TEAM!!!

I got a word in my ear earlier today (when I was sorta bummed about taking too long on what should have been a simple job) that there is a long list of people coming out soon - that will no longer be with my 'company'. But I was not gonna be on it, because I was doing it RIGHT.

Now THAT was a warm fuzzy....