Under New Management

Originally Posted by Visavi

I'm going to be a supervisor in September, and I'm already preparing for at least one worker to either not show up for his shift or to be very late. Maybe I read the paragraph wrong, but did it just say that you work 7 days a week with two shifts a day? I don't know how your store handles shifts, but that sounds a little abusive without the fact that you have to do all of the photo work.

I've been lucky to have transferred a couple of times before the CIO decided to change managers in my technological job. However, my journalism part-time job recently hired a woman that makes Avril Lavigne look like a caffinated cheerleader. I've worked at the paper about a semester longer than her, but turned down the job offer b/c my other boss would have had the lazy slacker mentioned in the first paragraph as a supervisor and I couldn't let that happen.

She had a test run in May and the play I was reviewing was having their dress rehearsal on a Wednesday (which was when the paper comes out). So, she has me go there on a Tuesday and tells the photographer that the dress rehearsal was that day. She tells me that she wants the story in by 8 p.m., but guess what...the rehearsal doesn't start until 7:30 p.m. I run out of the building before 10 p.m. (when rehearsal was almost over but not quite) and start working my fingers to the bone b/c when a photographer called her about it starting late, she tells me she wants the story by 10 p.m. The play is a musical comedy, and those normally run for long amounts of time.

Just like the thread starter's situation amounts to abuse, so it seems does yours. Simply because this soft skull is your supervisor doesn't equate to you needing to go scurrying every time she cracks the whip. Go above her head about her unrealistic deadlines and if nothing gets accomplished at that level, go higher and complain about your slacker supervisor and the superior who didn't seem to care. It's one thing to be a prompt and diligent employee, it's another altogether to allow someone in a higher position than you to push you around. Hell, maybe she doen't know anything about the time it takes and it's completely innocent. Somehow I doubt it, though. Essentially, calmly explain why what she asks is unreasonable. If she tells you to bugger off, get her in trouble.

My worst (long term) experience was as a customer service rep at blockbuster. All employees were expected to come and do inventory, which generally lasted 4 hours past closing (4 am). The store manager had no qualms with having a person close one night and open the next day. He was also notorious for scheduling people for 31 hours of work, 1 hour less than would make a person full time and entitle them to the full time benefits. Everyone started out at $0.20 more than minimum wage, and when I left I had gotten a $0.20 raise from that.

The other managers were worse. One was a pervert who loved making inappropriate comments to his fellow male employees (not talking like jokes... I'm talking propositions). One started 4 months after me, asked me to show him how to do things, and once he got the general hang of it bitched me out when I'd try to correct him in what he was doing. My least favorite manager was the one who enjoyed sending the CSRs who could drive out to do personal errands for him. When asked, I told him no. He threatened to tell the store manager I was slacking off and stealing, so I told him I would go get him his mcdonald's (or whatever). I got in my car, drove to 7-11, bought a pack of smokes with his money, and went home. Thusly terminating my employment.

How ya doing, buddy?