take this job and shove it

[juldea]

So because I really don't want to tell these details fifteen times over, I'll just post them here and assumedly folks will read it and not ask me to rehash it all individually. ;)

Short and sweet: I am likely to quit or be fired tomorrow. Wow, eh?

The responses I've gotten from a few people indicate they think I am horrendously upset by this. Erm, not really. I mean, yeah, the money part is unsettling, and I'll probably have to call up my old temp agency on Monday and ask them to help me out. But other than, "Hrm, I hope I don't have to run up my debt even worse," I am not really that upset with the situation. I have been unhappy at my job for quite a while, and simply the fact that I wasn't being treated badly and my bosses obviously wanted me around - and, well, inertia - kept me from doing anything about finding something else.

It's really not a horribly complex situation, either. While on every other topic ever mentioned about me, my bosses tell me how great and useful I am, and I'm consistently praised by the other departments I come in contact with, and I was told to apply for this new job because oh god how they needed and wanted me working in this position and yadda - they cannot deal with the fact that sometimes I have windows open on the computer that aren't work, and sometimes I'm typing in those windows.

Now, I'm not a spoiled brat. I realize that I'm not being paid to come there and not work. However, that's not what I do. Anyone who sees me online during the day knows that I am often saying, "Can't talk now, work to do." I don't sit and watch videos at my desk, or have extended IM conversations (I don't even use AIM at work, although nowadays gtalk is sometimes on when I am logged into my gmail accounts.) I don't even post to or read LJ - part of why I haven't caught up with any of you in MONTHS. What I do is not, in my eyes, unreasonable. For example: the catalyst of this all was my boss coming up to me on Monday while I was emailing the electric company about switching bills over to the new apartment, and he threw a fit. I was told that the next time he found me online not doing work, I would be suspended for five days without pay. Boggle.

I can't really accurately convey the tone of voice and manner in which he used, but honestly that experience was It for me, and that evening I began looking on Craigslist for other jobs. (Oh, and also - earlier on Monday the other supervisor, who used to be my boss whom I hated, got in an honest-to-got shouting match with someone else. It was horrendously five-years-old and I couldn't believe that it was going on. The morale of the place has just plummeted since she got here, and that has contributed to my continuing disgruntlement.) I found one in particular I want, and so began attempting to tune up my resume by talking to friends of mine online who were HR personnel (this being from home Wednesday night.)

So, yesterday (Wednesday) at about 4:30, at the end of the day, I finish up a task and hop over to gmail. I have received an email response from one of my friends to a copy of my resume, with some changes to make. I pop it open, make the changes, save, and email it back to her. Then from behind me, my supervisor asks me if I have work to do. She apparently snuck up behind me - purposefully - and waited and watched me for TEN MINUTES (her words) to see if I would 'goof off.' Boggle again. As the head boss is out of the office, she says we will have a talk with him when he returns. Which I thought was today, but turns out it'll be tomorrow.

So, he'll probably try to pull out the five-day suspension thing. There are a few problems with this as far as HR goes, mainly that the HR policy for discipline states that one must get a verbal warning first, and then a written warning, and only then can you be suspended. Monday was I suppose my official verbal warning. I have never receiving anything in writing. He is always hounding on the Policy and Procedures, but is not actually following them.

For the record, I did use some time today to look up the official Policy for internet use. The wording is quite specific: the internet is meant to be "primarily for business use," but the only prohibited activities are downloading pornography, creating and distributing spam, impersonating another person (?), and other things which I'm not doing. Oh, and using my work email address for personal business is also prohibited, but I'm not using my work email address. I'm using my gmail account.

Anyway. The supervisor called me in to talk to her today. She asked me why I continue to use the internet even though I have been asked not to. I really couldn't find the right words to use to say, "Because it's a bullshit policy," in a polite manner, but I did express to her that I felt it was unreasonable to praise me and my work 95% of the time and then turn around and invade my privacy and insult me for one thing which doesn't actually affect my productivity that much. It's coming down to what I believe is a simple corporate office problem of "please be a mindless drone," which I'm not willing to do.

Did I mention I am prohibited from using the internet during my lunch break, as well? I can sit at my desk and do crossword puzzles, read a book, knit, whatever, but if I check my personal email I am engaging in insubordination and threatening the livelihood of the business.

So, yeah. I think this is all bullshit, and it's only because I'm an incredibly easy person to guilt trip that I've even returned the past couple of days. After all, you know, the work I do IS important, and - you see - I do it. The other grunts in the office are going to be the ones that shoulder the burden if when I leave, and I wish I didn't have to do that to them.

Knowing how this boss is, tomorrow will probably be really infuriatingly frustrating, but I really do suspect that the end result will be me no longer working there. After all, my response to their beef as a whole is, "Is this important enough to you that you will fire me for it?" If that's not true, then well... they'll have to live with it, but I suspect I'll also be treated like total shit for as long as I remain there. Plus, I don't think they're flexible enough to answer that question with a no.

There's plenty I could keep ranting about here, and I'm fairly certain there are some universal comments that people are going to throw in that will require a group response, but it's late and I'm tired. AND I get to stop being employed tomorrow. ;)

Comments

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you've done a lot of thinking about this, and you've made your decision. Go you for sticking to your guns. :)

[redknight.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope things work out to your satisfaction.

I'm not exactly a good role model, being unemployed myself, but I'm generally inclined to think that if you're really unhappy, it's time to go!

[dlobok.livejournal.com]

Kill them in the face with fire from orbit.

[ex-sleek838.livejournal.com]

that really really sucks. i know how you feel. :( i got fired from my last real job. i didn't spend half my day sending out forwards like my co-workers did.

[tpau]

meh. i wouldn't do it if i were in yoru shoes, but i am not in your shoes... let me know if there is anythign i can do to help with the finding of another jobness etc.

[etherial.livejournal.com]

This is similar to the main reason I let my temp job slide, rather than work there full time. I would finish working by 11:00 most days - literally. My boss would run out of things for me to do. But if I was playing Hearts or using the Internet when a stranger was around - Apocalypse.

Been There, Done That

[fluttergrrl30.livejournal.com]

Was the one and only time I ever argued with my boss in CT. He still wanted me to limit my time, but was open enough to hear what I was saying, and agree that my breaks and my lunches are/were my own damn time.

Good luck, today. I encourage you to speak your mind, up to and including "this is a bullshit policy". If you can keep it both civil and smart - and who doubts that you can? - you may give HR something to think about, which can only benefit everyone who works there. I also definitely encourage you - especially if you've embraced giving notice - to tell both the manager and HR what you think of bosses who nickel and dime everyone WRT the Handbook, then turn around and ignore it themselves. In for a penny, girlfriend, in for a damned pound.

[princesscurly.livejournal.com]

*hugs* good luck today, honey. *big hugs*

[crimson5.livejournal.com]

It's a pity many managers havn't caught up to the net. I think studies have shown that cutting employee's some slack regarding the internet usage actually improves morale and productivity. Unfortunately, to many managers still see surfing/IM'ing etc as unproductive waste of times by unprofesional slackers who need to be brought into line before they destroy the foundations of the company. Add to that, managers who may privately feel unqualified (how did I get this job? Everyone is going to see thru me and laugh at me behind my back. Etc, Etc) and you have a recipe for draconic managers that overreact and don't take the time to think things thru. Either way, good luck today and hope things work out for you.

[sandrylene.livejournal.com]

Ye gods, these people are flaming morons. You're bright, you're efficient, you're personable, you're effective... if they try to replace you, I'm sure *less* work will be done. It's absolutely retarded for them to laud the hell out of your output and then criticize your methods when they aren't even outside the set bounds of their own rules.

RETARDED.

I would be fairly angry. I've never gotten dressed down at work, and I hate to think what it'd look like if I did. I doubt my reaction would be as calm as a "wait and see" at this point.

Best of luck with getting yourself into a more agreeable work environment. lessthanthree. :)

[mr-teem.livejournal.com]

Good luck, whatever happens.