What's made you grumpy today? (Part II)

[bugsymike]

I r

I believe that's known as 'The Peter Principle'.

Before the corporate nightmare happened, the old owner of the company avoided that like the plague. You could get promoted but only where you could do the most good. Our current US CEO, Al, started out as a salesman and was promoted to General Manager by the owner's nephew. The owner said it wasn't a smooth move but he'd already retired. The guys' tenure as GM was bumpy. My boss, Harold, went as far as Technical Support Manager and I was the Technical Support Supervisor. I ran the shop with a few guys that answered to me and I answered to Old Weird Harold. It worked as long as the GM stayed away. When the GM stuck his nose in on our side, it was always a problem.

"But your GM said you can do this."

"What? That's not even remotely possible."

"But he said it."

"Just a minute. Al, get your ass into Harold's office. We need to talk." I was better at yelling at Al than he was at me. Odds were that I wouldn't get fired back then. Now, the place is located in an 'At Will' state. You can be shown the do for no reason. I just shake my head and walk away.

I recall at one company the management all went on a "industrial management course/seminar? " it was the only day that everything ran smoothly .

 

[s130]

Purchasing departments (corporate / larger orientated) can be a real pain especially when one is just trying to get a customer sorted. Typically many have arranged "preferred or sole supply" and getting something from elsewhere is nigh impossible or just too long a process the keep the customer satisfied.

Some sensible companies bounded by the purchase/sources restrictions from the mothership have setup and use petty cash accounts. Others (managers) have bought the urgent item on their company credit card and face the flak later.

I was watching (again) "Reach For The Sky" and the spare parts issue.



Tune to 1:25:30

"Well I'll ruddy well unclog the system"

Tune to 1:26:30

"You can't do this"

 

[StevenRB45]

I r

I recall at one company the management all went on a "industrial management course/seminar? " it was the only day that everything ran smoothly .

In the modern era it's not necessarily above your level of competence...it's above the level of your ability to retain/categorise information.

After years of efficiency savings most jobs in the upper echelons of the private sector used to be 3 or 4 jobs. As a result you've got no hope of being across literally everything.

I don't work with anyone who I'd classify as incompetent...but take a culture of "I need it yesterday" and have no one who is really an expert in a given thing as they are wearing 3 different hats and the quality of work goes down on the basis nothing is given the proper consideration.

Had one today, where a query had come up on a report I built a little while ago. Now this report has always shown bad news since the day I built it. But big bosses, big boss asked a question on it today..and now it's news. One of his subordinates came back with something that made literally no flipping sense at all..mights as well have said "it's bad news only days with an F in them...also you forgot to carry the 1..". This is not my problem anymore..buuut what he did do was reply with the phrase "if this report is to be believed".

Oh mate...you aren't my line manager now I'm going to look into this on the basis of that if. "Well if you look at the data...you carried an overspend from last year...you've only been on budget this year..so you've recouped none of the overspend and so remain over budget.

Kind Regards...

 

[bugsymike]

In the modern era it's not necessarily above your level of competence...it's above the level of your ability to retain/categorise information.

After years of efficiency savings most jobs in the upper echelons of the private sector used to be 3 or 4 jobs. As a result you've got no hope of being across literally everything.

I don't work with anyone who I'd classify as incompetent...but take a culture of "I need it yesterday" and have no one who is really an expert in a given thing as they are wearing 3 different hats and the quality of work goes down on the basis nothing is given the proper consideration.

Had one today, where a query had come up on a report I built a little while ago. Now this report has always shown bad news since the day I built it. But big bosses, big boss asked a question on it today..and now it's news. One of his subordinates came back with something that made literally no flipping sense at all..mights as well have said "it's bad news only days with an F in them...also you forgot to carry the 1..". This is not my problem anymore..buuut what he did do was reply with the phrase "if this report is to be believed".

Oh mate...you aren't my line manager now I'm going to look into this on the basis of that if. "Well if you look at the data...you carried an overspend from last year...you've only been on budget this year..so you've recouped none of the overspend and so remain over budget.

Kind Regards...

Reading that I am sincerely grateful I have never had to work in that sort of environment and was able to work self employed since 1982 with only myself to blame, apart from Motor Factors sending the wrong parts or sending them at closing time on the last van and thinking they hasve done you a favour. Yes I really like working till midnight because a person can't do their job right!!!

 

[Cheest]

Purchasing departments (corporate / larger orientated) can be a real pain especially when one is just trying to get a customer sorted. Typically many have arranged "preferred or sole supply" and getting something from elsewhere is nigh impossible or just too long a process the keep the customer satisfied.

Some sensible companies bounded by the purchase/sources restrictions from the mothership have setup and use petty cash accounts. Others (managers) have bought the urgent item on their company credit card and face the flak later.

I was watching (again) "Reach For The Sky" and the spare parts issue.



Tune to 1:25:30

"Well I'll ruddy well unclog the system"

Tune to 1:26:30

"You can't do this"

So it's not just us.

I have a permanently extended middle finger at that corporate policy. And they know it. My boss, Old Weird Harold, is a little more polite about it than I am but he is of the 'Put it on your company card and we'll worry about it later' school.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I sympathise with this, work gave me a tiny 14 inch dell laptop, I have it paired with a USB-C hub, which then gives me two HDMI ports and so I have it paired with a 32inch and a 21inch monitor for super work space.


Literally just had to take my phone out of his mouth

I still remember the big argument about who lost the TV remote. After a month or so it was found inside the VCR slot when a tape would not load. One vote for the DVD and for streaming!

 

[The Panda Nut]

Well B****r Me! Nothing!!!!
Bought a CHristmas tree for £25 and when we paid they had cut the cost to £12.99. Result,

 

[The Panda Nut]

I r

I recall at one company the management all went on a "industrial management course/seminar? " it was the only day that everything ran smoothly .

I read a serious report in a management magazine, probably around 1997. It said that research showed 82% of managers dont contribute anything real to their organisations and would not be missed if not there. I used to regard my role as a manager as the one who had to do everything possib;e to help and support others to get the task completed, If you do this, and take no heed tp all the bullshit most organisations spout, you seem to get the job done, get the repsect of the worker, and of the customer / client. You also get told that you are not doing your job even when results clearly demonstrate your team(s) is head and shoulders above the rest. I had much the same thing in my safety roles. My focus was on stopping accidents not writing reports. I worked for 16 years in that arena and still have the evidence of incident rates that declined continuously until I stopped, We defied the pre identified ratio of accidents to deaths at work 10 to 1 and more. The workforce used to listen to me, and people would ring up and ask things, and impart all sorts of useful information, I never did that job right either, I dont think senior management liked it when I said no to poinlee activities and reports that showed things that in fact were statistically proven to be nonsense. I made it to retirement in tact. My advice. Do what you beliebe to be right! Be one of the 12%

 

[StevenRB45]

Reading that I am sincerely grateful I have never had to work in that sort of environment and was able to work self employed since 1982 with only myself to blame, apart from Motor Factors sending the wrong parts or sending them at closing time on the last van and thinking they hasve done you a favour. Yes I really like working till midnight because a person can't do their job right!!!

One advantage was...if I want to bugger off I will. If it's not my foul up...I'll fix it, on Monday I ain't staying late to do that.

Not a religious man but the serenity prayer has served me well,
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference"

 

[s130]

A "long long time ago" the horrible Team Building Courses were a management fad.

We had a great team spirit and unity in out department as did other departments. But no higher management had other ideas.

So everyone HAD to attend a residential course.

When the 1st evening came the instructors (mostly psychologists and behavioural experts) set team studies/challenges. I said sorry but I'm not staying/residential and am going home (the rest of my team, mostly unmarried smiled). I was asked "don't you want to be here". I said NO. OH why did you come then? Because may management made it compulsory to attend but nothing about staying overnight! OH your team will have a problem trying to make me feel guilty and no a team player! No I doubt it, they will certainly manage

Following morning I asked my team so what happened? We knocked off the stupid/pointless mumbo-jumbo in no time and retired to the bar.

"The next day went well"! Task - build the biggest free standing structure with a set of canes. Now some teams decided this was a serious challenge to be top dogs. My team watched in amusement at the headless chickens all trying to be top dogs. One of our team members was seen walking up and down the lawn, arms folded, looking skyward. HE was asked, what are you doing? He replied getting my thoughts together..."Think before you leap". He carried on thinking and the rest of us remained seated talking about other stuff. Eventually to show willing we completed the task with the tallest structure but a long time after the rest had finished and kept them waiting. WE were asked why we took so long and started so late? We replied what was the rush, you didn't set a time limit

The rest of the 5 day course went pretty much the same way but according to OUR plan.

Following Monday I asked the team so what finally happened? They said the chief instructor/psychologist ended up in tears at the bar, her team mates had abandoned her/given up and gone to bed to leave here to drown her sorrows!

What I/we all really wanted to see was what was in the final report from the training company. We never knew.

 

[mowermender70]

what a day woke up to let dogs out 6-30 plaster over new log burner on the floor as the boss said at the time shoddy job firm do not want to now it was fitted by hetz engineer (waiting to hear) then we discover no water in this part of west wales no body nows when we will get it back. means 12 mile each way to get water,this is what they call progress.no help nothing mowermender70

 

[portland_bill]

Stepped outside this morning to find the nearside rear tyre of the Fabia absolutely flat. Was going shopping in the Panda, so no worries.
Got home, easy to see the cause, a very large headed screw sitting nicely near the centre of the tread, so at least repairable. I pumped it up (decent compressor, so no effort on my part).
There's a tyre shop at the bottom of the road, convenient. Very busy today, can look at it tomorrow at 11:30. Back home, put the spare on, drop the dead one back down. They can look at it earlier if they've got time. Will pop back tomorrow at 11:30 as agreed.
There's not much life left in that tyre, but I need the fronts to wear a bit more, so I can replace all four with all-seasons. It hurts to change out at least two good tyres. Being well-worn makes them more susceptible to punctures of course.

 

[Cheest]

Woke up to a very cold morning.

Buster dog decides that he does want to go for his morning walk. He gets to the end of the driveway and, yes, it was a bad idea and wants back in the house. This was after I got bundled up. I press Mrs.Cheest if she is SURE we don't need anything else for Christmas Eve dinner, because I'm not going after it tomorrow. She says yes, so I go out to start the Wrangler. Turn the key and hear, CLICKCLICKCLICK. Sunuva... Jump in the Chevy and that starts right up. We get the errands done and decide to pick up some frozen custard for tomorrow night. Get that home and there is no room in either freezer. I tell Mrs.Cheest to just put the stuff in the screen room off the kitchen because it's just as cold there as it is outside.

We didn't take her Renegade out for errands because I hadn't cleared the snow off the house driveway yet and didn't want to deal with the packed snow that driving over it would leave. Got home and hooked the battery charger to the Jeep and saw that the battery was almost 7 years old. Got my monies worth, I guess I'm spending it again. While the charger was doing its thing, I cleared the snow off the house driveway. I went back to the Jeep when I got the snowblower put away and it started right up. Two hours later and I am still waiting for my toes to thaw out.

By Thursday, the temps will be April like.

 

[portland_bill]

Blocked drains.
The waste pipe runs along the backs of the houses, and periodically turns to go through between houses to the road and main sewer. We're on a small hill, and our drain turns after the house below us. Middle of last year, the corner grew a crack, leaking into the garden of the house below. Thanks Water came to inspect, couldn't gain access to the cover next door, as they'd built their decking over it. So they used my cover to try to rod it, with little success. Next day they tore up next-door's decking, to gain access to the cover below, quite a long way down, and cleared the blockage. A coupleof days later two very youg lads arrived in a scruffy van, and spent only a couple of hours there. I had my doubts about the quality of any repair in that timescale.
Now, last night, drain ouotside kitchen window overflowed onto our patio. Not pleasant, as it contains 'stuff' from the houses above us.
Thames Water website has a 'report a blockage' page, that asks questions, gives choices that don't fit the issue, and then advises to call instead. Whilst waiting in the call queue, the recorded message says, 'you can report online'. Genius.
Eventually spoke to someone, and they have a promise to visit within 72 hours. Meanwhile, don't flush the loo unless absolutely necessary, don't use the dishwasher (although its outlet is above the patio floodline, and will use less water than if I wash up in the sink.) and minimise waste water.
Joy.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Blocked drains.
The waste pipe runs along the backs of the houses, and periodically turns to go through between houses to the road and main sewer. We're on a small hill, and our drain turns after the house below us. Middle of last year, the corner grew a crack, leaking into the garden of the house below. Thanks Water came to inspect, couldn't gain access to the cover next door, as they'd built their decking over it. So they used my cover to try to rod it, with little success. Next day they tore up next-door's decking, to gain access to the cover below, quite a long way down, and cleared the blockage. A coupleof days later two very youg lads arrived in a scruffy van, and spent only a couple of hours there. I had my doubts about the quality of any repair in that timescale.
Now, last night, drain ouotside kitchen window overflowed onto our patio. Not pleasant, as it contains 'stuff' from the houses above us.
Thames Water website has a 'report a blockage' page, that asks questions, gives choices that don't fit the issue, and then advises to call instead. Whilst waiting in the call queue, the recorded message says, 'you can report online'. Genius.
Eventually spoke to someone, and they have a promise to visit within 72 hours. Meanwhile, don't flush the loo unless absolutely necessary, don't use the dishwasher (although its outlet is above the patio floodline, and will use less water than if I wash up in the sink.) and minimise waste water.
Joy.

My heart bleeds for you PB. My youngest boy lives in one of many old miners cottages which were built for the miners "back in the day" They were never intended to be owned individually so there are many "unique" features - for instance the roof spaces all interconnect so you can climb up into his roof space, go along over the rafters and come down through the neighbour's loft hatch! The mains water supply comes into the roofspace on a common feed which then branches out to the separate houses in the block. Stopcock in the road outside so everyone's water has to be turned off if you want to do a tap washer in the kitchen! Sorted that one for him pretty quickly with a stopcock on the individual pipe to his house. I don't like "messing" about with the mains supply so it was "clenched buttocks" time when I turned the stopcock back on!

The drains are similar to yours, They all run down through the back gardens with a manhole cover by the back door of each house. The old, quite small diameter, clay pipes are simply laid butting end to end in sand - no jointing of any sort as we discovered when it was dug up for his new extension - and the one run serves half the length of the street, maybe 10 or 15 semis, before turning at right angles after the house next door to him to feed the main sewer in the road. Many people in the street have built decking over theirs and one has even built an extension - which we discovered, during all the legal stuff around his new extension, has no planning or building control permissions!

Got a phone call from him early one evening several years ago - pre the constuction of his extension. "Dad there's disgusting water coming out the man hole by the back door". In our ignorance we thought, because the pipes are in the back garden that it would be his responsibility to get the blockage cleared so, at great expense, paid for one of the jet washing companies to clear it. Ok for about 6 months then it blocked again. Repeated paying over of cash to jetting company who told my boy, after he'd been payed, "D'you know son, you want to ring Scottish Water because they'll do this for free". Rang them and they agreed it was their responsibility but refused to refund any costs, Quelle surprise! (think that's how you spell it?) About a week later it promptly blocked up again so we rang them and they came that very evening - apparently they are on 24 hour call for potentially dangerous ones, especially where young kids are involved, well done them! After clearing it they came back the next day to tell my boy it had been blocked with stuff like disposable nappy bits and "feminine" products and they suggested that he have a word with his neighbours up the street. "what, all 30 (or whatever) households"? Then my boy told them that the blockage wasn't the first one there'd been two more in the recent past so they came back next day with a clever crawler camera thing which they sent down the drain and found a whole lot of roots from his privet hedge had invaded the drain via the unsealed butt jointed pipes. They very cleverly cut most of the quite fine roots and installed an expanding sleeve to seal the pipe and he's had no more problems! They even came back and cleared up the almighty mess all over his patio and sprayed it with some sort of very strong bug killer spray to make it safe.

It really is a horrid thing to have to deal with though isn't it?

 

[bugsymike]

My heart bleeds for you PB. My youngest boy lives in one of many old miners cottages which were built for the miners "back in the day" They were never intended to be owned individually so there are many "unique" features - for instance the roof spaces all interconnect so you can climb up into his roof space, go along over the rafters and come down through the neighbour's loft hatch! The mains water supply comes into the roofspace on a common feed which then branches out to the separate houses in the block. Stopcock in the road outside so everyone's water has to be turned off if you want to do a tap washer in the kitchen! Sorted that one for him pretty quickly with a stopcock on the individual pipe to his house. I don't like "messing" about with the mains supply so it was "clenched buttocks" time when I turned the stopcock back on!

The drains are similar to yours, They all run down through the back gardens with a manhole cover by the back door of each house. The old, quite small diameter, clay pipes are simply laid butting end to end in sand - no jointing of any sort as we discovered when it was dug up for his new extension - and the one run serves half the length of the street, maybe 10 or 15 semis, before turning at right angles after the house next door to him to feed the main sewer in the road. Many people in the street have built decking over theirs and one has even built an extension - which we discovered, during all the legal stuff around his new extension, has no planning or building control permissions!

Got a phone call from him early one evening several years ago - pre the constuction of his extension. "Dad there's disgusting water coming out the man hole by the back door". In our ignorance we thought, because the pipes are in the back garden that it would be his responsibility to get the blockage cleared so, at great expense, paid for one of the jet washing companies to clear it. Ok for about 6 months then it blocked again. Repeated paying over of cash to jetting company who told my boy, after he'd been payed, "D'you know son, you want to ring Scottish Water because they'll do this for free". Rang them and they agreed it was their responsibility but refused to refund any costs, Quelle surprise! (think that's how you spell it?) About a week later it promptly blocked up again so we rang them and they came that very evening - apparently they are on 24 hour call for potentially dangerous ones, especially where young kids are involved, well done them! After clearing it they came back the next day to tell my boy it had been blocked with stuff like disposable nappy bits and "feminine" products and they suggested that he have a word with his neighbours up the street. "what, all 30 (or whatever) households"? Then my boy told them that the blockage wasn't the first one there'd been two more in the recent past so they came back next day with a clever crawler camera thing which they sent down the drain and found a whole lot of roots from his privet hedge had invaded the drain via the unsealed butt jointed pipes. They very cleverly cut most of the quite fine roots and installed an expanding sleeve to seal the pipe and he's had no more problems! They even came back and cleared up the almighty mess all over his patio and sprayed it with some sort of very strong bug killer spray to make it safe.

It really is a horrid thing to have to deal with though isn't it?

Nothing worse, my daughters house was built in the 70s and their's is the last in the terrace, so always a worry.
My first house sounds like your son's Jock, it was possible to walk through the attic into neighbours properties, not ideal and if there had been a fire presumably it would have swept right through the whole terrace.They were farm labourers cottages about 200 years old then, solid stone walls, always annoyed me when we had idiot salesmen offering "cavity wall insulation"!
The other thing was the water supply, one Winter went for a cheap Skiing holiday in Italy, shut of the water mains due to weather, on return was told three houses along had had no water, oops!

 

[portland_bill]

- for instance the roof spaces all interconnect so you can climb up into his roof space, go along over the rafters and come down through the neighbour's loft hatch!

The mains water supply comes into the roofspace on a common feed which then branches out to the separate houses in the block.

My Uncle's old cottage was on a shared water supply, and although updated, had been piped interestingly. Like others, the stopcock in the road turned off all three cottages, but so did the one under his sink, as the spur to the others was after his 'individual' tap. It got sorted for free when a water meter was installed.

My first house sounds like your son's Jock, it was possible to walk through the attic into neighbours properties,

Had a work colleague bought an old terraced cottage. He wondered why the roof hatch had bolts. He peered into the roof, shone the torch arouond, and saw a few boxes, 'apparently left by the previous owner'. He climbed up, crawled across, and started rummaging, then realised he was further away from his hatch than the size of his cottage.

solid stone walls, always annoyed me when we had idiot salesmen offering "cavity wall insulation"!
The other thing was the water supply, one Winter went for a cheap Skiing holiday in Italy, shut of the water mains due to weather, on return was told three houses along had had no water, oops!

You'd have hoped one of the neighbours might have checked the street stopcock.

Our house is mid-70s, with the top half faced with tiles, front and back. As they're mounted to the inner wall on battens, cavity insulation would pop them all off. Of course, the cold-calling companies have no idea of the type of houses in the area they're canvassing, and the poor wretches on the phones don't understand.

 

[bugsymike]

My Uncle's old cottage was on a shared water supply, and although updated, had been piped interestingly. Like others, the stopcock in the road turned off all three cottages, but so did the one under his sink, as the spur to the others was after his 'individual' tap. It got sorted for free when a water meter was installed.

Had a work colleague bought an old terraced cottage. He wondered why the roof hatch had bolts. He peered into the roof, shone the torch arouond, and saw a few boxes, 'apparently left by the previous owner'. He climbed up, crawled across, and started rummaging, then realised he was further away from his hatch than the size of his cottage.

You'd have hoped one of the neighbours might have checked the street stopcock.

Our house is mid-70s, with the top half faced with tiles, front and back. As they're mounted to the inner wall on battens, cavity insulation would pop them all off. Of course, the cold-calling companies have no idea of the type of houses in the area they're canvassing, and the poor wretches on the phones don't understand.

The neighbours had turned the water on, but we were not very popular .
The cold calling was house knocking so you would have thought by the time they got to the end of the street they would have got the message.
I had aluminium double glazing fitted and asked the supplier how long the warranty was, he said five years, I sounded disappointed so he said they will probably last over thirty years, to which I replied the wooden sash windows that came out qwere over 200 years old, he had no answer

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

My first house sounds like your son's Jock, it was possible to walk through the attic into neighbours properties, not ideal and if there had been a fire presumably it would have swept right through the whole terrace.They were farm labourers cottages about 200 years old then, solid stone walls, always annoyed me when we had idiot salesmen offering "cavity wall insulation"!

When my boy bought the house his next door neighbour was a very elderly woman whose husband had worked down the mine so she was allowed to stay in the house 'till she died. When the new neighbour moved in a couple of years ago we built a stud partition in the loft to block access from the new neighbours. Never thought about the fire implications though. Maybe I should contact a builder friend and see how much he'd charge to replace it with brick or block. Pity because we spent a fair amount on wood and plasterboard.

Another "peculiarity" is that, although the exterior walls are brick cavity - bricks made locally too - the dividing wall between them and next door is only single brick. We found that out when next door had a new kitchen installed and the kitchen fitters drilled right through resulting in 3 "lovely" breakout holes in his kitchen wall" 'twas easy enough to fill the conical shaped holes with filler but much more difficult to match the discontinued paint colour. Still, could have been worse, all 3 holes only just missed his tiles!

 

[portland_bill]

Another "peculiarity" is that, although the exterior walls are brick cavity - bricks made locally too - the dividing wall between them and next door is only single brick.

It is fairly common practice, even now I believe, that the dividing walls are double-brick, but with no cavity. Ours is like this, so sound travels through. When next door plug something in, it sounds like it is in our socket.