Set up to fail??

It's been a week now, and changes are happening left and right.  It seems like every time I turned around, there was someone else with something new.  By noon each day, I couldn't seem to make a decision when someone asked me a question.  I think it's truly unfair of my BigBox Store to make changes that haven't been tried out, and worse, implemented with no input from people who actually DO the tasks we are asked to do.  Adding something else to my plate:  well, hell, they do that all the time.  Usually it's a slow gradual, adding one or two simple changes at a time.  This one is drastic.  And I swear, they must have only tested it in a "model" store, that doesn't do a lot of volume.  Or it's tested without using real shoppers who leave a store a mess as they shop, opening packages, dropping off cold items in the hardware dept ..... you get the idea.  If you don't have to spend all of your working hours cleaning up after lousy shoppers, you have a great deal more time on your hands to do what *really* needs to be done.

Yes, I'm venting, and I'm grouchy over the recent changes.  They announced the changes to begin on May 13th (such a lucky number, right???)  however, in the madness of retail management everywhere -- not just my store, it happens in every store -- when something new comes along, they want to be "ahead of the game" and have things ready so when upper management asks, they can be "positive" about the change. 

Well, I for one am kind of tired of this kind of thinking.  I cannot train anyone on the new processes put in place when they aren't even downloaded to our computers yet!  So why am I being forced to do something that just can't happen yet?!?!?  Too many questions, and all I can say is "we do it this way for now, but come Monday, it will all change."  Why does upper management in all walks of life think this is the way to keep good employees??  If something new is coming, then *management* should know how to do it first!  And yet I am left to train them as well.  (They have a shock coming on Monday, because I "saved up" a bunch of things that I am going to make each of them process, so they know how to teach others.) 

I can't be a teacher all day, and also get my two functions done in a day.  I will be processing claims as usual, but I am also in charge of the "clearance area", making sure all the necessary processes are done in a timely and correct manner.  The really bad part of being in charge of this means I am dependent on every other department in the store to be up to speed in their own departmental functions.  And THAT hasn't happened in my store in over six months.





Am I being set up to fail???

Right now, it feels like it.

New Day, New Week

When it comes to work, I don't engage in much of the social part of it all.  I prefer to eat lunches alone, and work well on my own.  So when something "happens", I'm usually the last to know.  That's how Monday started.

I was informed that one of our managers was terminated for fraternization.  When you hear that, it's easy to assume the most obvious:  a male manager with a female employee.  This was quite the opposite!  I'm sure when I heard the news my jaw hit the pavement. 

At my age, the thought of engaging in any kind of intimate relationship with a coworker gives me the willies.  Maybe because so many are younger than my own kids??  Could be.  I'm not naive, things happen.  And I wasn't immune to it in my twenty's. 

But then again, maybe it was the workplace.  The ratio of men to women back then was 15:1 , and I didn't mind it!  It was a great group of guys, and I believe I was "the little sister" to most of them.  They certainly made it a point to look out for me, didn't miss a chance to tease me (like a big brother would!) and to "corrupt" me if the opportunity came up. 


I remember the first time they invited me to choir practice.  Turns out, that was their code word for drinks at the local bowling alley bar every Thursday night.  They made it into a challenge and wouldn't let me tag along unless I agreed to two rules:  If you're gonna drink with the boys, you keep up with the boys; and you don't miss work the next day.   Seemed simple enough, so I went.  Good thing they were married men, otherwise I might have been one those in the fraternization category! 

I can certainly understand how easy it is to get caught up in something.  What we do during our work day is sometimes a mystery, and when we have a bad day, telling someone who understands *why* it was a bad day because they've lived through the same things can be an attractive quality.  In hindsight, I think that's why choir practice was so attractive; it gave all these men an opportunity to discuss work situations and problems - and maybe relieved the stresses of bringing work home to family life.

With the Monday crazies, I wondered what Tuesday would hold. 
Luckily, no major catastrophes!
Happy Week to the rest of you :)

A Mess, and Humor

Just the other day, I was talking with my co-worker about the job we do; how even though the process we use is the same day in and day out, with each new day you never know what will be next.  Today was one of those days.  Two pm, and everyone's thinking about heading home because it's Friday!  And here comes a manager, needing help.  Seems a 5 gallon jug of oil broke open and is spilled all over the concrete floor.  Yikes! 

We head out, armed with plastic bags, brooms, dustpans and the ever-needed kitty litter.  After mopping and sweeping and sprinkling, more mopping, sweeping and sprinkling, we finally got it all off the floor and into the hazardous waste containment buckets. 

Fun way to end my work week! 

I stepped into the restroom to wash my hands and clean up when in walked two young girls.  You could tell they were sisters.  Big sister says to little sister "If anyone starts bothering you, just bite them really hard!" and zoomed into the stall to use the bathroom. 

Me, I'm chuckling to myself, found it pretty funny that one sister would say that to another!  But then again, we never know what's what these days, and kudos to the mom for instilling good sense
in both sisters, and in the big sister for watching out for little sister! 
Really made my day!!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Ch-Ch-Changes

I've been thinking a lot about change - and changes.   I used to go by the saying "If you want something to change, you have to change something."  Like, driving a different way to work, or walking a different path through the park, having a meal someplace new or different.  When you make a change, the universe is forced to change around you.  Or something like that.

Sometimes, this is very true.

But the other changes I've been pondering have to do with change just for the sake of change.  Or, forcing a change that hasn't been tried out yet.  I'm talking about the stuff that happens in a BigBox store.  And being I've been part of that for nearly 18 years, I understand the need for change. 
Shoppers change, and with that, what services are provided need to change as well. 
Toss in the whole e-commerce thing, and there are many, many changes happening. 

Most people don't adapt to change overnight.  There's a process, there's teaching and training, and there's leaving a little room for trial and error.  But when there are changes that occur in one procedure, or area, of a BigBox store and no one's on board with the changes .... and there's yet another change, folks get fed up.  They can't do a good job when they don't have a clue what's expected any longer. 

Which also adds fuel to the rumor mill that surrounds most work places, and especially retail.  ((Maybe that's because retails employs more women than men??? *smirk* ))  Ok, joking aside, the rumors that fly around because a corporation wants to "try something" in a certain part of the country, or in a certain kind of store ... frankly, I'd rather they be up front about it, and let us add our own thoughts, creative solutions and/or criticisms about the changes.  Because a desk jockey who might know the steps of a certain job function in a retail setting doesn't know the reality of what takes place in the real work place.

For example, someone behind a desk decides that it takes a certain number of hours to unload a trailer full of merchandise; ie, there might be "2500 pieces" on a trailer, which calculates into 2.25 hours with 7 employees unloading it.  There isn't any time built in for the slippery box of paint, which comes 4 gallons to a box and gets heavy; it falls to the floor and breaks open.  Who cleans it?  it most certainly disturbs the flow of unloading the trailer.  When you force people to work in time constraints, where is the give and take when it comes to doing something outside the "usual routine"?

An employee doesn't feel appreciated for what IS accomplished when all that is noticed is that the end time of unloading a trailer isn't met at the specified time.  In order for the crew of 7 employees to unload on time, they have to hustle.  In a world of too much hustle, mistakes are made, or worse, not only product is sacrificed, maybe someone slips in the paint and it becomes an industrial accident.

Do I have a point to all this?  Other than the obvious:  "change is difficult", changes ARE coming, and most likely will affect me in a job security way, along with my job satisfaction.  I'm all for change that makes improvements to the way we work, but not when the changes I foresee eliminate positions.

Those are the changes that scare the hell outta me!

A Lousy Start

I knew it wouldn't take long.  Day 3, and Elvis sauntered over into my work area and started nosing around.  I was away making a delivery.  I wasn't told what happened, or who said what, but when I arrived back to finish up paperwork for the day, a member of management came rushing in, thinking someone needed some assistance.  Me, I felt a little blindsided.  I knew in my gut that it was something said, or done (or both) by Elvis ... to the gal who works for me now (yes, taking his old position).  

Whatever it was, the manager pulled my gal into a closed door meeting.  A few minutes later, the store manager came and pulled her into another closed door meeting.  When she came back in, all she said was "I was told not to talk about it".  

Yeah.  That really makes for lousy start to my weekend.  

I now am left wondering if my time is up at this BigBox Store 

and should I be looking for a transfer?  

Or a whole new job? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Retail & Change

This is my second weekend in a row off work!   - ok, not really *on* the actual weekend, but having Friday and Saturday off is a pretty good thing.  In the retail sector, we work so many crazy days because there isn't ever a time when the stores are closed any longer, so we're expected to be available for the times when shoppers are there.  But if we went by that, most would have Tues/Weds off, because weekends are truly the busiest times.  Which is why I'm glad I'm off!  lol

I'm trying to come to terms with the new schedule, although my boss doesn't seem to like it much.  I'm training two new people in my area, and he thinks I should be there more to guide them.  But I've been working without weekends since March 11th (Elvis' D-Day!) and frankly, I'm old and need my recuperating time alone, away from work.  I'm just a phone call away *if* my girls need me. 


But what's in the future for retail?  It has me a little bit worried.  There are rumors (in every big corporation, not just retail!) that my position will be ending in one year.  That figure was pretty exact, and I'm mostly writing it down here so I can come back later -- and hopefully laugh at my fears!  Or cry because I won't know what my future holds after that.  In the past, when positions were eliminated, severance packages were offered.  Sadly, I'm not anywhere close to retiring, or I might consider it. 

In Jan 2018, the National Retail Federation claims the [retail] industry isn’t dead at all and in fact it’s on the verge of a turnaround with more jobs and innovation expected by 2020.  “I think there will be more jobs that will be opened than there are now,” Cristina Cersoli, NRF senior vice president for retail strategy told FOX Business on the future of industry. “We’re already seeing more jobs in advanced analytics and artificial intelligence.” 

“It will be a highly interactive and highly immersive from a technology perspective,” Cersoli adds. “So, whether it’s using augmented reality to test new makeup or if you’re one of the outdoor outfitters like Nike, where you can try on a pair of sneakers and then run on a treadmill or try on a coat and step into a giant refrigerator. These are things you can’t replicate on your couch in your jammies and it will draw more customers back into stores.”

Ok, so that's a bright spot on the bleak horizon being painted about all shopping being e-commerce, not actual retail stores.  So now it's just a matter of getting to know there's a different direction, and being willing to learn and anticipate some of those moves so that I can keep with my job for .. oh, 8 years, 6 months and 3 days --- but who's counting?????

So cross your fingers, or send me some good thoughts, good vibes! 
I'm going to need them in the upcoming weeks!

Retail news media seems to be stuck 

in a cycle of doom and gloom, 

with relentless headlines proclaiming the death of retail. 

Relax, already. Breathe.

Work.Work.Work.

Work seems to be all I know lately.  Things have shifted, and more has fallen in my lap, so to speak, when it comes to getting things done.

First, the helper I called Elvis was terminated.  Management told him his position wasn't a "sit down job" and that the chair he was using had to be put away.  He took it upon himself to assume that on weekends (when i wasn't there) he was free to use the rolling stool and park his ass while he did his job.  I figured he would try it, and when management called him on it, he first said that he knew he couldn't use the chair, but the stool would be OK.  The second time they had a chat with him about it, he told them he was doing some "filing" when they saw him using the stool.  Uh huh.  Made me chuckle, because he never filed a lick of paperwork.  When the boss says you can't have something, I don't think you can interpret it to suit your own point of view ......

In the meantime, because Elvis was trying to have the decision overturned, they had to hold his position open for a while.  Which meant that I did my job and his by myself for three weeks.  Sure, I am good at setting priorities and got the majority of the work done.  I'm still behind in the finer points of some of the paperwork that needs to be handled.   They got a replacement, and I've been in the throes of training a new person.  As much as they think it looks easy to do what I do, there are a lot of minor decisions to be made when it comes to determining a product is defective or damaged.  Most of the time it's a judgement call, and teaching someone how to make that call isn't always easy.

In the midst of all of this, I'm working six hour days, six-plus days a week.  When the work piles up, yep, I get to stay and finish what I can.  There are some days when I reach the 9 hour mark and just have to call it a day, and resume the next.  To make matters worse --- can they really be worse??? --- corporate is changing how we do things by eliminating the hand held computers and moving to doing these tasks using apps they've developed.  Sadly, the person(s) developing the apps have never done the actual job and there are many undiagnosed issues that crop up on a daily basis.  Not only am I the first one being trained on this, I am also expected to teach and train my staff of four.  And then to spread the training out to the other folks in the store who need to know how to use these particular apps.  My supervisory position of having one other person report directly to me, I will now have four!  YIKES!   It has never been my goal to be that much of a supervisor -- I like to just go in, do my job and then be able to leave it at the end of the day.

And for those of you who know me, I'm busy counting the days! 
Day 35 and I've had only 3 days off.  My next day off isn't for another four days!
It's nice they let me work as needed, and to leave when needed as well.
Some days, I'm home by 1:30pm and can relax for a few extra hours!

But it's hard to relax, never knowing what the next day will hold.  I'm often doing all the laundry and cleaning ... just in case I don't have another day off for a few days again.  lol 
It's fun because I know it's temporary,
and it's not fun because I would REALLY love a day to sleep in.
Anyone willing to keep Sadie overnight so I can actually DO that??? lol

... Or am I just lucky???

Life sure has been busy lately.  With some key people missing at work, I've had to do a lot of filling in.  Which means I'm not taking my Plexus as regular as I should, and can't when my "post" is on the other end of the building from the bathroom, and I can't just walk away when I feel the need because I'm helping vendors ..... yeah, not a good combination. 

Over the weekend, I got back on track with my Pink Drink, and taking the BioCleanse and even the ProBiotic.  Along with that, I was able to take some time to sit in my lawn chair and soak up some sun while catching up on some reading!   Yes, I had other things that needed doing, but taking care of me is being put closer to the top of the list these days.

And so the week goes on, business as usual at my BigBox Store.  Until today.  They pulled Elvis into the office for a talk.  Because he's at the limit of coachings, his next one would be termination.  So management gave in - yet again! - and let him off with a warning.  As usual, when being pinned down, this narcissistic sociopath started pointing all kinds of fingers, especially at me -- that I'm not friendly toward him.  Last time I checked "the rules", I have to be respectful, not friendly. 

Management pulled me in for a quick convo as well, told me to "suck it up, buttercup" and put on a poker face, smile and be friendly.  Uh, sorry, not this girl.  I've had it up to HERE with Elvis and his shenanigans for six long years, and if that's the way it's going to be, then it's time for me to do what I gotta do that's best for me.   When I mentioned the particulars about having little respect for someone who doesn't respect the rules, and steals time on a daily basis -- they made it sound like this is the first they're hearing about it.  But I said I would be glad to forward my emails concerning this matter to them as soon as our meeting is done.  *smh*   Does anyone else who works in the retail industry have to deal with this kind of thing on a daily basis?????  Or am I just "lucky" ???




Ok.  this one describes it to a Tee.  An over-inflated ego (that's him) and I'm the supervisor who's doing the correcting and disagreeing (related to job performance) and to him, I'm disrespecting him.   Well, that makes me feel a little bit better, but does nothing to help with the work situation that I'm in.  It's easy to see that no matter what I do, there's no way to show him as much respect as he is thinking he deserves. 

After a little more research, I found a bit of evidence that bosses have a hard time spotting the narcissism because they don't work in a direct line with these individuals.  Everything else points how to deal with a narcissistic boss .... I don't know, just trying to reach out and find some answers.  And not finding much.

The most obvious answer is finding another position within the company, preferably at another location.  But the position I currently hold is specialized, and doesn't become available often.  So it would mean stepping down a level, taking a pay cut. 

And why should I let this bully push me out of a job I enjoy doing, and am very good at??

My thoughts will be churning for the next few days .....

Battle Armor

Friday arrived, and I debated back and forth:  to call out sick? or go to work?

I pondered it long and hard, and in the end, decided that I wasn't going to let Asshat Elvis win.  So I had an idea: because I work in the back, not on the floor, I usually wear jeans and said required polo shirt.  So I decided to put on black dress pants, my white embroidered polo and the vest required when working on the floor.  It was like wearing armor!  and I felt ready for battle.

It didn't take 15 minutes before he's asking if I'm expecting visitors because I'm in full dress.  "Nope" I said with a smile, and walked out.  I made lots of errands during my workday, just to stay out of harm's way.  And because I'd logged 40 hours by 12:30, I left then.  Luckily I had turned in keys without him being able to see me, so maybe he thought I went to lunch.  Frankly, I don't give a sh*t what he thought, I don't report to him.  Maybe he'll start thinking I had an interview elsewhere!?!

Turns out, he went running his mouth at lunchtime again - to the same gal - and told her that I was the reason another male coworker didn't get a manager level promotion.  Luckily, I know this guy didn't want to be a manager, still doesn't.  But hearing someone speaking these lies about me -- people who don't know me might believe him!  He says things with such authority.

Where does an A$$ get all this BS?  I swear he makes things up, just to stir up trouble.  And now that I'm on the receiving end of it all, I'm beginning to wonder if this type of gossip has been going on a long time and it's been coloring how upper management has been seeing me?  And this time around, maybe people are tired of his same BS and are speaking out.  Because they're coming up and telling me things ......


And here we're at another Monday,
and the beginning of another week of ....
who knows what.

For me, I think my headphones are coming with me,
play a few tunes so I can ignore some of the gossip
that is running rampant -
sort of the what I don't know, doesn't hurt as much??

Him. Or Me.

I.  Am.  So.  Mad!

Yes, it's work related.

I have a co-worker.  Technically I am the supervisor.  But I've been fighting an unseen battle with this person for six years now.  There is always something .... Maybe he's one of those who always has to stir the pot, keep things agitated.  But he's also the one who just sits back after stirring the pot and sympathizes with whomever comes crying about the issue.

It looks like I'm the new current target.

Two summers ago he targeted two co-workers, one a part time female cashier and another male co-worker.  He was convinced these two (who didn't know each other) came to his apartment building and killed his tomato plants.  He went so far as to call the police on them!  The female was so distraught she changed her days off so she would work fewer days when he was on the schedule.  The male worker left the company shortly after all of this.  He harassed this cashier in such a sneaky way that there would be no witnesses (he said, she said) and she refused to write up a complaint because she was scared to death he would retaliate.

Today, he told one of the girls who I supervise that three years ago, I called her a bitch.  Three years ago?????  **smfh**    He was coached back in March for violating company standards, and he's been fighting it ever since.  Which means that because he's taken things to higher management, anything he does, he cannot be coached for in the meantime.  He steals time, and I log it with management so they can catch him on camera.  He's even been caught sleeping at his 'desk'.  And yes, he still has a job.

My job is to supervise him.  He's been performing the same routines, the same job functions for six years now.  Just how much supervision does he need for these daily routines????  And yet, he has gone to management, and now to higher ups complaining about me, saying he needs someone who is a real supervisor.  It is my job to audit his work, and when I find errors, in the past, I would just have a discussion with him, teach and train how to do the job correctly, and leave it at that.  But after 6 years, he is still making the same kinds of errors.   I still leave him notes and the product that has the error, but I also put it in an email to him and to our management team re: his mistakes.  Because if he tries to refute the errors I have found, it becomes another he said, she said.




I'm very frustrated.

I think I've reached my breaking point.

Him or me.

Workin' Whoa's

I've been finding lately that my dreams coincide with lengthy bouts of sleep time.  Normally, I sleep 90 minutes then my FitBit logs a "restless" frame of time.  I'm hoping that just means rolling over, but sometimes it's staring at the TV for a while.  But the last few days with heavy dreams I've been sleeping for 3-hour stretches.  Weird for me, but I'm liking this pattern, because I need that quality down time to recharge for whatever tomorrow will hold!

And it's all about loads of changes at my BigBox Store.  Most of them have to do with changing over from their hardwired computer system to new little APPs.  And like everything else, there's an app for that!!   Looks like they're making that come true.  But being the "back office team leader" on all things changing it's up to me to keep up, to learn and then teach.  By the end of every day, my brain is on overload.  (Which probably has resulted in the deep sleep and heavy dreams!)  

On top of all that, if you're following along on my Elvis saga - this guy just keeps burying himself.  When you're told something has changed at your job, it's up to you to care enough to remember the change.  Elvis doesn't.  I'm not sure if somewhere along the line, he started to believe himself invincible and that he can keep on doing his own thing?  Management must be making some decisions - I was called back to work yesterday afternoon to forward emails concerning all of the incidents and run-ins that I've had with him.  What they do with that info is up to them.  *smh* 

So in the overall scheme of things, I'm at this crossroad again.  With an all new management team that so far has turned out to be all strong, vocal (read: bossy) women, and that doesn't work well with me.  The latest for my own job performance has been removing the tool that sets the work schedule for the 5 of us on our team.  Since I won't be doing the schedules, I won't be covering missing shifts.  Guess the new "strong, vocal (read: bossy) manager can fill in when someone's missing!   *smh*  (yes, that sounds kind of snarky on my part but this is the fourth time "new management" has taken over in the past 6 years; they do this same thing: take away the scheduling tool - until they're missing a few shifts, then it's "oh please can you do this again for us?"  ugh)  

Milestones

As we get older, it feels as if the "milestones" we looked forward to are fewer and further between!  Turning 5, 10, 21.  Elementary school, Jr High, High School, College.  Marriage.  Kids.  Well, you get the picture!

Today, for me, is another measurable milestone.  It speaks of my ability to endure stupidity on many levels, my ability to be "grace under pressure", to work harder and faster each day - never getting enough done - only to go back and repeat the next day.  Yes, it's a work anniversary.  17 years with my BigBox Store!  *whew*

What started out as a part time overnight just-for-the-summer job to earn money to pay back and debt to the IRS ($800), has turned into a career.  Sort of.  I've climbed the "hourly ladder" as high as it can go, and have turned down every attempt to get me to join management.  And after this long, I'm certain that's been a wise decision on my part.   I enjoy the actual facets of my job; I just dislike the management portion that gets shoved my way.  I like the people I work with ... in the casual "hey, how's it going" kind of thing.  But when it comes down to the nitty gritty, they're all so young and seem to have a "momma will clean up after me" attitude.   I'm betting they still live at home!  ha!

So here's to another few years until the next big milestone:  Retirement!!

3268 Days ... And Counting!!

The Co-Worker

Sociopathic behavior, I read in Inc., affects 1 in 25 people.  Odds are we've all come across this type of person in the workplace before.  But if you've ever had to work with one, you'd know it.  I have that issue with my co-worker and over many months I've come to realize that no matter what I do, it doesn't change him.  Not that I feel it's my job to change him, but in a supervisory role, it's my job to guide and instruct on proper company procedures and rules.  But dealing with someone who doesn't care about the rules makes it that much more difficult.

Over time, I've given up, I just do what needs doing.  And frankly, letting him make his own mistakes, I use that opportunity to instruct, but I no longer follow through to make sure he understands.  Because one of his traits is to ask questions about something he's been instructed on.  And I can never determine if he really "forgot" or if he's playing me in some kind of game.  And I'm not going that route at all.  

Here's the list from Inc. that gives the top traits of someone with sociopathic behavior:

1. Sociopaths are superficially charming and intelligent.
2. They are coldly rational.
3. They are rarely, if ever, overly nervous. Sociopaths are not afraid of risk.
4. Sociopaths are not reliable.
5. They often tell lies or say insincere things.
6. They never feel remorse or shame.
7. Their behavior turns anti-social for no good reason.
8. They have poor judgment and do not learn from experience, as they believe they are smarter than everyone else.
9. Sociopaths are pathologically egocentric, and incapable of love.
10. They generally lack the ability to react emotionally with sincerity. They have a general lack of emotion.
11. They lack insight and are not self-reflective.
12. Sociopaths appear responsive socially, often faking it to avoid being “found out.”
13. They are likely to be the life of the party.
14. Sociopaths may make false suicide threats.
15. Their sex life is impersonal, trivial, and/or poorly integrated.
16. They will consistently fail to follow a life plan.

One piece of given advice:  "Do not participate in intrigue. Don't play the game you're being invited to play. Don't compete with, or try to outsmart, or psychoanalyze, or even banter with a sociopath. Your No. 1 goal is to protect yourself."

And that's been my bottom line.  

I gotta look out for me.

the Power of Positivity advises:  

"There are all types of people in the world. You don’t have to participate in every argument and toxic experience. You get to decide how you act, react and teach others."

Bright Blessings and a

Positive Outlook, 

for tomorrow is Friday!

Under the Bus

Every now and then, something happens in a workplace, and there's someone who tries to throw a co-worker "under the bus" to make themselves look good.  I realize that in a workplace world, everyone wants to look good in their performance, but what does it say when you're the person who gets thrown under the bus because someone else did something wrong?

I've chatted about my co-worker off and on again, and he's ... something.  Recently reprimanded for something he did incorrectly, he appealed to upper management to get the reprimand overturned.  And for some reason, dragged my name into the whole mess, even though I wasn't working at the time of the incident.

Every corporation has some sort of written guide for job performance.  Sometimes it seems the bigger the corporation, the more guides there are!  And that's certainly true for my own BigBox.  There are detailed guides for dealing with situations that include working with items that may contain hazardous chemicals (pool chlorine, gasoline, nail polish remover), and employees are expected to follow those rules.  We are given information then tested on that information yearly, making sure our knowledge is up to date.  Especially if it's a part of your daily routines.

There's nothing worse than having upper management pull you into a closed door interview, being asked questions.  (For me, personally, situations like this tend to aggravate my BAM and I end up in the bathroom!)  Answering honestly is always the best policy, and of course, citing the fact that when in doubt, it's our job to check the guide and make sure we're following procedure.  With no clue what my co-worker told upper management, I just answered honestly to what was asked.  I gave my opinion at the end of the interview, and now it's in someone else's hands.

I've been working in my same position for nearly 9 years now, and most times, enjoy the work that I do.  I just don't deal well with the people.  As you get older, you realize certain things.  Many years ago, I thought that most people were brought up (like me) and thought (like me) that there was only one way to do things:  the right way.  Much to my shock! and amazement! there are some who get by in life doing as little as possible, in as many shortcut ways as possible, and thinking that it's OK.

That's not me.
Never will be.

Whine, Whine, Whine!

What. A. Week.   And it's only Wednesday!

Lately, the absurdities in my BigBox store are mounting.  The management structure of a BigBox store is based on sales volume, and we're losing key management because we didn't achieve our sales goals.  But oh how I wish I could pick which one(s) we're losing!   Why is it the ones who are deemed "the worst" by those who have to put up with -issues- are the ones who stick around???

I don't have a degree in accounting, or in managerial skills, but I've worked retail 15+ years, and I'm not dumb.  (Unless of course it's on purpose to get out of ...something. lol)   But in a retail environment, the store doesn't have a large markup on items, so it creates profit based on sales volume.  Pretty basic.  But one of the key factors is having workers who are productive, who use their time wisely.  I've always been a proponent of "work smarter, not harder", and for me that means being productive and accomplishing things in a set amount of time.  I have one manager who insists on things being done her way, and frankly, it's not a productive use of time.  I've been 'swimming upstream' with this individual and getting no where.  So I've come to the conclusion that I'll just have to do things her way.  But what happens when the job I've been instructed to do isn't being accomplished because I am being 'advised' on a different way of doing things?   *smh*

The other issue I have is having a co-worker who's work ethics and sense of accomplishment differ from mine.  If you label me as the Type A gung-ho worker, their label would be a full pendulum swing in the opposite direction  - no matter how much there is to do, there is only one speed.  If things aren't done when the shift ends, eh - no matter to them at all.  And it really bothers me.  I would tolerate it better if the slower work meant that it was accurate work, then it might be a different story.   Or it might be tolerable if this person wasn't always thinking of a way to get paid for doing nothing.  Like clocking in 15 minutes early and then flopping in the lounge to gossip with friends before beginning work is one example.  Leaving for lunch, walking to the front of the store to purchase said lunch, then walking back to the lounge before clocking out for lunch is another example.  In my opinion, that's stealing time.  It's been reported, and nothing happens.  I've been reporting this, the inaccuracies of the work, the errors that, if discovered, might result in fines from the DOT or other environmental agencies, for over a year.  Today, this same manager comes in and asks me to "make sure I'm keeping up on reporting the inaccuracies, etc" ..... I'm sorry, but I'm just tired of doing that over and over again.  It takes maybe 2-3 minutes to make the necessary corrections before shipping something out, and 15-20 minutes to make a log of the error and corrections.

Yep, it's been a whiny day.  Actually it's been a week of whiny!

Two weeks ago, this manager pulls me into the office to see if there's "something wrong..." and why don't I say good morning to her?   Um, I'm here to do a job, not blow sunshine and smiles at you to make you feel good.  And it might be different if she didn't swing back and forth between cheery and bitchy on a daily basis.  This morning my greeting was " ..... when you get these shopping carts emptied, I want them pushed up to the front and not left here in the back ..."  So I did just that.  I emptied one shopping cart, and pushed it up front.  Then I emptied another shopping cart, and pushed it up front.  Until all 6 shopping carts were gone.   *lmao*  It meant I had 11k steps by lunch time!  Talk about unproductive time, though; if I could have emptied several and pushed them all up at once.....  but, that's my way, not hers.   *sigh*  

3,485 days - give or take a few!

I'm ready now!

Attitude Counts!

This is one of those weeks that feel like it's in limbo.  It's the week between two major holidays.  And while I'm thoroughly enjoying the drive to and from work -- different traffic routes for some, others are off work, schools are closed, so less traffic for me -- I'm also feeling a little edgy from the whole limbo feel.

Part of that, and probably the main part, is my own attitude.  In my job, this is a huge week.  So many things are being returned by our wonderful customers.  My work load is at the very least tripled, and yet the wise leaders of my BigBox store have decided that instead of 40 hours, we're all getting 35 hours to get the job done.  Um.. Hello.  That's not going to work for me.  It's a huge stress to feel the need to be "on fire" at work for an entire work week in order to hustle and get the job done, and in less time than normal.  I'm definitely feeling the pressure.

I think others are feeling it too -- I was pulled into the office for a confab with the boss, she wanted to know why I wasn't saying "good morning" to her.  Well, wake up!  How can it be a good morning when you over-ride my knowledge of my department and how it needs to run and shorten the work week by 10 hours total in my dept?  And why are the panties in a wad over that fact?  Half the time when I go in, I don't get a good morning from her either.  Most times, it's an off to the side discussion of something that's going wrong, with very little positive input.  It gets to be very frustrating!

But.  Since the powers that be know what's best, I'm sticking to my schedule 

as that's what's been drilled into me 

for the past three months.  

And I'm smiling as big as my Sadie does 

as I walk out the door each afternoon 

an hour ahead of my normal time!! 

Holidays, errr -daze

For The Sake Of Our Brother 

In a stable, in a manger

In the cold winter's air

In the arms of his mother

A child's lying there

In a city, in a village

Though the years have gone by

The child still remains

With the dream still close by

And each year on this night that child reawakens

And each year on this night that hope re-begins

That the dream he has offered might one day be taken

Trans Siberian Orchestra's "Lost Christmas Eve" has become one of my all time favorite tunes to play, to get me into the Christmas spirit.  It's become very difficult as year after year my holidays are spent working, prepping a BigBox store for the rest of the world to shop and create holiday magic for their own families.  I've worked retail for 16 holiday seasons now, and I've spent a total of two of them with family.  One because my father had been hospitalized in 2004, and 10 years later when he died.  Neither one of them were the joyous family gatherings they should have been.  Mind you, I'm not complaining (much!).  It's just a difficult life that anyone in any kind of service industry has when holidays are here, and we're not able to spend it with family.  

So thank you to those who provide services so that others can have their happy holidays:  

hospital staff, hotel staff, restaurant staff, retail staff, safety/city services staff.  

All deserve so much more recognition than is given!

 Family is the reason for the season!

Bees up their Butts

We've all had them, those frustrating days at work where nothing seems to be going right, things that make you question what you've done to make your manager feel as if she can't trust you, and the bottom of that barrel, what kind of new job can you look for?

That's where I'm at today.

At my BigBox Store, I'm in charge of "compliance".  That means following procedures and protocols laid out in regards to certain specific tasks.  At all times, my work area must be in compliance with these protocols.  Many of them are store specific, but the basis of them rests in the hands at federal level, such as the DOT.

I've been in my current position for nearly 8 years.  Much of them happily.  The rules change on a constant basis, I keep myself updated to all the changes, and comply.  Sometimes that means setting aside the daily duties to enforce any recent changes in the current laws or SOPs.  That's ok, I can take those kind of changes.

But when does it become micromanaging from your boss?  It certainly has been leaning in that direction more and more as time goes on.  Is this company standard? or store specific based on our leadership?  I always wonder.  Sometimes I think the grass HAS to be greener on the other side of the fence -- or in this case, at a different store.

So I did a little reading up on micromanaging.  When a boss micromanages, they effectively do three things:  undermine, demotivate and create self doubt.    For me, the self doubt comes from their mistrust in my ability to handle the job, handle the situations that come up.  I can.  But I expect that when a decision has to be made, and I make it based on facts that I know, that my manager is going to back me up, not throw me to the wolves.  Trust is a two way street, and that's not happening for me.

After a sleepless night, I woke up around 2am realizing that I'm afraid to NOT be at work, for fear that something is going to happen and no one is going to follow through correctly.  (that's a whole 'nother issue because my helper, Elvis, doesn't seem to concern himself with compliance ... again, after citing incidents, management did not back me up.)

I let it all simmer in the back of my mind today while I dusted and mopped (rather than getting my normal actual "work" accomplished ... but that's what they wanted ....)  *smh*  Yeah, I think it's time to think about some kind of change.  Not sure someplace else will be better, but can it be any worse?

Someone wrote "We’re living in the time of “what have you done for me lately”. "  And yeah, that seems accurate to me.  No matter how much a person does, no matter how many times you go above and beyond, "what have you done for me lately"?   Case in point, a member of management wanted something shipped out, and I told her it needed to be palletized in order to ship it.  A month goes by and this morning, *I* am called on the carpet because I didn't ship it.  So tongue in cheeky, my mouth got the better of me and I told my boss that "the other manager said she'd get someone to take care of palletizing the item .... guess it's about to be me."     It amazes me that there are some people who never get asked to take care of anything, I assume because management knows the very few people who can actually get the job done.  That's always who gets asked.

I know that I'm just an underling, an hourly paid associate.  But after 15 years with the company, I know a few things.

I keep telling myself that I should just smile, do what needs to be done, and happily switch gears when management gets a bee up their butt .........

But I think they have a whole hive by now! 
Honey, anyone?

Work Woes -- or is it Whoahs???

My job can be complicated.  And simple at the same time.  Simplistically, items that are returned to my BigBox store are scanned and put into boxes to send back to vendors.  Conversely, there are special rules for shipping this, that and the other thing, and my job is to remember those rules without violating company policy, or creating a hazardous package to violate DOT regulations.  That's it in a nutshell.

Because there are so many returns, I can't work 7 days a week, so I have someone who helps me.  I call him Elvis.  But Elvis isn't a Company Man.  He's out to get what he can get for himself.  When he finds himself boxed into some kind of corner, he finds another way around it.

The biggest controllable expense in a BigBox store is payroll, so there are certain rules and schedules, and everyone must follow their schedule.  If not, there are consequences.  However, Elvis has figured out that if he clocks in 15 minutes early each day, by Friday he can leave early (so as not to go over his scheduled number of hours).  Leaving early before the end of shift causes a flag and he's violated this one for the past 6 weeks.  But I was having the hardest time trying to figure out why he can't get his entire work load done in the hours allotted him.  I know I can do his part of the job in about 6 hours total.  Today I figured it out.

Turns out, he clocks in early but heads into the employee break room until starting time.  So there was 20 minutes of lost productivity.  He then took a 30 minute break when he's allowed 15.  I've been observing this since last fall, and trying to report it to management, but ... well, I guess there are other things more important.  Today, I think they finally got tired of me reporting him and pulled video. Yep.  They concurred and gave him a written warning for not following schedule.

That isn't the entire story, however.  Two weeks ago, he came into work oddly gleeful.  He said someone had killed his tomato plants, and he has witnesses that it was two different employees from the store.  I'm sure I had a WTF face on -- who would assume it's a fellow employee?  and why would they give a rat's ass about his tomato plants??   I let it go at that, because I didn't want to hear any of his drama.   That won't be the case, because he's not shy about spreading the rumor throughout the store.  Of the two accused, one is a part time cashier who barely makes ends meet.  I can't see her spending $$$ on something to kill his plants!  She's also one of the nicest, meekest women I know.

When she heard about his accusations, I found her in tears in the bathroom, and then discovered Elvis has been quietly harassing her.  I reported it.  She refused to write up a statement, saying she didn't want to make waves, the whole thing would blow over.  Today, there was another incident.  As she was clocking in, he leaned in over the back of her, took a big sniff and announced "You Stink".  She walked away from him and asked me if I thought she smelled, I said no, and advised her again to report this, as this is more harassment.  She finally reported it, and I'm glad for that.

The tomato story doesn't end there.  (And I'm sure there's more that I refuse to listen to!) But he and I work in close confines on days we're both scheduled; it seems as if he's had many conversations with some Police Officer, and he was explaining some kind of "complicity" charge that could be brought up if only one had killed the plants, but the other was knowing about it, or bragging about it at work.  He then proceeded to give me an example about him coming to my house, dropping tainted meat over the fence to hurt my dog, then telling someone else about it.  He then emphasized that this is "purely hypothetical".   Um.  Another example wouldn't have worked well enough?  You have to use a veiled threat like that?   I put it out of my mind.  But today, he asked what I was doing next week .... I'm on vacation, I replied.  He said Isn't it your daughter's wedding?  mmm hmmm (and keep my head down, keep on working, trying to ignore him) He kept on talking about how he knows someone who could watch my dog for me while I'm gone.   No thanks, she goes with me everywhere.  

In the years that we've worked together, he's never asked or mentioned my dog.
Then after his coaching today, the first thing he says to me is "You make Marcy look like a cub scout..."  (Marcy being a manager from the past who was notorious for being a bitch).

Mmm hmm... keep talking, Elvis.
Talk yourself right out of a job.

Weird Days

I don't know if you do this or not, but I'm the type who likes to have a plan for the day.  It may not always be specific, and is ALWAYS subject to change, but a plan to start the day helps.


Yesterday was our "one trip shopping" discount at my BigBox store:  25% off one entire purchase, and this year I went all out:  a new TV and entertainment center for the living room!  It's way past time for the 12 year old TV to take a hike. haha  After pulling two shopping carts through the store in order to get all the stuff I wanted - and needed - I had the task of loading it all into my car.  The hardest piece was the entertainment center.   Being too big for the back seat, it had to go in the trunk, with the lid tied down.  I tacked on this little Santa Hat as my "red flag" to other drivers. hehehehe


After getting it all in the house and unloaded, I moved furniture, emptied out the old entertainment center and figured that Saturday morning would be a perfect time to start Assembling.  But once the pieces were all laid out, I found out that I was short 8 compression dowels.   Ugh.  I called the company (as the instructions read to do) and found the company isn't open on weekends.  After pondering for all of 10 seconds, I hopped in the car and headed to Home Depot.  They had dowels, the right diameter, but an inch too short.  I headed for Lowes, right length, but too fat.  Looks like I will have all these parts scattered all over until I can get more dowels shipped to me.   Which means I didn't take out and inspect my new TV and give that a whirl either!

So much for Saturday's Plan A.   Turns out that my Plan B was to clean the garage out a bit.  My son hasn't been home in over 5 days, and frankly, all the "stuff" he has in there is slowly encroaching on what little space I use in the garage:  the washer and dryer!  I didn't move TOO many things (after all, if I move things, as a man, he will never find them again! hahahah), and I got the floor swept and the corners vacuumed out.  At least I was productive in that area!

After all that, I decided that Sadie needed another walk, and I wasn't in the mood to walk the streets, so we headed to the local riparian preserve and circled around some of our favorite areas.  Lots of people out enjoying this beautiful day in the Valley of the Sun - and many of them dressed up for holiday photo shoots!   Always fun :)