Fed up with work! (rant that could get long) (1 Viewer)

[Keith_R]

Hey all, I guess you can chalk this up as another one of those "I hate my job rants", I just really need to vent about how my job is going downhill quick and how it's gotten to the point where I can't even stand going there anymore. Particulary, how fed up I am after what happened today.

Here's the scoop: I'm currently enrolled in college and work two jobs; one at the local cinema where I've worked for the past 3 or 4 years, and one at a small business run in my neighbor's house where we remanufacture toner and ink cartridges as well as do printer repairs, I've worked here for a little over a year.

My theater job is great for a minimum wage job, and for the most part is filled with good management and some great employees with whom I've made some close friendships with over the last 3-4 years.

My problem job is at the small business. Origninally I really liked it for the convenience of how close it was to home and the little stuff like flexible scheduling as well as the overall liberalness of the atmosphere, it used to be fun and we could joke around while still being very productive. I brought a good friend in with me and have also formed some good friendships with people in the rather small staff of 9 people. That was 6 months ago; fast-forward to now where they've installed cameras all over the house,I feel as though me and everyone else are always getting lectured about something no matter how good we do our jobs, and it feels as though the business is always on the verge of failing (and that point is seemingly made clear to us by the 2 people who run it). Not to mention that the two people who own it and run it have no previous management or business experience and do a horrible job at it; this thread would be to long to go into the various facets and problems w/ this business but let me say that there are many and it is no wonder to me that this company has been in business for close to 7 years and has not churned a profit yet. Anyways, over the past 6 months I've been a very consistent hard working employee, yet I constantly feel as though they are coming down on me for various issues, at one point I even got into a very verbal exchange with one of them that resulted in me losing my temper and just leaving for the day. I'm normally a very professional, courteous worker but that day I just lost my cool and after exchanging some retorts I had to leave before I got even angrier. On top of this, out all 3 of their most consistent workers I've been there the longest and am being less than the other two, a fact which does not make me happy since I work just as hard as them yet I can't seem to get a raise and make as much as them.

Come to today, I've recently switched departments and now am doing their shipping and recieving instead of building inkjets. The last few days habe been great and I've gotten a lot of stuff done in my new position, things are looking up. Today one of my bosses was talking to me about the cameras they have focused outdoors on the street and the other houses(supposedly to see if UPS shows up). Apparently, at the latest neighborhood assosciation meeting someone complained about their cameras and how they were focused on the street where the kids play. I guess my boss was a little hurt that they'd insinuate that her and her husband would want to watch people's kids or that they thought they'd hurt them. A reasonable thought that I can agree with and would feel insulted if it happened to me, yet on the other hand as a homeowner who has lived here for years I'm not necessarily comfortable with them having cameras, especially when they are aimed directly at other people's homes as these are. Anyways, my friend and I were trying to explain to her how others may see it and why people were complaining ( I used a really good example of a story I'd heard about someone with those cameras who's signals had gotten crossed and picked up by someone else), the discussion was really civil and than all the sudden out of no where my boss went crazy and started yelling at us telling us to go home and clock out, at that point I got out and as she continued yelling at us told her goodbye and that "I had my own problems to deal with, I don't need this!". I came right home.

I'm really, really, fed up with this situation and am really thinking of quitting there soon, it's gotten to the point where I don't even think I can respect the people as neighbors especially after today. I don't feel like I continue being put in these kind of scenarios and it really messes up my stomach from the anxiety when this stuff happens. I got a full plate already with another job and going to school full time, I don't need to put up with bad management to the extreme like this. I'm planning out how and when I'm going to quit right now . The neighborhood assosciation is getting ready to try and close them down I believe so I may have no choice eventually anyway.

I apologize for the length of this thread but I really wanted to vent and get this event today as well my general growing dislike of my job off of my chest. Please chime in and give me your thoughts or advice.

 

[DustinLC]

Keith look it at this way: it's not your life and it's only temporary.

We all went through this kind of crap in high school and college. Through a dozen jobs I had through high school and college, there were only one or two that was OK. These low-end jobs at this stage of your life is like that. It sucks. It'll be better one day. That's why you're in college right?

 

[Citizen87645]

I seem to recall you creating a similar thread shortly after you started there. It sounds like you can live without the stress (though perhaps not the money). Sounds like you should leave and start looking elsewhere.

 

[Keith_R]

you're probably right, it's been an up job at times and at others a down one. I've been carefully analyzing my budget and I could probably get away with quitting, though, like you said I would be taking a huge pay decrease. I would have to slow down on my HT expenses but I could otherwise afford the basics like car insurance, cellphone, etc. I can't legally drive right now (long story but it has to do with my vision, not something illegal I did ) so that cuts down on big expenses like gas and car repairs, I own a car I just can't legally drive it.

The big thing bothering me is that pay decrease I'd take if I quit. I can technically live off of my other job but it is always nice having that extra cash. If I quit I'd like to take more time to think over my decision; I'm to angry right now to think rationally and make the right decision about what to do, if I quit under these circumstances I would probably not make the right choice and it would come back to haunt me later.

 

[brentl]

I'd make sure I got my last paycheck before they get closed down!

Cutting down on buying DVDs is the least of your worries. Tell them "thank you, but I no longer feel appreciated and it's time for me to go" Shake hands and tell them you'll come by to get your final check in a few days.

and just start borrowing DVDs off of friends

Brent

 

[Justin Lane]

Sorry about the situtation Keith. Not getting compensated properly for your work and having an off the wall boss can be a tough situation. I am sure if you look hard enough you can find another job with less aggrevation.

This quote just had me cracking up however:



You say there are three consistent workers for this "business" and you are changing departments? Sounds like there may be too much overhead cutting away at profits. Does this business have engineering, marketing and IT departments as well

J

 

[Keith_R]

as I said, this business is very small, it is smaller than most "small business's", and only employs around 9 people, of those 9 I would really truly say that only 3 including myself are consistent and show up each day ready to work and notify them of the days they won't be coming in. The business is basically run out of these folk's home and they had to have an add-on put on to the back of their house so they could actually live in their house. The main, original house is their business and it consists of 3 parts; toner shop (garage) where we remanufacture toner cartridges, inkjet shop (master bedroom) where we use to remanufacture inkjet cartridges, and printer repair (1/2 of living room) where we fix customer's machine's. As you'd expect the house is destroyed and is littered w/ boxes and printers and cartridges everywhere. At times you can barely walk through it.

Up until recently I'd been the person remanufacturing their inkjet's, it was an interesting job but could be a pain in the ass. The biggest problem with it was that it had been their lowest producing department for since they started it. Seeing as though I was the only consistent person working in there I'd often see the backlash from this and was constantly getting lectured about low production quotas..blah,blah,blah. I don't typically have a problem with stuff like this... if it helps me get the job done but it didn't and I'd often take it as insulting the way it was presented with the wording used and how it was like a big show for this guy to demonstrate business knowledge which he really, obviously doesn't have( we're talking about a fine arts major here who thinks that they have a bunch of business knowledge). Stuff like this led to several verbal exchanges when I was put in a corner and it continued this way for several months while I worked in that particular shop. A couple days he came to me (once again pulling these business equations out of his ass to try and prove a point)and it was agreed that we should drop inkjet and put me somewhere else so I chose to work in the shipping and recieving department, clearing space by sending stuff out that needs to be returned or get out and recieving the critical parts and supplies that we may order. Like I said this is a small business so there's not much to ship/recieve and the job is cake, I'm doing better at it than ink and I actually don't mind it, what I do mind is horrible, almost, non-existent managing which ends in confrontations like what I've described in this thread. If these people had any business sense and could manage efficently and effectively this job would be great, unfortunately they don't and that leads to the problems I've discussed here.

I'm going to try and get out as soon as I can but I'm really trying to drag it out as long as possible or as long as I don't snap so that I can milk it for all it's worth in order to get a little extra cash and get more money in order to hopefully invest some money soon. I'll keep ya'll posted on what I do and maybe even give you some more work horror stories .

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Life's too short to have a job you hate going to.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Your words make me think that you think that there aren't any other jobs where you live. That can't be right.

Quit and get another one! You don't need to continue taking the crap that you are taking there.

Glenn

 

[Matt Butler]

As long as you can afford to quit: Quit! The stress isnt good for your health and it takes away time for you to look for another job.

 

[Mort Corey]

Nine people working out of a private residence (and not making a profit) sounds closer to a sweatshop than a business. My HOA would frown on a nuisance like that and the city would REALLY be upset. It's a disaster waiting to happen. Get your money and say adios. Don't worry about them being your neighbors....they probably won't be for long

Mort

 

[Leila Dougan]

I was just going to post what Mort did.

Are you sure this business is even legal? I mean, it's being run from a residentially zoned area. For a business run out of a house, 9 employees is a lot! If you want, check into local zoning laws/ordinances and see what they are. Chances are, these people wouldn't be allowed to stay if the city or HOA knew what they were up to.

 

[Keith_R]

I don't know if I'd use that terminology but it can certainly seem that way sometimes since they've been known to hire minors under legal working age and at one point even *accidentally* hired a imigrant w/ no green card. Who would I call about this situation? which local government agency? I've been thinking that I'd like to talk to someone about the stuff going on there now and the stuff in the past and the fact it is being run out of their home, which poses an obvious fire risk as well as some other stuff like decreased home value around here (something like 20% off the value of the houses). The physical environment is certainly not conducive to a good working environment since it is basically a modified house and littered with piles of boxes and parts as well as machinery like an air compressor, and dump station. I'm sure that like you say the government agencies would frown on this business and would probably make them close down, who would I call to talk to about this? I know the neighborhood is interested in shutting them down, who can we talk to?

FWIW, I attempted going to work today but was told not to go in by a co-worker because things were still kind of shaky after yesterday, I obliged figuring that there is no sense in causing more chaos over a couple hours of pay. I spoke to my friend a bit more later on about the situation and he told me that she had hinted at trying to fire me and the other person involved in this thing because she believes that we are trying to defame their character; basically the way she is thinking she believes that we went or I went to the neighbors (whom we're quite close with) and told them about the cameras on their house and said that they were pervets watching their kids. Her account of the story is completely out of the whack. In reality I did speak with the neighbors about the cameras but only after they outright questioned me and asked me to confirm if they were there, at that point I did and told them that they could see the street and their house across the street, the neighbor was the one who brought the kids into it and said she didn't like them focused on where her kids play and her house. Whatever this lady thinks I said her did she has it completely wrong and she needs to get her facts straight before pulling shit like this, I thnk she thinks I did it completely out of spit but she's also paranoid, who else has around 12 cameras positioned all around inside and out an 1100 square foot home? At this point I'm not even sure if I'll be able to go in at all this week since it appears as though (through talking to my friend over there) they are trying to unofficially suspend me without notice. What can they suspend me for? not agreeing with the cameras and doing my job!? completely bogus and it's just one of many things on my mind about this job, especially when they can't even seem to give me a definitive answer about when to come in again, it certainly feels like a unofficial suspension which truthfully is quite unjust given the circumstances and is probably illegal somewhere in the labor laws. I may quit as soon as tommorow if this keeps up.

Another interesting thing that occured today was that since the blow up yesterday they've repositioned the camera outside that is in question so that it faces their driveway and cars rather than the neighbor's house and the kids, this is the way it should have been if they were really worried about home security,people vandalizing their cars and seeing if UPS is coming like they claimed.

I'm really interested in reporting these people when I quit after all this stuff I've seen happen there and am working on gathering my picture evidence and stuff. Who would it be wise to report them to? which local government place? I feel as though this stuff cannot happen to the next employees and that this business is completely illegal. I'm sure that if the proper authorities got involved and saw how this place was being run out their home and the terribly messy (and fire hazard )like conditions it was in that they'd shut them down, especially after they heard some of the dirt I and the other employees have witnessed. who can I report this stuff to? who would be the proper authorities or channels to do this from?

Thanks to listening to my long and rather lengthy rant!

 

[Henry Gale]

Get out now Keith!

Come on people, connect the dots!
The mood swings, the paranoia of security cameras monitoring a residential neighborhood,. …they’re in Florida, you know, the state closest to Columbia.

What’s being packed in these ink jet cartridges?

 

[Citizen87645]

It's the only company that makes white toner powder

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Duh! That's for erasing mistakes your printer makes! Sheesh you guys jump to conclusions.

Seriously, her behavior sounds very strange to me. It does sound like she's a borderline paranoid. I would get out while the getting is good, tip off the cops, and read about it in the papers.

 

[Lew Crippen]

A question, Keith: “have you been getting regular deductions for local, state and federal taxes and for Social Security?”

I ask since you have mentioned the hiring of underage workers (not that this is necessarily illeagal, there are just some restrictions as to work hours and such) and aliens w/o a green card.

Make sure you are in a sound position before you take any action.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Very sound. Contacting the police is the easiest way, if you're going to report them. They do have a business license? (It has to be posted somewhere), along with the wage and hour regs.

If your local fire department got bored they could drop on by too. Sprinklers may be required. They may want to see some pictures first.

Glenn

 

[Keith_R]

I guess nowadays you never know, I doubt they do coke though since they barely have money for parts and payroll. They do have toner though.....I just heard it was a new designer drug that could be snorted and it seems like they order alot, usually more than they need.

I'll keep ya'll posted, expect me to either quit or get fired real soon.

 

[Mort Corey]

Tell ya what Keith, if these people are the whack jobs you portray them to be, it might be wise to stay in the background. Just call your local city hall and ask for someone in code enforcement. Tell them you'd rather not give your name and just tell them your story. The HOA, depending on the CCR's, should have been involved long ago and are negligent in enforcing their rules.

There's a lot of crazy people out there and the police will not protect you....they'll take action, make reports, etc, but only after you're six feet under.

Good luck,

Mort