Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Virtually every response on this thread has been to get out, and even Sedona agrees that it is dysfunctional. Yet s/he still refuses to act, and keeps coming up with excuses.
Some people simply want attention, and set up their lives to be victims, so that they can bask in the attention of being victims.
It is a self fulfilling prophecy, and I want nothing to do with it.
Most jobs? No. Some jobs? Yes. It depends on the company and the job. When I worked in HR only the executives received sick and vacation days immediately upon hiring. Everyone else accumulated them. It also looks REALLY bad when you ask for a sick day the first few weeks especially when you don't appear to be sick. High maintenance employees never last.
If you don't APPEAR to be sick, then yeah... but I was talking about legitimate illness, like the flu or something. Would you rather a new employee come to work with a communicable illness, and risk getting your whole office sick, or give them a couple of days off? I know I'd rather the latter, as would my employers. Anyway, I guess that's one advantage to being in public services, as we START with xx hours of sick and vacation leave.
I could spew a long rant again about how my trainer was harsh with me saying stuff like "You should know this by now" , "Why can't you speed up?" , "Do it my way, not yours" , "We've been over this already.." (in an angry tone) because I didn't remember some steps for how to use their software but you've read it all before. One other thing the trainer did mention is that I need to be more independent (fair) and that if the manager sees me job shadowing anymore, he'll hit the roof. Apparently the manager wants us to split up soon and feels I'm still too dependent on the trainer's help.
Today I woke up extra early, had a full breakfast for once (I'm usually in a rush in the mornings and eat once I arrive) and set aside time to call back the company's HR rep that left my a voicemail last week. It was a quick 10 minute phone screen before leaving for work. She asked the usual questions such as whether I'm working now, the notice needed, if I have experience in the field and if so, for which company, have I ever worked for a specific operations company like them, I confirmed yes but did not give away the name of my current employer, one of their competitors. She told me about the schedule and it sounded like they wanted a lot of flexibility - be able to work early mornings, days, evenings, even nights...pretty much support a 24/7 environment. It would involve shift work of 8-12.5 hrs/shift and it would involve a rotational coverage such that some weeks I'd have weekends off and others a few weekdays.
It sounded OK until she declared the standard rate they offer. Believe it or not it's 20% less than what I'm making at a job I hate and will be leaving soon. Not only that but the next step of the interview process involves some written aptitude test that can only be taken on site at their headquarters (HQ) or in one of their satellite offices so that a test invigilator can be present. The nearest office is 14 hours round trip by car away since I currently live in a remote area. I asked if I could do the aptitude test online and was told no. The next step would involve an on site interview at their HQ or maybe a Skype interview. I would need to visit their HQ as I'd definitely want to see the work environment to avoid making another mistake like I did with my current employer. However given the long distance driving for the testing , the HQ visit and ultimate relocation time and expenses, is this job worth it when the salary is sub $30K? Not for the lowball salary. The city is beautiful though and I would eventually be able to study for the certification exams needed for my career choice since I'd have a schedule with 1-2 weekdays off per week. Needless to say, I paused when the HR rep told me the standard salary rate, did say it was below my expectations and she then replied that after a few years, I could aim for the target range I gave (15-20% more than their standard offer). She asked if I wanted to think about it and let her know later in the week whether I decide that the position no longer meets my expectations or whether we can move forward.
Last edited by sedonaverde; 09-26-2017 at 04:53 PM..
They are getting ready to fire you. You are not meeting expectations.
When I was initially interviewed for my current job, the management said my training is expected to take 4-6 weeks while my probation period is 6 months. The said, another recent hire was fired after 2 weeks so it's clear that I'm not protected from involuntary termination for the first 6 months. The way I see it, the real test will be when my trainer is on vacation. I'll be alone in the hot seat. Therefore if I can get another job lined up by Oct 16/23 when I expect us to be split and have to work alone, that would be ideal. The next challenge is finding time for the 14 hour road trip needed to drive to a testing center. I'm going to ask the potential employer's HR rep if the testing can be done on the weekend - otherwise it would be a weekday no doubt. I might be able to drive to the center's city on the weekend and call in sick (you do what you gotta do I guess) on a Monday to write that test and maybe try touching base with that other company that blew me off / or interview with them after all (I need to check if they'll still accept a Skype interview about 1 month after they initially wanted to schedule me in).
In the meantime I emailed my dad about the lower paying job lead and summarized the important details like schedule, location, quick list of pros and cons and wrote I was looking for a better work environment.
His reply: "You're looking for "a better work environment". Does that mean the noise at (my current job) is driving you crazy? Do you want to leave already, before your probation is over?"
Yes dad, the noise is driving me nuts. And who cares if I leave before my probation period is over? I bet he wants me to stay where I am. But he should know better. He's the one I asked for help testing a Skype connection when I was supposed to have a job interview a few weeks back. I guess he's disappointed that my relocation to my current job isn't working out and I'm leaving "too soon".
Something else happened today that may be the straw that finally breaks the camel's back. As if daily pain from excessive noise and the constantly yelling manager wasn't enough, payroll decided to introduce an intrusive new time clock system. How it works: you punch in your employer ID code, press a "punch in" button (OK so far) and then guess what? You have to position your face for a snap shot. When you clock out, you repeat the process with a "punch out" button and another photo. So two daily snap shots are taken of your face and who knows where this ends up. There was an option to do an iris or fingerprint scan but nope, management opted for the photo instead. As someone who actively goes out of their way to avoid being photographed (I get it that our movements are already captured on surveillance camera), this strikes a chord. Consider it another nail in the coffin.
Another thing I forgot to mention is that my ears have been hurting more lately from not only the door but loud noise coming from outside the building. Think of being exposed to a lawn mower or leaf blower without hearing protection, then hearing banging that's like a quieter version of a gun shot. Oh and my trainer decided to let loose with an annoying habit while my ears are raw. He decided to tap his shoes on the hard floor and his fingers on the desk as if he's playing the drums. I mentioned that I heard it and also said that I had a classmate who sat next to me and tapped his foot constantly but when I explained that the impact sounds when I was experiencing pain already were really distracting he still continued. The trainer seems to think it's ok too. As if the work environment wasn't distracting enough...sheesh!
selhars, to answer your question, what's my action plan? I'm reviewing ads, customizing my cover letter and sending resumes out periodically in response to online ads. That's how I received interviews and interview requests before I got this job so I doubt that will change. Maybe slow down now that the summer is over but I continue to see ads. Not sure what to do about the out of state lowball potential employer. Yes the job title fits with what I'm seeking but the salary is really low and would not even allow me to afford an apartment and car. I could only rent a room in a shared lodging and have to see if public transit is a viable option (I don't think so on first glance).
If I decide to do something that's out of my comfort zone and risky it will be to quit with almost no notice in the days ahead, before the following week starts. Obviously I'd prefer to quit once I have another job lined up but I'm feeling a sense of urgency more and more. If I'm inconsiderate about the notice, I'll do it by email and just stop by HR to hand in my entry passes. Their HR policy says that terminating your employment requires an employee to hand in a letter to their immediate supervisor/manager with the reason and last day of work. I may just have to skip that step and go directly to HR. In a sense it seems cowardly to quit without notice and simply not return to the work space I'm in Mon-Fri, but so be it.
Last edited by sedonaverde; 09-27-2017 at 08:44 PM..
I don't like to think that...but yeah.
Mostly I just can't imagine getting my kicks from making up phony posts.
Who cares? what's the appeal of that?
What "high" does a person get out of making up scenarios. If you want to do that just write a book, be a novelist.
Making up stories on an online forum... Really?
OK they maybe string people along for pages...THAT gives a person some kind of enjoyment?
OK....more power to them....
Something else happened today that may be the straw that finally breaks the camel's back. As if daily pain from excessive noise and the constantly yelling manager wasn't enough, payroll decided to introduce an intrusive new time clock system. How it works: you punch in your employer ID code, press a "punch in" button (OK so far) and then guess what? You have to position your face for a snap shot. When you clock out, you repeat the process with a "punch out" button and another photo. So two daily snap shots are taken of your face and who knows where this ends up. There was an option to do an iris or fingerprint scan but nope, management opted for the photo instead. As someone who actively goes out of their way to avoid being photographed (I get it that our movements are already captured on surveillance camera), this strikes a chord. Consider it another nail in the coffin.
Another thing I forgot to mention is that my ears have been hurting more lately from not only the door but loud noise coming from outside the building. Think of being exposed to a lawn mower or leaf blower without hearing protection, then hearing banging that's like a quieter version of a gun shot. Oh and my trainer decided to let loose with an annoying habit while my ears are raw. He decided to tap his shoes on the hard floor and his fingers on the desk as if he's playing the drums. I mentioned that I heard it and also said that I had a classmate who sat next to me and tapped his foot constantly but when I explained that the impact sounds when I was experiencing pain already were really distracting he still continued. The trainer seems to think it's ok too. As if the work environment wasn't distracting enough...sheesh!
selhars, to answer your question, what's my action plan? I'm reviewing ads, customizing my cover letter and sending resumes out periodically in response to online ads. That's how I received interviews and interview requests before I got this job so I doubt that will change. Maybe slow down now that the summer is over but I continue to see ads. Not sure what to do about the out of state lowball potential employer. Yes the job title fits with what I'm seeking but the salary is really low and would not even allow me to afford an apartment and car. I could only rent a room in a shared lodging and have to see if public transit is a viable option (I don't think so on first glance).
If I decide to do something that's out of my comfort zone and risky it will be to quit with almost no notice in the days ahead, before the following week starts. Obviously I'd prefer to quit once I have another job lined up but I'm feeling a sense of urgency more and more. If I'm inconsiderate about the notice, I'll do it by email and just stop by HR to hand in my entry passes. Their HR policy says that terminating your employment requires an employee to hand in a letter to their immediate supervisor/manager with the reason and last day of work. I may just have to skip that step and go directly to HR. In a sense it seems cowardly to quit without notice and simply not return to the work space I'm in Mon-Fri, but so be it.
I retract all of my previous advice. I think you should focus your energies on applying for permanent disability. No work place will ever be able to accommodate you and your special needs.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
