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I am but in the meantime I need to have food and shelter. I have some freelance work that can sustain me but I really wanted a reliable paycheck. I actually did

by wturner 13y ago

I am but in the meantime I need to have food and shelter. I have some freelance work that can sustain me but I really wanted a reliable paycheck. I actually didn't mind the work and the company made a good product. I think the problem is that in the mind of the manager I attempted to plant in the head of the other employees ( many of which English is a second language and its hard to find work and they want to keep it) that you shouldn't just give away what is in your head for some one else to benefit. Its bad enough that they pay these people nothing but trying to scrape whats in their heads in exchange for remedial trinkets is really just seriously gross. If I was still in my 20's I would have just thought the whole thing was racist but I've been around enough to know that its really just corporate culture.

b0sk 13y ago
You had the best intentions and at some other place and time, what you said would be taken seriously by the upper management but it looks like your position is expendable despite the good work you did and at that particular moment, your interjection may not have the best idea. It sucks that companies can get away with all this but they have been that way for long. I am sincerely hoping you make it to a better job where they are 1.ethical and 2.don't want to lose you and you look back at this and shrug.
sremani 13y ago
You did the right thing. Sucking it up is not the right thing when you make $8 per hour or $80 per hour. There are good managers and there are definitely "suck-up" managers. Even though we cannot pin point the exact person making this call - no matter what the hierarchical position you will find people who are insecure to the core. This is a sign that you are working for some one/group super-insecure in the chain of command. Could there be more tact and humor in expressing your mind, perhaps but again you did the right thing and trust me for a person like you there will be opportunities.
jbooth 13y ago
Lesson learned: Next time just give them dumb ideas and don't stand out.
- ccozan 13y ago
  I oppose this: human dignity MUST be defended at all cost.
  - sokoloff 13y ago
    Human dignity takes many forms. Some would argue that it is harmed in some way by office management overseeing silly giveaways. Others would argue that it is harmed by losing your means to provide for yourself through the consequences of your actions. I think the latter loss of dignity is greater than the former.
  - jbooth 13y ago
    The poster was talking about an $8/hr temp job. He's already made a decision to trade dignity for necessity. Defending dignity at 'all costs' makes it sound like you've never had to make a hard decision in your life. This is a case where the right move is to keep your head down, do the bare minimum, work on your portfolio on the side and bolt for a better job as soon as you can.
    - bendmorris 13y ago
      If everyone does that instead of speaking up, the situation for the people at the bottom never improves. If enough workers reject their poor conditions, the situation might gradually get better. You can choose to put your own interests first by sticking around and not saying anything or those of your fellow workers by taking a stand. It's a question of values.
      - lobotryas 13y ago
        The keyword is "might". In the meantime, OP is out of a job and I just Hope he has some savings to fall back on because I doubt that temp agency will be looking to take him back.
  - wpietri 13y ago
    If the guy can't eat, he will shortly not be able to do a lot of defending of human dignity. If you think it should be defended at all cost, then surely you'll send him the $8/hr he lost by speaking up? Or do you just mean "at all cost to other people"? I agree with your spirit here, but solving this problem requires playing the long game.
burncycle 13y ago
"I think the problem is that in the mind of the manager I attempted to plant in the head of the other employees ... that you shouldn't just give away what is in your head for some one else to benefit." Well, isn't that what you tried to do, actually? After all, you did call them out in a public forum, and you're repeating your chosen themes here. Granted, they're bona fide idiots -- no argument there. But bona fide idiots are everywhere. So you smile, shrug, and go back to the $8/hr.-job that you need, or at least don't want to lose. It sounds a little like you feel that you're entitled to something in some way. In theory, perhaps you are, but in reality the majority of the world gets bitch-slapped on a daily basis in one way or another, even (and sometimes especially) those you're sure are on top of it all. On one hand, you need that $8/hr., enough so that if you're fired, it's a real problem. You want to know if it's even legal! On the other hand, you're wanting to stand up for the dignity of your fellow workers against a management that, plainly from their behavior, could give a reverse flying shit. And they had the audacity to let you go?! Dude, seriously? Did you expect them to think about your point carefully, look at each other with chagrin, and then thank you for elevating the quality of the discourse? If you need money, make money. Improve your situation and protect your baseline. That's the way you accumulate power. If you don't care about power (or security) and you just want to fight for what's right, then that's a valid choice and good for you, do that. But then expect what goes along with that.
- wturner 13y ago
  The only thing I felt entitled to was to voicing my opinion which the manager actually asked for in the meeting. I wasn't on a crusade I just said what I thought.

by wturner 13y ago

b0sk 13y ago

You had the best intentions and at some other place and time, what you said would be taken seriously by the upper management but it looks like your position is expendable despite the good work you did and at that particular moment, your interjection may not have the best idea. It sucks that companies can get away with all this but they have been that way for long. I am sincerely hoping you make it to a better job where they are 1.ethical and 2.don't want to lose you and you look back at this and shrug.

sremani 13y ago

You did the right thing. Sucking it up is not the right thing when you make $8 per hour or $80 per hour. There are good managers and there are definitely "suck-up" managers. Even though we cannot pin point the exact person making this call - no matter what the hierarchical position you will find people who are insecure to the core. This is a sign that you are working for some one/group super-insecure in the chain of command. Could there be more tact and humor in expressing your mind, perhaps but again you did the right thing and trust me for a person like you there will be opportunities.

jbooth 13y ago

Lesson learned: Next time just give them dumb ideas and don't stand out.

ccozan 13y ago
I oppose this: human dignity MUST be defended at all cost.
- sokoloff 13y ago
  Human dignity takes many forms. Some would argue that it is harmed in some way by office management overseeing silly giveaways. Others would argue that it is harmed by losing your means to provide for yourself through the consequences of your actions. I think the latter loss of dignity is greater than the former.
- jbooth 13y ago
  The poster was talking about an $8/hr temp job. He's already made a decision to trade dignity for necessity. Defending dignity at 'all costs' makes it sound like you've never had to make a hard decision in your life. This is a case where the right move is to keep your head down, do the bare minimum, work on your portfolio on the side and bolt for a better job as soon as you can.
  - bendmorris 13y ago
    If everyone does that instead of speaking up, the situation for the people at the bottom never improves. If enough workers reject their poor conditions, the situation might gradually get better. You can choose to put your own interests first by sticking around and not saying anything or those of your fellow workers by taking a stand. It's a question of values.
    - lobotryas 13y ago
      The keyword is "might". In the meantime, OP is out of a job and I just Hope he has some savings to fall back on because I doubt that temp agency will be looking to take him back.
- wpietri 13y ago
  If the guy can't eat, he will shortly not be able to do a lot of defending of human dignity. If you think it should be defended at all cost, then surely you'll send him the $8/hr he lost by speaking up? Or do you just mean "at all cost to other people"? I agree with your spirit here, but solving this problem requires playing the long game.

burncycle 13y ago

"I think the problem is that in the mind of the manager I attempted to plant in the head of the other employees ... that you shouldn't just give away what is in your head for some one else to benefit." Well, isn't that what you tried to do, actually? After all, you did call them out in a public forum, and you're repeating your chosen themes here. Granted, they're bona fide idiots -- no argument there. But bona fide idiots are everywhere. So you smile, shrug, and go back to the $8/hr.-job that you need, or at least don't want to lose. It sounds a little like you feel that you're entitled to something in some way. In theory, perhaps you are, but in reality the majority of the world gets bitch-slapped on a daily basis in one way or another, even (and sometimes especially) those you're sure are on top of it all. On one hand, you need that $8/hr., enough so that if you're fired, it's a real problem. You want to know if it's even legal! On the other hand, you're wanting to stand up for the dignity of your fellow workers against a management that, plainly from their behavior, could give a reverse flying shit. And they had the audacity to let you go?! Dude, seriously? Did you expect them to think about your point carefully, look at each other with chagrin, and then thank you for elevating the quality of the discourse? If you need money, make money. Improve your situation and protect your baseline. That's the way you accumulate power. If you don't care about power (or security) and you just want to fight for what's right, then that's a valid choice and good for you, do that. But then expect what goes along with that.

wturner 13y ago
The only thing I felt entitled to was to voicing my opinion which the manager actually asked for in the meeting. I wasn't on a crusade I just said what I thought.