(mis)-Management

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Last month I informed you all that I quit my job after six years of agonizing frustrations. 

However, what I didn’t tell you was that the “team” (and I use that term very loosely) was only four people — three employees and one supervisor — and that out of the four, I did the majority of the work. 

For example, from January 2017 through July 2021 I completed or contributed almost 85% of the overall workload.  That means only 15% of the remaining work needed to be split up between the other two people on our staff because the supervisor doesn’t know how to do anything. 

Therefore, during that stretch from 2017 through 2021 I was tasked with more than my fair share of responsibilities, and in my opinion it was a lot more than I should have been tasked with.  Unfortunately, when you work for someone who can’t manage the work or lead people, this tends to happen.  

Speaking of the supervisor. . .

A week before I left that job I had a one-on-one with the supervisor.  During that conversation he informed me that a second co-worker was also looking for another job (no surprise), and he made it very clear that since the “team” is only four persons, if that second co-worker were to leave, that would put a major dent on how the “team” is able to get work completed.

His exact words were:  

“Well, if the second co-worker leaves, I guess there won’t be any computer or software purchases being done.” 

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Let that sink in and marinade for a second. . . .

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Some might say it was almost a backhanded compliment directed at me and the other co-worker, but it was more of a self-directed insult about his own lack of leadership and management capabilities.

I mean, in that one statement he’s essentially saying that since he’s losing his two best employees, the one remaining employee along with himself are not able to complete the work.  He’s totally redefined the mathematical problem of 4 minus 2, because according to his calculations the answer isn’t 2. . .it’s Zero! 

Pathetically, he’s also admitting to the fact that he put almost 100% of the workload on two people and let the third guy coast for all these years! 

This supervisor has been with the company and supervised this same team of Information Technology procurement employees for over 15 years.  However, during the past 7 years alone, three different employees have walked away, including myself, and they all walked away for the same reasons.

• His lack of leadership and the lack of leadership above him.
• His inability to discipline one guy on the team who doesn’t do a damn thing (by the way, that’s the only guy remaining who can’t get anything done).
• His inability to listen to his employees when they make suggestions that will benefit the team.
• His inability to manage work and tasks among the three employees under his charge.
• His inability to cross-train employees.
• His inability to have regular one-on-one sessions with his employees.
• His inability to recognize or reward those employees who go above the call of duty. 
• His inability to recognize and clean up a toxic environment. 

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It’s only been a couple of weeks since I quit my job, but I’ve remained in contact with a few people who I built friendships with who still work there.  It’s only a couple people, but these are people in the know and hold influential positions within the company.

These people have informed me that since I left, no orders are being filled.  The consensus among the upper management is confusion as to how one person leaving a “team” can lead to a complete inability to get anything done.

In all honesty, this actually made me feel good, but it also made me realize just how pathetic the others on that team really were. 

Consequently,  I do not regret my decision to leave that place, and after having some time away I’ve realized that my leaving the company was the best thing for everyone.  Especially for me because I’m getting some much needed rest and that’s helping me to heal both mentally and emotionally. 

I don’t know how things will turn out, nor do I know what the future holds; but I really hope in time that this entire situation will bring positive changes to that company.  Mostly, I hope these events will help my three previous co-workers realize their inabilities and hopefully they can grow and become better employees and better people from this experience. 

Yeah, I’m not holding my breath either.  

As I’ve said before, pathetic is as pathetic does. 

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What if your company was run like a pro sports team?

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What if every company was run like a pro sports team?

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where every employee had to sign a contract for a specific salary and duration of time…

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where supervisors filmed the day’s work of every employee and then spent every evening reviewing that film with a fine-tooth comb…

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where employees were graded on performance and quality of work every day…

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where practice sessions would consist of position meetings and going over film of the previous day’s work…

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where in those film sessions every employee’s mistake was talked about and reviewed over and over again…

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where management would cut or trade an employee to save money or get better talent…

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where every year a draft would take place to bring in new, younger employees…

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where an employee could opt out of a contract and try their luck in free agency…

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where supervisors were fired for low numbers or bad performance…

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where every move you made or every word spoken was scrutinized by the general public and the media…

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where going on injured reserve gives an employee time away from actually doing work until they’re fully recovered…

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where when someone in on the disabled list a back-up employee steps in to complete the work while you’re recovering…

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I really do wonder what the workplace would look like if every company ran their business like a pro sports team…

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Workplace Pathetic

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So, I started my new job back in May of this year, and I was kind of excited to get started with this team because it was a change from the everyday melodrama that was everyday life.

After the first month things seemed to be all good and well.  We all got along, the guys seemed to be hard workers, they showed up everyday and training went great; but once I was comfortable with the layout of the job and the scope of my duties, reality set in.

Both of the guys I work with are burned out and really don’t want to be here.  They, along with my supervisor, have informed me that they aren’t all that happy.

One of the guys I work with has been here for 15 years, the other has been here for 6, and the things they have had to put up with would drive even the most patient person in the world to the point of indifference and unconcern.  Both really don’t like their jobs, but they show up everyday and do as little as they can.

When I started this job, I was led to believe in the interview as well as conversations during training that we were a team and would be splitting the workload and that isn’t happening.

Our supervisor and I had a talk a few weeks ago about this very thing, but instead of venting and complaining, I casually mentioned that I seem to be doing more than the other two and that I would appreciate it if they would do a little more.  During our conversation he said something that I found to be strange and a bit hypocritical.

He mentioned that before I came on board, he had three employees and one of the guys was carrying more weight than the other two.  Basically, the completed request ratio was around 10 requests to every 3 or four for the other two guys on the team.  This went on for about four years and eventually the guy complained about it to our supervisor, but even after talking with the other two and trying to balance the workload, the discrepancy never changed.

So, he knew for some time that both guys I work with are burned out and then he informs me that even though he knew that, he still made the decision when I started back in May to take one of them off the requests that come in so only two of us would be handling the workload.  Myself and one of the guys who doesn’t carry his weight.

His purpose for that was because the guy didn’t really want to do it anymore and my supervisor needed a backup for all the work he does, so he figured taking him off the request list would be the best way to fix that problem.

Sooooo…you have a team of three people.  One guy is doing more work than the other two and gets burned out.  He complains that the workload isn’t being distributed fairly, the other two don’t care.  One of them quits.  You hire someone as a replacement, then take ONE employee off the workload and leave the new person along with one of the remaining people who are proven not to carry their weight to divide the work between two people.

Does that sound logical?

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Yeah…it left me scratching my head because I don’t find that logical at all.  I find it pathetic!

You only have three employees!  How in the world do you figure that removing one of them from the workload is going to balance the workload when one of the two doesn’t really want to carry their weight?

Isn’t that like being stuck in a revolving door?  I mean someone’s eventually going to get burned out again, and sadly, that someone happens to be me.

And what’s even more sad?

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

…siiiiiiiiiigh…

Pathetic!  That I’m looking for another job after being in this one for only 6 and a half months.

(I’m so damn tired…)

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