The further and continuing adventures of the girl who sat in the back of your homeroom, reading and daydreaming.
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
I Aten't Ded
But I am on vacation! This did not stop work from calling me four times yesterday, starting about 1 a.m. --Nobody's inessential but some are more fun to bother?
I had a "discussion" with my boss about how essential I was and how I thought that should translate to my paycheck. Since we didn't seem to equally value my time, I quit.
They called me at 2AM the day after I quit. Which is how I won that discussion.
The annoying thing is that really, I *am* replaceable (most every worker is), but it would be *inconvenient.*
I have had the discussion with my boss about how much that "convenience" is worth to 'em and the answer is -- it isn't. So I can either take what they offer or go elsewhere.
The rest of my vacation, I'm screening calls.
(My favorite you-useless-engineer story is the little radio station where I'd set up a calendar to keep track of all the live-broadcast remotes, satellite feed recordings, routine maintenance and so on that my staff of one and I needed to do. It was simply an effort to ensure we didn't miss anything. The program directors hated it because it showed their conflicting demands on the available resources and after I quit, they took the calendar down. [That'll fix it!] Next day I had a frantic call from my former staffer, asking, "You kept copies of the calendar, didn't you?" "Nope." "Uh-oh." --Uh-oh, indeed.)
I got calls from one outfit for months after I quit. Usually for help on the very screwed up stuff that had led me to quit. The calls usually started with, "I know you don't work here anymore, but..."
That company doesn't exist anymore for some strange reason. I think the name still does, as part of... Well, it wouldn't surprise anyone in telecom to hear that this was part of the Ebbers cluster-f.
Bear the response to "I know you don't work here anymore, but..." is: "That's correct. And my consultation fees are $500 per hour with a two-hour minimum. Got your credit card number handy?"
I REALLY liked using that one, especially when it refers to a situation similar to Roberta's calendar.
@Rickn8or: Oh, [expletive deleted] no. Cash only with that outfit.
(Amusingly, WorldCom -- which I'd also worked for, and which bought out the other company -- actually tried to hire me back on the regular payroll. They didn't have that much money.)
I think a company I worked for ended up in Worldcom for a minute or two, but not sure.
Another outfit laid me off with all the rest of the engineers because their accountant couldn't do basic math ... and failed to pay me for a month's wages. With state law penalties that added up to a hair over five figures.
Then they called me to ask about contracting in to finish the project. Sure, I said, $90 an hour ( well it was the late '80's ...) and you pay me that ten big bills you owe me first ...
I was down-sized in 2001 from a service industry position in which,besides being a service tech I also had responsibilities as a district trainer and safety compliance. Two weeks after my last day on the job I got a call at home wanting to know why I was there and not at my scheduled training session in a major metro area three hours away. When I mentioned that I no longer worked for them, they tried to explain that only the tech job had been eliminated, not the others. When I asked about how I was going to be compensated, there was a stunned silence. "Well, you were paid as a tech. . .we can't pay you for these duties". Click was the only answer from me.
Heh. I had just about forgotten this: I used to be in the Air Farce. Got out after Gulf War Part 1. I was at home one summer afternoon doing who the heck remembers what when the phone rang. I answered. "Sergeant Bussjaeger, this is a recall. Report to your work center immediately." "Um... Do you idiots realize I'm not in the Air Farce anymore?" "What?" "I got out a couple months ago." "Oh. ... ... ... ... Then you're not the Wideband NCOIC now?" "Nope." "Who is?" "Beats the f### outa me. Why don't you ask someone in the Air Farce?"
(Added: In some ways the best part was that this conversation went on, and they actually told this dedicated civilian why they were running a military recall. It wasn't classified, but it's something they should have kept their mouths shut about.)
Comment moderation is enabled. Your comment will not be visible until approved. Arguing or use of insulting or derogatory language will result in your comment going unpublished: no name-calling. Comments I deem excessively partisan will not be published.
Decades back when I war an engineer too ...
ReplyDeleteI had a "discussion" with my boss about how essential I was and how I thought that should translate to my paycheck. Since we didn't seem to equally value my time, I quit.
They called me at 2AM the day after I quit. Which is how I won that discussion.
The annoying thing is that really, I *am* replaceable (most every worker is), but it would be *inconvenient.*
ReplyDeleteI have had the discussion with my boss about how much that "convenience" is worth to 'em and the answer is -- it isn't. So I can either take what they offer or go elsewhere.
The rest of my vacation, I'm screening calls.
(My favorite you-useless-engineer story is the little radio station where I'd set up a calendar to keep track of all the live-broadcast remotes, satellite feed recordings, routine maintenance and so on that my staff of one and I needed to do. It was simply an effort to ensure we didn't miss anything. The program directors hated it because it showed their conflicting demands on the available resources and after I quit, they took the calendar down. [That'll fix it!] Next day I had a frantic call from my former staffer, asking, "You kept copies of the calendar, didn't you?" "Nope." "Uh-oh." --Uh-oh, indeed.)
I got calls from one outfit for months after I quit. Usually for help on the very screwed up stuff that had led me to quit. The calls usually started with, "I know you don't work here anymore, but..."
ReplyDeleteThat company doesn't exist anymore for some strange reason. I think the name still does, as part of... Well, it wouldn't surprise anyone in telecom to hear that this was part of the Ebbers cluster-f.
Bear the response to "I know you don't work here anymore, but..." is: "That's correct. And my consultation fees are $500 per hour with a two-hour minimum. Got your credit card number handy?"
ReplyDeleteI REALLY liked using that one, especially when it refers to a situation similar to Roberta's calendar.
"REFERRED to a situation"
ReplyDeleteHow come I can spot grammatical errors the instant I click "Publish" but not when clicking "Preview"??
Lord only knows but it is So True. And it goes double for seeing it in a book vs. on a screen.
ReplyDelete@Rickn8or: Oh, [expletive deleted] no. Cash only with that outfit.
ReplyDelete(Amusingly, WorldCom -- which I'd also worked for, and which bought out the other company -- actually tried to hire me back on the regular payroll. They didn't have that much money.)
I think a company I worked for ended up in Worldcom for a minute or two, but not sure.
ReplyDeleteAnother outfit laid me off with all the rest of the engineers because their accountant couldn't do basic math ... and failed to pay me for a month's wages. With state law penalties that added up to a hair over five figures.
Then they called me to ask about contracting in to finish the project. Sure, I said, $90 an hour ( well it was the late '80's ...) and you pay me that ten big bills you owe me first ...
Never heard from them again.
I was down-sized in 2001 from a service industry position in which,besides being a service tech I also had responsibilities as a district trainer and safety compliance. Two weeks after my last day on the job I got a call at home wanting to know why I was there and not at my scheduled training session in a major metro area three hours away. When I mentioned that I no longer worked for them, they tried to explain that only the tech job had been eliminated, not the others. When I asked about how I was going to be compensated, there was a stunned silence. "Well, you were paid as a tech. . .we can't pay you for these duties". Click was the only answer from me.
ReplyDeleteHeh. I had just about forgotten this: I used to be in the Air Farce. Got out after Gulf War Part 1. I was at home one summer afternoon doing who the heck remembers what when the phone rang.
ReplyDeleteI answered.
"Sergeant Bussjaeger, this is a recall. Report to your work center immediately."
"Um... Do you idiots realize I'm not in the Air Farce anymore?"
"What?"
"I got out a couple months ago."
"Oh. ... ... ... ... Then you're not the Wideband NCOIC now?"
"Nope."
"Who is?"
"Beats the f### outa me. Why don't you ask someone in the Air Farce?"
(Added: In some ways the best part was that this conversation went on, and they actually told this dedicated civilian why they were running a military recall. It wasn't classified, but it's something they should have kept their mouths shut about.)
ReplyDeleteRickn8or: I didn't squeeze the company that laid me off in 2007 quite that hard - just enough so that year was my highest income so far.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I usually can't take a day off without at least one call.
My boss patriotically asks me to refrain from getting hit by a bus. Nice to know he cares.
s
1 AM? Damn.
ReplyDelete