I've mentioned to the Penguins that my company is moving our site to another location. I've been whining because in December my commute will change for 8 miles / 15 minutes each way to 24 miles / 45 minutes each way. An hour a day wasted in the car! So I will admit that my attitude towards work sorta sucks right now, but I think this is bad...
We've had a sequence of events that is making us all shake our heads. Seems like the people in the shiny offices at headquarters are quite the yogis -- they have the heads up their you-know-whats.
Two weeks ago, the entire company was told not to spend any cash for the remainder of 2013. The BOD wants to be sure to meet the EBITDA targets and blah, blah, blah. Our department has been told that the things we have to throw away because it is too hard / expensive to move (opened chemicals and such) cannot be re-ordered until after 01/01/2014. All repair orders need manager approval, no travel, etc. "We all need to tighten our belts to make the numbers come out favorably"
Yesterday there was a nice envelope in everyone's snail mailbox. It was printed to look like a gift. My immediate thought was "oh, maybe we are all getting a free lunch as a little pick-me-up to battle the stress of the move". Nope. Inside was a fancy tri-fold greeting card, on heavy shiny stock, announcing the opening of the new facility, with a color glossy photo of the CEO, governor, and four other big-wigs at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The photo can be easily detached for use on the dartboard framing.
Are you freaking kidding me?? We can't spend money on things that we actually need to do our job, but the CEO sends out these announcements??
Just an hour ago, the irony grew even more. We received a company-wide e-mail encouraging us to reduce our printing. There were tips like "don't print out e-mails" and "proofread on the screen, not on a hard copy". Because you know, the less we print...the better it is for our bottom line and the environment.
race obsessed
I can completely concur, it used to drive me nuts also when things like that were done.
On the opposite side though, I am nearly willing to bet the Announcements were out of the marketing budget and not out of operational costs. Justification to some... Especially from the marketing department.
The Gub-mint works the same way
Well I think most of us have worked (or currently work) for companies that do stupid-ass shit like that. I know I have (& do).
It should only come as a surprise to the folks who think that everything done by government is poorly managed & inefficient, and turning any functions over to private industry will automatically fix everything. Plenty of companies are at least as effed up as the government.
Dave
Are we there, yet?
Then there are the government departments that realize they haven't needed to spend their entire budget, so they start buying any and everything they can think of so there's no surplus at year end. After all if there were a surplus that's means their budget could be cut for the next year since they obviously don't need the money.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Typical and so upsetting... Why would anyone think you'll be happy to receive a picture of some big heads? Weren't these guys ever at the bottom of a company and don't they remember how they hated the arrogance of the top people? Such futile spending when you so much need the money elsewhere... grrrr...
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
Wickedly Average
Are you sure you don't work for the government? That fits right in with their standard mode of operation!
Tom (formerly known as PhotogTom)
5K - 25:16, 10K - 55:31, 15K - 1:20:55, HM - 1:54:54
Not all the time, but I agree. It's ridiculous what the government would pay or not just because the money is set for X and not for Y. For example, I might be denied attendance to court IN PERSON (70 mile trip by car) to argue MY OWN MOTION because the travel budget has been cut to shit by Congress. Yet, we could have budget for chairs and able to buy new chairs every two years. How the fuck is that reasonable? Just let us move the $ from one thing to another. If I don't go, we don't win. Which one is more important?
Damaris
As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.
Fundraising Page
That just doesn't happen in the government. I have seen the use it or lose it mentality in a few companies. The key was to spend just about all by September so that Accounting (my area) wouldn't shut them off in case things got tight.
We once ran out of paper in August (fiscal year ends September 30). We had enough money for chairs, again....
Hip Redux
You must have some kick ass chairs, D. lol
Return To Racing
"....And I want to look him straight in the eye, and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-assed, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is! Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?"
Caretaker/Overlook Hotel
LOL!! It's almost time to whip that DVD out again!!!
Actually, George not only to they not want surplus......They want deficit to create the need to increases in each subsequent year!! That's how we do it in Kaleeefoooornia!!
Remember........even when they talk about "cuts" in government........it's only about cuts to proposed "increases". Not like REAL cuts that we have in the private sector which are cuts from the baseline!!
Mother #@$%! pieces of #$@#^ worthless $%#$^!# sucking mother #^#!%$!!!!!!
<-------- Not a fan of government.
Randy
Ugh, Margo, that sounds so frustrating!
Skirt Runner
LOL @ the picture of the company heads. WHY THE EFF WOULD ANYONE WANT THAT?!?! No, seriously?!? I feel like that is just ASKING for employees to do shit to the picture, voodoo doll style. Put it on dart boards, deface it, scan it and do funny things to it on Photoshop.... possibilities are endless.
Damaris- New chairs?! Every 2 years?! PRIORITIES
I am an occupational therapist at a school for children with autism that is part of a non-profit organization. The non-profit organization is always doing these super fancy "employee appreciation" dinners and such. It is really nice....free food and open bar, a DJ, ect. However, I am constantly CONSTANTLY having my orders denied for equipment I actually need to do my job. We are in desperate need of therapy equipment. And worse, FIVE therapists share a computer that barely works, and ALL of our daily paperwork is required to be typed now and we get an hour of alotted paperwork time per day and aren't supposed to take it home, we don't even have a printer and have to save our stuff on a flash drive and bring it to the secretary to have her print it....... I would SO much rather have at least 2 more computers, a printer, and equipment than a dinner every few months. Meh
PRs: 5K- 28:16 (5/5/13) 10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13) 4M- 41:43 (9/7/13) 15K- 1:34:25 (8/17/13) 10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14) HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14) Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)
I started a blog about running :) Check it out if you care to
Sloooow.
The things I could say about the company my partner works for. To say the CEO is an idiot is an understatement. He's a narcissistic sociopath. And a complete and utter dick. And Pentecostal.
Company lost a government contract that covered most of their payroll. CEO cuts my partners salary 50%, yet ships himself and his family off to various countries on "missionary" trips. He personally authorizes medics to get on the unit without a lift test, against my partners wishes (he is the company safety and compliance officer). CEO hires felons, sex offenders, medics who have been fired from other ambulance companies for various terrible things, medics who have won huge settlements from workers comp for back injuries.
I'm hoping we can get through the next few paychecks. I feel bad that he works there.