In case some may think the pump seal company I mention is a figment of my imagination, I dug into my files tonight. The cast of characters: Herb was the head of engineering. “MSU” was the Marketing Services Unit. Dave was one of the people in MSU who took orders over the phone for seals and parts from end users. Tom was a staffer in OEM/Project marketing, the same department I was in. Jim was the manager of OEM. Paul was the assistant manager of OEM. Stanley was the son of the President of the company, also occupying an office in OEM. Stanley would stagger in about midday, go in his office, and take a nap. Larry worked in cost accounting.
This letter is Herb venting about his frustration at trying to get anything done in that company.
Rather than “unhappy”, perhaps “cynical” is a better descriptor?
Steve says he puts on his MBA hat and analyzes a situation. Those analyses are often cynical.
There used to be sitcoms (Barney Miller, Andy Griffith, etc), and of course the iconic movie Office Space, cynically showcasing business management absurdities.
@steve203 has been a valued contributor to METAR for many years. He has repeatedly written about how he was personally exploited and overworked at this company. He was very, very unhappy. Yes, he has become cynical. But anyone who is that unhappy at a job should find a different job.
Wendy (BTDT)
I did move on…to RS, then Office Depot. Laid off from OD, I went to WPI. I survived the annual RIFs at WPI, until that company went out of business. Rose Moving wasn’t bad, but I was so tired by then, that the moment my stack hit my goal, I was gone.
The larger point is the ossified company. Fans of “The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin” know the environment in “Sunshine Desserts”. The same sort of ossification was lampooned in “Yes Minister”.
I also found the treatise on “the happy, productive worker”. I may post that too.
Well, @steve203 will have to confirm, but I believe he has found his happy place.
He is not only valued (I will second that affirmation) - he is profilic. And I assume his abundance of posts are voluntary and thus joyful (would he be so active in an activity that did not give him joy? I hope not.)
While he clearly has a point of view, he has posted many insightful comments with a ton of historical references.
Let the (now) joyful rants continue, with as close to zero supervision as one can get in a public forum.
