Hey loyal readers,
This is just to let you all know that I probably won't be posting much, if at all, for the next week or maybe more. I kinda had the last straw at work today, I worked late tonight, and the next 2 days I'll be working all day which won't leave much writing time, especially since I'll also be spending time looking for a new job. I'm at the end of my rope with my current one, but I can't quit until I can find something else. I'll post when I can, but if I do find something then I might have to work both jobs for a time after giving my notice. So short-term, it's going to be a pain in the ass. Long-term, I'm hoping it'll help me stay sane.
*big hugs*
Amethyst
Comments
Your well-being comes first, hon!
*hugs*
Take care of yourself, and your loyal readers will still be here when you get back!
Melanie E.
I totes agree
we'll still be here when you're ready.
Retail
It all starts when a store is unwilling to staff sufficiently for obvious reasons.
That people like you who are willing to do overtime 'for the team' disincentizes management from hiring more workers, figuring it is cheaper to pay overtime instead of staffing sufficiently.
I suspect that is the reason why they took so long in hiring a replacement.
They had you doing all that overtime so they figure they can take their time.
This in turn creates more churn as people like you leave for greener pastures which in turns puts a heavier burden on the remaining workers.
If you opt to stay in retail then obviously you have to try hard not to repeat this mistake.
Good Luck!
of course
excessive OT costs more in the long run as the churn means you have to train more replacements, with fewer long term employees to do the training. this is why it's important to reward loyalty, and not get into the trap of exploiting loyalty. Same goes for the employees, you have to recognize when your loyalty is being exploited. This isn't just retail, this is everywhere, though the more training that a job requires the more careful the employers will usually be, because higher skilled workers are harder to replace so either you limit OT or you pay higher to compensate
Retail
And that is why I focused strictly on retail as the poster child of your point.
I am sure management will continue to exploit loyalty just due to the size of the labor pool available for this type of work.
That is why stuff like glassdoor might help.
And we all know about Amazon warehouse workers.
I personally buy very little from Amazon, maybe 400 USD or so a year at most due to them being so shitty towards their workers. Yet somehow there is always people who can only do such jobs and no more.
It will never be a solved issue especially as robotics keep improving.
Edit: My point is currently focused on the US retail thing.
Seventeen years ago while I was in Seoul in support of a project I went into a high end department store (at least I think it was high end as the size of such a store in Seoul must have been enormous in cost) to look around. It was like a throwback to 40's or 50's US retail where you have 'Are You Being Served' Brit TV levels of staffing at the counters.
The prices were quite high to boot as you pay for all that service. The store was of course immaculate. I entered the front door at opening time and there were a line of staff bowing to the customers as they entered in welcome.
Keep in mind this is a store in the middle of Seoul so it is an expensive area to live in so I doubt the staff was being paid bottom of the barrel wages.
Korea is a bit like Japan so loyalty is valued so it is such a difference in the dynamic.
Hydraulic Pipefitter
Detroit, designing, cutting, installing SS lines on robots that are going to assemble engines for the Ford Romeo car factory. Deadlines meant we were working twelve hours a day, seven days a week. Management brought in more help.
I was exceptional at visualizing the route, the radius of bends, length of lines, etc. It came naturally for whatever reason. It was one of the really fun jobs despite the long hours. The new help was union, had no idea what they were doing and were paid double what they were paying me. They were anything but hydraulic pipe fitters. Didn't have a clue. Management told me to train them. Three days of putting up with men who had no concept of spacial, dimensional measurements, I quit. It would take months, maybe years, possibly never, to train them how to mentally visualize a hydraulic line layout. All one had was the starting point and the ending point. If I was assigned as their "teacher" guess who was going to get blamed when all their efforts were going into the scrap iron bin. Some jobs just aren't worth it no matter how much fun one is having.
Hugs Amethyst, may God's angels guide you to a new, fun beginning.
Barb
Life is a gift, meant to be lived not worn until it's worn out.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Wow, BarbieLee
I grew up in the neighborhood of that Romeo plant (was Ford Tractor then). Later I became a journeyman machine builder. I had a little experience plumbing hydraulic and pneumatic machines. But when push came to shove, we handed the job off to artists like you to build the ballet of lines from "A" to "B" and beyond. Admiring the tracing was like looking over fine Celtic interlacing. You have my admiration.
Ron
Visualization?
Hugs Ron, like you, I loved the balance of two or more lines going the same route even if they didn't start at the same point or end at the same point. The bends, the closeness of one line from the next from point A to point B all had to be uniform and perfect. And it was all SS which made it even better.
If you know when the Ford Romeo Plant changed over you know when I was there. From Detroit to Corpus Christi and dozens of places in between, I'm feeling miles and the years. Motels, clean clothes tossed in a trash bag before the jobs began. Dirty clothes tossed in a trash bag when the job was over and I was headed back to Oklahoma again. I don't drink but some of the best meals were in bars. Weekends, makeup, dress up and go shopping in the stores. In six months or more I'd never see those people again so even if they did suspect? I never went to a club or a bar dressed up. I didn't have a death wish.
Hugs Ron
Barb
If I had the chance for a do over would I? Only if F was on the birth certificate at the very beginning then I might be persuaded to give it a whirl. Or maybe not. It's been a hell of a ride.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Be careful
It's all too easy to enter burn-out before you even realize you're there (of course it's even more insidious if you are doing a work you love, in excess).
Be careful and reconsider if big or small "must dos" really are must dos.
I wish you luck
Job hunting is one of the top two things I hate to do. As a result, I've stayed on jobs I should have quit far too long. The second to the last job I had before retiring was one of those. It took a broken knee with 6 months recovery time to get me out of that job. And the job I retired from grew to be that kind of job and I stuck with it only because I'd all ready set my retirement date in my mind. I knew I was a short term employee, though the company didn't know it until I turned in my resignation with a 30 day notice. I had twelve years on that job and it was the last two that had become a burden.
Interestingly enough, they threw me a party and gifted me with a two night stay in a fancy hotel downtown and a $300 gift card.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
As I have told others,
Take care of you first, we can wait. You have been setting a crazy pace for yourself and I don't want you to burn out. Be well and good luck!
Hugs!
Diana
If I can help
Hi Amethyst, I just wanted to offer my assistance. I have been working for myself as an independent recruiter for the past 25 years and was good enough to support my family and put my five children through college. I am mainly retired but if I can help with your resume or job search, just let me know. You can send me a message and I can give you my email or phone number. Incidentally, Barb, I live near that same Romeo plant. Small world. :DD
DeeDee
Met a Lady Named DeeDee
She was so danged intelligent and quick witted, she frightened me. I've met a lot of intelligent people in this life and some really challenged ones. That girl was something else. The city east of Clawson was the one she lived around the fourteen mile road. I was doing heat and air at that time, yes I was licensed. Years before most in Detroit knew what air conditioning was. Had to drive over to the west side of Michigan to take the state test as it was the only place testing for AC license then. Michigan didn't recognize my Oklahoma plumbing, air condition, refrigeration licenses. They accepted I had the training and qualifications as all my licenses were contractor. It was why they let me take the tests. God, I'm old!
Hugs Dee Sylvan
Barb
Don't look back and think, "I wish I had..." Instead be thinking, "Whew, what a rush!"
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Seconded
I am seconding what several others have already stated: Practice healthy self-care!!
If you do not take care of yourself first, you will ultimately be unable to do anything productive and/or fun in your life.
Reading Between the Lines
It seems some others know more about your work woes. . .or are guessing.
When I owned a business I hated overtime. Not for reasons stated in other comments.
I had a 37.5 hour work week with Friday afternoons off so employees could have long weekends.
It was my opinion that when people worked more than eight hours in a day or more than 37.5 hours in a week they started to make a lot of errors which cost me money.
To punish myself for allowing overtime I paid double salary for overtime and had strict rules for approving o.t.
Even so I had one employee, she worked for me for over twenty years, who would play solitaire on her computer during normal office hours and then pleas for o.t. to get her work done.
People management was my least favorite thing about business. The more I gave them, the more they saw me as a soft target.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
As others have said
As someone trained in mental health first aid, I have to agree with what others have said; take care of yourself. Being in a workplace that is not good for your mental well being is hard, and so a change of venue can be a good (albeit stressful) thing.
Your fans will still be here when you’re able to return, we just want what’s best for you.
Thanks everyone
While I have a minute, I just want to thank you all for the support and advice in your comments.
*big hugs*
Amethyst
Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3