First, we don’t have enough people. Last year about this time we 6 people over a period of couple months. From my shift, the B shift, we lost 4. So far they have hired 4 people and one quit. So that is 3 people hired to 6 lost. My shift lost the most people. The people they hired have gone to other shifts. So my shift is still down 4 people. We are getting killed. We were told that they were going to hire these people, and a couple more, and put them on the A and C shift and that B shift would “take care of itself.” Apparently 'take care of it self" is boss speak for “You Are FUCKED.” Somehow or another hiring just enough people to bring the total up to what it was before anyone left yet putting them on the A shift is supposed to somehow lighten the load for the B shift. Bullshit. All it does is give the A shift people time to do things, like take breaks and a lunch, that the B shift people never get to do. So I am fucked.
This week they are doing training. They took one person off of B shift and put her in training for our latest version of the software. The training is during the day. So this Friday, our busiest day of the week, I will be by myself for 4 hours as the girl I usually work with will be in training in the morning. Did I mention that Fridays are really busy? That with two people we can barely keep up? And that since there is training the number of trouble tickets waiting to be fixed is going to be HUGE when I get in to work.
Now, to make my life all that much more fun, we have a meeting on Friday morning. A required meeting. One that I must attend. At 7 AM in THE FUCKING MORNING. I work 3:30 to 12:00 PM. 7 AM is in middle of my fucking night. I usually go to sleep at 3 AM. So I have to wake my sorry ass up at 6 AM to go to this meeting (and I work Thurday night), which will probably last 3 hours and cover things that really don’t matter, then (if I am lucky) take a short nap before going back to work to get killed by the number of calls that come in. Of coarse, since everyone is going to be in the meeting even more tickets will get stacked up.
I AM FUCKED.
To top that off, we have to take a test on our latest software. Software that I am getting NOT A FUCKING MINUTE OF TRAINING ON! Yep, I am supposed to just fucking know how the new software works. By osmosis or something.
Head for the ledge. Let the cops come. Let them bring you to a hospital. Then claim that there was just too much stress at work. Your boss will have to change his tune and you’ll be unfuckingtouchable. Hell. you’d even be able to take naps. Good luck.
Or bring it up in the meeting. Monopolize the meeting until your boss addresses the resources issue. If he says “we’ll take care of it”, ask “When?” Don’t let the issue go until you are not only promised help, but have the names of who will help you. When you show up for your shift, if those extra resources are not there, refuse to work. Do not budge on this.
If you can’t go to the meeting, you can’t go. So don’t go. Ask your boss if it’s more important for you to be at the meeting than to perform well during your regular hours – you can’t do both. No one can.
What the hell do you expect! You are a large green humanoids with both reptilian and insectoid features, scaly skin with frills around the neck, bulbous unblinking eyes, pincer-like hands, stubby tails, and a single blunt horn on top of your head. You should be glad the army hasn’t mobilized against you.
So, tell me, sleestak, what are YOU doing to fix this intolerable situation? I can understand coming here to blow off a little steam, but if I recall correctly, this isn’t the first time you’ve come here and complained about this work situation, and it doesn’t sound like anything has changed. Are you vigorously looking for work? Are you talking to management? Are you sending memos to people who might be able to do something on a daily basis?
I’d have a chat with HR. Explain that it’s causing you stress, fatigue, and generally feeling unwell to have to get up in the middle of the night. Explain that you’re concerned about how safe of a driver you will be by being called into meetings in the middle of your normal sleep schedule.
Explain that you’re flexible; you could adjust your hours given enough time to do so safely, but you can’t work a 3rd shift and then come in the middle of your night for meetings.
Offer to call in and be put on speakerphone for the meeting. Remember these words : “reasonable accommodation”.
I’m job hunting, getting my MCSE in the short term (should have it by the end of December) and going back to school (in the spring) to get my degree in the long term. Regretably there aren’t a whole lot of IT jobs in town.
I, and some of my coworkers, have made these problems (and others) known to management. Management either a) states that there really isn’t a problem or b) acknowledges that it is a problem but there is no workable solution other than what we are presently doing. Every single idea put forward to resolve these problems has been shot down. Well, except one. One was put forward by a coworker, okayed by the VP, setup up by the coworker (she spent hours working on it) only to later have the idea shot down when it was ready to impliment. I don’t know what the else we can do.
Oh and Scott Plaid, my tail ISN’T stubby. It’s quite long, actually. I get compliments on it all the time.
I know what you can do, but it takes a stalwart soul to do it - put in a solid shift working at a healthy pace, take all your breaks, leave on time, don’t come in for extra meetings, and don’t take any of this home with you when your shift is over. I think it’s time to educate your management about boundaries.