# Where do you fit within the bureaucracy of your company? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 11, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956 "2010-08-11T17:58:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/21 "2010-08-12T03:33:29Z")
There are roughly 300,000 people here, split among multiple business lines. There are six people between me and the CEO. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/22 "2010-08-12T03:46:13Z")
I’m a 1, but my company is super small (8 people). The lowest I’ve been was an 8, and that was as a CSR at a Fortune 100 company. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/23 "2010-08-12T03:49:17Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I have to give myself “0,” since I’m self-employed, and therefore \*\*\*am \*\*\*the company. It’s the only way to go 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/24 "2010-08-12T04:00:45Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > My boss is the Governor. 5 people are between me and him. My boss is the President. 5 people are between me and him. Theoretically. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/25 "2010-08-12T09:07:44Z")
I don’t fit. I’m in a partnership. The CEO reports to me and my partners. Does this make me a -1? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/26 "2010-08-12T12:50:56Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I don’t fit. I’m in a partnership. The CEO reports to me and my partners. Does this make me a -1? Yeah, I was kind of wondering where the “-1: Chairman” option was m’self. Wait, I’m a stockholder of my company. Could we add a “-2: Stockholder” option? Actually, that won’t work. My company’s public stock are all non-voting shares. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/27 "2010-08-12T12:58:32Z")
I reported to a director who reported to the CEO, so 2. Then the director got made redundant and an interim manager was introduced who reported to a different director, so my Kevin Bacon number has been increased to 3. In my last job I was a senior middle manager but I had about 20 levels above me. That was an insanely big blue-chip - visitations from the CEO were referred to in hushed tones as if he were a demigod, and he did nothing to disabuse this by flying everywhere in a helicopter. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/28 "2010-08-12T13:13:53Z")
Starting from 0, I think I’d be at 6 if I’m counting correctly, but there is a little bit of compression. Normally in my classification I’d have another layer of lower management above me, but my particular unit is too small and specialized to warrant that much supervision. Similarly you could theoretically have as many as three “ranks” below me ( two of them limited term ), but functionally there are zero as only a single classification is allowed in my particular work unit as we have to work independently, due to that same very low level of direct day-to-day supervision. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/29 "2010-08-12T14:27:57Z")
Seven or eight, depending on how one counts, but I work for a federal agency. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/30 "2010-08-12T14:33:38Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Seven or eight, depending on how one counts, but I work for a federal agency. So you report to us, the taxpayers! 🙂 I am pretty far down. I suppose if I felt like it I could count it and it wouldn’t be outrageous, but I am too lazy to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/31 "2010-08-12T14:33:43Z")
President Vice President My Boss Me We’re a small non-profit though, so I’m just a Happy Merry Worker. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/32 "2010-08-12T14:37:48Z")
I detest bureaucracy and couldn’t care less where I “fit in” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/33 "2010-08-12T15:13:04Z")
CEO VP GM Manager Me \<- Not bad considering there are thousands of people here. I’ve reported to the CEO in previous jobs. I like this level MUCH better. So I guess that’s 4. Or is it 5? No, I think it’s 4. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/34 "2010-08-12T15:40:16Z")
> [@GHO57](#): > > > [@The\_Vorlon](#): > > > > Job Title: Minion > > I’ve always wanted minions. They’re like henchmen but expendable, right? Ever wondered what a hench was and why you’d need someone to man it? Turns out its from the OE word hengest (stallion). I’m guessing that the henchman was originally a stable guy who was strong enough to handle stallions. Minion comes from the French, mignon (darling), so I’m guessing they aren’t as tough as henchmen. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/35 "2010-08-12T15:47:46Z")
Big-ass company here, over 130,000 employees. I’m my own little fiefdom here in London - I literally don’t report to anyone in this office. My bosses’ bosses’ boss is the Big Cheese. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/36 "2010-08-12T19:08:08Z")
I think my business partner is technically the CEO but I am “C-level” so I went with 0. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/37 "2010-08-12T20:02:32Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Seven or eight, depending on how one counts, but I work for a federal agency. 0: President Obama 1: Secretary 2: Ast. Secretary 3: Director 4: Ast. Director 5: Some guy 6: Boss’s boss 7: Boss 8: Me. If you don’t count the Assistants, then I’m on 6. Then again, if you look at the company that signs my paychecks, it’s 0: President of Company 1: Director of [wouldn’t YOU like to know? :dubious:] 2: Me 3: My minions So I might be 2. I’m an 8 in the poll, though. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/38 "2010-08-12T20:14:03Z")
I think it’s 6…I’m not entirely sure, but I think it goes: President of the University Vice President of somethingorother (Academics? Beats me) Dean of the College of Graduate Studies (why graduate studies, I have no idea, we have nothing to do with the graduate college…we’d fit better in department of engineering, since the only person in our department who teaches any classes does so for the engineering department, but truth be told we’re not associated with the academic part of the school much at all.) Head of our department Manager of our area of our department My supervisor Me The part I’m, not sure about is between the dean and the VP…I _think_ the dean reports to a VP, but maybe the dean goes right to the pres, or there is one more in between the dean and VP. So 5-7. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/39 "2010-08-12T20:25:10Z")
I just had to look up the org chart. I’m at exactly number 5. Four people between me and the CEO. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/40 "2010-08-13T00:41:43Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > I’m a 1, but my company is super small (8 people). > > The lowest I’ve been was an 8, and that was as a CSR at a Fortune 100 company. That’s about where I am, working as a \*\*subcontractor \*\*for a company in the top \*\*quarter \*\*of the Fortune 100. I’ve even been directed to work on issues directly related to our CEO, but I’m a front-line grunt. This is a pretty meaningless question. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956.md?page=3)