A Dilbert Kind of Moment

If you haven't read "The Dilbert Principle" then you must. This wonderful book about management in corporate America will keep you laughing as you recognize many of the topics discussed in the book appear to be taken directly from your office environment. While re-reading this book for the 3rd or 4th time, I remembered something from a past employer which fit perfectly into this book.

I worked for a company at a regular 8-5, Monday to Friday job, that required you work every 3rd Saturday morning. If you were paid hourly you got one afternoon off a week. If you were salaried, as I was, you work 5 extra hours that week (on top of the extra hours you already may be doing as part of your job, but that is another blog entry).

Every year you got 2 weeks vacation that you had to take at one time, that is two complete calendar weeks off. You could not take a day at a time now and then, you had to take 2 weeks completely at one time. But not really. You see, you have to work every 3rd Saturday morning, and if you look at a calendar you will see if you take 2 weeks off, that is taking off after work on Friday, then coming back to work on the 3rd Monday coming up, you have 3 Saturdays in that period.

That means, you have to work one of those Saturday mornings. Or, you have to get somebody to trade with you to cover that Saturday. For me, that was not easy to do because you had to trade with somebody who is capable of doing your job, and was at the same level you are (or higher). Unfortunately, there were only 2 people in this company that did my job (or higher), and the other guy was not very cooperative in schedule changes. So, my vacation was planned usually so I worked the 1st Saturday and then had 2 complete weeks off.

But that didn't always work. Company policy was to submit your vacation schedule for that calendar year in January, where it would be approved or denied (which means you submit a new schedule for consideration). Changes to any vacation schedule was not allowed.

Occasionally, your vacation schedule was changed for you sometimes putting your work Saturday right into the middle of your vacation. I can only assume just to harass us as no logical reason was provided up request. "Conflict with other departments" was the frequent answer. Fortunately, when my scheduled was moved, my co-worker, the only person I could switch with, had his vacation schedule moved also, so he had a reason to accept a switch with me, at least on this case. So it worked out for me.

But I did see a lot of employees work on the Saturday just before they are leaving, or come back a 2 days early to work the final Saturday, and even some were there on the middle Saturday.

Did I mention that the higher up managements have dictated to some lower level management people that they had to switch their Saturdays to cover them as they are not coming in on their vacation?

Glad I don't work there anymore.

P.S. I know this kinda breaks my rule of not talking about the office. I am bending this just a little because this is a past job, I don't live in that area anymore, and this information is common knowledge in the community, so I am not exposing any "company secrets". Nor, am I identifying the name of the company, but most who know me and are reading this, know exactly what company I am talking about.

Sometimes There Is Justice

A few weeks ago I was heading towards work bright and early in the morning. My drive to work usually starts just before the sun comes up and it starts down a regular 2 lane road. Just as I turned onto this 2 lane road another drive approached very fast and stayed right behind, hugging my bumper. Obviously this person was in a hurry and appeared as if he wanted to pass. Unfortunately, this is a no passing area but that has not stopped a lot of other drivers. Today, on coming traffic, only a few vehicles, kept this individual from passing.

Soon I approached an intersection and I needed to turn left to get onto the highway. I stopped at the light and waited with this other car, again, right on my bumper. The light turned green and I turned left onto the on-ramp of the highway.

This on ramp is two lanes and does a sweep right turn and runs under the road I was just on. I looked for the other driver and didn’t see him as I accelerated down the on ramp toward the highway. As the on ramp went under the road I was just on, the right lane of the on ramp merges into left lane, the lane I was driving on, and at the same time it merges onto the highway.

Just as I go under the bridge for the road I was just on, where the on ramp is now one lane, this missing driver appears on the right side of my vehicle, on the shoulder trying to pass. I did a quick check of the highway to my left and I moved over a lane as the other driver slowed down, obviously realizing that he/she was on the shoulder (It was still too dark out to recognize the driver).

I watched my mirrors as this other driver quickly crossed two lanes to the left lane of the highway (the highway was only 2 lanes here with what was left of the on ramp) then accelerated down the highway past me. As he passed me he dove into my lane and slammed on his brakes. I immediately slammed on my brakes and moved to the shoulder to avoid hitting the vehicle, and then the other driver moved back into the left lane, stepped on his gas and was quickly speeding down the road.

Much to my surprise, with this what I now consider a crazy driver now speeding down the highway away from me, the other driver who was in the left lane a few car lengths behind me, who had a great view of this entire incident, turn on his overhead red and blue flashing lights and pulled the driver over.

I had a rather good day that day!