I want metaphasic shielding!

[DrFaroohk]

Apparently all the supervisors at work have a metaphasic shielding unit installed in their bums. I want one too.

Ahem.

So out in the cooler where I work, there's these big bay doors that open up into other sections of the factory. However we're not supposed to use them because opening them lets the cold out. So we're supposed to go out this other door, and take the long route around to get to other rooms if we need boxes or something.

Okie dokie.

But all day long I see the supervisors going in and out through those doors and no one says a thing.

"But they're supervisors!"

I was under the impression it wasn't an issue of authority, but an issue of quality. THe heat will ruin the fish. That being said, just as much heat comes in when Mr. Bossman opens the door as when I do.

"But they only did it once!"

Well, I only did it once too. I guess I get the same free pass.

Seriously though....sometimes people are retarded. Once I even walked through the door with a supervisor who had already opened it, and I still got bitched at by Quality Control, as if the boss man was just...invisible.

So I decided it must be that the supervisors have purchased metaphasic shielding for themselves so that when they open the door, no heat comes in. And I want one too.

[blas87]

Do as I say, not as I do.

#1 rule in the job force.

I work in a factory as well. Our breaks are timed down to the very effing milisecond.

Yet my boss and my lead take at least 20 minutes every single break. Anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour for lunch! Because they "have" to go over productivity and what is where and how it's going and where it's headed to and whatnot.

Funny thing is, when they come back, they still don't know where anything is. Yeah, they just need an excuse to take a long break. Then my boss can watch everyone like hawks if we dare go over by a minute or two.

[the_std]

Your situation sounds pretty stupid, DrF. It's not like a manager opening the door is going to let less cold out than one of his underlings.

That being said, however, I do think that expectations of time and resource allotment do need to be different between management and those they manage. I don't know your bosses, blas, and they might indeed be lazy. Or they have additional work to tend to; schedules, production oversight, equipment repair/maintenance rotas, all of the extra crap that goes with additional responsibility. Add on to the fact that there are far fewer managers than there are regular staff, and their taking extra breaks doesn't affect you as much - whereas imagine the wasted minutes if all the regular staff began to take long breaks. That is probably why they crack down on you.

Those who are higher up should be different-but-equal. They should be held to the same standards of quality, however, that quality should be allocated in different priorities, simply because they do different work than us. It's silly to say, "Well, they do it, why can't we?" on things like this, because their job requirements are different. They may have good reason to do it.

[blas87]

While I certainly don't mean to take over your thread Dr, I have to respond to std's challenge to my vent. I feel you may not completely realize just how my supervisor and lead's long breaks and "meetings" interfere with us, and how their not practicing what they preach affects work morale.

We are not allowed to leave our machines idle. Ever. Well, take that back, it can't do anything if you're loading or unloading or setting something new up. But the jest is that no time can be wasted by leaving a machine alone and not running. While it is not the supervisor's job, the lead is expected to help cover breaks so that machines can stay running.

Their long breaks often stretch several minutes into the next hour. Because we are short staffed as well, that means only one person can go at a time, maybe two if we have extras on that particular night. So the first person technically usually goes right on the hour, the next ten or so minutes later, and so on and so on. It has gotten to the point where the last person to go on break doesn't go until almost the next hour because they've came back so late and threw off the breaks. We are entitled to a break every 2 hours where I work. No one is going to refuse a break because we are "busy" or they don't want to leave their machine alone, that's just stupid, and no one should be expected to.

We are watched like hawks and punished for going over in break time (which I will agree with you, people taking too long of breaks DOES waste time, that's why the people who DO do it need to be punished and not the way it's currently done, where that person is just warned or maybe nothing at all and it's just generalized to everyone to watch it, and then everyone is watched from then on), but we don't even get our breaks in a timely manner. It's just absolutely absurd. They take as long as they need, and come back from those breaks/meetings which are supposed to be their game plans, and they still don't know what's going on. That leads me to believe they just take a long break and leave it at that.

It kills the morale because it's not fair. Maybe the sup can get away with more because they are higher up, but shift leads are supposed to be of a higher standard as well. An example. It doesn't set a good example. And as of late, my coworkers and I have been getting really upset and cranky and restless because we just want to take our break.

[the_std]

Okay blas, if I were to condense your last post, would this be accurate?...

Your supervisors are supposed to cover their staff when they go on their breaks. So if the supervisors don't come back from their breaks in a timely fashion, everyone else's breaks get pushed back. Eventually, they get so far behind in their break schedule, that breaks just get missed.

Does that sound correct?

[DrFaroohk]

I'm not saying managers need to be treated exactly the same - I know there are different things they to do....it just bothers me when someone in authority gets to break a rule. Why is it so different? Like local cops...they're allowed to drive 15 over the speed limit. If I was driving 15 over, I'd get a ticket. Because it's unsafe. You can't drive 40 in a 25 or people are in danger. But aren't people in the same danger when any car goes that fast?

I just see it all as a power play. They almost throw it in our faces to say "Haha, I rule you, because I can do this and you can't." Which is something I just simply do not tolerate. There's a reason I didn't join the military or move to Iraq. You'll rarely hear me say this sentence at work, but in this case I do - it's not my job. Doing something "just because" is not my fucking job. And it never will be.

So if I need to take the long route to get to the storage room because, say, opening the giant bay doors will allow the cooler to heat up and possibly damage our product, then I'm all for it. You'll never hear my argue about that, I'm all about getting the job done.

If I need to take the long route around because the manager needs to exercise his authority and make damn sure everyone knows who's in charge around here, piss off. That is not my job, and I'm sure as hell not paid enough to entertain some jackass who never learned how to lead people.

This is probably why I'm unemployed now. Apparently, it's ok yell for the large breasted women to "SHOW ME YO' TITTIES, BABY! YEAH SHAKE EM FOR ME!" and for management to screw around with the lackies and overdose on heroin during their lunch break, but god FORBID someone hears you say the word cunt.

[the_std]

DrF... Just because other people break rules, doesn't make it okay for you to do it. Yes, if people are overdosing on heroin on their lunch break should probably induce some kind of concern or action from management... But that's between them. It shouldn't have any affect on what they've done with you - they're different scenarios. If you offended someone (and the word cunt is designed to offend), and they've had problems with you in the past, you can't be shocked when they fire you.

Yes. People shouldn't abuse their power. But not everything that management does, not all of the oversights or things that seem like them just doing it "cause they can" are done to make their lives better and yours worse. They also don't have to explain themselves to you if they don't want to.

[DrFaroohk]

Oh I accept that what _I_ did was wrong, and I totally accept the punishment. If I didn't, I would've raised a big fuss. I just don't particularly care for it when everyone breaks the rules but only I get punished. I say, punish everyone, or punish no one. Picking one guy out to make an example of is straight up fucking someone over, and were it not for the fact that several friends and relatives work there, well, it'd be a different story.

[blas87]

Yes, std, that's about the jist of it, save for the fact that breaks don't go by missed, no one will miss their breaks. It's just that the last people in line end up going so late, by then they are beyond hungry or tired. A newer guy WAS missing his breaks because he thought that was the norm, until his trainer found out and we all flipped and made sure he stood up for himself. Because, get this stupid shit, they keep track if you don't take your breaks and you get nailed for THAT as well at your yearly review! Talk about getting in trouble for bullshit you may have little to no control over!

Dr, I'm really sorry this happened to you. While I understand and partially agree with std, there are certain leeways in being higher up and in charge of people, blatant "do as I say not as I do" or "because I said so!" policies are more than ridiculous and flat out unprofessional.

[powerboy]

Dr.F, I know how you feel. It sucks when you are the only one to get punished while others can get away with murder. I had that happen when I was working at Walmart.

[Tanasi]

What are these breaks you folks keep speaking of???