What's new
What's new

Talk about biting the hand that feeds!

DieRepairman

Aluminum
Joined
Sep 22, 2009
Location
Cleveland, Ohio USA
I manage a tool room for my company.
When things where reallly down earlier this year, we were fortunate enough to still have enough work to enable me to bring in another employee to help out in my department.
I was blown away by the amount of really skilled people that were available during the interview process.
I could have hired some really good experianced people for this position.
One thing I wanted to make sure of was that I find someone that wouldn't bolt to another company when things got better in the industry.
I settled for a person who was skilled enough to do what I needed, lived close by, and had a desent work history.
One thing I liked was that he had previous management experiance.
I thought that someone who has seen both sides of the fence would be a little wiser.
At first he worked out great. and unfortunately things hit rock bottom in the economy and we had to let him go (He was hired on a Temp basis)
I told him not to worry and that I would lobby hard to get him back as soon as things got better. Which I did.
About 2 months later I was given permission to bring him back. He has been with us ever since.
But last week I just got word that he has been talking to my boss about how much better things would be if he where running things.
You get this from any number of subordinants. This is not somthing I am unaccustommed to seeing. But to do this so soon after I got him employed really blows my mind.
Can someone reach behind me and yank that knife out...it's really bothering me.:angry:
 
Wow, that's rich! Kinda makes you wish you just stayed at home, cut out the middleman, and kicked yourself in the nuts. I would assume that you've got a level-headed boss that reads thru the b.s. and that the best thing to do would let this guy blow his smoke...maybe not even bring it up to him, but instead wait for the next slow time to come around again and not feel so bad about seeing him go bye bye. Just smile and wave. Karma's a bitch, as they say. Where in Cleveland are you at? Amazing how small of world it really is.
 
It seems politics and back stabbing are rampant in our industry, that's why I feel fortunate to be self-employed. On the other hand when you hire someone who is over qualified for his or her position, you can expect them to try to better their work situation as soon as they see an opportunity to do so. Unfortunately some people do not do this in a moral manner. This individual obviously would never have accepted this position in a better economy, so you should have seen an attempt to move up or move out coming. I should suggest being a little less trusting next time, these desperate times seem to bring out the worst in people.
 
One thing I liked was that he had previous management experiance.

But last week I just got word that he has been talking to my boss about how much better things would be if he where running things.

You wanted him because of his background. I know the short timing of this situation is a bit ridiculous, but did you really think he would settle for being just a worker?
 
I take it with a grain of salt, I was a little taken aback by the fact that he held a position like mine at one time on his resume, so he must know what a knife in the back feels like.:nutter:
As dissapointed as I am in his morals, he is still good for the company. I will just be a lot more careful about what I do or say around this one.
And yes, I am very fortunate to have a boss that sees through this type of BS. We have been in the trenches together many times in the past, and he knows exactly where I stand.:D
I work on the east side in the collinwood area of east Cleveland. This is one reason I felt some guys may want out of here when the economy picks up. Not the greatest neighborhood if you know what I mean.
 
It is a small world. The in-laws live in Parma and it looks like we'll be there for Thanksgiving. The only time I've been there is Nov, Dec and Feb!

Back on topic, Not in any way defending the guy, but it might help figuring out why he did that, by walking in his shoes.
First, he got laid off from somewhere, losing a decent job.
Then, he has to take a temp position with your company. About the time his 90 or 180 days was up, you guys lay him off again.
Then, 2 months later he has to start all over.

So #1, there's not much employer/employee loyalty anymore and
#2, if he's got bills to pay and a family to feed, he's gonna try to do everything possible to make sure he's not the next one let go.

People are scared and we all handle it differently.


Again, not defending, just explaining.....
 
ER is right. Employee loyalty, these days? Dream on, the
way folks get treated. That's the old days. These days,
companies want their workers to know that it's a shark
tank out there, and they had better value their jobs.

The flip side is, you select for employees who can swim
in the shark tank. Don't be suprised when they turn out
to *be* sharks. Sharks bite. It's a fact of life. Get
used to it. Companies want to go back to the old days,
that's fine, it's up to them. In the mean time I have
to go sharpen my teeth.

Jim
 
ER is right. Employee loyalty, these days? Dream on, the
way folks get treated. That's the old days. These days,
companies want their workers to know that it's a shark
tank out there, and they had better value their jobs.

The flip side is, you select for employees who can swim
in the shark tank. Don't be suprised when they turn out
to *be* sharks. Sharks bite. It's a fact of life. Get
used to it. Companies want to go back to the old days,
that's fine, it's up to them. In the mean time I have
to go sharpen my teeth.

Jim

I like that analogy.
We're not saying that's a good, moral position - it's just the way things have become.

When reading this post, I felt sorry for the guy getting it in the back, because he was trying to do someone a favor and get his job back. But who knows how many times he's gotten the weanie from other people?
So now, it's every man for himself.
The big dogs have the little ones fighting over the scraps.

My situation comes to mind.
I got laid off a year ago when a big contract fell through at the beginning of the recession. About half of us got laid off. I really liked who I was working for and said I would try and hold on until they rehired. Fortunately (or unfortunately) that was easy to do because there just aren't that many jobs available.
A few weeks ago, I saw my old company advertising for a CNC programmer/mill operator.
So I went in with my resume.
The HR guy admitted that they had tried to fill positions with lower skilled people, but found out they really needed people who knew programming. (WTF?)
So why not at least offer the job to the people you already laid off? If it's money, then we can at least talk about it. Who knows? I'm a reasonable guy.
But here i've been thinking they were serious about rehiring ASAP, meanwhile I'm drawing unemployment for the first time in my life (I'm 45) and I'm a good employee who wants to work.

This whole world is turning upside down.
 
"When reading this post, I felt sorry for the guy getting it in the back, because he
was trying to do someone a favor and get his job back."

Absolutely sir. I apologize if my post sounded a bit harsh. I do think the poster is
getting the short end of the stick, and that's horrible.

To put this in perspective, I work for a company that was possibly the world-wide
gold standard for employee loyalty. "He bleeds blue" was a common phrase.
That was the old days. That loyalty is gone, trashed by the cynical practices of
executive managment, often for no good reason, and in MANY cases to the
detriment of corporate profitability, in the long run.

Bloom's off the rose, nothing left but thorns for now. Somebody's going to figure
out after a while that a companie's BIGGEST asset, really is the folks who work for it.
In the meantime, I'll be sharpening my teeth.

Jim
 
Backstabbers sharpening up

If work is slow then there is more time for backstabbing which is a popular passtime in various shops I have worked in over the years. Where I work now the owner is in tune with the shop and notes the real motivations behind people's actions. Since he knows his employees he can cut through a situation fast to discover the truth. It is amazing how many knives I have found in my back over the years. Too little work and the backstabbers have too much time on their hands. Do you recall the saying "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop"?
 
Good men have good men around them. Let`s not let our insecurities get the best of us.

Seems Dieman has found his own replacement, maybe it`s time to start looking ahead at his bosses job "Look how good I got things runnen around here" It`s about moven up, not back stabben.

When A. Einstien was asked how he did it his reply was " I stood on the sholders of giants" Just some food for thought...MC
 
No doubt, it is a Dog Eat Dog environment out there.. My best advice is just to keep some trade secrets under your belt.. Then, if they terminate you, you can come back as a consultant, when they are in trouble, at a high hourly rate, until they decide to hire you back..
 
Start documenting every little screw up, coming in late, long lunches, etc. Get five or six down on paper and send him walking. Payback is a bitch.
 
You are right THRUTHEFENCE, I guess I did fall a little into the trap of believing in someones charictor. I had interviewed several people in the past and this guy really rubbed me the right way.

It is a dog eat dog world, and you do have to know how to work with a knife or two in the back if your going to be in charge of any department. But you wont see me going after my bosses job anytime soon.

I still believe in integrety and doing the right thing. My work ethic, knowledge and determination will dictate where I end up, and I refuse to take an immorral short-cut.

I think my boss recognizes my integrety and knows where I stand because of it.
No matter what; I can always look back and be proud of my accomplishments.

I will not hold a grudge against this subordinate for what he did, but I will now always be wary of him. I guess I should have been from the start.
This has been yet another learning experiance for me.
 
''Talk about biting the hand that feeds! ''

That's why they make chain mail gloves.


''... Or maybe getting older just increases your cynicism, & makes you notice it more?''

Keep on thinking like that, you're doing a good job.
 








 
Back
Top