The longest thread ever

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Originally Posted by bundabergdevil

Oh, I know that but, as an individual in the portability system, I'm going to use it to show 0 loyalty to my employer and seek out the best the opportunity for me.

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yes, that's what they deserve..

Fired twice:

1) As a 13 year old working at a Winn Dixie as bag boy/stock room. One duty was burning boxes and crates in an incinerator in the back of the store (EPA didn’t exist back in those days).Closed the door on the incinerator just as a burning crate slid out, getting crushed and sending sparks into the space occupied by boxes yet-to-be placed into the incinerator. Massive fire ensued in the incinerator room. Store evacuated. Fired immediately.

2) Summer job at 18 years old in a textile mill. Had a big date coming up (the girl ended up being the first runner up in Miss NC pageant). The date was for the Monkees concert with the opening act by Jimmy Hendrix. Asked the boss 2 weeks in advance to not be scheduled for overtime for that particular night. He agreed. On the day of the big date, he informed me that he had changed his mind, and I had to work late. I refused (there are priorities, you know). Went into work the next morning, and my time card was not there. It was worth being fired.

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Originally Posted by TruBlu

Fired twice:

1) As a 13 year old working at a Winn Dixie as bag boy/stock room. One duty was burning boxes and crates in an incinerator in the back of the store (EPA didn’t exist back in those days).Closed the door on the incinerator just as a burning crate slid out, getting crushed and sending sparks into the space occupied by boxes yet-to-be placed into the incinerator. Massive fire ensued in the incinerator room. Store evacuated. Fired immediately.

2) Summer job at 18 years old in a textile mill. Had a big date coming up (the girl ended up being the first runner up in Miss NC pageant). The date was for the Monkees concert with the opening act by Jimmy Hendrix. Asked the boss 2 weeks in advance to not be scheduled for overtime for that particular night. He agreed. On the day of the big date, he informed me that he had changed his mind, and I had to work late. I refused (there are priorities, you know). Went into work the next morning, and my time card was not there. It was worth being fired.

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You made the right decision on 2. On 1, welll...



Attachment 14540

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Originally Posted by bundabergdevil

I make this point a lot to my long-tenured and pensioned colleagues. It's funny how companies work to promote culture and loyalty, etc, but at the end of the day, they'll make necessary business decisions. I've seen 5,000 people lose their jobs w/in a week --- they were just gone. No reason individuals shouldn't behave to maximize value (however one measures) it by job hopping or staying. Plus, most retirement incentives are designed for portability today and puts the onus on the individual...

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This is why I get annoyed with sports fans when players or coaches leave. The sports fan has loyalty to a team. But the player or coach has to have loyalty to themselves. If they struggle then the team will cut or fire them and never bat an eyelash. I always side with labor.

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Originally Posted by TruBlu

Fired twice:

1) As a 13 year old working at a Winn Dixie as bag boy/stock room. One duty was burning boxes and crates in an incinerator in the back of the store (EPA didn’t exist back in those days).Closed the door on the incinerator just as a burning crate slid out, getting crushed and sending sparks into the space occupied by boxes yet-to-be placed into the incinerator. Massive fire ensued in the incinerator room. Store evacuated. Fired immediately.

2) Summer job at 18 years old in a textile mill. Had a big date coming up (the girl ended up being the first runner up in Miss NC pageant). The date was for the Monkees concert with the opening act by Jimmy Hendrix. Asked the boss 2 weeks in advance to not be scheduled for overtime for that particular night. He agreed. On the day of the big date, he informed me that he had changed his mind, and I had to work late. I refused (there are priorities, you know). Went into work the next morning, and my time card was not there. It was worth being fired.

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#2 was definitely the right move. Similar to mine, where the "boss" refused to give me any hours (waiting tables) the last week I was scheduled to work. About an hour before I was set to clock out for the last time, she called me at the restaurant and said she needed me to work that night. I said, well, no b/c this was my last shift, remember? Then she complained about being shorthanded. So I told her that maybe if she got off her big fat butt and actually did some work, they wouldn't be short-handed.

It felt good.

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Originally Posted by TruBlu

Fired twice:

1) As a 13 year old working at a Winn Dixie as bag boy/stock room. One duty was burning boxes and crates in an incinerator in the back of the store (EPA didn’t exist back in those days).Closed the door on the incinerator just as a burning crate slid out, getting crushed and sending sparks into the space occupied by boxes yet-to-be placed into the incinerator. Massive fire ensued in the incinerator room. Store evacuated. Fired immediately.

2) Summer job at 18 years old in a textile mill. Had a big date coming up (the girl ended up being the first runner up in Miss NC pageant). The date was for the Monkees concert with the opening act by Jimmy Hendrix. Asked the boss 2 weeks in advance to not be scheduled for overtime for that particular night. He agreed. On the day of the big date, he informed me that he had changed his mind, and I had to work late. I refused (there are priorities, you know). Went into work the next morning, and my time card was not there. It was worth being fired.

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1) You misspelled Triangle Shirtwaist.
2) Great decision. Definitely worth it.

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Originally Posted by aimo

#2 was definitely the right move. Similar to mine, where the "boss" refused to give me any hours (waiting tables) the last week I was scheduled to work. About an hour before I was set to clock out for the last time, she called me at the restaurant and said she needed me to work that night. I said, well, no b/c this was my last shift, remember? Then she complained about being shorthanded. So I told her that maybe if she got off her big fat butt and actually did some work, they wouldn't be short-handed.

It felt good.

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In medicine there are folks who get promoted to a management position and have done their last bit of work. I don't like those people. I had one boss who did this and another boss who worked even harder once she got promoted. And the hard worker and I didn't even like each other that much personally. But I would have run through a brick wall for her if she needed it because she worked harder than anyone else. She knew that and managed me perfectly. And I am NOT easily managed.

I got fired once. I've never really been able to exactly figure out why. I don't waste time thinking about it anymore though. It was mostly OK because I didn't like working with that group and I landed on my feet very quickly with a position that I still have today, 28 years later, but I was blind-sided by the firing. It was a bit of a ding to the self-confidence. There wasn't anything wrong with my work. In the end, I have two guesses 1) I wasn't the same person as the person I had replaced (she went off to medical school) and what they wanted was a clone of her and 2) the PI hired me while his "lieutenant" was on vacation and she could never get over the fact that I was hired without her knowledge or input.

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Originally Posted by Bostondevil

I got fired once. I've never really been able to exactly figure out why. I don't waste time thinking about it anymore though. It was mostly OK because I didn't like working with that group and I landed on my feet very quickly with a position that I still have today, 28 years later, but I was blind-sided by the firing. It was a bit of a ding to the self-confidence. There wasn't anything wrong with my work. In the end, I have two guesses 1) I wasn't the same person as the person I had replaced (she went off to medical school) and what they wanted was a clone of her and 2) the PI hired me while his "lieutenant" was on vacation and she could never get over the fact that I was hired without her knowledge or input.

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3. They were anti-guinea pig?

In my first real job after graduating from Duke, I got a job for lousy money but in a place I wanted to live. I worked very hard the first day. On the second day the manager met me at the door, told me to go to headquarters 20 miles away where the Big Boss fired me for being a corporate spy. (I would have been the worst paid corporate spy in history). Upon further review (like asking WTF he was talking about) it became evident that my boss had put two and two together and come up with seventeen, there was zero evidence I was a spy, back to work I went.

The delicious irony being that about a week later the guy who worked the night shift left and he had indeed been a corporate spy, stole lots of important info before he left to work for our primary competitors. I got a quiet chuckle out of that.

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Originally Posted by budwom

In my first real job after graduating from Duke, I got a job for lousy money but in a place I wanted to live. I worked very hard the first day. On the second day the manager met me at the door, told me to go to headquarters 20 miles away where the Big Boss fired me for being a corporate spy. (I would have been the worst paid corporate spy in history). Upon further review (like asking WTF he was talking about) it became evident that my boss had put two and two together and come up with seventeen, there was zero evidence I was a spy, back to work I went.

The delicious irony being that about a week later the guy who worked the night shift left and he had indeed been a corporate spy, stole lots of important info before he left to work for our primary competitors. I got a quiet chuckle out of that.

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Well, I mean you can steal a bunch of stuff while you are trying to figure out where the break room is located.

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Originally Posted by budwom

In my first real job after graduating from Duke, I got a job for lousy money but in a place I wanted to live. I worked very hard the first day. On the second day the manager met me at the door, told me to go to headquarters 20 miles away where the Big Boss fired me for being a corporate spy. (I would have been the worst paid corporate spy in history). Upon further review (like asking WTF he was talking about) it became evident that my boss had put two and two together and come up with seventeen, there was zero evidence I was a spy, back to work I went.

The delicious irony being that about a week later the guy who worked the night shift left and he had indeed been a corporate spy, stole lots of important info before he left to work for our primary competitors. I got a quiet chuckle out of that.

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So, this was BEFORE the KGB fondled your underwear, correct?

Suspicion seems to follow you around, budwom.

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Originally Posted by aimo

So, this was BEFORE the KGB fondled your underwear, correct?

Suspicion seems to follow you around, budwom.

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yes, underwear fondling took place in 1983...if I took a good look at me, I wouldn't trust me either.

Today's topic is striking a chord with me. I am living proof of the Peter Principle. I worked for 20 years for IBM in RTP, getting good grades and a chain of promotions during that time ... until I was promoted to the level where you are expected to be a visionary. If there is one thing I am not, it is visionary. I almost turned the promotion down, and I wish I had. Within 3 years, the work I was doing so well at the lower levels, where I was bringing value to the company, was nowhere good enough for the company and I was canned. I went home that afternoon and completely broke down; without my wife there to get me going again, I don't know what I would have done. But I landed a good programming job in Denver with the local rboc and made it another 20+ years in the business before I retired. The firing turned out to be a definite blessing in disguise.

I tell anyone who will listen: do not be afraid of turning down a promotion if you feel you would be uncomfortable at that higher position.

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Originally Posted by 75Crazie

I tell anyone who will listen: do not be afraid of turning down a promotion if you feel you would be uncomfortable at that higher position.

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I had a friend who has been in this exact same position...twice...with the same company (Microsoft). Apparently, Microsoft has a policy in which someone who isn't promoted after a certain length of time is presumed to be inadequate. So my friend's boss offered him a promotion into management, and - having already accumulated substantial stock options and achieved a level of wealth that allowed him to live off the proceeds - he declined. Upper management threatened to fire him, so he retired. He was such a good programmer, his boss fought to re-hire him and eventually succeeded. Then he switched groups within the company, lather, rinse, repeat. He's now retired for a third time and happily living on his boat in Lake Union, while playing music semi-professionally. The guy is my age, and I haven't been able to retire even once, yet. Color me envious, both in his good fortune (figuratively and literally) and in his determination to only work in a job that makes him happy.

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Originally Posted by bundabergdevil

3. They were anti-guinea pig?

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Sadly, I did not own guinea pigs at the time.

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Originally Posted by Phredd3

I had a friend who has been in this exact same position...twice...with the same company (Microsoft). Apparently, Microsoft has a policy in which someone who isn't promoted after a certain length of time is presumed to be inadequate. So my friend's boss offered him a promotion into management, and - having already accumulated substantial stock options and achieved a level of wealth that allowed him to live off the proceeds - he declined. Upper management threatened to fire him, so he retired. He was such a good programmer, his boss fought to re-hire him and eventually succeeded. Then he switched groups within the company, lather, rinse, repeat. He's now retired for a third time and happily living on his boat in Lake Union, while playing music semi-professionally. The guy is my age, and I haven't been able to retire even once, yet. Color me envious, both in his good fortune (figuratively and literally) and in his determination to only work in a job that makes him happy.

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I definitely have a ceiling for how much stress and accountability that I want. It’s taken a while to understand that about myself and I’m still working to reconcile that with some level of ambition.

It’s an important conversation to have with yourself.

I have everyone beat. I was fired from an all-volunteer radio station. If you're familiar with Triangle area media, yes that one.

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Originally Posted by CameronBlue

I have everyone beat. I was fired from an all-volunteer radio station. If you're familiar with Triangle area media, yes that one.

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Lucy, explain!

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Originally Posted by CameronBlue

I have everyone beat. I was fired from an all-volunteer radio station. If you're familiar with Triangle area media, yes that one.

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