Ahhh the corporate life

Parent Cafe
1

<p>OK, my boss and several of us are leaving the company in the near future. Most of us are staying to finish some things the company had contracted already so the comapny would not be SOL as there are not enough people left to do the work.<br>
So today the company legal eagle sends out a hand delivered letter to those that are NOT leaving telling them to spy on us to make sure we don’t steal the ashtrays, etc. For whatever reason they chose not to send it to us to remind us of our contract responsibilities, etc.</p>

<p>How come all of a sudden I don’t really feel that motivated to finish a bunch of work for them?? Am I being too sensitive?</p>

2

<p>So, in the end, corporate life really is just like Dilbert, eh?</p>

3

<p>Yes it is. Although my direct boss was a good guy–that’s why so many are going with him.</p>

4

<p>You should have been here at my job the day they let the second shift cleaner go. They all went home early and wanted me to break the news to him, and follow him around until he left the building. The poor guy had no notice of this, and here I was had to follow him around like he was a common criminal.</p>

5

<p>A few jobs ago the company I worked for was pretty hardcore during layoffs … while you were talking to your boss in their office the security folks arrived at your desk with a couple boxes to immediately escort you out and your computer accounts were killed (so you couldn’t mess anything up). Seemed pretty harsh to me … especially harsh when Bob was sitting in his cube, his screen went dead, and security guys showed up … seems his manager forgot to call Bob into his layoff meeting (in the end Bob got a better job, for more bucks, before his severance ran out … so all was good in the end).</p>

6

<p>barrons:</p>

<p>Years ago, my H worked for a company that had a large sales staff. One day, a salesman, who lived about one hour away, dropped by on the way to the airport to catch a plane for a trip he was making on behalf of the company. He’d bought the plane ticket, made hotel reservations with his own credit card. When he got to the office, he was told he was fired; he needed to clean out his desk immediately; when he went to the rest room, he was escorted! AND, he was told, he would not be reimbursed for his plane ticket. Just a few months earlier, he’d been told he was doing a fabulous job. This is a man who sacrificed his home life for the company. Yes, that’s the corporate life for you. Incidentally, by then, my H had left it. He realized how shabbiliy the company was treating its employees. The poor salesman, being on the road so much, had not.</p>

7

<p>

Sounds like The Matrix.</p>

8

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<p>Not just in the end but all along the way. Every corporate employee I know is convinced that the whole Dilbert crew works at their company.</p>

<p>My own company can at least laugh about it. They put Dilbert strips in the company newsletter.</p>

9

<p>The best Dilbert I ever saw (a little dated) had three panels, and was describing medical benefits.</p>

<p>The first panel was “Bad news in 1975.” It stated: “We have let go the company doctor, and replaced him with a company nurse.”</p>

<p>The second panel was “Bad news in 1985.” It stated: “We have let go the company nurse, and replaced her with a vending machine that dispenses medical supplies.”</p>

<p>The third panel was “Bad news in 1995.” It stated: “We have been asked to increase vending machine revenue 15%.”</p>

10

<p>I think the worst story I’ve heard along these lines is the gentleman who brought his young daughter to work with him on “Take Your Daughter to Work Day”, and was laid off that morning (RIF). Hard to imagine being escorted from the premises with a child in tow.</p>

11

<p>barrons:
But I thought your political party LOVED corporations??? :D</p>

12

<p>The most incredible layoff policy that I have heard was about a very large (well, it used to be large), very well known company that was going through very a well known and drastic downsizing. Every Thursday, every worker had to go to meet with his/her boss. At that time they were informed as to whether they were to be terminated or not.</p>

13

<p>Heard from an old friend of mine last week that she’d been canned from her upper management job after 26 years with the company…gave up everything…(including childbearing years)…did manage to get married, very late, to a guy at the office. (who also got fired years ago, though)…Good thing I wasn’t as ambtious as she was…I only lasted there 18 months before quitting.!!</p>

14

<p>Ahhh. Corporate culture. H’s company just went through exactly what’s been described above… again. He’s safe, at least for now. Funny, though, with the reorg. they can move people around an arbitrarily promote people without interviews or the otherwise strictly followed protocol necessary when a job is open? No job posting? No applications? No nothing? They have been so sensitive to issues that could hint of discrimination, but this time-- surprisingly different. Some move up, others are shown the door.
Sad, and stressful.</p>

15

<p>The only thing worse than corporations are government run companies.</p>

16

<p>Sounds like Darwinian evolution at work. ;)</p>

17

<p>It’s not so bad. People who decide to commit their lives to their employer do so willingly and with the understanding that nothing is guaranteed. Anyone who is that committed should have solid results to show for it, which are not for naught. If you get laid off, put those accomplishments on your resume and seek another opportunity where they will be appreciated. These are not the days of lifetime employment. </p>

<p>Corporate life has been very good for me. I’m typing right now on my free broadband (which I asked for as a cost-cutting measure after S started college and was granted without a problem), can talk on my free phone line OR my free cell phone, work in my home office each day (haven’t seen my corporate office in months), get reimbursed easily for any expenses, have a nice corporate Amex card to use for travel, supplies, lunches & dinners with clients, etc., get 5 weeks paid vacation each year (which I can take on a whim, as in “wake up and decide to take a few days off”). Even when I felt like I was being underpaid a few years back, I wrote a letter to a senior VP outlining my case and was granted an immediate $10k/yr raise to bring me in line with the market. I get trained on everything from SEC filings to psychological profiling - constant training…constant refreshing…constant testing.</p>

<p>I earn more money that most people I know and have incredible benefits (though, they have been diminishing over the past few years). My company is incredible. The opportunities are endless. I remember being in my 20s and wanting a promotion…walking in a Director’s office, saying I wanted a promotion and being asked what I wanted to do. I said what I wanted to do and he said consider it done - and it was. </p>

<p>I have never been denied a job or promotion I’ve sought with this company. I have been concerned about some assignments I’ve been asked to take on, but have always been told I can “go back” if I wanted…and I’ve been well looked after. </p>

<p>We get money for our communities, days off to volunteer (paid), encouragement and support for outside activities, scholarships for our kids, lawyers for legal issues, reductions on interest rates for mortgages and car loans (not to mention a personal finance officer to find the loan for you), vacation discounts, etc </p>

<p>Yes, we have layoffs…all the time…we lay off dead wood and very good people. It really can’t be helped and is done with grace and dignity. No PCs going dead(as referenced above). If you are laid off, you are given access to a wide range of resources for job hunting assistance and paid time to find something else - and we give priority to at risk people - never hiring others before them. We do have security escorting people out only when they are resigning and admit they going to work for our competition (or when you “break the bond” - misconduct) . Do you blame us? </p>

<p>I work for a very large Fortune 100 firm, and we’ve been acquired and will be a new company later this month. Its scary. But, corporate life isn’t the monster some people make it out to be. It isn’t for everyone. There’s a culture. You have to understand it and fit in…or risk being “edgy”. You’re welcome to do either…but you should understand your position.</p>

<p>Call me crazy…but the memories I have of my last 12 years with this company bring tears to my eyes. My colleagues all feel the same way. We’re so proud of our company and the people who make it what it is. We work til 2 and 3 am many nights…we lug laptops on vacation with us…we expect Friday to be the busiest day of the week…we run it like we own it…we watch financial like we watch our own bank accounts…we cry over our commercials…etc. </p>

<p>I don’t think my kids would shy away from corp work. Heck, they look froward to the holiday parties, the events, the free tickets to shows and museums, the flexibility of mom being home all day, the “jump the line” passes to Universal and Disney World, etc…</p>

<p>For us, being a part of corp life is like a key to the kingdom.
Yes, I drank the kool-aid. </p>

<p>And, yes, we go through hell with mergers and acquisitions and downsizes and reorgs…and we are pushed to our limits and beyond. All in all, we know when we slap that resume on the desk of a hiring manager of another firm, we’ll get the nod and respect we deserve for having been where we’ve been and learned what we’ve learned. </p>

<p>For me, corp life has been one fun, crazy, wild, amazing ride.</p>

18

<p>*For me, corp life has been one fun, crazy, wild, amazing ride. *</p>

<p>Until it ends.</p>

<p>I was once in your position - exactly, complete with 6 weeks on-a-whim vacation time, the corporate credit cards and car, etc. However, I CHOSE to get out, and now am doing even better - I make four times on my own what I made before, have much more freedom, etc. Those who didn’t leave with me ended up out on the street.</p>

<p>I hope your next 12 years are as good as the last 12, but they may not be.</p>

<p>[edit - a personal note: I propose that there are far, far, far better things for a kid to aspire to than being able to “jump the line” for theme-park fake entertainment. Sorry. Don’t flame me. We all value different things.]</p>

19

<p>nedad, come on, now. You pick one particular comment out of many that momsdream made and say that kids shouldn’t aspire to that? Well, how about such things as challenging work, job satisfaction, comraderie among other happy co-workers, scholarship programs for your children, volunteer efforts sanctioned and supported by your employer, excellent benefits, new assignments, reduced interest rates, not to mention a more than likely substantial and locked in pension plan? I’m not flaming you but seriously, you ‘cherry-pick’ one of a long list of things which her corporation offers its employees and then make a value judgment. As the kids say, not cool.</p>

20

<p>I’ve been in the corporate world for 25 years - mostly upside, some downside. You are in essence selling your time for money - it all boils down to that. Not everyone has the opportunity to get out on their own, and that route has risks that a declining economy is likely to make clear (unless you are like one man in my neighborhood, a counter-terrorism trainer with three black Humvees). I love my clients and truly enjoy my work, it is creative and intellectually satisfying. However, should I win a big Powerball pot, I would probably produce plays or start a radio station instead.</p>

<p>Life takes place within whatever limitations we cannot change - for example, after a time as a single parent who was an independent consultant, I realized that it was best for me to become a full time employee with paid benefits. Now that the economy (IMHO) is poised to tank, I am seriously considering the Federal sector. A posture of prudence in the face of globalization and corporate whims is not a bad thing - you don’t have to feel fear or bite your nails all day, just be brave enough to face the truth about the world, national, and local trends that influence your employment/business and make practical choices.</p>

<p>I will say, though, that I have urged my son to think very carefully about the “venue” in which his profession is carried out. It is a case of knowing what you love best as well as what you cannot tolerate - some are much better suited for independence, and others to be members of a corporate group. There are challenges and satisfactions in both.</p>