High Profile Cases - what really happens in the workplace

[HR Solutions]

The bottom line is that companies generally do not want real people who are able to think for themselves. Companies want "resources" (robots) who are able to operate within a very narrow set of parameters without complaining or trying to hard to understand why they have to do what they have to do. Many people are able to shut themselves down mentally and work within those boundaries

This is not the case in many companies incl ours. A lot of new companies incl marketing, social media companies, filming industry etc etc etc encourage this way of operating and thinking and creative minds, especially from the younger generation. We love hearing how young people especially think and grow from there.

[HR Solutions]

I would rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.
Kurt Cobain

@ jan Chris ..... So you prefer to lead with a whip ? ...... You will always then wonder why your staff leave you.

[Justloadit]

As a supplier to a corporate, during a product meeting at his request with the managers concerned, I made a suggestion to the new elected CEO, he argued against it, and my counter argument was that his direct customers were not loyal to him, and that the real customer to him and me was the actual user of the product. The words were not taken lightly, and my business suffered for years due to this statement. Fortunately he was replaced a few years later, and since then my business has picked up again.

So I now only compliment in public, and keep anything else to myself. So far it is working well.

[JanChris]

@ jan Chris ..... So you prefer to lead with a whip ? ...... You will always then wonder why your staff leave you.

I think you are missing the discussion. According to your comments it appears to me that you have only recently entered the business world.
Hang in there, you'll learn soon to either become a pioneer and be recognised in your field of expertise or you'll be known as a blind follower that cannot think for himself or work independently. By the way, I have assisted more colleagues that reported to me than the company I worked for.

[JanChris]

Hi

I agree with Adrian

I too withdrew from the corporate world as I was tired of having to play games and not being heard. Being German and a (former) rather analytical engineer I guess the straight talk is programmed in my DNA. I then started my own company in a totally different industry and now I speak my mind even to my paying clients. Most learnt to accept it as they realsied that I am (mostly) ultimately right and that I am doing it for their own good. The ones who continue to not like my ways and fail to see the bigger picture and my motivation behind it can take a hike.

JanChris: how did the story end? Woudl it not have been easier/less risk to tip off the relevant authorities/the customer anonymoulsy?

Marc, I would love to have reported the matter to the client (Power Stations), but in view of the power of money, I decided not to. You can think why. At the end we agreed to disagree and I was given a small settlement and I left the company. I was not the only senior person who left.

[adrianh]

I would rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.
Kurt Cobain

I have to be true to myself even if it makes me unpopular.

We used to go to Windhoek for work very often. In the evenings we all had to go supper together because the company paid and the directors would pay using their company credit cards and we would all go together using the 2 or 3 Avis cars. We would spend 3 hours forced to listen to the directors drink and entertain themselves swearing and talking $hit. All we, the great unwashed, wanted to do was stay at the guesthouse, watch TV or read or whatever. I became very close with a female colleague. We weren't romantically involved, she is a fascinating person who is a world class athlete having taken part in the Iron Man competition. She is extremely intelligent and good company. So, we would get back to JHB and her and I would sit together. The directors and their followers would sit on the other side of the open plan office and carry on like kids. I walked past them one day and the one made a comment saying I must be gay because I like to sit with the women.

anyway, so we all go to do some work in Zambia. My lady friend and I are sitting in an office on our own working and the biggest a$$hole storms in and says to her "Do you have a 3G dongle?" She says "Yes, I'm using it" he goes "give it to me" she says "it is my own and you can have it when I'm done" he goes "ah f*ck" and storms out. She was very upset because of the way he spoke to her and of course I wasn't having any of it. Next thing he storms in again and goes "Are you done, give it to me". I just cracked and got up and said to him that he can't speak to her like that. He tells me that he can speak to her any way he likes and that she can stand up for herself. I said, no, it doesn't work like that, please apologize to her. He then storms out again. That was the last we heard about it. Many people left the company because the directors were all a bunch of a$$holes. We all felt that we would rather sweep streets that work for a bunch of sociopaths. He called me in one day and went off at me rating and raving and swearing. I asked him weather he was being serious and whether he thought that it was ok to speak to me like that. I sat there listening to his ranting and decided to also rather go sweep streets.

HR..many many many many many people in business, right from the bottom to the top are total a$$holes who not only shouldn't be working with other people but should rather be put against a wall and shot. I tcan tell you many more stories where I got into lots of trouble because I wouldn't stand for being treated like a moron.

I still contend that I will rather work on my own, even sweeping streets, than have to deal with some insecure brainless twat whom I can't simply give a smack on the ear. The frustration is simply too much for me to deal with.

[JanChris]

I have to be true to myself even if it makes me unpopular.

We used to go to Windhoek for work very often. In the evenings we all had to go supper together because the company paid and the directors would pay using their company credit cards and we would all go together using the 2 or 3 Avis cars. We would spend 3 hours forced to listen to the directors drink and entertain themselves swearing and talking $hit. All we, the great unwashed, wanted to do was stay at the guesthouse, watch TV or read or whatever. I became very close with a female colleague. We weren't romantically involved, she is a fascinating person who is a world class athlete having taken part in the Iron Man competition. She is extremely intelligent and good company. So, we would get back to JHB and her and I would sit together. The directors and their followers would sit on the other side of the open plan office and carry on like kids. I walked past them one day and the one made a comment saying I must be gay because I like to sit with the women.

anyway, so we all go to do some work in Zambia. My lady friend and I are sitting in an office on our own working and the biggest a$$hole storms in and says to her "Do you have a 3G dongle?" She says "Yes, I'm using it" he goes "give it to me" she says "it is my own and you can have it when I'm done" he goes "ah f*ck" and storms out. She was very upset because of the way he spoke to her and of course I wasn't having any of it. Next thing he storms in again and goes "Are you done, give it to me". I just cracked and got up and said to him that he can't speak to her like that. He tells me that he can speak to her any way he likes and that she can stand up for herself. I said, no, it doesn't work like that, please apologize to her. He then storms out again. That was the last we heard about it. Many people left the company because the directors were all a bunch of a$$holes. We all felt that we would rather sweep streets that work for a bunch of sociopaths. He called me in one day and went off at me rating and raving and swearing. I asked him weather he was being serious and whether he thought that it was ok to speak to me like that. I sat there listening to his ranting and decided to also rather go sweep streets.

HR..many many many many many people in business, right from the bottom to the top are total a$$holes who not only shouldn't be working with other people but should rather be put against a wall and shot. I tcan tell you many more stories where I got into lots of trouble because I wouldn't stand for being treated like a moron.

I still contend that I will rather work on my own, even sweeping streets, than have to deal with some insecure brainless twat whom I can't simply give a smack on the ear. The frustration is simply too much for me to deal with.

Morning Adrian, this world clearly needs more people like you. I made the same decision to work for myself. I would (as you) rather sweep streets than listen to some idiot. The world needs pioneers not followers. I always maintain, "Hindsight is an exact form of science". That is why many bosses get acknowledged only with work done by their colleagues.

[IanF]

I still contend that I will rather work on my own, even sweeping streets, than have to deal with some insecure brainless twat whom I can't simply give a smack on the ear. The frustration is simply too much for me to deal with.

Adrian
Quote of the day. When you find out what makes the twat buy sometimes you can make money as they love spending other peoples money.

[adrianh]

Look, I'm no angel, I f*ck up but the thing is that I am happy to discuss it and apologize if need be. I was a programmer for an large company in Cape town. There was a huge bugger up and suppliers didn't get paid. The big man calls the IT people and the financial people in and wants to know who is to blame. The discussion goes on and on, round and round and round. This lot eventually gets to much and I say "For f*ck sake, I'll take the blame, let's just get on with it and sort the problem out". The bossman was actually a rather pleasant guy and just burst out laughing. He said jokingly "Ok great, Adrian is to blame, ok, lets move on". I am perfectly happy to work with secure intelligent people who are there to do a job. Yes of course we all make mistakes, we all get pi$$ed off at times but work to me is like being married and having kids. One should be able to openly talk issues through, learn from them, forgive and get the f*ck on with it without holding grudges.

Again HR, you advertised for a company a while back, we can confer in a PM whether it is the company that I am thinking of and I can tell you that the main man is a total nutcase who also shouldn't be in charge of buying beer let alone running a business.

[JanChris]

Adrian, I find that honesty is very difficult when one is not able to a task for which that person is appointed for. But everyone (bosses) promote openness in the workplace but god forbid those who do. Double standards or inability?