industrial arts

8 posts

New Jersey Passes Law to Protect Unemployed from Employers

The State of Employment: Too bad suckers! If you don’t have a job already, you’re never going to get one because employers only want the employable and the employable are already employed (but, like, they’ll settle for someone who got laid off on, like, Thursday at the earliest).

“I feel like I am being shunned by our entire society,” said Kelly Wiedemer, 45, an information technology operations analyst who said a recruiter had told her that despite her skill set she would be a “hard sell” because she had been out of work for more than six months.

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Every Day I’m Shufflin’

Interviews, quelle horreur!

We ONLY hire people with BRAAAAAIIIIINNNNNS!

Well.  Here I am – qualified and knowing that “You better work!” isn’t just a drag queen mantra.  After a minor meltdown, I’m back in the interview saddle.  Those similarly situated should know that the game has changed.

Here’s what you can expect.

1) The interview where you wear a suit and your prospective boss wears flip-flops.  This happened to me three times.  One micro-skirted woman lost her flip-flop when she crossed her legs like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, and only the fact that her flip-flop fortuitously flew foiled a furor over her flap.  She worked for a Big 4 accounting firm, BTW.  Her colleague was wearing stained khakis and a polo that barely protected his paunch from being peeped.  Let it all hang out, guys!  I don’t mind befouling my Hugo Boss in NYC’s summer heat so that I can show you the respect you think you deserve. Continue reading

Inventing a New Game While Locked inside a Big Box Store

At the start of the economic downturn I was downsized at my newspaper job – and then I promptly panicked. I knew there were actual Mensa members who I was competing against for jobs and my self-confidence disappeared. I am smart enough to know that when I get scared I get dumb, but that didn’t stop me from taking the first job I was offered – wearing a name tag in a big box store.

And yes, it was as horrible as you imagine that it would be. Continue reading

Flames… On the Side of My Face!!!

Flames!

What do you do when someone just sends you into a white-hot rage? The answer is: it depends. Sometimes you abruptly resign, file divorce papers, or toss some cash on the restaurant table and quietly but quickly leave. These can be very satisfying savers of your sanity, though divorces always make me a little sad.

Most times, though, you try to work it out. How much effort you put into this depends a lot on you and your temperament. Hotheads and angermonkeys need to put things in check, which is reinforced by our society. They blow up; get it out, sometimes leaving carnage but at least protect themselves. But what of those of us who are, say, passionate emotionally but behaviorally overcivilized? We – I’m one of these – have a tendency to let our anger build up to intolerable levels, and then snap. Sometimes we internalize it, taking it out on the wrong people, or letting it affect our health. Most insomniacs and heavy drinkers are wired this way. The snapping phase can be epic. If you are known for not raising your voice or cursing, it gets a LOT of attention when you finally do.

That’s good. No one wants to be married to Barnacle Bill. But there’s more. I’ve learned a thing or two about this subject. If you’re known as being even-keeled, and you sometimes feel like your emotional schooner is named Poseidon and Fergie is flying upside down through the ballroom, hear me.

Protect yourself. Your reputation is not worth the cost of your emotional health. Do a few healthy things to address your immediate state of mind. Take a bath, go for a run, talk it out with your kitty. (Not a loved one at this point. You will seem whiny and they will interrupt with questions. Kitties and doggies were invented because they just listen and don’t judge.) Resist the urge to self-medicate by re-creating Valley Of The Dolls or sitting alone in the dark guzzling wine. It doesn’t help.

Calm now? Good. No one expects you to be Sweet Susie Sunshine at this point – you’re still mad. Now is the time to grab a pad and list what you plan to do about the issue. Taking action restores your sense of control over the situation. Some examples:

  • The Office Bully / Underminer: Gets reported to the CEO or other management as appropriate, with documented instances and facts to back you up.  If nothing is done, it’s a trip to HR.  And if nothing is still done – you quit.  Finding another job first is best, obviously.
  • Bitchy Cousin Hazel: Ruins every family event with gossip, slander and bigotry.  It’s almost like she can’t help it.  Maybe she can’t.  But you’re sick of it, you don’t want your spouse and kids subjected to it, and it’s not a quirk you can stand anymore.  Cut her. Explain to her with specific examples why you’re taking a break from hosting her at Easter – “You know, Hazel, this is hard for me to say, but celebrating the risen Christ isn’t easy with your frequent use of the n-bomb at the table and speculating that people who aren’t there go to sex clubs.  We can’t do it anymore.”  Repeated requests should be met with “I’m so sorry, we just can’t.”
  • The Manipulator: Your friend Karen is more fun than a barrel of monkeys and sweeter than a nest of baby bluebirds.  But she never has her wallet when you go out, and her car is always in the shop.  She borrows books and clothes and doesn’t return them.  Now she’s asking for money.  Don’t, unless you consider it a gift.  You’ll never see it again, and her doe-eyed mental trips to Someplace Else when you ask about it will just get further and further away.  See above: “I’m so sorry, I just can’t.”  You don’t have to explain why.  She knows already.

So! Now you have a plan, and you’re about to implement it. Here are your biggest hurdles to get over: you want to be liked, and you hate chaos and disorder. It’s really very simple. Not everyone is going to like you. That’s just reality, babe, and you know we all love you here anyway. Plus, the chaos and disorder that result from this confrontation may not matter much in a very short time. This is where your beloved comes in. He or she should be backing you up 100%. You should always present a united front, and if this requires a weepy phone call from a stairwell or multiple hugs, you have every right to expect them. As for your friends? Wise sage Miss Manners (aka Judith Martin) spake thusly: “Your best friend is the person who convinces you that the unbearable is in fact bearable because it is also funny.” I want to buy that gal a Gibson. Now go and do what needs doing.

Aftermath: This may be slightly messy, but you may bask in the twin satisfactions of Doing The Best You Could and Not Taking Any Shit.

Repeat. Over and over, all the days of your life.  Your heart, your mind and your spouse will thank you for it.

Yes, I quit my job, and yes, I gave no notice, and yes, I told the CEO why.  It wasn’t exactly news; he was in on the joke from the outset.  The Cap’n has my back.  And I’ve got several irons in the fire from the flames on the side of my face. No worries, kittens.  And I hope this post helped some of you.

ETA: I’ve now been told by my erstwhile assistant that he is quitting also, that they can’t replace me with the salary on offer, and that “”Betty” really brought us to the next level.” is being bandied about the office.  Heh. Heh-heh-heh.

Wednesday Daytime Open Thread

Hello there Crasstalk. Hope you are having a good day and are making it through the week without getting into too much trouble (you know who you are troublemakers). We are running a little thin on articles for the next couple of days, so if you have been thinking of putting together a post this would be a great time. Email me if you need help at crasstalk at gmail dot com.

Here are a couple of truly awesome workplace videos to guide you through the work day.

Have a wonderful day.