Because I got a new job, one that I'm going to stay with for quite some time I think. (No, I know)
I now work at a zoo. A ZOO. I go to the ZOO EVERY DAY FOR WORK. And yes, I do work things like selling and taking tickets that aren't terribly exciting, but I also do work things like driving people with mobility issues around the zoo in golf carts, and working in an aviary and showing people how best to feed birds and breaking up bird fights, and working concerts and getting to listen to the music, and watching out for an escapee from the wildlife show, and hearing the fucking LIONS ROAR, and watching the mountain goats and tigers all day, and I LOVE MY JOB.
And it's simple and largely stress free (though the aviary doors can be stressful since only about 15% of adults will read or listen), and I'm happy. Just happy with what I'm doing. Lots of my coworkers are planning on going back to school in the fall or moving on to other things and I am just content. This is a perfect position for me to enjoy gov work, get paid appropriately for my time, and a great position to raise kids around, because I'm not stressed out of my mind and things like maternity leave can happen.
I started work at the zoo right before my high school reunion and I feel SO SUPERIOR to the rest of my class.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
My job sucks, or, why I have a very good reason to say my job sucks
I"m getting really tired of hearing about how my generation (I'm a gapper btw, between Gen X and the Millenials) is lazy and can't commit and complains too much. I'm especially tired of hearing this from baby boomers who have no idea the working class world they've created in their many years of terrible policy making.
I work retail at the moment. I have a B.S. in Science and this is in the only job I could find in my city. That's ok though, I'm willing to work and I typically advance in organizations quickly, so I'll do my best. In my particular company I have experienced the worst series of trickle down, money saving policies I have ever come across. To be trained for something, you read a worksheet, write down a few answers to questions and then must sign a form declaring you are an expert on the material. Then you are expected to perform said task perfectly with little to no supervision, because having extra staff to train would cost more. Any in person training (registers only) is completed within about 20 minutes and the new person is left to flounder with the remaining hundreds of (very serious) policies they didn't have time to learn while memorizing the process. Employees are quizzed daily on things like the loss percentage and the yearly trends of loss, but not on standard register policies (guess which one is more useful?). When policy changes employees are informed at meetings at the beginning of shifts, unless it's too busy for a meeting or you're not there that day, in which case you're screwed. Employees are castigated at meetings for refusing to come in on days off (which the company is not entitled to and perhaps is a symptom of how awful the job is) and then castigated for working too many hours. All part time employees have been cut to a maximum of 25 hours per week so the company doesn't have to pay health insurance, despite this making it hell as there are no longer enough people working on any given day to finish all the work when there are stock deliveries. Raises are given once a year only, despite me having taken on managerial duties I will not make anymore for scheduling breaks and running the front end cash registers. I will not get a raise related to extra duties until I become an assistant manager, which is two ranks, and a myriad of duties away. I am at minimum wage and getting ulcers from the stress of my position.
Also consider that productivity has gone up 25% in the last 30 years but minimum wage has stagnated. So I am doing 25% more work for less pay, while having to have assumed skills in many more areas (computer literacy is a big one), with the crazily heightened expectations of the entitled consumer public. I get to absorb the blows from customers who are upset with corporate policy and want to feel like a big shot by yelling at someone about it, conveniently forgetting that these policies were made by men who do not care about customer experience. People are mean to me all day, because I have to repeat that I can't return underwear, because I have to collect ID information to do a return without a receipt, because the store won't allow employees to search for items on the floor when a customer calls asking for it, because the company won't allow us inventory access so customers have to come in and look. Doing any of these things may result in me getting fired. When a customer dithers about whether to get something in the middle of a sale this actually harms me. Most companies track the productivity of their cashiers by measuring how long it takes them to do a specific action. When someone deliberates or can't find their payment, or refuses to move from the counter to reorganize their wallet so I can call someone else up, they are dropping my productivity scores, with results in lectures from management over things I cannot control. This is why cashiers hurry you, because their employment may be in jeopardy.
To cap it off I get to spend all day walking on concrete floors and lifting and bending in repetitive ways. I get backaches, and sore knees and am currently limping on both feet from the cumulative pain of long shifts (and before you start in, yes, there are 'anti-fatigue mats', which in my extensive experience do nothing but create trip hazards. But I don't deserve health insurance.
When I do my job brilliantly I am beneath notice by the customers and just barely meeting expectations of the company. When I make a single mistake I am treated as criminally stupid (I had a customer loudly claim that the reason ID was needed for certain returns was because all employees were thieves) and then made to feel by management as though my job is in danger. Contact with management is limited to being told off about mistakes. This includes being marked down on scores because saying "Hi there!" is not an acceptable substitute for saying "Hello!" when greeting someone approaching the register.
You wonder why store staff act like they don't care? If they did they'd die from the stress.
I work retail at the moment. I have a B.S. in Science and this is in the only job I could find in my city. That's ok though, I'm willing to work and I typically advance in organizations quickly, so I'll do my best. In my particular company I have experienced the worst series of trickle down, money saving policies I have ever come across. To be trained for something, you read a worksheet, write down a few answers to questions and then must sign a form declaring you are an expert on the material. Then you are expected to perform said task perfectly with little to no supervision, because having extra staff to train would cost more. Any in person training (registers only) is completed within about 20 minutes and the new person is left to flounder with the remaining hundreds of (very serious) policies they didn't have time to learn while memorizing the process. Employees are quizzed daily on things like the loss percentage and the yearly trends of loss, but not on standard register policies (guess which one is more useful?). When policy changes employees are informed at meetings at the beginning of shifts, unless it's too busy for a meeting or you're not there that day, in which case you're screwed. Employees are castigated at meetings for refusing to come in on days off (which the company is not entitled to and perhaps is a symptom of how awful the job is) and then castigated for working too many hours. All part time employees have been cut to a maximum of 25 hours per week so the company doesn't have to pay health insurance, despite this making it hell as there are no longer enough people working on any given day to finish all the work when there are stock deliveries. Raises are given once a year only, despite me having taken on managerial duties I will not make anymore for scheduling breaks and running the front end cash registers. I will not get a raise related to extra duties until I become an assistant manager, which is two ranks, and a myriad of duties away. I am at minimum wage and getting ulcers from the stress of my position.
Also consider that productivity has gone up 25% in the last 30 years but minimum wage has stagnated. So I am doing 25% more work for less pay, while having to have assumed skills in many more areas (computer literacy is a big one), with the crazily heightened expectations of the entitled consumer public. I get to absorb the blows from customers who are upset with corporate policy and want to feel like a big shot by yelling at someone about it, conveniently forgetting that these policies were made by men who do not care about customer experience. People are mean to me all day, because I have to repeat that I can't return underwear, because I have to collect ID information to do a return without a receipt, because the store won't allow employees to search for items on the floor when a customer calls asking for it, because the company won't allow us inventory access so customers have to come in and look. Doing any of these things may result in me getting fired. When a customer dithers about whether to get something in the middle of a sale this actually harms me. Most companies track the productivity of their cashiers by measuring how long it takes them to do a specific action. When someone deliberates or can't find their payment, or refuses to move from the counter to reorganize their wallet so I can call someone else up, they are dropping my productivity scores, with results in lectures from management over things I cannot control. This is why cashiers hurry you, because their employment may be in jeopardy.
To cap it off I get to spend all day walking on concrete floors and lifting and bending in repetitive ways. I get backaches, and sore knees and am currently limping on both feet from the cumulative pain of long shifts (and before you start in, yes, there are 'anti-fatigue mats', which in my extensive experience do nothing but create trip hazards. But I don't deserve health insurance.
When I do my job brilliantly I am beneath notice by the customers and just barely meeting expectations of the company. When I make a single mistake I am treated as criminally stupid (I had a customer loudly claim that the reason ID was needed for certain returns was because all employees were thieves) and then made to feel by management as though my job is in danger. Contact with management is limited to being told off about mistakes. This includes being marked down on scores because saying "Hi there!" is not an acceptable substitute for saying "Hello!" when greeting someone approaching the register.
You wonder why store staff act like they don't care? If they did they'd die from the stress.
Butthurt
Not in the 'someone doesn't agree with me on the internet and I don't like it' way.
So my bike, the old Ross that I've riding the past three months, has had its final say. On the way home yesterday I stood up on the pedal (as you do) to start off at a stoplight and the chain slipped, dropping the pedal and me about 18 inches, spectacularly bruising my thigh and ass on the frame and twisting my right foot backwards. After riding home in a wobbly, pained manner I spent the evening lying on my side, as my rear was too painful to put pressure on. This morning I head off to work on the bike and can't figure out why the back wheel is wobbling so much. Turns out that part of the frame that the back wheel attaches to had snapped clean through rendering the frame pretty damn worthless. This made for a pretty shitty day at work, especially considering I was already limping and sore from the chain slip.
I just didn't need that. Thankfully husband has a bike he doesn't use, so I can pump up the front tire and be on my way, but ugh. Now I have to see if it can even be fixed and how much it costs to do a weld, and most likely part out the bike. I do live in a bike friendly area, so that shouldn't be an issue at least.
So my bike, the old Ross that I've riding the past three months, has had its final say. On the way home yesterday I stood up on the pedal (as you do) to start off at a stoplight and the chain slipped, dropping the pedal and me about 18 inches, spectacularly bruising my thigh and ass on the frame and twisting my right foot backwards. After riding home in a wobbly, pained manner I spent the evening lying on my side, as my rear was too painful to put pressure on. This morning I head off to work on the bike and can't figure out why the back wheel is wobbling so much. Turns out that part of the frame that the back wheel attaches to had snapped clean through rendering the frame pretty damn worthless. This made for a pretty shitty day at work, especially considering I was already limping and sore from the chain slip.
I just didn't need that. Thankfully husband has a bike he doesn't use, so I can pump up the front tire and be on my way, but ugh. Now I have to see if it can even be fixed and how much it costs to do a weld, and most likely part out the bike. I do live in a bike friendly area, so that shouldn't be an issue at least.
Friday, April 26, 2013
The insides of things are always fascinating
In this specific instance I'm referring to one of the bridges in town. I got to go on a tour that went into the guts of the bridge while it raised, and have been geeking out over how cool watching a 3.5 million lb counter weight raise a giant chunk of road is. (It's f-ing interesting and awesome)
Also, if you do anything naughty on a bridge you are being caught on camera and the people watching the cameras are alerting all the other engineers so they can laugh at you.
Also, if you do anything naughty on a bridge you are being caught on camera and the people watching the cameras are alerting all the other engineers so they can laugh at you.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
I'm offended for the Wheat Thins
I'm going to rant about Wheat Thins and food moralization and some related issues.
So I'm at the grocery store, meandering towards the register and thinking about the delicious sandwich that I'm about to buy that I've been craving for a week and I hear this "Wheat Thins are actually bad for you." "Yeah, they're like, SO bad for you!" Two ladies dressed in nice workout gear are headed down the cracker/chip/cookie aisle and discussing the merits of various foods. And I got pissed. Please, explain to me how a multi-grain wheat cracker is 'bad' for you. Because I think we can pretty much agree that multi-grain stuff is pretty good for you and Wheat Thins are delicious and filling and go very well with a number of other delicious foods, which puts it solidly into the 'good' food category for me. Now I'm aware that it's 'bad' because it has the dreaded calories, that a Wheat Thin might be responsible for causing someone to gain weight, and if someone were to gain weight or even *gasp* be fat, well, that would just be the end of the world wouldn't it? See, that's the problem, we (speaking specifically of American culture) have the most ridiculous fixation on body size and of moralizing our food (I know we're not the first to do it, I'm still pissed off about it). Food is food. We should be able to love to eat it, enjoy it, and be thankful for it and for those that grow or raise it. We should feel able to eat till we're full and eat what we like and need and not have people railing at us from televisions and magazines that we're somehow lesser for not eating it the 'right' way, whatever that happens to be. We should be able to enjoy it without being judged for enjoying it, for judging ourselves for enjoying it. I was offended, because I love to eat. I enjoy eating. I'm thankful that I can eat, that I can often buy the things I want, that I can enjoy my food without feeling guilty over nothing. And the mere memory of living a life where every meal is an exercise in guilt and self loathing infuriates me.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Timeline of my commute
8:38: Exit the sliding glass door while using foot to block cat from escaping
8:39: Unlock bike. Bark shin on pedal or frame as bike rolls in some unpredictable direction
8:42: Push bike onto sidewalk and get started. Utter some phrase like "Sweet fucking Jesus!" when I realize how cold it still is
8:43: Perform slightly illegal zig-zag to get into bike lane on right lane of street
8:46: Remind self to keep eyes on road, rather than watch for trains going under overpass and lose momentary control of bike
8:49: Encounter multiple joggers clad in brand new Nike gear, allow super cyclist to pass me
8:53: Smell potato salad, get terribly hungry
9:00: Halfway! Always get stuck at this fucking light.
9:02: And this one.
9:04: StupidfuckinghillstupidfuckinghillIhatethisfuckinghill...I made it! That hill isn't so bad!
9:06: Oh god! Notice me in the bike lane while you merge. NOTICE ME! GAH! Notice me!!
9:09: Oh Krispy Kreme, you temptress...
9:14: I have to go right, look I'm signalling, I'm going righ- HOLY SHIT. Ok, safe in the shopping center
9:15: Come to stop at entrance to parking lot. Take off gloves and helmet, admire steam coming from eyes and chest, walk bike to rack and attempt to fix hair in windows along the way.
Going to work is always an adventure.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Unappreciative jerk
The worst part about carrying 30lbs of cat food and litter a mile home from the store is that I get no gratitude from the damn cat. YOU'RE WELCOME, kitty.
I put away 14 human powered miles today. For the last 3 1/2 weeks I've done a 10.3 mile round trip commute to work 4-5 times a week. It's exhausting and intense. My leg muscles are getting sharply defined and I've lost a couple inches off my waist. I am also ridiculously sore today. I went especially hard the other night, trying to improve my 35 minute time, and I may have screwed myself over a bit.
I put away 14 human powered miles today. For the last 3 1/2 weeks I've done a 10.3 mile round trip commute to work 4-5 times a week. It's exhausting and intense. My leg muscles are getting sharply defined and I've lost a couple inches off my waist. I am also ridiculously sore today. I went especially hard the other night, trying to improve my 35 minute time, and I may have screwed myself over a bit.
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