Playing catch-up.
mmmc_35 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 30, 2021 9:58 am
I've had a really shitty work month, and I'm using this thread to purely vent, which is its intent.
We are so short staffed its insane. Positions are going unfilled. I've worked overtime every day but 3 this month. Last month it was every day but 5. That doesnt include my overtime on my days off, only 2 days each month. It's hard to explain but it's not directly a staffing issue it's more of an administrative issue. We have people in different departments that can fill in but are not allowed to. Problem is it was bad this year, next year appears worse.
Then this month the calls are just garbage. I hate mother fuckers who run out of gas and dont have money for gas. Yet they clearly where just at the gas station with their red bull, chips, cigarettes, etc.
We have had a ton of bad crashes. A kid likely is going to die from a recent one, hit by a drunk who took off. The deaths have been insane. More PNBS then I've ever had. Some of them actually made it. But holy shit the overdoses are off the charts.
Last night I had my first real covid death. I say real because he was the first without other factors like heroin or brain cancer. Guy had a herd of kids. I got super pissed when the paramedic asked the 1st on scene if the family was doing good ccr. Ccr was started by his 16 year old son. If the kid heard it, which I dont know if he did, it would destroy him. Family rarely does good ccr. Lack of training, and you literally break cartilage/bones. It's a wierd, feeling the cracking and popping. Family doesnt want to hurt their loved one so they dont push hard enough. Death doesnt really bother me as much as some, but why would anyone say that in front of the family.
I'm glad tomorrow is Friday.
1. Administration in all retail scenarios cut staffing before anything else because they never have to deal with the brunt of it. All they see are graphs moving up or down and out of sight, out of mind. It's especially mind-boggling with the medical/pharmaceutical field. A friend of mine is a pharmacist for one of the bigguns and the corporate brass is all-too keen on shortstaffing as much as possible, while at the same time trying to stifle the overall average pay for existing staff and drastically underpaying incoming personnel. During the tail end of an international pandemic. Stupid.
2. Another "friend" of mine was one of those dopes. Guy always complained of how hard his financial situation was, then would proceed to adopt a dog, buy the most expensive cable/internet/entertainment packages, and do his "grocery" shopping at gas stations, with the bulk of the income going toward energy drinks, cigarettes, and lottery tickets. Took him almost 15 years, but he's married now and his wife doesn't put up with that shit, thankfully.
3. Yet another friend of mine works at a medical facility out west. He sees covid deaths pretty regularly, and I can tell he's getting a bit numb to it. The CCR stuff is interesting, as I just discussed this the other day. I'm no expert, but as you said, to do it right you really have to fuck up their sternum and ribcage. It sounds like you're killing them, and even if they live they're going to be in intense pain afterward. Anyway, hopefully that kid didn't catch that bit of information. There's no benefit in him knowing right now and living with that regret.
Rockbear99 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 15, 2022 10:06 am
Well it looks as if my days of turning wrenches for a living is over. The owner of our dealership has retired and sold the Dealership. I was talking with the new owner and hinted that I didn't want to be a mechanic any longer. We have worked out a plan where I will be working as a Parts/Service advisor like position. He said he didn't want to lose the knowledge I have acquired over the last 25 years. There is going to be a lot to learn as I will be working directly with the customers and helping the new techs that come in. they also want me to start doing some warranty/claims processing in the future. It will be a challenge to learn 3 departments but the more I can do the harder it is to fire me. LOL
Glad that the new owner recognized how valuable that experience and knowledge can be, especially in regards to certain industries. As somebody who works in the IT field, I'm lucky in that I know enough to combat 85% of the average problem, but can redeem my value by knowing what questions to ask and being customer/user-friendly and approachable. The people who solve the remaining 15% are often shut-ins who cannot tolerate other human beings. Not that I'm some happy-go-lucky friendly face at work, but people know they can get good service through me even on my bad days.
Sounds like you're entering a specialty situation where there's more customer interaction, but not enough to drive you nuts (hopefully!) and the young guns can absorb some of your approach to see what made you a staple for the previous owner for so long.
Either way, I think it's pretty great that you've been in that industry for so long. I have a ton of respect for people whose knowledge of a specific trade is irreplaceable, and it makes me happy when that experience is recognized, even in small ways. I hope it's a great gig for ya, Rock.
Grizzled wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 9:03 pm
Really enjoyed network administration for the final 20 years of work. Was able to retire at 63-1/2 so any complaints about the boss don't go anywhere.
We have a few guys who are our network admin gophers/sniffers and do a good job. I have stayed out of that particular field of weeds, but that's kind of in the next tier of the IT world that simply doesn't interest me all that much. I like dealing with end-user situations and small projects that have a clear beginning and ending. How do you like retirement? Took my folks a few years to get used to it, but they've found their groove.