Professionals thread (work related)

[tx_shooter]

So I ended up getting included in some upper management conversations last month and was a little behind the power curve on some of the key terms and processes referenced. I asked the director for some reading material to get caught up to the other people and he gave me the names of a few books (and then had the company reimburse me for them which was nice). So far this book Measure What Matters has been pretty dang impressive. Figured I would throw the title out there for anyone looking to do some reading.

The author and idea has the credentials - Intel and Google are the biggest names that use it.

 

[Taco Loco]

I hope it has a lot of pictures.

 

[Oswego]

If anyone continues to switch jobs over money, it will eventually bite them in the ass, if they have a good work environment and good benefits and they somewhat enjoy that job, stay put. An old wise owl told me this.

Our estimator is trying to land 6 bank branches right now. We were awarded them 2 weeks ago. Last week GC's change. Our estimator gets us "in" with the new estimator. That guy quit. Passed it down to another guy. He quit. Now he's working with the top dog.

Many companies are going to go under. I can't blame anyone for wanting to work and get a paycheck in these times. Will it work for all of them - nope. No one can foresee the future in times like this. Same reason I'm not really considering the new job I was just offered. They are owned by a hedge fund and could shutter a glass plant with the flip of a coin. They could care less about employees - they want profits. Not a good time to join a company like that - same reason I never submitted a resume to them when things were good. All that said - if I get laid off - I will be looking for a job and I hope it takes less than a day. Never been on unemployment in my life and Ill do what I can to avoid it. My retirement fund is already getting whacked - last thing I need is to put less money into it or even worse draw on some credit line or take money out via hardship to pay my bills setting me back even more.

Sorry, how many years of employment outside of the government are you referring from? Most companies today expect talent to turn over withing 3-5 years. The pay raises do not keep up with cost of living to the point that you have to get a significantly different position in the company/new job to get back to where you should be industry wise. Too often employees become "too valuable in that position" so it is impossible to get a good promotion without leaving the company.

So yeah - keep your eyes open and look for growth opportunities. Lots of places look for people with a variety of experiences because they get more talent for the money.

Exactly why I left my last job. My week to week paycheck was less 4-1/2 years in vs my week one check. Then they told me I needed commercial insurance on my car because I took clients out and that extra $700 was on me. Same time they reduced healthcare benefits and 401k. Raises were not a thing - they would just throw a larger bonus at me at the end of the year based on perception not any true data. For a guy like me - I do not want my salary based on some jackass's feelings who only has a job because of nepotism. I want it based on goals and data. Sure the bonuses were HUGE for a glass mfg job, but in the end it wasn't for me. I got bigger bonuses in years my sales were down....lesser when sales were up.

Now I'm locked into 4% minimum raises and my bonus is based on my sales numbers. Sure I may need to give notice once a year to get it in the works like last year, but I did get all my back pay. It could be better and somehow factor in job profit % but for now I'm fine with the % I get off the top. Just doesn't make sense to me that I bring in the same $$ for a job I run that gets 200% mark up vs 20% mark up. Really no reward for kicking ass and taking names. In reality I should be bidding and running lower % jobs that cost more to ramp up my compensation, but I'm not that guy to play the system so my focus is getting as much profit as possible from all my jobs.





Good news is those 6 bank branches should go and that will keep me busy for a month or two "if" PA opens up construction sites. Amazingly NJ is still up and running non-essential construction.... morons.

 

[Oswego]

I hope it has a lot of pictures.

you guys crack me up

I need that

 

[tx_shooter]

I hope it has a lot of pictures.

Big type and simple sentences; pretty sure they modeled it after the Army field manuals.

 

[Anathollo]

So I ended up getting included in some upper management conversations last month and was a little behind the power curve on some of the key terms and processes referenced. I asked the director for some reading material to get caught up to the other people and he gave me the names of a few books (and then had the company reimburse me for them which was nice). So far this book Measure What Matters has been pretty dang impressive. Figured I would throw the title out there for anyone looking to do some reading.

The author and idea has the credentials - Intel and Google are the biggest names that use it.

View attachment 22437

Nice! Keep it up!

 

[tx_shooter]

Nice! Keep it up!

Working on it. Currently doing a lot of strategy type meetings to try to lower overall downtime incidents and working a security project in my "spare time".

 

[Taco Loco]

Big type and simple sentences; pretty sure they modeled it after the Army field manuals.

Exactly, and it was to accommodate easier understanding for Marines, because the Army gets everything new and then when gear, equipment and books become used and abused, it’s time for Marines to inherit our trash.

 

[tx_shooter]

A lot of it is still barely used when we acquire it.

 

[CowboyTaco]

Really no reward for kicking ass and taking names. In reality I should be bidding and running lower % jobs that cost more to ramp up my compensation, but I'm not that guy to play the system so my focus is getting as much profit as possible from all my jobs.

Now might not be the time, but have you considered telling this to your boss and suggesting a modified gameplan? It could benefit you and help him to see who isn't pulling their weight if there is a documented formula for determining payout per job.

 

[CowboyTaco]

As to the bouncing jobs for money discussion, I can see both sides of the fence on that one. Money can be a motivator or a demotivator depending on the situation.

Money isn't everything, and there is a lot to be said about a good work environment. a LOT to be said about the work environment and how you feel at the end of the day, kind of like @Taco Loco said. On the other hand, @tx_shooter is right. Pay raises rarely keep up with inflation or industry standards. My second to last manager at my last company told me "2 years, but no more than 5." If you stay at the same place for more than 5 years you get to be seen as stagnant and not up to current industry standards. Moving around both increases your salary and shows that you are capable of adapting to different work environments.

Keep in mind that my experience is in IT and that spans pretty much every sector. It might not be (and probably is not) the same for other industries.

I moved to an IT Security Engineer at my last company at the same pay rate that I was making as the Service Desk Manager at that same company. I stayed in that position for about 2 years. I took a lateral move in pay to take the job here in GA with 2 years of experience (but no certifications). I'm currently at about 1.5 years at this company and I got a modest 3.5% raise last October. Better than nothing, but I feel as though I'm far behind what my peers are making with similar experience. Depending on the site that you look at, I'm either at the median salary or up to 31% behind the average. Of course those sites don't account for years of experience or certifications, so I believe that I should be in the higher 50% as opposed to the lower.

Another area that I feel as though I was mislead during the interview process is time off. I was told that I get 3 weeks of vacation, which was consistent with what I had at my last company. What they didn't tell me, and I didn't know to ask, is that vacation and sick come out of the same bucket here. So I get a total of 3 weeks PTO per year total here. Last company I had 3 weeks of vacation on top of 2 weeks of sick/personal time.

So add the lost time off and the 6% GA state income tax....I'm actually making less than I did in TX. Property tax here is lower, so that kind of negates the 6% difference (but still...).

I also don't feel like my management trusts me or values my opinion, so the work environment - while not bad - is not particularly good either.

 

[Taco Loco]

As to the bouncing jobs for money discussion, I can see both sides of the fence on that one. Money can be a motivator or a demotivator depending on the situation.

Money isn't everything, and there is a lot to be said about a good work environment. a LOT to be said about the work environment and how you feel at the end of the day, kind of like @Taco Loco said. On the other hand, @tx_shooter is right. Pay raises rarely keep up with inflation or industry standards. My second to last manager at my last company told me "2 years, but no more than 5." If you stay at the same place for more than 5 years you get to be seen as stagnant and not up to current industry standards. Moving around both increases your salary and shows that you are capable of adapting to different work environments.

Keep in mind that my experience is in IT and that spans pretty much every sector. It might not be (and probably is not) the same for other industries.

I moved to an IT Security Engineer at my last company at the same pay rate that I was making as the Service Desk Manager at that same company. I stayed in that position for about 2 years. I took a lateral move in pay to take the job here in GA with 2 years of experience (but no certifications). I'm currently at about 1.5 years at this company and I got a modest 3.5% raise last October. Better than nothing, but I feel as though I'm far behind what my peers are making with similar experience. Depending on the site that you look at, I'm either at the median salary or up to 31% behind the average. Of course those sites don't account for years of experience or certifications, so I believe that I should be in the higher 50% as opposed to the lower.

Another area that I feel as though I was mislead during the interview process is time off. I was told that I get 3 weeks of vacation, which was consistent with what I had at my last company. What they didn't tell me, and I didn't know to ask, is that vacation and sick come out of the same bucket here. So I get a total of 3 weeks PTO per year total here. Last company I had 3 weeks of vacation on top of 2 weeks of sick/personal time.

So add the lost time off and the 6% GA state income tax....I'm actually making less than I did in TX. Property tax here is lower, so that kind of negates the 6% difference (but still...).

I also don't feel like my management trusts me or values my opinion, so the work environment - while not bad - is not particularly good either.

it boils down to this, if your just chasing the money, and not looking at the other factors in your surroundings you will have a bit more of miserable life than others.

 

[CowboyTaco]

it boils down to this, if your just chasing the money, and not looking at the other factors in your surroundings you will have a bit more of miserable life than others.

Yes. If money is the ONLY thing you care about, your life will suck and be without meaning.

 

[Oswego]

Yes. If money is the ONLY thing you care about, your life will suck and be without meaning.

My work environment couldn't get much worse so at this point cash is king

I work to live, not live to work. While I do get a sense of accomplishment from my work - I never let it impact the meaning of my life.

In the end I'm just a squirrel trying to get my nutz packed away for hibernation (retirement). I'd shovel shit with a smile on my face for 200k a year

 

[Taco Loco]

Sorry, how many years of employment outside of the government are you referring from? Most companies today expect talent to turn over withing 3-5 years. The pay raises do not keep up with cost of living to the point that you have to get a significantly different position in the company/new job to get back to where you should be industry wise. Too often employees become "too valuable in that position" so it is impossible to get a good promotion without leaving the company.

So yeah - keep your eyes open and look for growth opportunities. Lots of places look for people with a variety of experiences because they get more talent for the money.

I have over 9 years experience managing the careers of 800 plus Army Reserve Soldiers, plus an upwards of a few hundred IRR, which also involved decisions/obstacles with their civilian careers as well. When reserve Soldiers lost their jobs, I found temporary duty to employ them, I worked their resumes, I provided the resources for school, training or trades opportunities, I had direct contacts with with a few manufacturers in the area, direct contacts with Texas Workforce commission to help assist these Soldiers in obtaining a job or career.

I know the public sector more than what you realize.

 

[tx_shooter]

Still not experience inside the machine. I get working with private companies but the military machine is in no way like the corporate world. Get married and get a pay raise? HA Get more time off because you have a dependant? Not a chance. Promotions based on merit and points? Nope. Boss's nephew with zero experience can be your boss deciding your fate. While there are some good things the military background brings to the corporate world there are a lot that does not translate.

 

[tx_shooter]

My work environment couldn't get much worse so at this point cash is king

I work to live, not live to work. While I do get a sense of accomplishment from my work - I never let it impact the meaning of my life.

In the end I'm just a squirrel trying to get my nutz packed away for hibernation (retirement). I'd shovel shit with a smile on my face for 200k a year

Exactly - work is where I earn income to do the things that define who I am. My work does not define my happiness or identity.

 

[Oswego]

WOOT! Work continues for me for at least another 2 weeks....

Got my 6 bank branches to start working on (one is to be used to replicate in the other 6 branches). Visiting them all is going to suck, but it is what it is.

I'd bet money Ive already done at least one of these bank branches before. Like the olden days when I would do the same mall front time and time again as they folded under - now we just swap out bank "brands" every couple years

 

[Taco Loco]

WOOT! Work continues for me for at least another 2 weeks....

Got my 6 bank branches to start working on (one is to be used to replicate in the other 6 branches). Visiting them all is going to suck, but it is what it is.

I'd bet money Ive already done at least one of these bank branches before. Like the olden days when I would do the same mall front time and time again as they folded under - now we just swap out bank "brands" every couple years

View attachment 22658

you probably will have a few more, a few small banks in NE have already failed(which is not a good sign) and FIDC/or the State Financial Agency shut them down and transferred assets to other banks.

 

[Oswego]

Fuel costs are in the gutter and yet glass mfg's only drop their ESC (energy surcharge) by 1%...?... WTF.... this is how you know it's a total BS scheme.

All the MFG's get together to collude then when sales are down use this BS ESC to help profits.

When this first came out it was on flat glass only. Then greedy companies added the % to their fabricated products. My manager at Oldcastle Glass tried to get me to apply it to the metal I sold 15 years ago and I said no way and that it was not legit. Now they ESC almost everything freaking vultures