Date: Thu, 6 Mar 1997 12:27:30 -0500
From: Charlie Ford <cford@mindspring.com>
Subject: The Fact of the Matter

On Tuesday I got sent out on my first temporary job assignment here in San
Mateo.  For the first time in about four years I was going to be doing hard
labor.  The type where you sweat and maybe even bleed before the job is
done.  Good hard work!

I was given the task of helping to do an inventory at an import/export
company.  The two folks I was working with were a couple of middle
management folks that had been given the mundane non-glorifying task of
doing this intricate inventory.  They each had the attitudes of small
children mainly becuase they felt they were above doing this sort of work.
Oh and I certainly wouldn';t want to leave out that they also had the
personalities of bricks.

When I first arrived at the warehouse I was assigned to work with a guy
named Moe.  Moe was a labor kinda guy that was great to work with.  he did
his job every bit as serious as anyone I have ever seen.  Although the
pallets of oil we were re-stacking was tough to do.  he paid strong
attention to detail, making sure that each case was stacked straight and
the the count on each pallet was even.  I followed suit and started doing
the same.

After about thirty minutes of doing this my supervisor came and got me for
my new assignment, the inventory.  I walked in and was intoduced by Max to
the the two afore-mentioned mid management mundane task folks with the
pissy atitude.  They didn't even take the time to walk over and shake a
hand or anything.  They didn't even look up to see what this new guy looked
like.  They just started barking orders as if I were some dog that they
could kick around.

I followed orders like a good animal laborer and did a very good job I must
say.  All of the contents of the boxes I unloaded were stacked neatly in
front with the code numbers politely pointed to the outside so they could
easily be counted.  A security guard walked in and he and I started in some
conversatin about the Atlanta Olympics and we just had a good ole time.
The other two folks continued to walk around and frown as if someone had
just pissed on their shoes or something.

About an hour after I started working with them they both put on their
jackets and walked out of the room.  they didn't give me furthering
instructions or tell me where they were going, they just walked out.  I
finished the job I was working on and went looking for them.  I saw the
security guard and asked him where they had gone.  he said "I think they
went to lunch".  I said well what am I suppose to do.  He asked if they had
left any instructions for me and I explained that they had not.  He told me
where to find Max, "the Boss", so I went and located him.  he explained
that these folks did not work for their company and he had no idea what to
have me do.

So basically I was instructed to sit down and wait for them to return.  two
and one half hours later they did.  they walked in the door looked at me
and said "sorry" and nothing else.  by this time I had called the temp
agency to explain my delimna and they had instructed me to leave.  They
explained that they had already sent two workers over before me and they
had also had the same attitudinal problems with these folks.

I told the two that they had left me looking pretty badly and I explained
what the temp agency had told me to do.  the guy smarted off at me and said
something not very bright.  not very bright in that I was already in a not
very good mood and personally i don't like being that way and if he would
have gone a bit further I am sure he would have not liked me that way
either.  I am not very pleasant when angry, and not to easy to deal with as
ashamed as I am to admit that.

I left and went directly to the office where I turned in my card for the
four and one half hours worked, explaing to the rep there what had
transpired.  They were genuinly dissappointed it didn't work out and said
they would quickly start looking for me another gig to go to.

I learned a couple of lessons from this day.  I learned that middle
management takes themselves to seriously when it comes to hard work of the
sweaty sort, and even more, they take the labor that do this work everyday
even less seriously.  They appear to see them as "people to be ordered
around".  I hope this day is not reflectory of all folks in cushy postions.
If it is we are in a hell of a lot of trouble.

Anyway, thought I would keep you guys informed of my exploits and
advetntures even when I am forced to sit still a few weeks.  The Mothership
is running pretty good in this California sun and seems to like this warmer
climate.  She did start to sputter a couple times today at low idle while
in gear and moving at a slow pace.  I am not sure whta this is but I am
sure it is nothing major.

Moral of this story:  treat the warehouse folks that work with you like
they are as valuable as they really are.  These folks may not make the same
money middle and upper management does, but the job would not get done if
it were not for their blood, sweat, and tears.  They are often times much
brighter than they are given credit, and most always have better
personalities than mangement people, they have to smile, just to get
through their day.  Say thanks next time you see one of these people
driving the forklift, or stacking a pallet, or sweeping the floor.  They
deserve it for the job they do for us.

Just an opinion.

Thanks for tolerating my rambling's.

Charlie Ford


"79" Transporter, dressed for the road
The Mothership

 The"Turning 40 Nostalgic VW Service Tour, and
Search for the Beginning of Wind".

http://www.armory.com/~y21cvb/charlie/charlie.html

"Wider still and wider.....shall thy bounds be set"