Date: Thu, 6 Mar 1997 12:27:30 -0500 From: Charlie Ford 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"