What are your biggest frustrations about work? 28

[EngineerDave]

For me sometimes I find that I dislike the rigid 40 hour week work schedule. I almost always work more hours (closer to 50), but the grind just gets to me at time.

I wish there was incentives for completing your work efficiently. As it is the work never stops. I leave many days wore out, unless I was smart enough to sneak in a quick lunch time workout.

It just seems like your day is shot pretty quickly, unless you are one of the lucky few that can get by on very little sleep.

Alas, don't expect any changes here in the US.

I often dream of the shorter work weeks and longer vacations that our European counterparts have.

 

[jmw]

preludemd, i had to star you!
I would guess we ought to have thread on management defects but I don't think there is enough server capacity.

Managers. In 30 years I have only ever seen one decent manager. He lasted the best part of a year before someone took him out of there. He got fast tracked.... i guess he is now senior management somewhere but no one knows where.

JMW

http://www.viscoanalyser.com

 

[GregLocock]

Preludemd

1,2 & 3 you have a communication problem. Set your jobs up on Project, sit down with him weekly and let him assign priorities, but don't budge on your estimate of task duration. Switch auto schedule on. First he'll give everything a priority of 1. He'll figure it out eventually, with a little gentle prodding.

4 S... happens

5 Tricky. Did you get paid for the second shift? Why did you agree to do it?

6 As I've written elsewhere, negotiating for higher pay once you are in a company is very difficult.

7 Find out why they are being shot down. Sounds like you may not be presenting a good economic case for them. On the other hand some companies require an 8 month payback for any process changes, which is a bit hard.

8 Exactly why I'd prefer an effective manager who is politically adept rather than a techie. My ideal manager is my voice in the organisation, whose primary role is getting me the resources (which I identify) that I need to do my job. His secondary role is deciding what that job is.

However the majority view seemed to be that most people here seemed to think their manager's technical abilities were important.



Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[EngineerDave]

The low pay strikes a chord. Two guys (one without a degree, the other with a bachelors degree in English) are making more than me.

I took this job at significantly lower pay after I was unexpectedly laid off after completing a masters degree.

I have been there one year. No raises for anybody this year. I just figured out even If I was lucky enough to get a 5% raise every year, it will take me 7 years to get back to what I was earning at my previous job.

Any chance of me staying there long term

Not likely

 

[jmw]

No, EngineerDave, I agree with you on a managers role. It is to manage. Engineers engineer.

Of course, if managers are technically aware that helps but it is sometimes a hinderance if they were actually an engineer at some time. For one thing, managing means they are no longer current in their discipline and then they try to show they are at least as good an engineer as you, or better (which is why they think are a manager) and try to second guess you.

Actually, I don't know who makes a good manager, I have never met one. On the other hand i am an authority on bad managers, so much so that i could be a really rotten manager, given half the chance and twice the money.

JMW

http://www.viscoanalyser.com

 

[preludemd]

Ok, here's a little more background. My boss (dir of eng) was hired from outside the company. All the other directors/bosses came from one department where the boss of that department put them there. So, in other words, my boss is the black sheep of the group. He does he best not to draw attention to himself or his department. We've seen other directors mention things in meetings just to watch him run around. As for lack of communication, he's been told by our 2nd in command, our Sr. Mfg Engineer, who is his "right hand man". My boss is not respected by anyone in my company, particularly the other directors. I've also heard of many cases where he's taken other people's ideas for his own, and been caught on it. As for me being on 2nd shift, I know that I'm the only person who would possibly even think about doing it. Besides, see pay issue (number 5), I thought it would give me more leverage when I asked for a better raise come review time.
As for ability to manage, I respect a manager that can and will do the work beside you when he/she needs to. I always have.

 

[EdDanzer]

The most common complaint seems to be about management. Maybe for those of you who dislike your managers, you should train for their position. Having managed up to 20 people for 20 years, being responsible for all business decisions, including hiring and firing (owner of a sole proprietorship), it is a nice change to have help with the decisions. Each complaint I’ve read is valid, and I’m sure I’ve made all the mistakes listed. But when you go to work remember you were looking for a job when you found your current one, if you think you can do better, hit the road and try to do better, it can be a humbling experience. As you get older you will become less productive and less valuable to your employer. The toughest decision are dealing with peoples idiosyncrasies, sometimes accepting a persons limitations and making the best of the situation is easier than being pissed off. Another alternative is to let your manager know that he can decide who leaves, either you are quitting or the other guy has to go.
Those who complain about facilities, equipment, and things requiring capitol investment. Until you are spending your own money on items people think they need to get the job done, ask yourself, would I spend my own money on this and get a return on investment. If the answer is yes, offer to loan the company the money, with terms, and retained ownership or the item. If you are not willing to invest don’t ask someone else to.
Am I completely satisfied with my new job? NO, but it is better than being totally responsible for everything.

 

[Lorentz]

I gave you a star EdDanzer because I have tremendous respect for anyone who has the courage to start a business and provide jobs for others. My present boss is in this category, and if I have met a finer person in my life then I am ashamed to say I can't remember them.

It is so easy to be a "Monday morning quarterback" and to know for certain the best way to spend other people's money! But how many people who complain about how their company is run would risk any of their own savings?

I think that very few people can honestly say they have never had a miserable boss. If you are happy with your current job/boss, do everything you can to keep your company profitable because you might have a long search to find another situation that is as good.

 

[MarauderX]

My turn... if I couldn't complain I would shrivel up and die.

I left my last job because the people I worked with started to suck more and more. Our manager never got a diploma from anywhere... not even high school. However he did accel to be the worst manager & engineer I have ever known.

Anyway, at my new job the idea is to get your work done, done right, and have free time to do education, training, testing, etc. all in 40 hours. Difficult? Sometimes, of course, but the point was to be flexible. And I'm happy cause it works.

 

[Jhewes]

To Ed Danzer.

Either you have never suffred through the pains of an ill-equiped and under-educated manager who gets through life by his brown nose or you have forgotten.

Having spent most of my career managing people and forced into an Engineering postion due to this Republican led economy I can tell you one thing that most of the managers mentioned above have in common. DISRESPECT for the people that make them a living.

I understand budgets are tight at times but someone has to have the brass nuts to go in and ask for bare essentials. They also need to support those under them and praise them when they do something right not just glory grab.

My wife is one of those few people who has a great person to work for. He takes the time to get to know his employees. Even takes time to show up and some of his employees kids sporting events. He undrestands that people make mistakes and rewards them greatly for their hard work. That is why his company has expanded by 50% last year alone. People want to work for this man and make a profit for the team.

 

[jmw]

The exception does not prove the rule.
If you have good managers, or are one, you are a rare person.

OK, i have a down on managers, possibly because they are an easy target. In every walk of life there are those that are good at their jobs and those that are bad. managers are uniquely placed that a bad manager can have a more profound effect than one bad worker in a group of many.

Anyway, if i can't criticise managers, who can, some of my best friends are managers

JMW

http://www.viscoanalyser.com

 

[EdDanzer]

Jhewes,
I have been the under-educated, ill-equiped manager. I only have a high school education and stared my business at 19 years old with a net worth of -$500.00 because I couldn’t find a job in 1974 (last one out of Seattle turn out the lights). Customers are your boss when you are looking for work for your employees. The people you work for and think are jerks can be worse if you are a subcontractor. Brown nosing buy other sales people can exceed anything you will see at your job.
As I tell people, when you do sales, you are looking for a job several times a day. When you are the owner you will work for jerks, get beat out of money, pay to work, pay people to make mistakes, pay people to fix their mistakes, and pay for your own mistakes.
I never had an employee make as large of mistakes as I made, one cost over $100,000.00, and damn near broke me. I have worked with some excellent people, and continue to look for these type of people to work with. You do not have to work in a bad environment for ever if you are willing to take some risks!
Remember, until you have done the job, you don’t know what it takes, and you were looking for a job when you found your current one.

 

[EngineerDave]

The managers are the least of my worries. I'm sick of people who aren't my managers trying to boss me around.

I'm sick of constant interruptions that are pointless and prevent me from getting my work done.

I'm sick of bad attitudes. While I have one myself, I keep it internal (except for perhaps this message board!). I don't let people know I'm in a bad mood and I don't typically complain about others at work.

OK now I'm done venting. Time to finish my lunch, which I prefer to take offsite, so I'm not interrupted.

 

[Jhewes]

Ed,

You are the exception to the rule you have the brass nuts to put it all on the line and I commend you but most of us do not have that luxury.

When I was hired it was for a specific job as an engineer not to design the entire system for someones lack of knowledge. For the last three years My Boss turn my accomplishments into bonus and rewards for himself.

I have done the job in the past as a manager. Many of the people that worked for me in the past are still dear freinds. But I took the time to lift them up not just weight them down with my work. I was always the first to praise their accomplishments to them and their peers. I never started a project without the resources to fulfill my department goals. I knew/know them their families and what made them tick.

PS: Risk is easy when one is young.

 

[Lorentz]

I think we have identified two very different types of managers in this thread:

Type 1: The owner entrepreneur.

and,

Type 2: Someone who is simply a senior employee of a large organization.

Type 1 managers are putting themselves at risk, so they either manage well or go bankrupt. Type 2 managers have power but no accountability. They can do a lot of damage and still coast happily to retirement.

If you can be your own boss that is of course the best situation. But if not, try to find a Type 1 boss.

 

[SLTG]

boss who calls you at home when you are sick.

 

[GregLocock]

The unions obtained a good work-around for that. If we are phoned at home we automatically get 2 hours overtime pay.

I've never claimed it, but always remind them that I could and should.

Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[joekm]

I can comment on Massey's statement about information withholding. I got into aircraft engineering "the long way around" as it were. I worked as a aircraft mechanic to finance my Master's degree and, when I finally did get my first real engineering gig, it wasn't in the aircraft industry. It was a good experience because the corporate culture there was just amazingly horrible. Equipment was falling apart for lack of regular care. Anybody who knew anything kept it closely guarded. I mean more than merely not wanting to mentor new engineers. I'm talking about critical robotic machinery with no documented code, electrical panels that are a "rats nest" of all red wires, $600 gearboxes that regularly fail because nobody wants to turn loose of $2 in thier personal budjets to by oil. Never before or since have I seen anything that bad.

I can go on with specific examples but it wouldn't serve any purpose here. Like I said though, it was a good experience because it grounded me. I know how "bad" bad can be. When I have a "bad day at the office", I look back to those days and realize that it could be a lot worse.

The experience would help as I was trying to become a DER. At that time, I worked under a senior engineer that refused to teach me anything. I learned to rely on myself for my education. I also discovered that they had extensive documentation of prior projects. By studying those documents, I got the education that he wouldn't give me. There was one engineer in particular who was particularly thorough, but worked there about 2 generations before me. Nonetheless, I used to tell people at the time that I was getting my training from him.

Eventually, I gained a reputation for being the "go-to" person for solving unusual or complex problems. Over time, I got the attention of someone who offered me a better position. Meanwhile, my boss was in the process of passing me over for promotion. Needless to say, I took the outside offer. My exit interview was pretty glowing - they tried to talk me into staying. However, I had already made up my mind.

Based on these experiences, I've made a personal decision that I will always share what I know with other engineers and will tend to associate more with engineers who are willing to extend to me the same courtesy.

....boy, this was longer than I though it was going to be.

--
Joseph K. Mooney
Director, Airframe Structures - FAA DER
Delta Engineering Corporation

 

[ludikris]

My frustrations in no particular order:

1) Being told that my salary is based on 45 hours/week, not 40. I get OT after "congressional approval", but even then I have to work 55 hours/week just to equal a straight time OT rate!

2) Along with the above, the constant undercurrent that we (employees) should be working harder for less money. We should be working harder to get rewarded with "better" projects". I watched a former manager take a job out of country for 6+ months, barely come home to visit his family, come in underbudget and finished ahead of time with glowing reviews from the customer. His reward? All his OT for those 6 months was *denied*. Are these the "better" projects that I should come to expect? If so, no thank you!

3) My current frustration is a backlog that continues to grow while the maximum number of hours I'm allowed to work is decreased. Wait, I should rephrase that to "the maximum number of hours that I can work and get PAID for" is decreased. When working 55-60 hours I couldn't keep up with the workload, and now I'm limited to 50 hours/week (paid for 47.5 of that) with several large projects looming in the distance yet I'm expected to get all of it done regardless.

4) As mention by others, the withholding or excluding of information by upper management until such time that nothing can be done by the time we're told. I'd appreciate a more open architecture from a management standpoint.

I'm very glad to have a job in this economy, however, I would prefer to work for a company who is much more willing to recognize hard working individuals and take a more even and well mannered stance in treatment of employees.



Erik

 

[SLTG]

well I don't think I'm under union since I'm on salary base.

 

[EdDanzer]

Ludikris,
If you work in the United States you may want to contact an Attorney knowledgeable in the US Fair Labor Standards. Your current employer may be violating some Federal laws.