Anyone who reads my tweets on a regular basis can tell you that I’m fairly not happy with my job. Well, that’s not entirely true–I like the people I work with within a twenty-foot radius from my desk quite a bit, and a few outside that circle as well. It’s some of the upper-management bastards I can’t quite seem to get along with. This is because they’re bastards.

When one or more of these bastards decided to try and railroad a pretty hard worker (granted, he’s a hot-head), I decided to stand up and make my opinions known. My reasons for this were not purely selfless or altruistic. Because while I’d rather speak up against what I felt was a bullshit rap, it also gives me some amount of pleasure to piss the Man off and generally be a pain in the ass.

Perhaps I did go about things the wrong way.

The service tech in question was told with less than 24 hours notice on a Friday, that if he did not work that weekend due to last minute mandatory overtime, that he would not have a job on Monday. Of course, being a hot-head, he did nothing to help his case, said case being trying to find last minute child-care for his almost three-year-old son.

Other service men were given slightly more notice, and a couple were given winks and nods when they reported difficulty with working mandatory overtime.

Let me add, that this particular service tech consistently works on his days off, rarely calls out and is almost never late. However, the Powers That Be seem to have it in for him ever since he allegedly shot his mouth off at a bar AFTER the company Christmas party.

It appeared to me that he was being railroaded.

On Saturday, there was no sign of him in the morning. The shop steward was told to call him and reiterate that if he did not show up on Saturday, that he would be fired.

I went to the Service Manager’s office and stated that I thought this was all bullshit. Especially given to his excellent work habits and ethics, despite what he said drunkenly after a Christmas party and off the job.

I was told by the manager that it was “out of his hands”.

Later that day, I tried to call the tech in question, but then hung the phone up. His shop-steward had called him already, and despite my dislike of the bullshit that was going on, I could do no more to help save him.

He called later that day. From his truck. Having found childcare, he was ready to work to save his job.

We had no work for him at that time (the mandatory overtime, while understandable with the temperatures we had the night before, was needless), and told him to remain available if if we needed him. He agreed to this, and we felt better about the situation.

Monday, when the man came in, he was told by the Service Manager that he “shouldn’t be here”. The tech assumed, quite rightly, that he was fired. I got up and went to the Service Manager’s office and informed him (in tones not at all polite and in a manner not suitable for addressing a man in his position over me). That his call was bullshit because the technician had called in. It went along these lines:

“It’s bullshit, firing this guy.”

“It’s out of my hands,” said he.

“Even after he made himself available, you fired him.”

“Der wha? Who said fired? nobody said fired!”

So fired changed to suspension without pay while the matter was investigated.

Investigated included checking phone logs to see if he was called by us. Which he was, by me for a split second before I decided to let him do on his own what he would wind up doing. Investigating also meant calling me into the office and grilling me on my actions that day.

I told them that he called in on the radio (his van shows up on the GPS), and I admitted that I called him and then hung up. If their phone records show that the call lasted five seconds, that would be a long time. The issue then became the fact that I didn’t call the Service Manager when the tech called in.

I didn’t. I didn’t call him for two reasons. The first being that despite the fact that yes, I knew he would want to be called, I didn’t call him when anyone else called in either. The second reason, and the most important to me, is that I didn’t want to give him time to regroup and come up with other stipulations for employment. Like coming in and sitting in the office for eight hours “just in case”.

The Service Manager then informed our HR guy that he didn’t like my attitude and disrespect.

I was asked by the HR guy to treat the Service Manager with the respect deserved by someone of his position. I was also asked to apologize for the lack of it I had showed leading up to this event.

After about forty seconds, I apologized for the fact that I was talking to this guy the way an asshole talks to another asshole, and told him I would speak to him with the respect he believes he deserves.

Being an asshole, this means that I will now refer to him by “Mr. ‘last-name’”, or sir. As formal as I can make it. I will also inform him when he attempts to banter with me that “I prefer not to banter with you sir, if this is not a work related inquiry, I will have to ask you to refrain. Please. Sir. Mr. Pruiksma.

Shit. I said his last name.

In the meantime, I am looking for a new job. I hope to be out of there shortly. Before it kills me.

But, I make a prediction. And I will share with you here when it pans out, or let you know if it fizzled before I left.

The Service Manager is a petty, power-mad, micro-managing bastard. I will be written up, for the first time I may add, or verbally warned about some imagined (or possibly real but disproportionate) offense. I will be asked to sign the paper if written. If I do, I will make my comments and sign it. I will add a smiley face. Because I will know that I am not long for that world, that I stood my ground on what mattered to me, and that Pruiksma is a petty asshole who uses his workplace power to imagine himself as powerful mover and shaker.

What an asshole.

Sorry to bore you with this shit.

See ya later,

angrybob