Muddled tales from the A.D.D. VP & other sordid tales

Chapter Closes... Screen Fades to Black

2010-03-30T21:49:00.000-05:00

Well today was my last day in my current position... now I won't be the V.P. so what do I rename the blog? I don't know I am trying to figure this all out. I gave my notice 2 weeks ago and have been trying to wrap up any projects I had going and turn over projects to other people.

This has been a very odd time. I was not looking for another position, I really was not. I was contacted and at first I said I was not interested but in this day and age you cannot afford to not pursue opportunity. I listened to what they had to say and took several weeks to check into the company, the people in the company and weigh my options... they made an offer, I countered, they gave me what I wanted and I gave my notice.

I will really miss the good people that I worked with and it is very hard to put so much of yourself into a company and then leave. It is like leaving a child that you have tried to raise. I did not think my boss (the owner) was even going to acknowledge me leaving other than to answer me when I wanted to assign some of my tasks to other people. You could have knocked me down with a feather when I opened my going away card and he had not only signed it but written a message to me thanking me for my hard work and I don't mind telling you I was brought to tears but quickly got it together. I was unable to hold back the water works by the end of the day as he surprised me even more. He was leaving for the day and came into the office where I was, he kept coming closer and closer and put out his arms. I stood and he gave me a hug, a real hug. It was all I could do to not burst into tears right then but I managed to hold it together to say good bye and let him know he could call me if he needed anything. He left and I cried. It was like he said all the things with that one hug that he had been unable to say for the past 4 1/2 years. He is not a man of excess words and is not comfortable with confrontation or emotion so it really meant a lot to me.

This day has drained me and I am tired.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook review

2009-11-22T12:01:00.000-06:00

Well, since there are not too many people who read this blog I feel totally confident that you will not mind if I stray from my usual work rants to provide a little feedback on a recent cookbook purchase.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks has been a labor of love by fellow blogger and former Bartlesville, OK. resident, Ree Drumond. Ree is famous for her blog The Pioneer Woman and seems to be all around good person. I met Ree briefly at a book signing in our home town of Bartlesville and she was a genuine accidental country girl who had found a release for her creative talents and continues to expand on those outlets.

I highly recommend this cookbook, there are photographs each step of the way during the cooking process so even an inexperienced cook can follow along. This cookbook is not only full of recipes but also photography (another passion for Ree) and well written stories and antidotes from the range where Ree, Marlboro Man and their punks reside.

You can also visit Ree's blog for additional recipes, photography and stories from the range.

Items you should not have to address in employee orientation... but we must!

2009-11-22T11:42:00.000-06:00

OK, you must be over 18 to be employed full-time by our organization. Most employees are over 21 for insurance reasons. There are some items that by the age of 18 you should know are wrong and an employer should not have to state them in a new hire orientation, however in the past 4 years working so closely with Human Resources with my current company I have realized that is thought process is wrong. It falls in the same line of wishing on a star, using a magic 8 ball, flipping a coin, etc.

I have begun to compile a list of these items and I am sure this list will grow as long as my job involves dealing with employees.

Just to be clear a violation of any of the stated items below will result in me having to sever our working relationship. In other words: you will be terminated.

1. If you get arrested while driving on duty, do not call the company to bail you out of jail. The company will not post bail money for you to get out of jail.

2. If you are driving a company vehicle when you are arrested and the company vehicle gets impounded, we will bail our vehicle out and we will deduct the impound and any other associated fees from your next paycheck.

3. You cannot sleep at your desk, in a company vehicle, or at work while on the clock at all. No expectations you do not get paid to sleep.

4. Per the employee handbook if you no call, no show a single shift you are terminating your own employment with the company. (YOU QUIT)
You must call in to work each day you are going to be absent unless you have previously clear with a supervisor that you will be away for a specific number of days. If you call in 1 day because you do not have a sitter and you have 2 sick days still to use during the year, you cannot be gone the next 2 days also without notifying a supervisor prior to your shift starting. We do not assume that if you do not show up or call you are using your sick days. We assume you quit your job.

5. Do not tell me that you just decided to stay home and bake cookies 1 day and that is why you did not come to work. You have no reason why you did not call - except you were baking cookies. (Then you don't bring any cookies - REALLY?)

6. It is unacceptable to have porn at work. Even if the people who generally work in your area are of the same sex as you. It is still a violation of the sexual harassment policy. Even other guys or gals may not want to have pornographic magazine laying on the bathroom floor at the office.

7. You cannot come to work intoxicated, drink alcohol at work, take drugs at work, etc. Even prescription medications that cause you to be impaired will result in you being sent home. YOU CAN NOT BE IMPARED AT WORK.

8. If your job involves delivering medications to patients, DO NOT ask a patient if "they have anything for pain" for your tooth, headache, etc. They will assume that you are aware of what medications you are delivering to them and that you are asking them for narcotic medications. These patients may also feel that if they do not give you what you are asking for you may with hold their medications or make them wait and they may feel pressure to give you some of their medications. This is WRONG! It is not protecting the patient and if you see #7 it is also a violation of that.

9. If you are driving a company vehicle and you have road rage, drive recklessly, and give other drivers a hand gesture that is not normally accepted to mean they are number 1 (flip off, give the bird, etc.). They may notice the company name and phone number on the vehicle and they may call and report you. Information will be gathered, such as vehicle description, driver description, time of day, where the incident occurred, etc. This information will be compared with your cell records, driving log, etc. and if it is determined that the incident did occur... well you know...

this is by no means a complete list and it will be a working document.

OK, so I am no Pioneer Woman

2009-11-16T08:02:00.002-06:00

I have not become a blogger. I want to be like Ree. I want to be the Pioneer Woman! Dang it!
I just have not got the hang of logging in daily and posting something. Maybe I am just not very dedicated or maybe I am just not all that interesting. I think I take everything too serious... Type A... Yes I am.
I need to learn to relax and just enjoy this. I am not writing for the world, I am doing this for me. I should be an outlet for my thought and feelings. I always have that fear that I will have to defend anything I write. You know the net lives always. I am sure the lawyer would really agree with me on this but I am going to try to be more free and get into this.
I will still try to not disclose the identity of the "guilty"! Or those people who have given me reason to post something about them. They would know who they are if they actually read this but I think I would be "covered". Who knows. I am just going to go with it.

2009-07-27T11:01:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been 2 months (maybe a little longer if you count days – but who is counting) since I last posted and said I was going to get better about posting. As you can see it did not happen. Alas I failed at that attempt but here it goes again.

Much has happened in the past few months but I feel that progress is at a slow crawl. Every day is a rush and blur but where am I really going? I know I am not getting there very fast even though it seems as if I am off at a feverous pace.

My son is home from Marine boot camp. He made it 11.5 weeks of the 13 prior to getting “separated”. I had hoped that he would be going back in 6 months to repeat but it appears that everyone wants to be a Marine and he could not go back for at least a year with the current recruiting levels so he may go to a different branch after his 6 months is up.

Work is busy but it seems that our profit margin is ever shrinking and I have made all the cuts that I feel I can make for now. It is a wait and see with our industry and I feel as if we have been on the hamster wheel dealing the requirements that keep changing and being added to in order to continue to bill Medicare. And America wants to know why it cost so much for Medical Equipment, because it cost our company an extra $5,000.00 per year to be accredited and have a Surety Bond! Both of which are new requirements over the past few years.

Employees still never cease to amaze me at what they will come up with and how shocked they will be when you try to hold their feet to the fire. Accountability – everyone should learn the definition of the word and not be surprised by it!

So, with that all said as quickly as possible I must be off to try to complete as much as possible within the time allowed and hope that it is good enough for this one day.

Good luck with your day!

Yes the holidays are over... Vacation season has arrived

2009-05-13T13:55:00.002-05:00

I am swamped with vacation requests... I get no less than 7 per week and that is a slow week. Our vacation policy is pretty clear but for some reason when the weather get warm everyone looses their minds and can not remember the policy or read it to refresh their memory.
It's a basic policy. 2 weeks notice, submit a written request, first come first serve (meaning you can not have the same time off as 2 or 3 other co-workers in your area and leave the business to run it's self.)
I don't find it difficult to understand or to follow and yes I do submit a request to my boss (the owner of all the companies - just like everyone else).
Please, be kind to your boss when submitting vacation requests and do not schedule and pay for a non-refundable trip prior to being granted the time off. These are my words of advise for the Vacation request season.

Been a long time

2009-05-13T13:51:00.002-05:00

OK, it's been a long time... way long time. I have been a slacker and let many other things get into the way of this blog. No wonder I have no followers... what would they be following? So, I am going to try again. Wish me luck!

Are the holidays over yet?

2008-12-30T23:10:00.003-06:00

I am so tired of authorizing time off requests! The holidays are bad for our business... we do not sell trinkets and trash to stuff in stockings, we don't have gift wrap and no great Santa gifts are being carted out of our locations ... so the holidays only cause interrupted work days for my business.
I know I sound like a Grinch but come on... everyone can not have the days prior to or after a holiday off... as an employee you know the holidays are coming all year long.
I have a few simple rules:
1. If you do not have any vacation time to use because you used it all up taking time off during the rest of the year... why are you asking for time off now? There are employees who have time available that won't ever be able to use their time if you are always off.
2. You know the holidays are coming all year long... put your time off request in at least 2 weeks in advance. (this goes for the rest of the year as well... unless it is something you can not really plan for).
3. If other employees who work at the same site that you work at and do the same job function you do, have already been granted time off... don't even ask. We still have to operate as a business and we need workers.
4. NO... you can not have Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years off (our businesses are closed on the actual holiday but there is always at least 6 people on call even during those times). I don't care of your dog is ill, Grandmother has just been released from jail, long lost cousin Stella (thought to have died years ago) was found alive and well in New Jersey and is coming for her first visit in 45 years. There are other employees who have families and want time off as well.
5. Stop being greedy.
6. Don't make me out to be the bad person when I do not approve your time off because you have violated one of the first five rules! Be an adult and learn to follow policy and use good common sense.
7. Remember you have to work with your co-workers and they remember who is naughty and who is nice far longer than Santa.. and so does the supervisor who will complete your review and recommend you for a salary increase (or not)!

I really do hope that everyone had safe holidays and that we can get back to getting some work done really fast!

These are my rules but they go for all employees working in all industry ... be a good employee and practice being kind even to your supervisor... we need love too! We are human and even if we only have one feeling ... we do feel dang it!

Did they really DO/Say that???? ... YES, they did!

2008-12-17T21:25:00.005-06:00

Last year we in the Midwest were pelted by an ice storm. In our business it is not an option to not come to work, we have patients that meed medical items even if the weather is bad. I explain this to all employees during their interviews and that seldom, if ever will I find it acceptable to miss work due to weather. Employees always say that they agree and totally understand this... that is why I am still to this day surprised when they call in due to weather and then they are even more surprised when I tell them that the weather is not a valid reason to miss work. It is been the source of humor for me in more than one telephone conversation.
Last year during a particularly awful storm I was not my usual self and even understanding to a point when a few employees missed work. Heck, even I can get close enough to a fireplace to melt my cold heart just a tad.
Well, one of our offices had a Customer Service Rep. that was somewhat simple and a little slow on the take at times. She was very pleasant, always smiled, always had something nice to say and even spoke fondly of an ex husband. How can anyone not allow a person like this just a little wiggle room in difficult situations.
Well even she pushed me just a little too far. She phoned in on day #1 to say that she had no electricity, could not get her garage door open and had no one to stay with her young son. OK, that was acceptable but she was reminded that is was important for her to make arrangements and be at the office the next day. Day #2 came and almost went with out a peep from this employees, finally at the end of the day she phoned with a brief explanation and in her child like innocence did not see a problem with calling in at the end of the day or not being at the office all together. Day #3 came and went with no contact from this employee.
Her direct supervisor phone and briefed me on the whole situation. It was a direct violation of our company policy and I told the supervisor that I would contact HR and ensure we had the proper paperwork. I would then be at the location the next day to speak with the supervisor and that we would be terminating this employee. We all agreed.
Day #4 I arrived at the location to find the employee had returned to work and had in tow her young son. No, she did not phone her supervisor and discuss this prior to bringing him she just did it. After a brief discussion with the supervisor we agreed that the relationship with this employee could not continue and we invited the employee into my office (after making arrangements with another employee to supervise the young child).
I began by recapping the situation as it had been relayed to me and the employee agreed that it was accurate. I asked her why she had not shown up on Day #3 or phoned in at which time she stated that she really wanted to make cookies that day so she just stayed home to bake. I hate to say this but from her it almost made sense. I asked her where the cookies were and she said she did not bring any to work with her.
Well,,,, that was it. The last straw. I had to terminate at that point. All the violations and then she did not even bring cookies! What the HECK is that about! A few words of advice: AT THE VERY LEAST BRING YOUR BOSS COOKIES!!!!!!!

EVERYONE has a boss!

2008-12-15T21:41:00.003-06:00

Everyone has a boss even the boss. I have the 2nd highest position in my company but the President/Owner is still my boss and I am accountable to my boss. I am also accountable to every employee, our clients/patients, my spouse, my bill collectors and myself.

I wish that everyone could understand this concept. I am not sure if employees don't get it or don't want to get it. I think that it is a mixture of both and it is sorting out which situation applies to which employee that is complicated.

If I unravel this mystery then I should also find a way to instill world piece and win the lotto every week. Maybe I am only able to see this problem as half empty right now and need to step back and gain some perspective.

I will get back to you on this! I have to find a butterfly net now so I can get something done!

December 17, 2008 addition to previous entry:

Well it seems that a person or two from work actually read my dribble. I am grateful for that and find some humor in this also. I have found another another thing to be true: I have always said that if you make a blanket statement to a group of employees about a behavior that needs to be corrected - the person or persons that have the behavior that needs to be corrected will not realize the blanket statement in anyway applies to them and they will basically not hear a word that is being said as it "does not apply to me". The employees in the room that are doing their job and have do not have behavior that needs to be corrected will begin to wonder if in some way something they did could be what is being referred to and they will question themselves. This happened today when a great employee asked if I wrote this blog because they phoned in ill yesterday. I reassured them that I had written this blog prior to their phone call and posted it the night before. I know at times I may seem to be able to read minds but I can not and I do not have a crystal ball and I can not see into the future so it was in no way directed towards this person. MF, rest assured you are a good employees and someone I rely on greatly. It is OK to be sick from time to time. LOL :) You make me laugh and I need that.

One of My Work Mottos.

2008-12-12T23:32:00.000-06:00

You never know how much work someone does or does not do until they are gone. This is a statement that I know to be true. I have not a single doubt that there are employees that I have failed to truly value until they have left either their position or the company all together. I also know that there are employees who are so good at looking busy and boosting about what a good job they are doing that you have no idea how much they have failed to do until they have left the company. I try to surround myself with good people because one person cannot do everything for a company and be successful. I try to not ever be too overly confident in my abilities and ensure that people know I realize there is something I can learn from each individual that I work with and that I am not a “specialist” in every area or any area depending on the day. I do pride myself in the fact that I try very hard to gain some knowledge of each employees position because I have a strong belief that a person cannot evaluate another person if they have no idea what the person really does. I need to know how things work, why they work, why they don’t work and what can be done to make it work. I need to know what happened if this or that happens and what the cause and effect will be in many given situations. With this need comes a vast array of knowledge about many various topics. (My friends say I am a wealth of little known facts & seldom needed knowledge) If I don’t know how to do something I will research with any means available to gain the knowledge I need to solve the problem. It is my own “need to know” that makes me not understand how an employee can boost about their knowledge, skills and education and then I realize that they either did not have the knowledge and skill that they claim to have or that they took no pride in their position and did not care enough to do everything the “right” was. Taking short cuts will only cause much more time and effort in the long run when someone takes over these tasks and tires to correct the past mistakes and do things the “right” way.
If you don’t have time to do things right the first time you will never have time to go back and fix it! This is my motto. If you take one thing from my blog that would be it.

Employees... there is NO normal

2008-12-11T23:03:00.002-06:00

With employees there is no normal. Each one if as different as a snowflake and some of them are just flakes. I no longer interview potential candidates for a position and try to see into the future and pick the “best” person for the position. I now hire for pure entertainment value and this way I am seldom disappointed. I sure hate to be disappointed.
I have to give props to the employees that are dedicated, flexible and really make my life easier. They are few and far between but I do have them and for that I am grateful every day. I hope they know who they are and I try to show my appreciation and tell them how much I appreciate them on a regular basis.
One of these people is MF and she is over HR and trust me that is a thankless job. No one appreciates how hard this position is, except for me and most days... I get it!
MF and I are going to write a book someday about all of the unbelievable things employees have said to us or about us at times. They are out of this world and it is hard to believe an adult human let any of them fly out out their mouths.
I will share some of these with you as time goes by and see if you are as surprised and flabbergasted as I have been. Tune in for details…..