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[Ragnarök_62]

Bad Dog Wrote:Now,the interesting news.

Last week, the only engineer who knew a certain, difficult, product line was fired. Official reason was attendance. Real reason was that he was passed over for promotion, and did not remain silent. Many at our workplace are far in excess of the official cutoff point for tardiness/attendance, but are not acted on.

OK, things have degenerated at your soon to be former employer.

Quote:Tuesday, I was finally hired on at another company. Full-time, permanent, with benefits, forty hour week. 20% pay increase. I put in my 2 weeks written notice, gave the supervisor a phone call as well. I had one day of sick time remaining, so I decided to use it.

This is so Texas Hold'em.   Bad Dog is asking Rags what sort of 2 cards Bad Dog's/soon to be former employer are  holding:

Past action at the tables:

1.  Bad Dog has been the "good employee"  until he got his departure ticket
2. The departure ticket has arrived and Bad Dog did an aberrant action of taking a sick day. In Hold'em that's like a calling station raising pre-flop.  IOW, your supervisor knows you have a legit "hand".
3. The action of another employee is a "tell" on the part of your employer. That info is worthless wrt  Bad Dog, so is to be used to deduce the action of the current employer and how it plays its hand.

Bad Dog Wrote:Guess what happened?

1. I think I can rule out a counter offer by the employer due to prior action on "good employee".

So, using poker logic, Rags has some guesses as to the hand in play right now.

1. The employer/supervisor fired  Bad Dog straight after getting the 2 week notice. Rags thinks Bad Dog's soon to be former employer is one shitty poker player. Too predictable.  That player profile is the most likely.

2. A distant second.  You got denied your sick day and when you forced that issue, then you got fired.

3.  And...  I see your soon to be ex employer has progressed to the state of my employer. They have to deal with the anomie of their staff basically fucking things off because they know they are now unable to replace the staff en masse. In time, things will degenerate to the point those employees will taking company time to go out and run errands. I've done that. I've gone grocery shopping and picked up my scrips.  I use the company car to get the scrips.  Oh, btw, does the office show signs of advanced neglect like leaky ceilings and roaches? My employer has that as well.  I can of course go into the advanced neglect/broken-ness stage of assorted office equipment ad nauseum.

4. Other employee.  As far as this hand is concerned, that's a non issue.  He saw action in an entirely different hand.   That an independent event which has no bearing on the hand in question, with the glorious exception of the ability to fine tune the profiling of that ummm, "player".

Btw, is your soon to be ex-employer a publicly traded company?  I'd really like to know the name so I can fire off a put option trade. You see, I checked the insert schedule where I work and there's an aberrant change by a zombie bricks and mortar retailer.  They've reduced their inserts by 1/2.  I'm fixin to fire off a put option trade on this puppy.  I'll do some more reconn by visiting the store so I can fine tune the entry point a bit.

[pbrower2a]

One thing I have heard: do not accept a current employer's counter-offer. Your current (and ideally soon-to-be-former) employer has failed to appreciate you while yo were there, underpaying you and failing to use your abilities to the fullest. In other words, you have been underemployed and underpaid, if overworked. You may have fallen for the myth that being overworked and underpaid offers some security -- but only if you are one of those who needs that security just to be employed. If everyone else is being overworked and underpaid, then your employer is either a systematic exploiter or is in a death spiral.

Get the sour taste out of your mouth. Just leave, even if the move is lateral.

Bad dog -- congratulations on leaving. Life is just too short to be exploited badly in a crassly-materialistic social order.

[Galen]

(06-26-2016, 02:59 AM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote: Btw, is your soon to be ex-employer a publicly traded company?  I'd really like to know the name so I can fire off a put option trade. You see, I checked the insert schedule where I work and there's an aberrant change by a zombie bricks and mortar retailer.  They've reduced their inserts by 1/2.  I'm fixin to fire off a put option trade on this puppy.  I'll do some more reconn by visiting the store so I can fine tune the entry point a bit.

I am with you on this one.  A company like this is one of the best short opportunities ever.  A put option is also a safe way to do much the same thing.  Nothing better than making a profit off of stupid management.

[Bad Dog]

Rags wins with #2. A-A, pre-flop, 1st after the small blind. No point in slow-playing it, with these losers.

The company is privately held by a hedge fund in Dallas. SunTx Capital Partners. No options plays available, unless you are playing the real-estate owners that rent to them.

On Glassdoor, a stunning 8% of reviews recommend the CEO. He's 66 (1950 cohort Boomer), and makes nearly $900,000/year. He's started a number of companies since 1973.

Moody's rates the company as B3 for it's debt (junk):

"The B3 CFR is weakly positioned in the rating category due to persistently weak liquidity, high consolidated leverage, and aggressive financial policies.

The company has operated for a prolonged period with operating cash flow shortfalls and with minimal cash balances, and has relied on infusions from its sponsor SunTx and capital-markets borrowings to support ongoing growth initiatives. The company's B3 CFR reflects the risk that, in the absence of an ample and permanent capital commitment, those provisional financial reservoirs could at some point dry up. However, Moody's acknowledges that xxxxxxxx's operating cash flow shortfalls stem not from any inherent weakness in demand from its commercial customers, but from funding needs that are typical of a company in aggressive growth mode "

As of the last 10K statement, (4Q 2015) the company had a net loss of about $11 million on about $150 million in revenues for the year. The company has about $400 million in debt outstanding.

Amusingly, the next-to-last person rejected for a lead/supervisor position immediately put in for my slot.

[pbrower2a]

(06-27-2016, 10:59 PM)Bad Dog Wrote: Rags wins with #2. A-A, pre-flop, 1st after the small blind. No point in slow-playing it, with these losers.

The company is privately held by a hedge fund in Dallas. SunTx Capital Partners. No options plays available, unless you are playing the real-estate owners that rent to them.

On Glassdoor, a stunning 8% of reviews recommend the CEO. He's 66 (1950 cohort Boomer), and makes nearly $900,000/year. He's started a number of companies since 1973.

That looks rather low for a CEO.

Quote:Moody's rates the company as B3 for it's debt (junk):

"The B3 CFR is weakly positioned in the rating category due to persistently weak liquidity, high consolidated leverage, and aggressive financial policies.

Companies run like that are the first to go under in an economic downturn.  Creditors call the debt, pulling the rug under anyone there. In an economic crisis, liquidity is everything.  

Quote:The company has operated for a prolonged period with operating cash flow shortfalls and with minimal cash balances, and has relied on infusions from its sponsor SunTx and capital-markets borrowings to support ongoing growth initiatives. The company's B3 CFR reflects the risk that, in the absence of an ample and permanent capital commitment, those provisional financial reservoirs could at some point dry up. However, Moody's acknowledges that xxxxxxxx's operating cash flow shortfalls stem not from any inherent weakness in demand from its commercial customers, but from funding needs that are typical of a company in aggressive growth mode "

A hedge fund owns it. if there is more money to be made by scrapping the equipment, then the hedge fund  will someday hold a company meeting and announce that everyone is fired. People will be told that there is plenty of work in retailing, fast food, etc.  

Quote:As of the last 10K statement, (4Q 2015) the company had a net loss of about $11 million on about $150 million in revenues for the year. The company has about $400 million in debt outstanding.

Amusingly, the next-to-last person rejected for a lead/supervisor position immediately put in for my slot.

[/quote]

Possible resume padding for going elsewhere in two years.

[Bad Dog]

Interesting things about my new job:

I'm much healthier.

It's a *huge* multi-corp, and at least 1/3 of the employees are not US citizens, or contingent workers.

Almost everyone below the age of 45 is constantly staring at their cell phone screen while walking. At my regulation 120 paces-per-minute, it's a little frustrating.

One of my immediate co-workers did not recognize the majority of events/films/popular culture references that have taken place over the last 3T. He's 24.

Direct quote:"Why should I care about what happened before I was born?"

He was quite familiar with firearms, though.

[David Horn]

(07-24-2016, 07:39 PM)Bad Dog Wrote: Interesting things about my new job:

I'm much healthier.

It's a *huge* multi-corp, and at least 1/3 of the employees are not US citizens, or contingent workers.

Almost everyone below the age of 45 is constantly staring at their cell phone screen while walking. At my regulation 120 paces-per-minute, it's a little frustrating.

One of my immediate co-workers did not recognize the majority of events/films/popular culture references that have taken place over the last 3T. He's 24.

Direct quote:"Why should I care about what happened before I was born?"

He was quite familiar with firearms, though.

Ask facetiously (he won't get it, but ...) if he's good repeating the things he doesn't know ever happened.  If he says yes, do an eye roll and let him work on that for a while.

At least this job seems decent, by current standards.  That's not much, but suckiness seems to be the new norm.

[beechnut79]

(07-25-2016, 04:08 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(07-24-2016, 07:39 PM)Bad Dog Wrote: Interesting things about my new job:

I'm much healthier.

It's a *huge* multi-corp, and at least 1/3 of the employees are not US citizens, or contingent workers.

Almost everyone below the age of 45 is constantly staring at their cell phone screen while walking. At my regulation 120 paces-per-minute, it's a little frustrating.

One of my immediate co-workers did not recognize the majority of events/films/popular culture references that have taken place over the last 3T. He's 24.

Direct quote:"Why should I care about what happened before I was born?"

He was quite familiar with firearms, though.

Ask facetiously (he won't get it, but ...) if he's good repeating the things he doesn't know ever happened.  If he says yes, do an eye roll and let him work on that for a while.

At least this job seems decent, by current standards.  That's not much, but suckiness seems to be the new norm.

Wasn't there a book written once actually titled "Brave New Workplace". And were any of the current gripes mentioned in it? And why do you think that "suckiness" is the new norm?

[David Horn]

(07-25-2016, 07:49 PM)beechnut79 Wrote: Wasn't there a book written once actually titled "Brave New Workplace". And were any of the current gripes mentioned in it? And why do you think that "suckiness" is the new norm?

I'm not familiar with the book, but the reason for maximal suckiness is simple enough.  Once the pro-labor majority faded into a functional minority in the 1970s, it was just a matter of time.  We just needed to remove the institutional memory from the workplace before the full effects could be implemented, and now, we're there.

I retired on April Fools Day, and its been long enough for me to depressurize and gain the beginnings of some perspective.  We've allowed -- even encouraged management to abuse the workforce.  We pay them bonuses for being what they are.  What else should we expect?

[pbrower2a]

Americans may have to learn this harsh lesson: whatever you are, do not be an employee of a for-profit entity or of an entity that blatantly serves the ruthless and rapacious.

[Bad Dog]

The bosses from New York are in town this week, and, surprise, the people who supervise us remotely are too.

There were about three walk-through's of our work-space. None of our supervision really paid attention to us- they were busy kowtowing to the suits.

Funny, you get reports on your performance every day, but those who write the reports are not interested in the actual job- or worker.

Much more frightening was the transformation of the Millennials (my "colleagues") into Mini-X's. They no longer cared about their co-workers.

What they care about is sports, popular culture, and video gaming. The guy "running the room" is from a Detroit suburb, and runs a constant podcast stream of "97.1, The Ticket". Sports, and reactionary jerks. Plus other sporting events when his teams are down. Or, live twitch streams of first-person shooters.

I know more about Detroit's rush hour, than I do of our own, walking out to my car. Classic KWMU 90.1-3 (NPR Classical) goes on, to survive the 31 mile trip home.

What is frightening is how little sympathy they have for others. I only thought X had sunk so low. Almost all of them are far to the right of me.

Is this really why Trump won? Such societies tend to have systemic breakdowns, because no-one cared.

[Galen]

(11-17-2016, 08:08 PM)Bad Dog Wrote: Much more frightening was the transformation of the Millennials (my "colleagues") into Mini-X's. They no longer cared about their co-workers.

What is frightening is how little sympathy they have for others. I only thought X had sunk so low. Almost all of them are far to the right of me.

Not really all that surprised.  I expected Millie attitudes to change after they got into the real world and life kicked the shit out them for a few years.

[tg63]

well, the theory is pretty clear on this ... two key Millie traits: social connections, and deferential to authority.

not necessarily in that order.

[Bad Dog]

Day Z and Dark Souls, indeed.

[Ragnarök_62]

(11-18-2016, 03:52 AM)Galen Wrote: What is frightening is how little sympathy they have for others. I only thought X had sunk so low. Almost all of them are far to the right of me.

Not really all that surprised.  I expected Millie attitudes to change after they got into the real world and life kicked the shit out them for a few years.

Well, well, obviously, we should welcome said Millies to the dark side.  Channeling one's inner X'er is an awesome site to behold.

[Galen]

(11-18-2016, 07:52 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote:

(11-18-2016, 03:52 AM)Galen Wrote: What is frightening is how little sympathy they have for others. I only thought X had sunk so low. Almost all of them are far to the right of me.

Not really all that surprised.  I expected Millie attitudes to change after they got into the real world and life kicked the shit out them for a few years.

Well, well, obviously, we should welcome said Millies to the dark side.  Channeling one's inner X'er is an awesome site to behold.

I have found that the need for survival focuses the mind wonderfully.  I am always please when someone young gains wisdom.