Work The Idiots In Charge

[Crazyface]

I've had a lot of jobs over the years, mainly in stores, warehousing and Logistics roles. Quiet a few other differnt roles have been undertaken by myself. But as I grow older I dispair at the idiots that are in charge and make decisions (at the very top). Well even just in management. How they get these jobs beggars belief. They make decisions based on.....well nothing at all. One Logistics role I walked into was just after the manager have purchased a £60k bit of software that was a warehouse system and was nothing like what was required and had to make it work?????? We had a huge stock take before we were to enter the details on to it to make it live, which the manger organised and explained to us all how it was to be done. Some wharehouse staff were roped in to help in this. After her first morning lecture about how this was to take place she waltzed off leaving me and everyone else completely baffled as to what she wanted????? Experience warehouse staff, that had done many many stock takes were left totally confused.

BUT, in my current role, I'm looking from the outside peering in at the bonkers systems put in place and after a few questions I have asked today, I have point blank refused to do any of certain tasks that have to be done, because they are duplication of work, which I hate, and also, expect staff to do looking for stock items that another system can prove that just are not available. Crazy as I screw my face up with eyes popping in total crazyness of all that is "Work".

 

[Jamesbrown]

It’s the same everywhere and got worse down the years.
Useless people in management with no clue, winging it on the back of saying yes to everything, hint of nepotism and the standard brown nosing.

The ones who have worked their way up are usually the ones to respect and trust. Usually.

 

[Smiffy]

I've worked for some right idiots over the years. One in particular wanted us to rearrange the used car forecourt.
"Normally" we'd have all the cars of a same type grouped together. Say it was Ford, you'd have all the Ka's next to each other, followed by the Fiesta's, then the Focus's etc. so they went up in ascending size and if you had any "odd" makes they'd be grouped together at the end. It made life easy for us because A) We knew where to head if somebody was looking for a particular model, B) If somebody walked onto the forecourt and headed for the Ka's or Fiesta's you could normally assume they were looking for a small car. Half the job done before you've even spoken to them and C) The forecourt was easy to keep looking good because it was simple to keep them all lined up and looking smart.
This particular manager decided that he wanted the forecourt done in price ascending order. Start with the cheapest (didn't matter what model it was) and work your way along the line to the most expensive. This led to the site looking a right mess because you had cars of differing sizes all over the place, and customers walking around the forecourt like drunken ants. And if you sold a car in the middle say for £10,995.00 and replaced it with another car for £6,995.00 you then had to move all of the forecourt around to accommodate it.
Despite mine, and others, protestations he wasn't going to budge on his decision.
Two weeks later he was gone and the forecourt went back the way it was.
Plank.

 

[Imurg]

Delusions of adequacy is another

 

[harpo_72]

Graduate schemes promote this silliness. They spend 5 minutes in every department every one tells them what a bright person they are. They then get fast tracked up the system with no knowledge of anything because they have not had the patience to learn. They have no people skills or “soft skills” they don’t understand the difference between technically not possible and waste of money ... they brow beat and bully people.
What’s wrong with people making their way up the hierarchy on merit and ability ?

 

[Pathetic Shark]

I had a university graduate join a company I worked for and was immediately put in charge of a team of five in an office admin type role.
I sat down with him on his first day and asked him what he thought man management was about.
"Simple, I tell them what to do and they do it".
He lasted two weeks.

 

[Bazz]

The change programme I'm working on is a year late and costing a million pound per month to run, and no heads have rolled...yet.

 

[chrisd]

I've worked for some right idiots over the years. One in particular wanted us to rearrange the used car forecourt.
"Normally" we'd have all the cars of a same type grouped together. Say it was Ford, you'd have all the Ka's next to each other, followed by the Fiesta's, then the Focus's etc. so they went up in ascending size and if you had any "odd" makes they'd be grouped together at the end. It made life easy for us because A) We knew where to head if somebody was looking for a particular model, B) If somebody walked onto the forecourt and headed for the Ka's or Fiesta's you could normally assume they were looking for a small car. Half the job done before you've even spoken to them and C) The forecourt was easy to keep looking good because it was simple to keep them all lined up and looking smart.
This particular manager decided that he wanted the forecourt done in price ascending order. Start with the cheapest (didn't matter what model it was) and work your way along the line to the most expensive. This led to the site looking a right mess because you had cars of differing sizes all over the place, and customers walking around the forecourt like drunken ants. And if you sold a car in the middle say for £10,995.00 and replaced it with another car for £6,995.00 you then had to move all of the forecourt around to accommodate it.
Despite mine, and others, protestations he wasn't going to budge on his decision.
Two weeks later he was gone and the forecourt went back the way it was.
Plank.

That smacks of autism Rob, my grandson would line all his cars, dinosaurs etc up in a line, smallest to largest, groups of colours together, and you weren't allowed to touch them

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I recall a young management trainee getting his 'work experience' training.
Tried and tested system that worked really well.
First week working on golf courses [6am-2pm]
Second week in reception/proshop/catering
Third week in office.
He was not enjoying his golf course work under a hard working team. The reports I was getting back were not good.
I was talking to the HGK when he came up to say he had finished his task.
Nearly the end of his working day so the HGK told him to sweep out the golf range.
'But I'm a graduate trainee' he said.
OK, says HGK, this is a brush you hold the handle end and use it like this.

One of the graduates of this system did really well and went on the work for the Mark McCormack organisation.
Years later I bumped into her at some golf do [to be honest I had a job remembering her] she was rapidly climbing the ladder and thanked me and my staff for such a great experience.

 

[Biggleswade Blue]

I recall a young management trainee getting his 'work experience' training.
Tried and tested system that worked really well.
First week working on golf courses [6am-2pm]
Second week in reception/proshop/catering
Third week in office.
He was not enjoying his golf course work under a hard working team. The reports I was getting back were not good.
I was talking to the HGK when he came up to say he had finished his task.
Nearly the end of his working day so the HGK told him to sweep out the golf range.
'But I'm a graduate trainee' he said.
OK, says HGK, this is a brush you hold the handle end and use it like this.

One of the graduates of this system did really well and went on the work for the Mark McCormack organisation.
Years later I bumped into her at some golf do [to be honest I had a job remembering her] she was rapidly climbing the ladder and thanked me and my staff for such a great experience.

Great story!

I'm in construction, working as part of design teams (architects, consultants and so on). Those people who have come up through the system having time working "on the tools" so to speak are the people it is wisest to listen very carefully to, as they know what they are talking about, can teach all of us without that experience a thing or two, and, if they see us keen to learn about the practicalities of their discipline, are often patient, cooperative and enthusiastic when it comes to collaboration. We explain to new graduates doing site inspections for example, that they do very well to listen to what the brickies, plumbers, dry-liners etc on site are saying to them, rather than start trying to throw their weight around telling these hugely skilled people how they should be doing their job.

 

[Foxholer]

Friend of mine used to have a saying about certain people :
" He's been promoted to the peak of his inefficiency".

A variation on the Peter Princple....
'People in a hierarchy tend to rise to their level of incompetence'!

 

[Slab]

I've had a lot of jobs over the years, mainly in stores, warehousing and Logistics roles. Quiet a few other differnt roles have been undertaken by myself. But as I grow older I dispair at the idiots that are in charge and make decisions (at the very top). Well even just in management. How they get these jobs beggars belief. They make decisions based on.....well nothing at all. One Logistics role I walked into was just after the manager have purchased a £60k bit of software that was a warehouse system and was nothing like what was required and had to make it work?????? We had a huge stock take before we were to enter the details on to it to make it live, which the manger organised and explained to us all how it was to be done. Some wharehouse staff were roped in to help in this. After her first morning lecture about how this was to take place she waltzed off leaving me and everyone else completely baffled as to what she wanted????? Experience warehouse staff, that had done many many stock takes were left totally confused.

BUT, in my current role, I'm looking from the outside peering in at the bonkers systems put in place and after a few questions I have asked today, I have point blank refused to do any of certain tasks that have to be done, because they are duplication of work, which I hate, and also, expect staff to do looking for stock items that another system can prove that just are not available. Crazy as I screw my face up with eyes popping in total crazyness of all that is "Work".

Its actually the opposite though isn't it. Duplication of work is one of your passions on here

 

[jim8flog]

I remember in my last job we had a series of cards for customers that were traditionally placed in walking order by address so a new book could be created in case it was lost or stolen. Long after we had gone to a hand held computer based system instead of a book which could be re-created by the management I had rearranged all my cards in to alphabetical order to make them easy to find.
Along came a new manager who made me put them back in to walking order.

 

[Rooter]

I am getting tired of micromanagement. reporting to the Nth degree on thins that are freely available using various systems such as CRM system. Its actually starting to get me down, calls for the sake of calls, reports for the sake of reports that I know no one above my direct manager looks at. I have done my job for 20 years +. was in the top 3 global sales last few years running, am well on target for this year even with COVID. I just want to be left alone to get on with it.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

A guy I play golf with on a Saturday works for a local authority out and about looking after monuments and various things. He has to report to a manager but is largely left to his own devices going around the county. He told me that he spoke to his boss recently and started reciting what he had planned. The manager held his hand up, 'I can see from your worksheets what you are doing, I know you work hard. Keep it up, don't waste your time talking to me'. All said with a grin. Good management. It is what @Rooter 's boss should be doing, let him get on with it.

Some seem to think that ammassing reports make them look busy and important. They don't, they drain time unless informative and so few really are.

 

[Rooter]

A guy I play golf with on a Saturday works for a local authority out and about looking after monuments and various things. He has to report to a manager but is largely left to his own devices going around the county. He told me that he spoke to his boss recently and started reciting what he had planned. The manager held his hand up, 'I can see from your worksheets what you are doing, I know you work hard. Keep it up, don't waste your time talking to me'. All said with a grin. Good management. It is what @Rooter 's boss should be doing, let him get on with it.

Some seem to think that ammassing reports make them look busy and important. They don't, they drain time unless informative and so few really are.

I used to have a boss, he had two rules. If you are hitting target, you can play as much golf as you like Monday to Friday, if you are not hitting target, I expect to see you in the office trying to fix that. Ah those were the days!

 

[Kellfire]

In my experience those who think they know better than management aren’t ambitious and lack the ability to see how any given circumstance extends beyond their minuscule view.

 

[TheDiablo]

I am getting tired of micromanagement. reporting to the Nth degree on thins that are freely available using various systems such as CRM system. Its actually starting to get me down, calls for the sake of calls, reports for the sake of reports that I know no one above my direct manager looks at. I have done my job for 20 years +. was in the top 3 global sales last few years running, am well on target for this year even with COVID. I just want to be left alone to get on with it.

I feel that pain! My last place my performance reviews and 1-1s went something like this... "You're ahead of target, but how do you think you're progressing against KPIs?" . Just absolute endless middle-management guff you get in large corporates and needless reporting. I helped with interviews, mentoring, problem clients, open territories etc, as well as beating target, but only got 4/5*s because my CRM and reporting was awful!!

I moved to a much smaller company last year, in a small, experienced team that honestly needs minimal management. The company recognise that, and we report straight into someone on the board with another primary job so calls twice a week for a catch up and has never set us a non-financial goal. We do what we want, work when we want, from where we want as long we're over target. Last year we were the top performing team globally by revenue and %.

An 'upwardly mobile' Director from our solutions team has his eye expanding his empire, but would be the opposite - a complete meddler and takes all the glory guy which would cause us all to leave. My boss responded to his most recent email with a simple 'They're not effing kids'

 

[fundy]

Great story!

I'm in construction, working as part of design teams (architects, consultants and so on). Those people who have come up through the system having time working "on the tools" so to speak are the people it is wisest to listen very carefully to, as they know what they are talking about, can teach all of us without that experience a thing or two, and, if they see us keen to learn about the practicalities of their discipline, are often patient, cooperative and enthusiastic when it comes to collaboration. We explain to new graduates doing site inspections for example, that they do very well to listen to what the brickies, plumbers, dry-liners etc on site are saying to them, rather than start trying to throw their weight around telling these hugely skilled people how they should be doing their job.

many years back was regional finance director for one of the volume builders, used to clash regularly with most of the managers in the sales and build departments because I would go direct to the guys on site who actually knew what was happening and what potential problems were likely to be encountered

didnt go down too well at board meetings that I was often better informed than the directors responsible!

 

[Doon frae Troon]

My department used to employ around 40 seasonal staff from Easter to October.
Many of them had done the job for years and were happy well skilled guys and gals.
We used to ring all the useful staff up and ask if they were returning then advertise and interview for any gaps
Our 'new' head of HR decided that this was not 'open' enough and all 40 jobs had to be advertised and interviewed.
After 4 days of constant interviewing all the returning staff were appointed and about 8 new staff added. The HR person who sat through all of that was seriously piddled off.

Example............Now James tell me what interested you about the post of seasonal greenkeeper.
Eh I have been doing it for the last 6 years and love it, by the way how's the wife and family?

Good thanks James..........now please tell us what skills and qualifications you can bring to the job.
Well you have all my training records on file plus the experience of six years employment. Is Banger still working or has he retired yet.

20 mind numbing minutes later.......thank you James we shall let you know shortly if you have been successful.