Team Player Bullshit

[blas87]

Thought of posting this at CS, but knowing how there are a few members who like to nitpick and argue with me about overtime, this is a more appropriate place.

We came upon one of those "lack of planning on your part" ditties at work. See, the manager never thought to plan out proper overtime for the last week of the business quarter, which ends next week on Wednesday. We had already been on weekend overtime the previous two weekends (everyone is split in half as to which weekend they have to work). He didn't think to assign it this weekend also, or maybe not have had us do it before and save it all for this weekend so that everyone has to show up.

So, naturally, the other night, the supervisor went around the work area saying that there was voluntary hours offered for this coming weekend. Voluntary, as in, not mandatory. K?

Not enough volunteers, only a few takers (duh, who the hell wants to do even MORE on top of what we've already done lately?). The next night, we get told that if there are not x many volunteers from every shift, it WILL be made mandatory and everyone will HAVE to show up this weekend.

Ex-fucking-cuse me, but no. No. It's bad enough that when we are told that we have to do weekend overtime, it's only one or two days before that weekend begins, so if you already have plans, you gotta cancel or you just hope and pray that the boss gets to you first so you get first pick as to when you want to do it. It's a whole other thing to threaten us Thursday about that and make us go into Friday worrying that we'll be told when we get on shift that we now HAVE to.

People got so paranoid that they ended up volunteering. So it's not mandatory, but now there's even more drama than before (what with people being overworked and all and the natural tension that causes when you see your coworkers more than your family and friends). People were snipping at each other all day yesterday and today that "I volunteered just so it wouldn't be made mandatory, now all the lazies get the weekend off and it's not fair!!!" and of course, people like me are retorting "You didn't have to volunteer just to save everyone else. If you didn't want to, then you shouldn't have. It's not like everyone would have shown up anyway." Which is true because I know for a fact a bunch of us were planning on refusing to show up and just taking an unexcused absense or even a write up. This isn't right and we weren't going to stand for it.

Thankfully, someone from another shift said to me "Well, I know we need the help, but I'm glad you said no and meant it. They have no right trying to demand that people come in at the last minute, or be surprised that people don't want to."

But of course, there was the typical "Anyone who didn't volunteer, it will be remembered. We are a team and it's not being a very good team player."

Anyone who wants to think of me as being selfish or not a team player can shove it up their ass and feel good about it, because I know I feel good about it. I've more than earned a fucking weekend off, leave me alone.

Anyone else not a team player here?

[jackfaire]

Anyone else not a team player here?

*waves his hand in the air wildly* OOOOOOOOO don't pick me don't pick me I dont' wanna be on the team

[blas87]

Do you have any stories of such idiocy?

You can just be on my team....Team It's Not My Problem

Really, you really think we're supposed to care about work when it's the type of job where you come in, work, and go home? I'm not going to schedule vacations or personal days off around target goal times, and no one should be expected to. I refuse to think "Ohh gee, end of June...can't take any time off, can't have my weekends off, gotta make that goal!" F that.

[lordlundar]

Ah yes, the "Be a team player" crap.

The retail place I worked at gave commission for extended warranty sales, regardless of whether you're in a commission position or not. This is important to note for the story.

One day we had a repaired PS3 come in (when it was really new and hard to keep in stock) and a co-irker took a call asking if we had one in. He tells the customer yes and promised to set it aside for her. Now it had just arrived, so our merchandisers had not even had a chance to get to the skid yet. He goes in to the warehouse (I was in there already doing some stock work) and practically barks at the merch guy (who was a senior staff member when I was a new hire) to make sure it's ready to go by the time the customer gets there. Thankfully, it was relatively easily accessible, and the merch guy got it out, though not before snapping back at him.

Fast forward to the customer coming in and the co-irker was on lunch. I went to get the co-irker and he wouldn't leave his lunch, leaving me to deal with the customer. Thankfully the customer was pleasant and I got the unit for her, explained what she needed and promoted the warranty, which she accepted. I took her up to the front cash and had the sale processed under my number. Customer leaves happy and all is well, right?

No. Five minutes later, Co-irker comes out after finishing his lunch, and asked where the customer was. I told him he missed his chance as she did not want to wait for him. Cue gnashing of teeth and a demand that I turn the sale over to him. Cue me flat out denying it and informing him that threatening me is a VERY bad course of action. (only a few people in the store are my senior and none were in my department)

Another five minutes later the manager on duty comes up with a commission flip request. Now these, if filled out properly, allow the sale to be changes from one staff member to another. To fill them out properly, Both employees and the MOD need to sign and write down their staff ID, indicating approval off all parties involved. If one of those components is missing, it can be considered theft, so there is no way a CSR would do it without it filled out completely, and to the last of my knowledge, the only managers that try to force it lost their job two days later. All that said, he asked me about it and I told him that there was no way in hell I was going to sign it. He then popped that infamous line.

I lost it. I told him in no uncertain terms EXACTLY what the co-irker did to earn the sale (ie tell the customer we had one) and exactly what everyone else involved had done.(ie everything else involved in the sale) I also told him that co-irker refused to do the sale and that I was the only one that did the warranty sale for the customer and he wasn't even involved. I told him there was no way I was signing it, and if the commission flip was done regardless, I would go straight to HR and both the co-irker and him would be looking for a new job at the end of the week.

Thankfully, the manager never tried that stunt again and even used me as an example as to why the flips need to be done properly. (particularly the aspect of not knowing what shitstorm you can open by not doing it right)

[MaggieTheCat]

Blas, I swear to god you work for the same place I worked for when I lived in Wisconsin. We had a warehouse and it was set up exactly like how you've described. And managers pulled the exact same "voluntary OT that's going to become mandatory if we don't get enough volunteers in 2 days" BS more than once (especially in the call center but it happened in the warehouse from time to time too.) Management would usually blame it on something like business being busier than they expected, or if there had been hardware/software problems earlier in the week and we fell behind. I don't remember what they did for people who pitched a fit (and I'm sure there were many of them) but I remember management being pretty rigid with being "fair" to everyone...in other words, they wouldn't let people out of it for pretty much any reason because it wouldn't be fair to other people who did come in.

[jackfaire]

Most often I saw this in my personal life growing up if you got something awesome or cool or had a pet you loved if one of my siblings wanted it I should be a team player and give them my stuff. They like my shirt boom I should give it to them.

[kibbles]

But of course, there was the typical "Anyone who didn't volunteer, it will be remembered. We are a team and it's not being a very good team player."

Ugh, that doesn't exactly give one the feeling about overtime being mandatory. Yeah it is nice to have the option for overtime but I agree with you Blas about what the man Iagers are doing is stupid and shouldn't be expected. I'd rather take an unexcused absence too and don't blame you for not giving in.

[blas87]

We don't have a call center where I work, Mag, otherwise that sounds pretty much to a T. Well, except that goal time is the same, it never changes.....and not to mention because this place has been flourishing while the rest of the workplaces in the area have been flopping, they've been taking on way more than they can handle, they won't turn any sale down......and we either end up with not enough people or not enough machines to get the product out the door in the time promised......of course that is our fault, so the logical punishment is overtime, even if the issue is machinery.....so like right now, instead of 4 people working on failing machines, there's 8.

I don't even see the point of giving the option if you are just going to turn around and try to force it.

[BlaqueKatt]

You can just be on my team....Team It's Not My Problem

I think I'm the captain of that team and it's head cheerleader at my job....

[Hobbs]

If I'm not a team player I get arrested, so I don't think my opinion on the matter helps much. When I worked retail and was volun-told to do something I hated it, if that helps any. Oh, but I pretty much treated requests as orders.

[Peppergirl]

I'm a team player as long as management appreciates my flexibility. The day that they stop, I stop playing.

I've had to stop playing several times. I figure, if I'm gonna go out of my way to be flexible, I'd better get something in return.

At your place, Blas - I would have said FUCK them. And screw the whiny co-workers that buckled and volunteered, too.

[Fryk]

My response to that is always this:

"I am not a team player. I am a mercenary for hire." And as for management "remembering" those kinds of things, never had it brought up on my performance reviews, which would be the onl place I'd give a crap about it.

[guywithashovel]

I went through something similar to this when I worked at Wal-Mart. At the time, I was in college, and one of my managers was only scheduling me four days per week because of this. Well, some other manager decided to make an issue out of this, wanting me to work five days per week and almost full time hours.

This got to me because for most of my time there, I did a lot of extra things for the company. I helped out on cash registers (not in my job description). I also helped bring carts in from the parking lot (not in my job description). I helped unload trucks (not in my job description). I even covered the craft department and sporting goods departments when they needed coverage for their lunch breaks (once again, not in my job description). If I'm going to help them out that much, I think it's reasonable to expect them to do me some favors, too. This "team player" stuff works both ways.

[telecom_goddess]

Blas I love you and I agree with you completely

I really hate that team player crap too. At my job, where ot was forbidden for so long, is now turning the other way and starting to make it mandatory so we can keep up with orders flooding in. I've done about 4.5 hours this week, not the same level as you but still. I'm hating it. I don't feel like I have a life as it is and this is chewing up more of it.

[insertNameHere]

..... This "team player" stuff works both ways.

Really, are you smoking crack? Your expecting logical thought patterns from a management situation. Remember people the proper response to "there is no "I" in "team"" is always "but there is a fucking "ME"". I once applied for a job that had pretty much mandatory overtime and they were kind enough to bring it up in the interview, afterwards I thanked them for their time and never followed up, because I honestly didn't want to work 12-16hr days, 6 days a week, on a regular basis. In retrospect would have probably sucked as much as current job but eh, I value my time off.

We had a pep rally the other day on needing to get scan rates up, and I'm thinking that I'm not paid enough to try and push the rewards program more than I already do, people have enough cards in their wallets already and shit I don't want to carry anymore than I have to and flat out tell cashiers unless you can look it up with my phone number everytime I come here, I am NOT using it EVER.

Which makes me wonder how do we get customers to be team players too and carry our rewards card that most be carried or you don't get the points and I get in trouble for not having enough people use it. I mean really why should some overpaid asshole from the large oil company care that I could lose my job when he makes probably 70K a year to my min wage.