Topic: I AM ARMY OF ONE (Read 4232 times)

MISTER MASSACRE · « **on:** June 30, 2004, 11:46:59 AM »

More specifically, I am now the supervisor of one. Me. That's right, I'm the night shift supervisor with no one to supervise. How does that work? Let's find out:

It started last week, when one of the three people I work with on the night shift (3-11) was transferred to the day to be "replacement receptionist". After that, things went downhill, not only because the woman who was transferred was my main conversational partner (I had known her since I was hired) but I was now supervising only two people to do the work of three.

Luckily, the work dried out!

The other two people I work with (both of whom were hired after me...and one of which recently asked if I hated her

) were laid off. Nothing to occupy their time, see. But that left me, still with enough work to keep me busy. By myself.

Working alone in a large office is a strange thing. I found myself randomly yelling out nonsense/profanity just because I could. I browsed the internet and ate spaghetti. I twirled around in office chairs and made up songs about political events that were being spoken of on the radio. Basically, I went temporarily insane. And this was my first shift alone.

In the coming weeks, I suspect either my job will be switched to the day, or eliminated entirely. WORK IS COOL!

LadyGendom · « **Reply #1 on:** June 30, 2004, 11:52:17 AM »

I wonder if they have security cams in your office.

Anonymous · « **Reply #2 on:** June 30, 2004, 11:54:35 AM »

Dude, you are in a very favorable position now. Do what you can to hang on to the night job where no morrons are in the office to disturb you constantly. I envy you now.

MISTER MASSACRE · « **Reply #3 on:** June 30, 2004, 12:00:46 PM »

Quote from: LadyGendom

I wonder if they have security cams in your office.

I certainly hope not. Not only could I be committed, but that would ruin some of my future plans.

Anonymous · « **Reply #4 on:** June 30, 2004, 12:04:55 PM »

Quote from: Lacerda

I found myself randomly yelling out nonsense/profanity just because I could.

You know, I can so see you doing that.

When I read that, I pictured you sitting there browsing these forums, and then all the sudden you yelling, "COCK SUCKER!!" or some other random vulgar expression for no apparent reason.

MISTER MASSACRE · « **Reply #5 on:** June 30, 2004, 12:08:14 PM »

I should bring my camera in and make some videos while I still have the opportunity.

Demosthenes · « **Reply #6 on:** June 30, 2004, 12:09:32 PM »

When I worked as a sysadmin and database code slinger for a call center, I usually worked from 2:30pm or so until I was finished at night... usually around 11:00pm or so.

Normally after 5:00pm I was the only person left in my entire wing of the building.

That was one of the things about that job that I really loved. I usually got so much work done that my boss would be asking me "uh... what happened to all of those data conversions that were stacked here yesterday? We need to get those done and I can't find them!", only to find out that I finished all of that junk and a bunch of other stuff. Mostly because I didn't have anyone bugging me about stupid shit.

So I'd blow through a whole ton of work, and then screw around the rest of the evening.

Then later, I got to train in somebody (since I was the only person left there that actually knew how to do most of this shit), and that person turned out to be Revka (whom some of you old timers may remember).

So then there were two of us that could listen to extremely loud and obnoxious music, blow through a whole ton of work each evening, and then spend the rest of the night goofing off and doing stupid shit.

Like our invention of our favourite game: Office Ball!

20 pages of rules. 37 different ways of scoring points. Revka wrote a Fox program that took him a week to design, specifically to keep score.

It was a beautiful thing.

Anonymous · « **Reply #7 on:** June 30, 2004, 12:18:01 PM »

You know, that kinda sounds like my job. Yea, I still work at the same McDonald's, but just like Lacerda's job and Demo's, after a certain point during the day there are only about 5 people left in the store, which isn't usually enough.

Sure, 5 people may sound like a lot, but what good does it do you if the other 4 don't speak English, and the managers never want to actually do work because they think that they are "past that stage in their careers".

That is what annoys me about my job - the fact that I have been there for so long must mean that I can handle the work load for about 4 other people.

There have been talks about me moving up to management, and when I do I really hope I'm not the type to screw other workers over just like they used to do to me. It's simply not right to think that one person can do the job of 4 other people and expect them to be able to do those four jobs fast and "with a smile".

Edit:
Oh yea, I forgot to mention the one thing that drives me up the wall is how some times when you'll go to pick up your check and they will not give you your check until you fill out a survey for them. YOU ARE OFF THE CLOCK WHEN YOU FILL OUT THE SURVEY ABOUT THEIR STORE AND THEY WILL NOT GIVE YOU THE MONEY THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY WORKED FOR. In no way, shape, or form can I see this being remotly legal, and I will never enforce something as DUMB as that. If they fill it out while on the clock it's a different story, but not on the clock is free labor if you ask me.

Anonymous · « **Reply #8 on:** June 30, 2004, 12:21:37 PM »

Quote from: Chris

Sure, 5 people may sound like a lot, but what good does it do you if the other 4 don't speak English

U WERK IN DA MAKDONALD IN QUEBEC???

hackess · « **Reply #9 on:** June 30, 2004, 12:24:03 PM »

I wish I could work in isolation. I don't get nearly enough done as I'd like to because people interrupt me. I get tons done when I work from home.
Also, I'd like to just barrel through all the work and then screw off for the rest of my shift.

Demosthenes · « **Reply #10 on:** June 30, 2004, 12:29:32 PM »

It was at that call center job that Revka and I put the finishing touches on our work ethic philosophy we used to call "E.T.L.".

"Efficiency Through Laziness".

He and I were constantly going over code and writing new code to streamline processes in our department.

We'd have a procedure that we'd have to go through in order to process a certain data set for a particular client on a nightly basis, but we'd get sick of how long it took and how many steps were in it and how much potential for error there was in it.

So we'd sling code together in odd ways... batch programs that would call FoxBASE prg's that would call other batch programs that could fire up Lotus macros and dump back to a batch program that would automatically FTP the results to the client's server. Shit like that.

Our department head was always talking about how efficient we were and how much time we saved the department by cutting down the amount of work that needed to be done.

The reality of it was that we were both lazy, of course, and streamlining data processing procedures just meant we would have more time each evening to play Office Ball.

Anything we could cobble programs together to automate we would. Less work. More time to be lazy.

The_FOO · « **Reply #11 on:** June 30, 2004, 12:57:29 PM »

Night shift is like that here in the NOC. 8pm to 8am, and dick all happens after midnight usually.

Sit around and talk mainly during the slow times.

pbsaurus · « **Reply #12 on:** June 30, 2004, 01:37:30 PM »

I have my own office and people are afraid of me so I get few interruptions. I do however crank out some work (all of which I have efficiently streamlined as Demo mentioned), the rest of the time I surf and look busy.

Demosthenes · « **Reply #13 on:** June 30, 2004, 01:43:59 PM »

Pb just pulls a George Costanza and looks angry all the time. That way people see him and think he's really busy and has a lot on his mind.

pbsaurus · « **Reply #14 on:** June 30, 2004, 02:32:20 PM »

It also helps to carry around documents and to have a sense of urgency look on my face when roaming the halls.

Goffman's signs given/signs given off!

Wally is my hero!

Demosthenes · « **Reply #15 on:** June 30, 2004, 02:41:19 PM »

Dude, I'd be scared shitless to have you as my boss. Work it! Work it!

MISTER MASSACRE · « **Reply #16 on:** June 30, 2004, 08:10:38 PM »

Update (posted from work):

Well, that was brief. While I would be alone on tonight's shift, one of the people who was "laid off" has been brought back in to work on a job that just arrived. Further, as of next Tuesday, I'm going to be switched back to the daytime shift (9-5). Which, to be fair, I don't mind, as I was going a bit screwy from lack of human contact.

A bit?

A BIT?!!?

Rico · « **Reply #17 on:** June 30, 2004, 11:59:11 PM »

Quote from: catwritr

I wish I could work in isolation. I don't get nearly enough done as I'd like to because people interrupt me. I get tons done when I work from home.
Also, I'd like to just barrel through all the work and then screw off for the rest of my shift.

Wouldn't matter when you worked. The rest of us would all just change our sleeping patterns to adapt to it and interupt you just as often. ;P

Yeah, I know.

hackess · « **Reply #18 on:** July 01, 2004, 05:07:50 PM »

Quote from: Rico

Yeah, I know.

All right, just so long as you're aware of it.

TheBigBadBruno · « **Reply #19 on:** July 01, 2004, 07:58:49 PM »

I love the nightshift at my job. I work at your average AnP supermarket, but since the summer started I've mainly been working around 6 to 12 or so. It's great. Theres like 2 other cashiers beside me, and all the customers basically stop coming after around 10. So that means 2 hours of nothing! It's beatiful.

Rico · « **Reply #20 on:** July 01, 2004, 11:22:52 PM »

Quote from: catwritr

All right, just so long as you're aware of it.

Well, you didn't expect me to pass it up, did you?

hackess · « **Reply #21 on:** July 02, 2004, 08:09:20 AM »

Quote from: Rico

Well, you didn't expect me to pass it up, did you?

Actually, yes. Yes, I did.

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