Along the same thought line as RTK's workers sitting around, I recently had a conversation with somebody who I believed to be quite "normal".
I would like to set the conversation up like it was an "ON STAR" radio commercial, and the reader has to remember I am not making any part of this up. The names are changed because RTK has a huge following.
The conversation was about her son (recently graduated college) and what his prospects of employment were.
No Boat: How is Little Johnny and his job search going?
Don't Get It: Little Johnny is currently employed at a huge box store working the graveyard shift and has sent an application to a government agency for full time employment.
NB: Which agency?
DGI: Health Canada.
NB: Why? (twisted painful face expression). I know these 2 girls who worked at the Space Agency and they would regularly tell us of days trying to look busy and then end the conversation on how they were not making enough money. Then to add insult to injury agencies like Parks Canada (employment 8 months of the year) and the Canadian Space Agency (what is Canada doing in space?) had the nerve to go on strike in search of job security and better pay.
DGI: He worked there this summer as part of the courses he was taking at school and would come home to tell us he did NOTHING all day. I think this would be a good job for LJ.
NB: So you had this kid so he could have a life of doing nothing and feeling the world owes him something.
My sensible wife changed the topic.
13 comments:
I cannot believe you have had no comments on this topic.
I have heard worse stories. Someone was telling me about the Work/Life balance at her current gov't dep't. It was so good that "she could take a month off with no questions asked if she wanted". When I questioned that, and, she downgraded it (and made it worse) by saying (I repeat verbatim): "Well, if it's a nice sunny day, I can just tell my boss i am not coming in today". It was presented as if Work/Life balance was a RIGHT. Despite her not having a) any dependents, old or young, b) any personal health issues, c) having balance by working exactly 37.5 hours and supplementing her 'life' hours with watching re-runs of Friends and Seinfeld. It really gets under my skin. The irony here (that you should just love) is that this is in the Audit dept). Don't you just LOVE IT? (abhor it).
work I have done some consulting for government organizations and it is truly another world -- and I say this as an academic.
Even the ones who do work do work that is often pretty much useless and just done to keep them busy.
I do have a bit of a hard time believing anonymous' story, however, which strikes me as having an element or urban mythiness.
i hope you are not referring my (10:34am) anonymous post as Urban Myth. Only because it is still so raw (I was told this on Sunday night) that i was happy to have a place to post my rant about it. There was another story that day: she fabricated a need to travel to PEI (something about meeting the external office) but was able to (and again i QUOTE!) get money from the dept to go with her parents and husband, and make it a 4 day holiday after her one meeting.
NOTE: I also know not ALL govt employers are like this, also from first hand knowledge
This is deeply, deeply depressing me.
I believe the woman told you this, anonymous. I just don't believe it happened quite like the woman said. People are weird. As we've seen here at RTK recently. they lie about all sorts of things. and for whatever deep-seated reson, it sounds to me that this woman thinks it's cool to lie about rippipping off public funds.
And if she did do what she says she di, it was fraud and I'd be quite happy to blow the whistle. Just e-mail me at deirdre.dashwood@hotmail.com
Wow, sorry for that typo-rich post.
Coincidentally-- or perhaps not, I just got off the phone with Revenue Quebec!
And earlier this morning, I spoke to the orthodontist.
Talk about a double whammy!
yes, actually that does make sense. Although i don't think it is so much lying as it is pure stupidity.
I believe this woman really and truly thinks she DESERVES/IS OWED/ SHOULD GET a day off when it's sunny (or whatever) because that is what she believes Work/Life balance is. Or that a late day at work (or extra travel) means -- ta-dah! A day in lieu.
The stupidity comes in because we all (in varying levels) feel we deserve a break for hard work -- and our perspectives are all different on what constitutes hard work -- BUT we wouldn't broadcast that feeling so blatantly (esp as a gov't public servant!)
I work for a unionized company and so often, among the really active union types, the attitude is "What is the company doing for me?" or "The company owes me."
Hello? Here's what the company does for you -- IT PAYS YOUR SALARY. You show up, you do your job, you get paid.
Not that I am anti-union -- I am not -- but unions often breed this type of attitude, particularly in workplaces that really aren't that taxing.
I just want to add that I do know government employees who work hard and do important jobs. Sad to say, I think they're in the minority.
As for unions, they cause about as many problems as they solve as far as I can see.
I second that.
I meant to type Employees, not -ers when I wrote not all gov't employees where like the crackpot I described.
Bye.
I am all for unions in places where there are serious workplace hazards, like factories, car-manufacturing plants, etc. But in my workplace, where there are no such hazards except, I guess, repetitive strain injury from typing, I don't quite get the point. No one here even understands what the union does or busies itself with when not in contract talks, and even while in contract talks, they rarely get what they're after. Which is usually something ridiculous, like 15 per cent wage hikes at a time when our industry is shrinking and revenues are down. Even the rank and file think the union is ridiculous at times for their pie-in-the-sky methods.
The only way this story could get any better was if you told me the family did not recognize the flag, O Canada, nor vote due to some funky religion!!!!!jp
Let me start by saying up front that I am a Canadian Space Agency employee, so caveat emptor...
I think any office has a few folks that are not firing on all cylinders. I don't believe that this is the case for the majority, though, and I don't share the experiences of the anecdotes here--it may make you feel better to know that I work my *ss off, and am proud of my performance. Your job is what you make of it--if you want to slack off, you can probably twist the system to find a way. Also, just a small correction--the Canadian Space Agency's employees have not been on strike recently. One of the several unions in the Government was on strike in 2004, and some of the Agency's employees in administrative jobs were part of that table, and did walk off the job at that time.
By the way, re what Canada does in space, we have a website if you are so inclined....
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