No work = No welfare in Indiana

Indiana, and a few other states, are back to requiring welfare recipients to work, volunteer or take classes at least 20 hours a week to remain eligible for benefits. Enrollment is reportedly down and many folks have since lost their benefits for non-compliance.

When offered assistance finding a job, less than 15% showed up for their appointment, even after follow up calls were made to help them find employment. Sadly, our state actually fared better than the country average of 12%. I guess people really don't want to work.

The burning question is, what are these folks doing now to support themselves? Were they so motivated by the requirement to get a job that they got one making enough money to live on? Are they living off someone else? Are they involved in illegal activities to make money?

Why are people so against working? Why do so many people want to live off the hard work of others?

Hypocritical Discrimination

We've really become hypocrites when dealing with discrimination these days. It's ok to run your business the way you want...unless you happen to upset someone that is different from you.

A christian baker refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding and is sued, harassed and put out of business

A muslim truck driver refuses to deliver beer on religious grounds, is fired, sues the company...and wins.

Apparently, religious freedom doesn't go both ways...at least not if you're a christian. Sure seems like those that claim to be christian are getting the short end of the stick in these situations. You have to be tolerant and accepting of all other races, genders, sexual orientations, etc but they don't have to reciprocate.

What I find very disturbing about the bakery incident is the statement from the attorney on the case.
"At first blush, it may seem reasonable that a private business should be able to refuse service to anyone it chooses," Spence wrote. "This view, however, fails to take into account the cost to society and the hurt caused to persons who are denied service simply because of who they are."

Say what? "The cost to society and the hurt..." More proof that we've become a land of pansies that can't hand adulthood without someone there to soothe our egos if we even get a hint that someone doesn't like us.

Get over it butter cup! That's life. There are always going to be people that don't like you. Suck it up!

Why do we keep catering to these whiny ass people that want something for nothing? Grow a pair, get a job, take responsibility and stop the damn whining! Those of us that aren't offended by everything are sick of hearing it!

I just want a chance

After a recent disappointment I've been rethinking my plan for the rest of my life. What the hell do I want to do until I die? I don't know the answer to that question and that's a problem.

I've never had a clear career goal in mind but I've learned over the years that I'm happiest at work when I can investigate and fix things. So, where does that put me? Unfortunately, the positions that would allow me to do that at my current company (apparently) require a degree. I can't even get a courtesy interview even though I feel I could do what is listed in the job description if given the chance.

It's so frustrating to work for a company that doesn't seem to be willing to take a chance on you when your last employer almost always did. It's hard to feel pride in your job when you never get any recognition for anything that you do and you're overlooked for special projects in favor of 2 or 3 of the boss's favorites. I was able to ignore these practices until they decided to promote some folks internally and I know who their top 2 are, and I don't feel they are qualified to hold a supervisory position.

I'm also very upset with myself for not realizing that I needed to be that "fake" character during my interview to advance to the next level. It's sad to say that but I really feel like the first round of interviews was nothing more than a personality contest...which I'm never good at. I've never been good at bragging on myself but you have to be able to do that, without going overboard, in an interview. I think I've only ever been through 3 or 4 job interviews in my life and I've never gotten very good at it.

It's time I step up my game and get more involved so they know what I'm capable of. Instead of holding back my ideas and suggestions because I'm not really in a position to implement them, I'm going to start telling them how I feel things could be done differently to make things better, more efficient, easier. Showing them that I have the experience & ideas to make things happen.

I have to make them realize that they made a mistake when they didn't choose me for the position because I. CAN. DO. IT! In the meantime, I'll be looking internally & externally for other opportunities that will allow me to utilize my experience & skills...and make more money, of course. 😀

At some point, I may need to look into an online degree program to get some sort of diploma on my resume...since that appears to be one hurdle that some employers just can't get over. Actually had a recruiter tell me that I had the experience but since I didn't have any "education" I wasn't really in the running...and they never called me again.

It's so frustrating that experience seems to be a curse these days. They want new graduates with no experience so they can pay them less and mold them into whatever they want. I'm willing to learn new things but I can also offer feedback from my experiences and history that could be beneficial to the company. Just give me a chance.

I'm in the middle of having too much experience and not enough education so most places won't touch me with a 10 foot pole. I'm going to have to step up my game and get my life/career back on track.

Yeah, I'm jealous!

I know I should be happy that we have a place to live and income to pay the bills but I'm really struggling to get out of this funk because it seems like everyone else has such a great life...and I don't.

Ever since I got laid off about 5 years ago, things have gone downhill. It took 9 months to find a job and my severance ran out before that so I was overextended on all my credit cards and never could catch up. Had to file for bankruptcy but I still don't feel like I'm ever going to get ahead...even working 2 jobs.

On top of the financial stress of being a single mom, my son has turned into one of those kids that I swore I'd never raise. He's selfish & lazy and insists on breaking every rule he can. Unfortunately, at 17 1/2 it's too late to "raise him right" so I'm constantly stressed about him.

Add in the fact that I'm not satisfied with either of my jobs & you may understand why I have fallen into a state of depression. It always seems like everyone else has something to celebrate when all I have are regrets. I know they say your attitude determines how happy your life will be buts it's pretty hard to be happy and upbeat when you feel like you're getting knocked down every step of the way. 1 step forward, 4 steps back.

I try not to get jealous of what my friends have but it's so hard to be happy for them when I can't even get a fraction of the joy that they seem to find in life. They have rewarding jobs. Children that did well in school & are driven to succeed. Decent homes, families & friends. I feel like I have none of that. My constant state of worry over my son, finances and mental state have given me ulcers & many sleepless nights.

I'm at the end of my rope & don't know where to go next.

The BIG move to a little space

Today begins the BIG move to our new, "enhanced" office. A few going today, the rest on Monday. I visited the site last night and I can say it's not quite as bad as I'd imagined but it's definitely about 10 steps down from where we are now. My starting cubicle at CMC was way better than these things.

They're bringing in food for us today. I imagine because they think that'll soften the blow but they have no idea just how upsetting this is to most of us.

It's as if they are saying that we aren't even important enough to get a real desk. We have room for the basics and that's about it. Barely any room for even a photo of your family.

Seriously, they look like something you'd see in a call center in India...just about 1ft wider. There is no privacy so I don't know how they expect us to be productive, make calls, deal with customers, etc when there is another rep close enough to rub elbows with.

And, the windows we were all so excited about are a total joke. They are about 2ft wide & 4ft high and tinted so the amount of actual light getting through is minimal. Oh, and there are only a few of them. They made it out as if there were walls of windows. #AllLies

I sure hope they don't try to make a huge celebration out of this because it's definitely not the upgrade they kept promising.

We can't all be #1

When I was a kid, there were rewards for doing better than your peers. Prizes for being the best. Consequences if you didn't do so hot. These days, everyone has to be a winner because nobody wants to make a kid feel bad for not being the best.

Welcome to life! It's time for a reality check! You can't be the best at everything. 

Sometimes you can't be the best at anything. That's what life is about and this sense of entitlement and false sense of success has got to stop!

Even employers display this mentality in so many ways:

- Sending out blanket emails rather than addressing issues directly with the employee in question
- Refusing to provide advancement goals to employees that want to improve
- Sweeping things under the rug by giving all the "screw ups" to one employee to "fix"
- Promoting all employees at the same time, without true validation of achievement

I've tried everything I can to expand my knowledge and get to the next level of my position...and I DID IT; however, it means nothing when you find out that everyone else also got promoted at the same time. In addition, I'm flabbergasted by the fact that I got promoted by only "earning" an overall ranking of MEETS EXPECTATIONS on my annual review.

How can that be? Are we again rewarding everyone to keep from upsetting anyone that might be struggling? Clearly we aren't addressing issues so the mistakes can be corrected, nor are we coaching our employees so we can pick out those with leadership potential and promote where appropriate. It's much easier to promote everyone and move on. Especially when there's nobody paying attention enough to question it.

We can't all be #1. We can't all be the best. You have to have leaders and followers in your company or you will never get anything done. Coach your people. Watch what they are doing. Interact with them and listen to their ideas, their wishes, their goals, etc.

You should NEVER promote based on a ranking of meets expectations. If that's the best I can do, maybe I don't belong here at all! If all I can do is meet expectations, I have no business being a leader for anyone so DO NOT PROMOTE ME!

Ethnic Halloween costumes make me racist?

Wow, so I apparently opened up a huge can of worms by saying that I didn't think ethnic halloween costumes were racist as long as the wearer wasn't portraying the character in a demeaning light. If you want to see more, go to the Ask A Manager page. My comment is the 2nd on this post and I'm being attacked in a mass number of posts after. I was even called a "smug twit"! LOL

I love the post that basically calls me a racist for being accepting of the situation. People can stretch anything to make a scandal and I'm so sick of all the intolerance. I knew there were people that had strong opinions and probably wouldn't agree but I had no idea that they all read this Ask A Manager blog!

 

 



I guess if we want to be fair then we should not allow "non-white" people to buy costumes that portray white people as that could be considered "reverse racism". And what the heck is reverse racism anyway? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

 

There are always going to be people that hate you based on your race, sex, education, etc. Who cares? Let them hate, that is their problem and unless they act on it, it has nothing to do with you directly.

 

Stop giving power to those that want to be hate mongers, including the folks that felt the need to attack me for posting my opinion, which is what the website owner asked for.

 

Freedom of speech, but only if you agree with what the majority of the public think, eh?

 

Well, that's not how I live so if you don't like my opinion...move on! I'm not hurting you, I'm not defaming anyone and I'm not speaking ill of any other person, race or gender. Get over yourselves and find something to do that will actually benefit the world...instead of spreading more hate.

Smoke & Mirrors

The meeting that was supposed to happen with my boss and coworker...never did. It wasn't even mentioned but my coworker was in the bosses office after 5pm gushing about something.

Instead, I was given a new task of sitting on an hour long conference call 3 times a week. I'm assuming she thinks I have too much free time so she wants to help me fill my day so I can't do any more damage.

It's almost comical now but I'm getting tired of the way things are being handled. Guess it's time to stop trying to do anything more than my basic job. Keep my head down and my mouth shut.

That's gonna be a challenge! :0)

Frustrated with work

I expected things to be different when I changed jobs last year. What I didn't expect was to find myself in a position where my abilities & actions are constantly being questioned.

I'm not accustomed to people that don't believe in me and it's very difficult to adjust to. I'm also not used to working with people that are so quick to judge you based on their preconceived notions.

Yes, I'm independent and I don't often ask for help...but there's a reason. I dont need help...at least not managing my workload. I have no problem asking my peers for help when I have questions but I don't have a problem with my workload at this point. One day, that may change...but don't judge me for not asking for help I don't need.

Maybe, instead of trying to make me feel bad for not asking for help, you might pay attention to the other things I'm doing...like helping others when needed. Accusing me of sabotaging a coworkers accounts is not the way to encourage me to help. Especially when you have no proof. Not to mention that the coworker was already making huge mistakes before I ever started helping. (See previous post for more details on this issue.)

I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth (job) but I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. I will try to be optimistic because I like my job and (most of) my coworkers but the overall atmosphere is less than appealing.

Frustrating day

Not sure why today seemed so much worse than any other. Maybe I was just tired but everything seemed to make me irritable today.

Or perhaps it's just that people were being extraordinarily dense today. Felt like I was dealing with a few children, some idiots & several micromanagers.

Just leave me alone & let me do ky job. And stop making a big deal out of little mistakes. I'm busy fixing some huge mistakes previous employees made...cut me some slack.

Need a long, uninterrupted sleep tonight.