Thursday 28 June 2012

The Runaround

"Although, at the end of this ride I'm not going to say to Krista, 'lets do that again!'"

Be careful what you say, it might come true.

So I had a nice office job all lined up that was very stable and promising and I was all set to start on May 1. Problem was that the Thursday before I was set to embark on my new career in the financial industry, the phone rang; it was the industrial supply company. They had received the approval from the government and were all set to make me an offer of employment.

I was skeptical to say the least.

I mean, part of me was excited to get this job and part of me was like, hey man, you took so long to get this done, why should I work for you after you strung me along for 6 weeks?!? And I had already committed to the other company.

After some discussion with Krista, reluctantly, I accepted the offer for a couple reasons. More money, better hours, company perks, and really, I wasn't sure how well the financial job would've have gone. I had never done anything like that before and as appealing as sitting in an office all day was, I was used to going out on the road and visiting customers, not having them come to me.

What a mistake!!!

I have never worked for a company like this. So much behind closed doors and backroom communication going on, it was enough to drive a guy crazy!

Not once in 7 weeks, did my so called "direct supervisor" call me to see how I was doing. There was no training to be heard of whatsoever! Not that I needed it but whenever starting with a new company a little guidance and advice about products and services is usually given. I had no idea going in what it was that we sold. I knew we made hydraulic hoses and stocked fittings but aside from that what was the best way to market that and all the other items we sold and stocked. No direction whatsoever!

Coupled on top of that was the fact that all the communication to me was relayed by another person. This particular person always boasted how good a salesperson he was but I felt compelled to correct him, after a few weeks on the job of course, that he wasn't a salesperson but in fact just a "counter" guy. He didn't go out and look for business, he just sat his fat ass in the store and waited for people to come in. Does that classify a salesperson? I think not. This guy was a slob on top of that. He ate at the counter, played cards on the computer while talking to customers, and fell asleep almost every afternoon. This drove me crazy, especially when he thought he had the right to tell me what to do with my time whenever I was in store. The nerve of him; that fat-lazy-slob.

There was another guy that worked there that made the days more enjoyable though. On my very first day, he told me his story and I knew I recognized him from another place that was a customer of mine with one of my previous jobs.

He told me in the weeks to come, that he was looking for a job elsewhere because he too was tired of all the "shit" that went on. He and I were in agreeance that this was no way to conduct business and that the job security was limited at best. We talked at various times about the possibilites out there on the open market and we both found that there was next to none, but from my previous "forced retirement" I felt that there was more than last time.

Originally I was told that the plan was for me to not just take over while one other employee was off on sick leave, but to become the store manager in the months to come. Wow was I mislead! Not only did the person come back from sick leave (I was told that even if this person did come back that the owner was going to let her go because of some incidents that had gone down before I started) but all the clients who I had previously sold to at another job, were all taken away from me for them. I was apalled. I did manage to keep a few of my key contacts, though it wasn't easy at all. So, this person comes back from sick leave and is not let go and is given all the contacts I have made in the 6 weeks previous. Then, I'm "told" (remember I said I wasn't ever told anything directly) that this person is resuming their role as "acting" store manager and has the final say on almost everything. Some things, like pricing, were left up to the owner.

I was let go the first Friday that person was back. And even then, I was kept in the dark right up until I was handed my walking papers.

At first I was pissed! I had jumped through hoops to get that job, gave it my all with no direction or supervision, made some money in the process, re-established old relationships that this company didn't have. Then I was told that it wasn't working out due to "customer complaints," they said that I hadn't been to see them while the person was off. Horseshit! I saw 99% of the established business that this person had so I have no idea where that came from. Secondly, my dismissal letter said that there were also staff complaints. Finally, the general statement was that my performance was not enough to keep me with the company.

Cost outweighed profit.

It wouldn`t have it what I was told originally was true; that the person on sick leave was going to be let go upon their return.

I was still fuming over what was said in the letter a few days after the fact and the following Tuesday the guy I was friends with texted me and asked me what had transpired. I told him and then he replied with, "that was spoon fed to the owner because this person was threatened about losing their job. They were pretty proud of  how they got rid of me." Are you kidding me?!? Oh well, petty people do petty things. All I can say now is, Good luck with your store closing sale jack-holes!!

Oh well! I was planning on leaving anyway and I had taken measures leading up to that, eventhough I didn`t know I would be let go again.

I`ve had more interviews and responses this time around than the last time but still nothing yet. I have been through quite an extensive process with a company in Ottawa thus far and I think it`s looking good to work for them. I`m not putting all my eggs in that basket though. Nothing has been offered and I am still looking for what is right for Krista and the kids.

I really hope that this next job that I get, and I will get a job, I really hope that it is a career and not just a job. I`m getting really sick of being at home all day.

DH




















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