This week I am going to take a different direction that in the past. This will basically be my rant on work and a situation that I found out about on Friday. First, I will say that I ended up meeting a chick via Match this week, we went out on Friday and had a really good time. I felt like we got along very nicely and were able to have conversations. We will see, she is definitely a girl that I want to go out with a few more times and see where it goes. Crazy Kate is supposed to come over tomorrow, I am not to sure that is a good idea. She has far to much energy for me, but she is a fun person. Lastly, crossing my fingers I will be going out with another girl this week or weekend. She is new to town from Arizona and a Lawyer, so we’ll see. With me it either goes really good or extremely poorly.
Giving up the fear of sounding like a little bitch I will move forward with this work story. A little bit of background on my situation the way I see it before we begin. I was hired out of college, while I was taking Credential classes because I thought I wanted to be a teacher. In the process of getting that done I decided that I would play the field and see what is out there for me. Even though I had my BA I was not ready to stop learning and I wanted to take a job that would allow me to do something that I have never done before and reward hard work. So I interviewed with the company I know work for and I bought in. I decided and put my faith into their company and my ability. So off I went to Phoenix to do my training that was supposed to last a little over a year.
While in Phoenix, I found myself very bored and not liking my surroundings. I guess part of me missed my friends and family, but who doesn’t. I found it difficult to meet people there outside of the people I worked with. The exceptions to that were friends of people I worked with. So my life really revolved around work. Other then that I just did not feel comfortable living there, it just was not what I wanted. But I plugged along doing my best and deciding what my future would be and planning out how long I would stay there. Originally I wanted to stay through 2007 but that was before I got the call from the Zone Manager.
The call was simple, he asked me if I wanted to take the opening in San Francisco. I asked a few questions of my own, like how big is the Branch, is there a Sales Rep, are there any employees at the branch and how the team in general is. All positives coming from his mouth, except the sales part of it. Basically San Francisco sells in one month that Phoenix sells in one day so it would be a big down turn for me and I was concerned about that. But, it’s San Francisco and that alone is hard to turn down.
They get me on a plane for the official interview which was important for me to know who would be my boss and get a visual of the place. The interview went well, I could tell that it really wasn’t up to my future boss but that me seeing him was a courtesy put on by the Zone Manager because I was the only one he wanted for that position. I found out before I went that the San Francisco Branch was regarded as the biggest disappointment and failure in the entire company. Nothing had been right there for over five years and they were looking to make one big push. Smart on their part because I cannot resist a big challenge and the lure of San Francisco proved to be too much so off I went.
My first few months here was basically 12 hour work days every day, going to my hotel room and trying to find places to live. It was a very stressful lonely time for me, there was only two things in my life work and find a place to call home. I had a temporary distraction in the form of a girl that I met while in Arizona, so I would make a few weekend trips back out there. That ended in October, but whatever it was for the best. She wanted me to move back and give her five kids. After I found the place I live in now things started to change very slowly. I was able to spend more time going around town getting to know things. Slowly I started to meet people and work became less important because I had other things that interested me while I was not there. Basically I was getting acclimated to my new home.
Things slowly started getting better for me except for work. Work was always a big drag, not because of the work that I do but because of the people that I work with. In every job I have had I always wanted to no let myself down and do the best I could possibly do. But here I found that I had a boss that never left his house unless he had to. I had legitimate questions that needed answers too and I was never able to get any satisfaction. I did not have a Sales Rep of my own so the plan was to have two reps extend their territories in order to give me more coverage and get the ball rolling. What happened on the days that they were supposed to be helping me out? You guess it, those were the days that they slept in and more often then not did not leave their house that day. No phone call from them, broken appointments, I would open my mouth to my boss but did her care? No, how can you care if you do the same thing. Do not get me started on the other managers. Aside from two of them none of them know what they are doing, and to this day I get five calls a day from them asking me how to do something. I work with a bunch of kids that only care about their pay checks while I have an emotional attachment to my Branch because of the work I put into it.
After a few months of this I just decided it was not worth me caring about their faults anymore. It was just making me crazy and getting me depressed. So I made my own plan, it was obvious that I was not going to get any help from anybody and if I wanted to make things happen I would have to do everything myself. So I started going out on the road trying to get new business, I made myself the Sales Rep while having the title Branch Manager. The corporate guys all said that it was good that I make sales calls but that I needed a Sales Rep to get the accounts. In fact a Sales Job opened up and I asked about it and at the time they told me I would not be a good Sales Rep and to stop thinking about it. So along I went doing what I thought I needed to do.
The Sales job that opened up that I asked about ended up being filled by a guy that they kept telling me would be great. It was a brand new position to the company and it was good because the Rep was only to sell one line of paint and could float between four Branches. So it was a good way to make sales and had a lot of potential. The guy that they hired came from our main competition, come to find out yeah he did work them but over ten years ago. All this guy would do for the first five months was complain and do ‘work from home.’ Which is the biggest crock of shit. At first he was a person that I thought I could count on but over his first two months I knew that I could not count on him. He just didn’t have the work ethic that I knew was needed to be successful at my branch. So I was left back at the start no real help and doing everything myself.
In April my boss decided to have a meeting in which he used a projector to show a room full of guys porn, made us play Texas Hold’em with a $25 buy in (I do not know how to play), kept saying the N word in the presence of a Black guy, wanted us to make a Rap video and get some “hoes” for it. It was just a bad situation and I still can’t believe that I was there. I talk to a few people and we were all pissed about what had happened, but to my knowledge nobody said anything. Then one day I get a call about the meeting, and I will be honest I thought my boss was a total piece of shit and anything I could do to fuck his life up I was willing to do it. So I told the truth of what happened that night.
To my surprise however, they did nothing to him for two weeks. Is what they did was suspend him. I just don’t understand why they did not fire this guy on the spot. The story was verified by everyone that was at the meeting even though many of them wanted to keep quiet to protect him knowing that if he was gone they might get a person that would make them all work. After two weeks they gave him the option of resigning. I have no idea why they would do that, why would they let him decide the terms on which he leaves the company? Along with my boss his boss also got canned because he was at these meetings and did nothing during and said nothing after. Is what he did do was lie to everyone about how he got fired and erased all of the office computers. So we are left with a power void at the local level.
In steps in the Zone Manager, the same one that wanted me to take job. During the month of May he kept asking me if I was willing to move again. I was not really interested in that, I like living where I live and I do not know of too many places I would be willing to trade. But he kept asking and I kept saying no and in the mean time I kept doing what I have to do. I go out make my Sales calls get rejected on a constant basis but I don’t are I keep it up. I work the long days doing the sales and making time to do my paperwork, I am determined to get San Francisco back. Knowing that it is regarded as the worst Branch in the company and I am the one in charge of it doesn’t sit well with me and I am willing to work my ass off to get it off the bottom.
Then one day in late May my hard work starts to pay off. A shop that I had been going into for months was just out of his contract and I walked in there and asked hi if he wanted to do business. So then it starts, I am in the middle of negotiating his contract with us. So I am getting all of this stuff done working until sometimes 8:30 at night. Doing research pulling the strings, getting his financial documents, talking to their Lawyer. I did all of that good stuff and I put the package together for an Area Manager to write up the official proposal because I am not allowed and do not have the access to it. So we get that all done and who decides to come on the day I am going to give this customer the proposal? Yes that’s right the Sales Rep that they hired to focus on my territory who I see once every two weeks. After that day the owner of the shop all but said he never wanted to see the other guy again and only wanted to deal with me.
We start doing offer counter offer. Every time he countered I would have to go to my Zone Manager to get it approved. Those conversations were very intense to say the least and I let him know that I am only asking questions because I had never been in a situation like that before and wanted to know the correct way to take care of issues. When the truth is, they don’t give you all the information you need to be successful, they keep a lot of things hidden and to themselves. I get shot down on what I wanted to do, so I have to sell the customer the original deal. I end up doing this, and he agrees to the deal. I was so stressed out but happy at the same time. All the hard work I was putting in started to pay off and was seemingly coming around.
Right after he agrees to the deal I go through the process of setting up their account. It gets to the point that I have to either assign his service to the Sales Rep or to the Branch, without question I was going to set it up under the Branch. In my opinion the Rep did nothing to get the account so why should he get any benefits from this? As I was doing this I get a call from the Zone manager telling me to put it under the Reps name. I did put up a fight on this, but it was basically do this or they would just change it. So I either had to fall in line with them or be on their shit list. The following week since the account was now in the Reps name I asked him to take care of a few things for the customer. He did none of them, but since they want nothing to do with him and only want to deal with me I got all of the shit so I ended up having to do it all. There was no thank you from the Sales Rep until this week, I will give you more on that a little later. There was no offer to buy me lunch, nothing at all. I felt like a fucking tampon, they put me on the slit to stop the bleedings and when that’s done I am in the trash.
While I did not get the paperwork credit for the account, the big wigs knew it was me that got the account and I was getting a lot of calls for a few days after that happened. They wanted to use my story as an example of success for other smaller Branches that only complain about their situations. I was now their poster boy for success. Listen to what Rob has to say, did you hear what San Francisco has done? They ended up hiring a new boss for me, who I think will work out great. At our first meeting with him, he uses me the same way. Letting the Sales Reps know that they get paid to sell and I was the only one in the room that has brought in a new account this year. He let’s the managers know that it is possible to get accounts if you try. I become propaganda, which I fucking hate. It got to the point that I told them I never want to hear about this again and it’s time to move on.
Because of this account I start to get phone calls again about Sales jobs. They would ask me if I wanted to go to Nebraska or Iowa, my answer was always no. then one day my boss called me and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him simply I wanted to stay the manager in San Francisco, but I wanted to hire another person for the Branch so I could make more sales calls. To that I added that I wanted to be out on the road every day for at least six hours, so I would basically become the full time Rep and I wanted the benefits of the company care and all of that good stuff. My boss was all over that idea he thought it was great, but the visionaries above him could not come close to comprehending the idea. My idea goes nowhere.
It was clear to me that the reason they said no to this idea was because they wanted me to move. They feel I am too talented for the position I am in, they want me to move out to benefit them. I talk to another Area manager about an open job he has in Fresno. I simply told him that I am willing to work for him and I do want to be a Sales Rep but I do not want to trade San Francisco for Fresno. That was a month ago now.
Friday I get a call from HR, the last time I got a call from them it was because of the meeting that went wrong. This time it was again about the Sales job that covers Fresno, Stockton and Sacramento. All three places I think are the fucking bowls of hell and if I wanted that I would have tried to stay in Arizona. Basically I have no desire to move there. But this HR person is being persistent with me taking that job. I get the same tag lines that you always get that now I see right though. “It’s a great opportunity!” shit like that and when I expressed again that I was not willing to trade living in San Francisco for any of those cities the response was not one of concern or understanding it was more like “I can’t believe you are willing to waste this great opportunity.” Why is that such a great opportunity anyways? If you want me to be miserable then yeah I would be all over it but I stopped wanting to kill myself years ago and I do not want to get on that train again.
She starts reaching after I again told them no because of the area. She asked me if I would really have to move. Fresno is four hours away. Stockton is one and a half hours away. Sacramento is two hours away. So in short yes if I wanted to be successful I would have to move. What does she do? She gets out a fucking map and tries to verify the distances, as if I am trying to lie to her. When she finally gives up on the distance she then goes to the reverse psychology card and tells me that, the Manager that was hiring for that position didn’t think I was ready for all of the goals and expectations. Really? I had to stop her and tell her that I was not some retard that you can trigger emotionally like that, I am a rational human being that you have to approach intelligently for me to give you what you want. I mean seriously, what the fuck type of bullshit is that? I am not ready for the expectations, no I think you are trying to offend me into taking the position which I will not let happen.
I leave the conversation open by telling her to give me a call back on Monday and give me more information about the position but I would still most likely say no to it. But I want to be able to at least see it. I follow that phone call with a phone call to my boss, who I have a high level of respect for and told him that HR is going behind his back trying to steal me away from him. This did not sit well with him at all. He felt like they were trying to undermine him by taking me away. He knows the value I have for the Area, I am the Branch problem solver and I am needed in that area like you would not believe. Also, he and I have plans for what we want to do in San Francisco. Since he trusts me and I can produce for him he is at least willing to listen to my ideas and run them up the flag pole. They usually get shot down but we try at least. He tells me something very interesting about that position.
He thinks it would be good financially for me for the following reason. That position gets commission where normal Sales Reps do not. They get their salaries and they have a bonus plan based on quarterly sales goals. But these Reps get 10% commission every month on what they sell. In comes me getting really pissed off. Why you may ask? Well remember that account that I had to give up because one of the big boys told me I had to. Well I basically gave that Rep 3k a fucking month in extra money. Not to mention that taking on his expenses basically kill any chance of me getting a bonus for myself.
So if you are reading this you tell me if you would be happy about this whole thing? I certainly am not or why would I spend a hour writing about it? I do not like to use the term ‘fair’ because it is to arbitrary but I will use the term “right” because I think we can all come fairly close to knowing the difference between right and wrong. In my opinion this whole thing is wrong. Let’s forget the money for right now because I would not have gotten the commission anyways. Let’s talk about how a company can reward someone so blindly for not working and not doing their job. I always grew up thinking that if you worked hard you would get the benefit of it but I am finding out that is not always the case, if you get into a person ear enough and you cry like a bitch you end up getting what you want.
So what do I get out of this whole deal? I get fucking harassed by corporate people asking me to move every fucking day I am at work. Even worse when they do not listen to me when I tell them no, I can’t be bought out like that. Especially when I am seeing the shit that is going on all around me. I see people getting rewards for nothing, I see myself being used as an inspirational tool that I do not endorse. I am a big piece of meat to them and they feel like they bought it by investing in me so they can pressure me into doing whatever they want.
Also, I finally got a call from the Sales Rep thanking me for giving him the account. Why you might ask? Very simple, he got his first commission check from it. So while I sit here broke he gets the equivalent of my take home in one check. So those Doctor bills that I have because my great insurance did not pay for a routine check up even after I pay my co pay, might not get paid this month or next month.
You know what fucking this shit. I swear I don’t know if I have ever been this upset at work before. I feel like my face is the water in the toilet and they took big gigantic shit on me.
Next week Radiohead is playing three feet from my house, I am sure next week I will have something entertaining as opposed to self serving for you all.
