Apologies to the board

[DumbAss Tanker]

I openly question management contracts that allow for severance not connected to performance and whether they are good or not.

However, it just seems companies aren't as stable as they were 20-30 years ago.  I openly wonder why that is.

Speed of communication? Bad management? Speed of technological advancements?  Leverage?

Don't know.

Odd as it may sound, with the Japanese idea of lifetime employment that comes to so many minds when discussing them, much of the treatment of labor as a fungible supply to be bought or dumped as convenient comes from adopting Japanese production models such as TQM and JIT inventory.  The truth of the lifetime employment myth is that it was a lot like being a US civil service employee, EXCEPT that this was only true for 'Permanent' employees, and legions of both temporary and contract laborers would come and go with the tides in Japanese industry.  The major car manufacturers particularly were notorious for their over-a-barrell rapacity in treating with their suppliers, to a degree that would have made Wal-Mart jealous.

Velocity of change certainly plays its part, as well, in the current age the idea that a category of product or even an entire sector can provide stable and predictable levels of employment over the length of a career, or even half of one, is unrealistic for many, many fields.  Still, though it has been good from a stock or GDP point of view to this point, the reality is that business has somewhat overharvested the rewards of disposable labor, at the expense of the long-term interests of the work force and to some extent their own.  However, few businesses aside from possibly those making capital expenditures on real estate, the transportation infrastructure, or (Very) durable equipment seem to actually weigh much of anything more than five years out in making their strategic decisions anymore.       

[AllosaursRus]

Uh...........what's this say????????????

I posted this in an economic thread, too. Let's see if he responds to either.

[debk]

Odd as it may sound, with the Japanese idea of lifetime employment that comes to so many minds when discussing them, much of the treatment of labor as a fungible supply to be bought or dumped as convenient comes from adopting Japanese production models such as TQM and JIT inventory.  The truth of the lifetime employment myth is that it was a lot like being a US civil service employee, EXCEPT that this was only true for 'Permanent' employees, and legions of both temporary and contract laborers would come and go with the tides in Japanese industry.  The major car manufacturers particularly were notorious for their over-a-barrell rapacity in treating with their suppliers, to a degree that would have made Wal-Mart jealous.

Velocity of change certainly plays its part, as well, in the current age the idea that a category of product or even an entire sector can provide stable and predictable levels of employment over the length of a career, or even half of one, is unrealistic for many, many fields.  Still, though it has been good from a stock or GDP point of view to this point, the reality is that business has somewhat overharvested the rewards of disposable labor, at the expense of the long-term interests of the work force and to some extent their own.  However, few businesses aside from possibly those making capital expenditures on real estate, the transportation infrastructure, or (Very) durable equipment seem to actually weigh much of anything more than five years out in making their strategic decisions anymore.       

Many people do not realize that Talbot's - a half century old women's clothing company that originally started in MA...is owned by the Japanese.

I don't know for how long, but they were back when I worked for them in the mid-90's, at the catalog center here in E TN.

They ran the call center, as if it were in Japan. Dictating specific work attire(we sat in cubicles-never to be seen by the public, yet a woman's bare leg was not allowed, if wearing a skirt, nylons or tights were mandatory, if wearing slacks - socks were mandatory), having to ask permission to go to the bathroom, 10 minute breaks 2x's a day, and 30-min lunch break, taken in the break-room and not allowed to leave the facility. No personal calls in or out....any that came in went through the reception desk, and they and better be for an emergency. No switching of shifts(work day) or giving one up unless you used a vacation or personal day. I think we were allowed 5 personal days in a year. Vacation was 2 weeks and unpaid. No eating or chewing gum at your desk, but you were allowed a drink in a specific container. Computers were locked into only the programs needed to complete an order.

Every month we were given a perfomance report by our immediate supervisor. Raise reviews were once a year. A 25-cent/hour was the max raise. No one got that...the ones I got were either 22 or 23-cents each time. I think I was up to $7.50 an hour when I quit, after 3.5 years. Start salary is minimum hourly wage.

The "powers that be" could not understand why there was such a high turnover rate.  

However, I did have fabulous insurance benefits that cost me less than $20/week, and they did 50% max into retirement up to 6%. Life and dental insurance was also available. Someone with a family could add them into the health and dental, and spouses could also get life insurance.

[true_blood]

Well if this don't prove liberalism is a mental disorder!!

It is a mental disorder.

[AllosaursRus]

Many people do not realize that Talbot's - a half century old women's clothing company that originally started in MA...is owned by the Japanese.

I don't know for how long, but they were back when I worked for them in the mid-90's, at the catalog center here in E TN.

They ran the call center, as if it were in Japan. Dictating specific work attire(we sat in cubicles-never to be seen by the public, yet a woman's bare leg was not allowed, if wearing a skirt, nylons or tights were mandatory, if wearing slacks - socks were mandatory), having to ask permission to go to the bathroom, 10 minute breaks 2x's a day, and 30-min lunch break, taken in the break-room and not allowed to leave the facility. No personal calls in or out....any that came in went through the reception desk, and they and better be for an emergency. No switching of shifts(work day) or giving one up unless you used a vacation or personal day. I think we were allowed 5 personal days in a year. Vacation was 2 weeks and unpaid. No eating or chewing gum at your desk, but you were allowed a drink in a specific container. Computers were locked into only the programs needed to complete an order.

Every month we were given a perfomance report by our immediate supervisor. Raise reviews were once a year. A 25-cent/hour was the max raise. No one got that...the ones I got were either 22 or 23-cents each time. I think I was up to $7.50 an hour when I quit, after 3.5 years. Start salary is minimum hourly wage.

The "powers that be" could not understand why there was such a high turnover rate.  

However, I did have fabulous insurance benefits that cost me less than $20/week, and they did 50% max into retirement up to 6%. Life and dental insurance was also available. Someone with a family could add them into the health and dental, and spouses could also get life insurance.

Holy Smoke! Talk about a hostile work enviro!

Amazing ya lasted 3.5 years! I coulda never done it!

but then we all know women have the patience of a Saint! lol!

ETA:

especially when it comes to revenge! heh!

[debk]

Holy Smoke! Talk about a hostile work enviro!

Amazing ya lasted 3.5 years! I coulda never done it!

but then we all know women have the patience of a Saint! lol!

ETA:

especially when it comes to revenge! heh!

The last 6 months I was there, I was in and out of my internist's office with chest pains. Was even having them on vacation. They were getting progressively worse, and mirrored the symptoms of a heart attack...the sweaty clamminess, nausea, sheet-white pale, light-headed and intense pain in my chest and neck. I'd lay in a room for an hour hooked up to an EKG, with the printout being within perfectly normal ranges.

After having to drink barium for an upper GI series of x-rays, finding nothing, my symptoms getting worse....my doctor decided to do a Thalium stress test.

If you don't know anything about this stress test, you have a sign a release that, among other stuff.... states YOU MAY DIE DURING OR AS A RESULT OF THIS TEST.

Uh...I wasn't going to sign it. Naw, baby, naw!!! They finally convinced me by telling me the doctor(radiologist) would be by my side the whole time. They lied.  He was there when the dye was injected, and while I was on the treadmill....the nurse was complaining that my heart rate was not going up enough, I was too thin, and I wasn't sweating like I should. Huh? After 20 minutes, they stopped the treadmill, laid me out on a suspended stretcher thing while this huge ( I was terrified) machine took 27 minutes to go from my right side to my left.
Had to go back 4 hours later for another scan thing. The tech told me my doctor would call me in a few days.

I finally called after the weekend, as I hadn't heard from my dr. Nurse looked at the results, said I was "textbook perfect". I asked what that meant...she said arteries were completely clear, and everything was normal. But I needed to come in and see the doctor a couple of days later.

When I went back to my doctor....he told me to quit my job. Apparently I hated my job so much, it was stressing out my body. I knew I wasn't crazy about it, but did not realize I hated it.

Took a 3 month leave of absence and went to real estate school. The only times I ever had the pain again, was each month when I had to go back to fill out the leave of absence forms. Have never had them again once I finally quit and that was over 13 years ago. Even as bad as real estate has been the last couple of years, I haven't had any of those symptoms.

Stress does really bad things to a body...

 

[AllosaursRus]

The last 6 months I was there, I was in and out of my internist's office with chest pains. Was even having them on vacation. They were getting progressively worse, and mirrored the symptoms of a heart attack...the sweaty clamminess, nausea, sheet-white pale, light-headed and intense pain in my chest and neck. I'd lay in a room for an hour hooked up to an EKG, with the printout being within perfectly normal ranges.

After having to drink barium for an upper GI series of x-rays, finding nothing, my symptoms getting worse....my doctor decided to do a Thalium stress test.

If you don't know anything about this stress test, you have a sign a release that, among other stuff.... states YOU MAY DIE DURING OR AS A RESULT OF THIS TEST.

Uh...I wasn't going to sign it. Naw, baby, naw!!! They finally convinced me by telling me the doctor(radiologist) would be by my side the whole time. They lied.  He was there when the dye was injected, and while I was on the treadmill....the nurse was complaining that my heart rate was not going up enough, I was too thin, and I wasn't sweating like I should. Huh? After 20 minutes, they stopped the treadmill, laid me out on a suspended stretcher thing while this huge ( I was terrified) machine took 27 minutes to go from my right side to my left.
Had to go back 4 hours later for another scan thing. The tech told me my doctor would call me in a few days.

I finally called after the weekend, as I hadn't heard from my dr. Nurse looked at the results, said I was "textbook perfect". I asked what that meant...she said arteries were completely clear, and everything was normal. But I needed to come in and see the doctor a couple of days later.

When I went back to my doctor....he told me to quit my job. Apparently I hated my job so much, it was stressing out my body. I knew I wasn't crazy about it, but did not realize I hated it.

Took a 3 month leave of absence and went to real estate school. The only times I ever had the pain again, was each month when I had to go back to fill out the leave of absence forms. Have never had them again once I finally quit and that was over 13 years ago. Even as bad as real estate has been the last couple of years, I haven't had any of those symptoms.

Stress does really bad things to a body...

 

I know all about these tests! I've had two and they want me to take another!

I have platelets constricting the vessels to and from my heart. Eventually I'll have to have them send up the roto rooter blades up thru my leg and into the major vessels to clear them out.

Not somethin' I'm lookin' forward to!

[debk]

I know all about these tests! I've had two and they want me to take another!

I have platelets constricting the vessels to and from my heart. Eventually I'll have to have them send up the roto rooter blades up thru my leg and into the major vessels to clear them out.

Not somethin' I'm lookin' forward to!

sending prayers your way!!!

[Lacarnut]

I know all about these tests! I've had two and they want me to take another!

I have platelets constricting the vessels to and from my heart. Eventually I'll have to have them send up the roto rooter blades up thru my leg and into the major vessels to clear them out.

Not somethin' I'm lookin' forward to!

My dad had something similar I think. They went into his groin and down into his leg/foot cause he had poor circulation. It did not seem to bother him that much. Good luck with that procedure.

[BlueStateSaint]

I know all about these tests! I've had two and they want me to take another!

I have platelets constricting the vessels to and from my heart. Eventually I'll have to have them send up the roto rooter blades up thru my leg and into the major vessels to clear them out.

Not somethin' I'm lookin' forward to!

AR, one of my co-workers had that procedure.  He was back in the office three days later.

[I_B_Perky]

Well I didn't read the entire thread and I never read his comments over at the dump. I have noticed that his posts are not really what I would call typical American English. I even asked him about it and now reading some of what he said in his posts here now I  understand.

My personal opinion... he doesn't seem like a bad person. Maybe he is re-evaluating his liberal position.  I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. From what I've seen he sure as hades seems a head and shoulder above the dump idiots that come here to edumacate us heathens. 

I haven't seen anything really out of the way from him so maybe we should drop the hostility.

Just my two cents here folks. I am an easy going guy and I give everyone a chance... until they piss me off. Then it's open season.
Like I said, just my two cents. 

[JLO]

I know all about these tests! I've had two and they want me to take another!

I have platelets constricting the vessels to and from my heart. Eventually I'll have to have them send up the roto rooter blades up thru my leg and into the major vessels to clear them out.

Not somethin' I'm lookin' forward to!

Don't fret none.    Your doc will do good, I'm sure.  I survived just fine.  Mine was in through the tummy and a by-pass to the legs.