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Equality 7-2521 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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 Posted: October 12 2010 at 08:49 |
 Dean wrote:
I used to work 60 hours for 37 hours pay - when I asked my boss for some overtime payment, even as low as ½ my equivalent hourly rate I was told that as salaried staff I wasn't entitled but was expected to work the hours needed or they would find someone else who would.
This carried on for several years - arriving home at 9pm, eating a warmed-over dinner and falling asleep in front of the TV - all the time believing the company had the upper-hand. One day the company asked us (you know, politely, like they do) to take 40% pay cut, because of some recession created by a dot.com bubble deflating or a commodity broker sneezing on wall st. wiping out several imaginary billions on some computer screen - so we did, but only in return for a 3 day week. So I ended up working 24 hour week for 24 hours pay and the quality of my life improved, but financially it was tough going and I started looking for another job. The company countered that by finding me one extra days work working for another company within the group putting me up to 30 hours for 30 hours pay - which made life easier and I was now working half the hours I used to for 80% of the pay.
That's when it dawned on me the company didn't have the upper-hand, I did - they didn't try and replace me because I wasn't working a 60 hour week - they actually went out of their way to keep me. Now I'm back to full pay and 35 hours a week, and if the company wants me to work extra they have to ask very nicely and allow me the time off in lieu.
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Assert your dominance Dean.
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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JJLehto
Prog Reviewer
Joined: April 05 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Status: Offline
Points: 34550
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Posted: October 13 2010 at 00:06 |
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Glad to see this thread is being kept alive despite my total absence!
Like a true American I currently don't give a sh*t about politics or anything really at the moment.
Just trying to plow on through life...
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
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Posted: October 13 2010 at 04:18 |
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
Assert your dominance Dean.
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That's the curious thing - I'm far less aggressive and confrontational now - before I would kick against the system with the slightest of provocation, even over the stupidest of things like changing the brand of coffee in the vending machines or forbidding employees from using the main entrance to the building. Those things seem inconsequential and inane now, but at the time, with all the pressure and stress of long hours, we would blow them out of all proportion. Recently there was a "corporate policy" forcing everyone to use a corporate background on their PCs - in the past that would have caused all manner of unrest with the workforce - now we just said, 'no, we don't want that, it's pointless in a closed office that visitors don't see' and the order was rescinded without argument.
I guess my point is there is no need for managers and workers to try and dominate each other - employers need employees as much as employees need employers. Replacing someone is expensive and time consuming, paying recruitment fees, paying headhunters, running newspaper and tradepaper ads, conducting interviews and training new staff costs money and all that time wasted is unproductive, it often costs more than the salay of who you are replacing - it's more cost effective to fix what's broken.
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What?
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Finnforest
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: February 03 2007
Location: The Heartland
Status: Offline
Points: 17631
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Posted: October 13 2010 at 05:08 |
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My experience in this regard has been very similar to Deans.
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ExittheLemming
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 19 2007
Location: Penal Colony
Status: Offline
Points: 11420
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Posted: October 13 2010 at 05:27 |
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At the risk of playing into the 'legislation is the work of the devil' hands of the libertarians, does anyone think there are far too many employment and workplace regulations in place which often makes it practically impossible to sack an employee no-matter how awful their performance is or how disruptive they may have become?
My experience tells me that we have reached a point where many employers would prefer to hire casual contract staff exclusively rather than run the entire gamut of legislative requirements and rigmarole applicable to full-time permanent employees.
Is anyone accountable for their actions in the workplace any longer?
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: October 13 2010 at 15:38 |
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Government regulation damaging an industry? Why I don't believe it sir.
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32588
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Posted: October 13 2010 at 15:41 |
ExittheLemming wrote:
At the risk of playing into the 'legislation is the work of the devil' hands of the libertarians, does anyone think there are far too many employment and workplace regulations in place which often makes it practically impossible to sack an employee no-matter how awful their performance is or how disruptive they may have become?
My experience tells me that we have reached a point where many employers would prefer to hire casual contract staff exclusively rather than run the entire gamut of legislative requirements and rigmarole applicable to full-time permanent employees.
Is anyone accountable for their actions in the workplace any longer?
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Here in the USA, we're taught from a very young age to have high self-esteem no matter what.
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: October 13 2010 at 17:42 |
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For some reason I imagined you saying that like the girl from the Orbit gum commercials.
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32588
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Posted: October 13 2010 at 17:51 |
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
For some reason I imagined you saying that like the girl from the Orbit gum commercials.
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Clean your mouth, you little doo doo head cootie queen.
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
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Posted: October 13 2010 at 17:53 |
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I don't think it is that difficult to sack anyone and the concept of "a job for life" is something for the history books, even in the Civil Service (or IBM). Companies like casual contract employees because they are cheaper to dispose of, not easier.
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What?
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jammun
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 14 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 3449
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Posted: October 13 2010 at 21:26 |
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My company fires 10% of its workforce every year, government regulations be damned. I'm one of the lucky 10% this year (sort of like winning a reverse lottery!). Many of us wind up going back to work there as contract employees.
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Can you tell me where we're headin'?
Lincoln County Road or Armageddon.
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: October 14 2010 at 10:22 |
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A question to thread participants:
Which U.S. wars do you consider justified? Which do you not?
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32588
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Posted: October 14 2010 at 10:30 |
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
A question to thread participants:
Which U.S. wars do you consider justified? Which do you not?
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At this juncture, I don't feel qualified to answer that.
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Padraic
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: February 16 2006
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 31169
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Posted: October 14 2010 at 10:31 |
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World War II.
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horsewithteeth11
Prog Reviewer
Joined: January 09 2008
Location: Kentucky
Status: Offline
Points: 24598
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Posted: October 14 2010 at 10:39 |
Padraic wrote:
World War II. |
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: October 14 2010 at 10:47 |
Padraic wrote:
World War II. |
As justified or not justified?
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: October 14 2010 at 10:47 |
Epignosis wrote:
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
A question to thread participants:
Which U.S. wars do you consider justified? Which do you not?
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At this juncture, I don't feel qualified to answer that.
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Why not?
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32588
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Posted: October 14 2010 at 10:50 |
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
Epignosis wrote:
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
A question to thread participants:
Which U.S. wars do you consider justified? Which do you not?
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At this juncture, I don't feel qualified to answer that.
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Why not?
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I've not studied most of our wars enough to give an educated answer.
Edited by Epignosis - October 14 2010 at 10:51
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horsewithteeth11
Prog Reviewer
Joined: January 09 2008
Location: Kentucky
Status: Offline
Points: 24598
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Posted: October 14 2010 at 10:50 |
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I'd say World War II was justified (and the revolutionary war obviously). I can't think of a single other war the U.S. has ever been in that is justified in any way.
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Paravion
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 01 2010
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 470
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Posted: October 14 2010 at 10:51 |
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How is war justified?
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