This is from all the way back in 2009!
After this I wouldn't hear from them for almost 8 months and then sometime last in the following year it became a steady everyday gig for a year.
It did have its moments both good and bad. My direct supervisor was the consummate company man. He had been there when I was there seven years prior and he was a guy who had only had really two jobs over the course of his professional career. I admired him for that. It took a lot to stick in a place like that for as long as he had.
The thing was though as a boss you knew he didn’t have your back.
That’s not to say he wasn’t loyal, he was decidedly loyal but only to the women who worked under him/ Time and again in one situation after another you could see where there was a different set of rules that applied based entirely on gender.
It was so blatant it was a bit of a running joke among other people on staff because they could see his charges get away with murder while performing poorly.
I always found it more than a little disconcerting that even though I sat right outside his office at one point (which wasn’t fun at times) he would pointedly sneak out at night very quietly without ever saying good night. It was just weird.
Again, I did respect him because he knew his stuff and he was a SURVIVOR. He was smart enough to know how to play the game and sidle up to people in authority and always stay in their good graces, I was simply amazed at the deft political skill he showed, it was Machiavellian.
I worked under him for a bit of time and then later on after falling out of favor for a bit, someone else I had worked with moved into a senior position and had me back in regularly.
I hadn’t been in for awhile, wondered why the phone stopped ringing but was glad to go back because overall this was a client I truly liked. I liked a lot of the people there and I did enjoy the work a great deal.
Then after I had been back, I found out why the phone stopped ringing and it turned out I was made the fall guy for one of my old bosses’ pets. I got the whole story which explained quite a bit because suddenly when I returned, a few folks had trouble looking me in the eye. It’s one of those things you just wonder about and think to yourself, “What happened?”
Then I realized one truism that I hate about the industry I work in...
‘Blame the freelancer.’
See, that’s the bad thing about this business and one of the reasons why I’m really, really tired of being the guy.
I can’t begin to tell you how much this happens in this business. Anyway, I really loved working at that place even though half the time I was worried about when the work would dry up. It turned out though over the next six years that I was there, each and every staff person who worked in my area of specialty was shown the door.
Every... single... one.
Not because they did a bad job (though SOME of them did) but only because the company wanted to start over. Totally ridiculous style of management.
At the height of the great recession, this one office out of all the offices globally was the only one to show a profit and then over the next six years the senior management just ran it into the ground.
So very sad.
This past week I found myself in the city to get a flu shot. I haven’t been in the city much over the last month or two because of the leg however, since the cast came off I really don’t have any excuse for hiding out as it were.I stopped there. You know, this particular client was a part of my life on and off for the next six years. After an initial spell of being back there for three months (after not having been there for seven years) I would get called in from time to time.
I was meeting a friend for lunch and we were meeting at a restaurant just up the street from where my last gig was. It’s been only two months since I’ve been there but it feels like an eternity.
And the funny thing is this - I miss it.
Not just the money either (which I do miss) but I was really enjoying the structure of my day, my schedule and the people I was around. Sure it had its moments but for the most part, I really enjoyed it. So, being up the street from the place put me in an odd frame of mind...
After this I wouldn't hear from them for almost 8 months and then sometime last in the following year it became a steady everyday gig for a year.
It did have its moments both good and bad. My direct supervisor was the consummate company man. He had been there when I was there seven years prior and he was a guy who had only had really two jobs over the course of his professional career. I admired him for that. It took a lot to stick in a place like that for as long as he had.
The thing was though as a boss you knew he didn’t have your back.
That’s not to say he wasn’t loyal, he was decidedly loyal but only to the women who worked under him/ Time and again in one situation after another you could see where there was a different set of rules that applied based entirely on gender.
It was so blatant it was a bit of a running joke among other people on staff because they could see his charges get away with murder while performing poorly.
I always found it more than a little disconcerting that even though I sat right outside his office at one point (which wasn’t fun at times) he would pointedly sneak out at night very quietly without ever saying good night. It was just weird.
Again, I did respect him because he knew his stuff and he was a SURVIVOR. He was smart enough to know how to play the game and sidle up to people in authority and always stay in their good graces, I was simply amazed at the deft political skill he showed, it was Machiavellian.
I worked under him for a bit of time and then later on after falling out of favor for a bit, someone else I had worked with moved into a senior position and had me back in regularly.
I hadn’t been in for awhile, wondered why the phone stopped ringing but was glad to go back because overall this was a client I truly liked. I liked a lot of the people there and I did enjoy the work a great deal.
Then after I had been back, I found out why the phone stopped ringing and it turned out I was made the fall guy for one of my old bosses’ pets. I got the whole story which explained quite a bit because suddenly when I returned, a few folks had trouble looking me in the eye. It’s one of those things you just wonder about and think to yourself, “What happened?”
Then I realized one truism that I hate about the industry I work in...
‘Blame the freelancer.’
See, that’s the bad thing about this business and one of the reasons why I’m really, really tired of being the guy.
- The guy called in at the 11th hour when the project has been around for six months and suddenly people realize the deadline is approaching.
- The guy who get the big heaping pile of shit stacked on his plate
- The guy who if he saves the day will not get the credit but if something goes wrong will get the blame.
I can’t begin to tell you how much this happens in this business. Anyway, I really loved working at that place even though half the time I was worried about when the work would dry up. It turned out though over the next six years that I was there, each and every staff person who worked in my area of specialty was shown the door.
Every... single... one.
Not because they did a bad job (though SOME of them did) but only because the company wanted to start over. Totally ridiculous style of management.
At the height of the great recession, this one office out of all the offices globally was the only one to show a profit and then over the next six years the senior management just ran it into the ground.
So very sad.
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