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Stannis Eats No Peaches

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Started the new gig today...almost like riding a bike, as I've not been in hotels for 13+ years...that so many people I dealt with (vendors) are the same in the new place, as they were in the old will make things easier in a lot of ways...

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The fun fact about neo-liberalism is that most of the time you have no money to do anything useful (like hire people), and at the same time sometimes they give you money for random projects, just because it's good for the university's image.

Anyway, there's this call for applications to develop Paris-Oxford partnerships. I'm considering proposing something like this:

a brief description of the project and planned activities, -->  I'd like to perform an on-site study of every single pub in Oxford.

a rationale for the collaboration with Oxford/Paris colleagues; --> I'd like a local colleague to show me around said pubs (and take me home if I have trouble walking)

an indication of the intended outcomes; --> quite a few hangovers, I assume

a comment on the legacy or sustainability of the collaboration (maximum 2 pages); -->  that will depend on our livers ; also, on the quality of the beer in Oxford

Anyone here willing to participate? The first 50 rounds are on me.

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5 minutes ago, Rippounet said:

The fun fact about neo-liberalism is that most of the time you have no money to do anything useful (like hire people), and at the same time sometimes they give you money for random projects, just because it's good for the university's image.

Anyway, there's this call for applications to develop Paris-Oxford partnerships. I'm considering proposing something like this:

a brief description of the project and planned activities, -->  I'd like to perform an on-site study of every single pub in Oxford.

a rationale for the collaboration with Oxford/Paris colleagues; --> I'd like a local colleague to show me around said pubs (and take me home if I have trouble walking)

an indication of the intended outcomes; --> quite a few hangovers, I assume

a comment on the legacy or sustainability of the collaboration (maximum 2 pages); -->  that will depend on our livers ; also, on the quality of the beer in Oxford

Anyone here willing to participate? The first 50 rounds are on me.

I live 10 mins from Oxford and like free beer. 

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While it is super cool that I am being paid far market value at my new job it is a fucking mess. This property has long been left to die. At first I thought it was just covid. Nope. Not the case at all. It was wildly mismanaged, given no direction and no financial support. I do not even have 30 of the same plate. Had I not brought some pans from home I initially would not have had a single flat pan to cook in. I would exhaust myself covering the laundry list of things that need replaced or repaired or purchased. It is taking a toll on me. meanwhile the owners are worth billions.

 

I have hired a few people and fired one. I was shocked to find they were still paying people pre-pandemic wages. Nobody has said anything to me yet but I have given raises to all existing employees and am offering much higher starting wages to new cooks and stewards. The staff I am attracting isn’t to the caliber I would want for the food I want to do, but they are interested in learning and will be a fine base to build a team around when we reconcept and renovate in 2022.

 

My food cost is a mess. I am cooking from scratch, buying good ingredients and taking and active roll in assessing quality. Sadly due to business fluctuation I end up throwing away a lot of food. The old regime worked with a lot of bullshit frozen premade garbage.

 

My boss is in complete denial about the state of the place. He just thinks it needs some love and everything will be alright. No, dude. It needs a lot of money. If I have one more meeting with him where he talks about promotions and how it is time to let the world know I am here I will go nuts. There is nothing here worth promoting. Most of the people I know don’t even know where I work. I keep it secret. If we did get busy as the place should be we don’t have the staff, materials and infrastructure to succeed.

 

I try to be positive, but fuck me. This place is dire. Until I see walls start being torn down, new coolers coming through the doors and a new sign out front it is hard to see a way through.

 

 

 

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8 hours ago, MercenaryChef said:

While it is super cool that I am being paid far market value at my new job it is a fucking mess. This property has long been left to die. At first I thought it was just covid. Nope. Not the case at all. It was wildly mismanaged, given no direction and no financial support. I do not even have 30 of the same plate. Had I not brought some pans from home I initially would not have had a single flat pan to cook in. I would exhaust myself covering the laundry list of things that need replaced or repaired or purchased. It is taking a toll on me. meanwhile the owners are worth billions.

 

I have hired a few people and fired one. I was shocked to find they were still paying people pre-pandemic wages. Nobody has said anything to me yet but I have given raises to all existing employees and am offering much higher starting wages to new cooks and stewards. The staff I am attracting isn’t to the caliber I would want for the food I want to do, but they are interested in learning and will be a fine base to build a team around when we reconcept and renovate in 2022.

 

My food cost is a mess. I am cooking from scratch, buying good ingredients and taking and active roll in assessing quality. Sadly due to business fluctuation I end up throwing away a lot of food. The old regime worked with a lot of bullshit frozen premade garbage.

 

My boss is in complete denial about the state of the place. He just thinks it needs some love and everything will be alright. No, dude. It needs a lot of money. If I have one more meeting with him where he talks about promotions and how it is time to let the world know I am here I will go nuts. There is nothing here worth promoting. Most of the people I know don’t even know where I work. I keep it secret. If we did get busy as the place should be we don’t have the staff, materials and infrastructure to succeed.

 

I try to be positive, but fuck me. This place is dire. Until I see walls start being torn down, new coolers coming through the doors and a new sign out front it is hard to see a way through.

 

 

 

Damn. You are a hero.

 

When I saw what a mess my current place is, after a few months of working here, I decided “not my problem”


(They really should have given me that raise I asked for.) 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I got out of an incredibly pointless, frustrating and patronizing meeting with the research organization I'm supposedly working with (I am now now not working with them), and straight onto a "catch up" call with a colleague at the Very Large Organization. I had expected it to be for another project but its  for something at least semi-permanent and definite step in terms of authority - a leadership-y role setting a research agenda for this currently slightly ad-hoc unit that I've been doing projects for. It would be complicated to juggle, but maybe not impossible, and, I mean, she had very good timing just then.

My advisor, a middle aged white guy: "Guuuuurl, finish your dissertation."

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I hope everyone is doing well, toiling away at their respective coal faces.  If I haven’t mentioned it before, The Gervais Principle is worth checking out as a framework for how employers unconsciously organize themselves.  It’s probably too cynical, but a very interesting and potentially useful lens nonetheless.  People create politics; companies don’t create anything — they’re just empty shells populated by people.

I’m now two years at my new firm and absolutely crushing it.  I’m glad that big gamble paid off: I gave up a very good situation to make a move to where far too many others have failed in the past, and I incurred big switching costs to do so.

Now a fork in the road of opportunity approaches — a year earlier than I had planned for — so interesting choices and maneuvers must be broached.  I cannot be more specific because my firm is always very newsworthy.  But good to know that I’ve built a strong reputation quickly enough that I have a strong hand to play.

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22 hours ago, A True Kaniggit said:

Wow. I can’t leave right now for financial reasons, but this company is a bastard. 
 

It just fired 2 people today, with no warning whatsoever, 4 days before the yearly 5% bonus payout.
 

Merry Christmas to them I guess?

That reminds me of this Dilbert cartoon  

Sorry you’re working for evil sociopaths.

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Well, well. The corporate tribalism and politics are certainly not my forte. I don’t know how to handle these things and I don’t care for them. Why can’t we all thrive for delivering the highest possible quality work instead of shitting on one another’s grass? I find myself in the most absurd situations. 

Spoiler

There’s this colleague who’s held in rather high regard both in my team and in my department, close with the manager and all. This is the second time this colleague sticks their nose into something that catalysis a chain of conflict for no real reason. And sure that’s one thing, but the passive aggressive, self-serving way they pick on stuff is inexplicable to me. The issue was  on the edge of being resolved. Then this colleague comes along and it becomes a whole thing with a series of pre-composed emails and discussions and managers in cc, because they just can’t stay the hell out of it. 

That’s another thing I don’t get. I’m used to dealing with problems on my own account - Laying claim on your manager’s time and attention is the absolute last resort when you’ve hit a dead end three times and are out of ideas. I just don’t get when this company considers it right to involve a manager. Sometimes it feels like the most ridiculous things are micro managed and other times it feels like you are expected to take ownership and manage your own business as a adult would. I don’t have a real grasp of where my responsibility and accountability begins and ends. I talked to him about this, and he said he thought when one feels they are on the edge of their limits, they are usually not even close yet. That was quite the takeaway for me. Because I’m an overly careful worryworm who’s on edge about stepping on someone’s foot - especially in this environment where people’s informal, Machiavellian power and position seems to account for and influence so much. It’s exhausting. 

 

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I start a new job on Monday, for the first time in 10 years. Moved from consulting to a Director role at a major bank. I'm mostly excited and slightly feeling the imposter syndrome that I always feel prior to starting a new role (previously it was before a new engagement with my clients). It'll go away once I get into a few meetings, start asking questions and make relationships with the key stakeholders but I always feel like I don't know shit before I start. Also, for the first time maybe ever, I'll have a settled office to call my own and even able to bring a picture of my family like people do! New beginnings!

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8 minutes ago, Mexal said:

I start a new job on Monday, for the first time in 10 years. Moved from consulting to a Director role at a major bank. I'm mostly excited and slightly feeling the imposter syndrome that I always feel prior to starting a new role (previously it was before a new engagement with my clients). It'll go away once I get into a few meetings, start asking questions and make relationships with the key stakeholders but I always feel like I don't know shit before I start. Also, for the first time maybe ever, I'll have a settled office to call my own and even able to bring a picture of my family like people do! New beginnings!

Congrats, best of luck 

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I’m very close to hiring a senior #2 for my team, which will help me have time to stretch upward into some new responsibilities/opportunities.  We’ve spent months recruiting for this position and one candidate is the strong by far.  I hope to make an offer to her by end of year.  And one or two of the other candidates may work for other roles in adjacent teams.  Our search & interview process turned up some good talent. 

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19 minutes ago, Iskaral Pust said:

I’m very close to hiring a senior #2 for my team, which will help me have time to stretch upward into some new responsibilities/opportunities.  We’ve spent months recruiting for this position and one candidate is the strong by far.  I hope to make an offer to her by end of year.  And one or two of the other candidates may work for other roles in adjacent teams.  Our search & interview process turned up some good talent. 

That's crucial. Having super capable managers underneath me that I could rely on to run the projects while I pushed into MD responsibilities was massive for my development. I hope she accepts! The market is nuts out there right now.

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Work’s been rough in the last two weeks.  I just feel like my org doesn’t care about me and also does not trust my judgement.  I feel like I should polish up my resume, which I haven’t done for the past 5 years.

1. National aligned job families across all regions (essentially making sure all of my team has the same skills and experience as others who may have been titled/paid differently in the past.  It was good news for all of my contributors, they ended up with some wage increases, better bonus potential and more room in new title to grow.  Problem is…”someone” didn’t do the same wage/equity mapping for management roles…and they don’t have a timeline to do so. My educated guess is - they didn’t map the roles through poor oversight and consequently didn’t budget for it, and now we manager types are in the lurch for a year.

2.  Worked through 6 panel interviews to hire for a position that’s been vacant since end of August, had a unanimous decision on the final candidate, and when it went to offer, was told we couldn’t hire the person- due to 1.5 months shy of the experience required.  It went through recruiting, and they had equivalent volunteer/school experience that should count, but after 2 days of bureaucratic nightmares, it’s not going to go through as I wanted.

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