Employee of the Year

by Bendrr 11 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Bendrr

  No, not me this year. I won last year.

  I just wanted to talk about this year, it's bothering me.

  Ok to set it up for you. I work at an auto tire and repair shop. 3 technicians (I'm one of the technicians, brake tech) and 3 tire/oil change personnel ("tire guys"). One tire guy, Tony, has been there since the shop opened last year. Great guy, always cheerful, busts his ass all day long, good with customers, and he's able to use the store computer so he sometimes helps out on the service counter. If you're feeling down, Tony won't give up until he gets you to laugh and he's always there if you need to talk about something. Tony gives 110% for under $30k/year.

  Tony didn't win Employee of the Year.

  Rod is the driveability technician. Engine work, diagnostics, basically he's the "head tech". He's going to make way over $60k this year. Rod doesn't have to work Saturdays and never has or will. The rest of us work every Saturday. Rod doesn't do tire work or oil changes. (technicians don't have to.) But even I will go help the tire guys out if I'm caught up and they need help. Rod takes his lunch every day, usually an hour (which we're supposed to get) away from the shop somewhere. I usually eat mine at the shop and take just long enough to eat and then get back to work. The tire guys are lucky to get lunch at all and sometimes I buy them lunch because they can't get away to eat. Rod has yet to buy them lunch or breakfast. I've worked on the tire guys' cars before and never charged them. If Rod does, he has it billed to them through the shop at $69/hour labor.

  What really pissed me off was last night and this morning. Last night was the company's annual Christmas dinner. We have 7 shops plus a big-truck tire center, retread plant, and company office. I didn't go. Well after the dinner, all the guys went to some bar and wanted Rod to go with them to celebrate. Rod just blew them off. Today, he didn't buy them breakfast or lunch (which an unofficial tradition when someone wins the EOTY plaque and $100 cash bonus) or even give so much as a thank-you. I bought their lunch.

  I was the first to arrive at the shop this morning. Well second actually, the manager is always there first. I voiced my objections to him and he didn't like it too much. I told him "Wayne that was wrong. Us techs get our award every month in those fat commission checks. Tony busts his ass every day for pennies compared to what we make and he and the other tire guys are the ones who find a lot of our work. He really deserved that award."

  Wayne's response was that he "considered a whole lot of factors" and what eliminated Tony is that Tony doesn't come in on time. Now never mind the fact that Tony rarely gets a lunch away from the shop off the clock, most of the time he's gulping down a cheap hamburger during a 10-minute on-the-clock lunch. Never mind the fact that more than once a week, every week, he's staying late for the last minute "emergency" tire rotations and oil changes or to drive a customer home or pick them up. Never mind the fact that the rest of the year Wayne doesn't mind them coming in a little late because it keeps his payroll down, and he's said that in front of them many times. If I was in the tire guys' position I wouldn't be there at 7:30 every morning either.

  Now to top it all off, Tony had some kind of family emergency today. He'd been trying to call his brother all day. This afternoon he found out that the ambulance went over there and the EMT's had to bust the door open to find his brother unconscious on the floor.

  I know y'all don't know any of these guys and this isn't JW related but I just needed to vent.

  Mike.

  Edited by - bendrr on 17 December 2002 19:40:2
• 

  bigboi

  Shop politics, boy ya gotta love em.

  The way I look at it, is it's a money thing. Mechanics always get better treatment in auto repair shops because their work brings in more money. Especially if the shop sells parts. They literally make a killing in the markups on parts. So it's no surprise that shop managers put up with mechanics that happen to be assholes. Believe me, there is always a high percentage of asshole techs in any group of mechanics.

  Bottomline is the guy should have more respect for shop traditions and for tire techs who are able to inspect vehicles and make him money. Although I understand why your shop manager seems to not want to get involved, all he is worried about is his cash flow, I doubt he really cares about the interpersonal relationships between the guys working.

  Edited by - bigboi on 17 December 2002 19:51:19
• 

  freedom96

  I am a business owner, and I have seen the same type situation that you are talking about. In my experience, someone like Rod will forever stay as an empoyee, and will never reach anything great. People like Tony, and perhaps yourself Mike will make it. Reason? When those go the extra mile when they don't have to, will do whatever it takes. And, from what you say, you and Tony have much better people skills.

  If I were you Mike, I would start looking for more. It sounds like you might have what it takes.
• 

  Skeptic

  Things like Employee Awards are often subject to abuse and political issues.

  My boss continually got $500 bonuses for being part of money-saving efforts. The reason? Another employee came up with the ideas (and did all the work) but needed his signature before they could be implemented. I am not complaining...the employee always got his/her $500 as well, so he/she was never cheated out of their share.

  Another time, a bonus system was introduced. Each employee in a department would get a monetary bonus if the department exceeded certain goals. Our department built computers boards. Another department, the systems people took our boards and built the final computer from them. This was done on a Just In Time basis, so very little stock was kept in warehouses.

  Everyone worked their asses off. Having seen many bonus systems come and go, I never our departament would not see a cent. I was right. However, the systems people got huge bonuses.

  Our department rightly asked, "How could they be so productive so as to get huge bonuses when we are their MAIN supplier? How could they build product without us doing our part? Why did we get nothing?" The answer, of course, was politics. They submitted low goals while ours were aggressive. I personally found that weird because our department as good at game-playing as the rest of the plant.

  It sucks when a good person does not get an award and a lesser person does. But that is the stuff of life. What companies don't realize is that the good employees eventually leave. Not that many employers really care about that either.

  Richard
• 

  ugg

  that is sad....
• 

  Bendrr

  Bigboi you know where I'm coming from. (btw, how's things at your shop?) Yeah the tire techs - thanks for reminding me, I'm old school and still say "tire guy" - do indeed "feed" us techs. Matter of fact it was Wayne the manager who talked to me about that not too long ago and pointed out how since they don't make much it would be a good thing to do to "feed" them back.

  Freedom, you sound like a previous boss I have a lot of respect for.

  People like Tony, and perhaps yourself Mike will make it.

  Freedom, I started out just like Tony. And this is what I tell Tony and the other tire guys. I started out a tire guy just like them. I taught myself how to use the store computer and run the service counter. I started out at Western Auto as a tire guy and when I left I was a Master Tire Specialist, service writer, and filled in on the parts counter as well. Back then I was making as much in commission as I did in hourly. I always tell the tire guys about that and how if I can do it any of them can do better. They're listening, Tony included. It's just going to take time like it did with me. But things like the EOTY incident really hurt their morale so I feel like it's up to me to encourage them.

  If I were you Mike, I would start looking for more. It sounds like you might have what it takes.

  Actually, when I started looking for more I ended up where I am now. At my old job I was making around $30k. I busted $50k last month. (I didn't intend to get into that, but....) I use that to encourage the tire guys like Tony. Like I said before, if I can do it ANYONE can.

  Mike.
• 

  Bendrr

  What companies don't realize is that the good employees eventually leave. Not that many employers really care about that either.

  The company actually does care, Richard. It's an old family business. Managers are only promoted from within, never from outside. The real politics come in at store manager-level and that's what guys like Tony have to get past. He's an upbeat kind of guy and well-liked in the company. This is more a blow to morale than an impediment to his progress.

  Mike.

  Edited by - bendrr on 17 December 2002 21:17:20
• 

  onacruse

  Speaking of office politics...I worked for 5 years for the 2 largest GC's in the Pacific NW, and the politics in the main offices was so thick it was like cold molasses. Gave new meaning to the phrase brown-noser (among other less socially acceptable terms).

  And at the beginning of every year they'd pump us all up with how great things were looking, jobs all lined up, bonuses gonna be fantastic. Then, come October or November, all of a sudden "Golly, folks, we've really taken a beating this year. Only the top managers will be getting bonuses." And 3 months later, the merry tune starts all over.

  At the last quarterly meeting I was at, they asked for "testimonials" of how wonderful it was to work at ***. One guy started talking about how much it was like "family," "everybody is so great to everybody," "I've been treated soooooooooooooooooo good." Was everything I could do to keep from puking.

  A month later they started laying us off.

  "To him what makes the gold, goes more gold."

  Craig

  Edited by - onacruse on 17 December 2002 21:24:31
• 

  DakotaRed

  Bendrr, I know where you're coming from. I do Heavy Line, Driveability, AC, and whatever else comes through the door. Every shop has at least one prima donna, we have 5. Often, the Service Manager doesn't even see how we bail them out. They will suck all the soup off a job, and not do the LOF, leaving that for the lube tech. How hard is it to do an LOF when you already have it raised doing something else? Sad thing is, they get the big bucks and the easy soup too, but who is really carrying the shop?

  I don't like shop politics either, we are all there to make a living.

  Lew W
• 

  riz

  hiya Mike!

  First off, congratulations for winning EOTY last year! That's awesome.

  Second, nice guys almost always get the shaft. It's assholes like Rod who just skate through. But for what it's worth, I would prefer to have someone like you or Tony work on my car than dumb ol' Rod any day.

  But I believe what goes around comes around. I bet one day Rod will be cleaning Tony's toilet. Hell, maybe yours too!

  And another thing- the guys that you work with know what's up. They know Tony's a stand-up guy and Rod's a douche. That has to count for something.

  riz

  Oh and I know why I've always liked you so much- you totally remind me of my favorite uncle. You guys rock!