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Thought about putting this in Morons in Management, but it's not their fault this crap happened. Looking back on it, I can agree with their decision, I'm just glad I wasn't fired.
So, for the past four months or so I've been working as a security guard at a small technical college. It's nothing more than a small office building and their parking garage. Over my time there I've repeatedly posted of the problems we've been having with skateboarders. This post has nothing to do with them. This post is basically a rant about that bitch of a building manager who tried to get me fired for no apparent reason.
Apparently this all started a month ago when said building manager started making complaints about me to my bosses. No one said anything to me, and I was unaware I was doing anything wrong. My bosses apparently didn't believe her because they basically ignored her. Then Monday they got another call from her, this one had an ultimatum attached to the normal complaints: get rid of me or lose the contract for that site.
So today at my lunch break I get a call from my supervisor. I need to come into the office after my shift ends to "discuss things". I ask if I'm in some kind of trouble. He simply says "Not yet" and again tells me to come in after my shift.
I spend the next three hours panicking about what I could have done. Did I curse in front of someone who took offense to it? Did the Messianic Jewish receptionist mistake some of my comments toward him as Anti-Semitic? Was someone mad about the number of breaks I take(which was the specific number and length my supervisor told me I could take)?
I spoke to the receptionists and they couldn't think of anything I could have done. They said I was a good worker and that I never caused any problems. I also ran into the building manager and asked her if she knew of any complaints against me. This is when I got worried. She told me that yes, there were complaints(plural!) against me, but she couldn't talk to me about it and I needed to speak with my boss.
So my shift ends and I go to the office. I meet with my supervisor and he basically gives a nice long laundry list of complaints against me(My reactions in parenthesis):
-I sleep in my car on shift(Absolute bullshit. As soon as I get out of my car at start of shift I never get back in until end of shift.)
-I sit in my car during shift and listen to the radio(Also bullshit, see above. I do sometimes lean against my car and listen to the radio, but never for more than a few minutes and I am still keeping an eye on things. My supervisor said this was okay so long as I was still alert and not sitting in the car.)
-I take 30-minute breaks every hour(I take a ten minute break every hour plus a 30-minute lunch mid-shift. This was how my supervisor told me to do it when I first started at this site: For every 50 minutes I spend outside walking around I am allowed ten minutes inside where I can sit down, get a drink, go to the bathroom, and just take a break for a bit. I have to inform the receptionists when I take my lunch break. All the guards do this at this site.)
-I am unkempt, unshaven, my uniform has stains on it, and my hair is messy(I shave every morning. Every morning. Have these people never heard of a 5 o'clock shadow? My uniform is always neat, tucked in, and unwrinkled. I only have two uniform shirts, so when some stains appear on both of them before I have a chance to wash them, I have no choice but to wear it. I wouldn't be stupid enough to show up with a shirt with a big coffee stain or something like that on it, but small dirt and other stains are inevitable. I always try to have my uniforms in top condition. I also hang them up when not wearing them so they don't wrinkle. I also wear a hat. You can't see my fucking hair when I have it on. Was she complaining about one of the times I took it off to scratch my head or adjust it and saw my hat-messed hair for a brief moment?)
-I am unapproachable and too much of a presence, making some people nervous(I don't like small-talk. I'm paid to watch the site, not talk to people. I'm sorry if this makes me seem rude, but that's how I am. The few times I do talk to people I do so in a polite, friendly manner. I don't try to scare people off, I'm not an asshole. And too much of a presence? I'm a security guard! I'm supposed to be a big presence! That is the point of a security guard: to make would-be troublemakers notice that there is someone there watching the place and think twice about causing problems.)
So after all that he told me I was being reassigned. I told him I couldn't believe that someone would say all that about me. This is basically what was said:
Me: The people there say I'm a good worker and one of the best guards they've had.
Him: Who said that to you?
Me: Mary(the building manager, name changed), for one.
Him: Mary. Mary Evilbitch? The manager?(Said in a surprised tone)
Me: Yeah...*hamster running at full tilt*...*Mental click as hamster stops*...She's the one that made the complaints, isn't she?
Him: Yep. She said that to your face?
Me: Yeah. That bitch!(Yes, I really said this, I take betrayal really hard)
Him: Huh. I can't see why she would say that to you then turn around and complain...never mind, I've known people to do that before. I can see her doing something like that.
So now I'm working at a site that is three times the distance from my home. It's also on the South Side, one of the bad neighborhoods in this city. I don't like working that part of town. And my schedule is stupid: Wednesday and Thursday I work 8AM-4PM. Friday and Saturday I work 12AM-12PM. I have Monday and Tuesday off. This will be my permanent schedule starting tonight. I've had to work both day and night shifts in a single week before, it isn't fun.
After I left the office I was understandably upset. I've worked security for almost three years now. Almost every single one of the shifts I have worked has been either swing shift or graveyards. When I got the day shift at my site a few weeks ago it was the happiest I've been in a while. I was finally able to hang out with my friends at normal hours! I was making enough money to cover bills and have some left over for simple pleasures. Now I'm working graveyards and day shifts in the same week! I hope I can adjust to it, otherwise I'm worried I may go insane.
After I got home I started bitching to one of my friends over the phone. He tried to cheer me up by telling me it wasn't all bad, but when I'm in a pissy mood people trying to cheer me up make me even pissier. I ended up cursing him out and hanging up on him. He called back, I ignored it. Then I realized why I was so upset: all this is out of my control. I have no choice but to go with what my bosses say, or I'm out of a job. I do not want to be unemployed in December. That would just suck.
So I did something that I have been thinking about doing for a while now: I went and spoke to an Army recruiter. That's right: I'm joining the Army. Why? Several reasons: 1) It will get me in shape 2) It will give me a sense of direction 3) They will pay for school, and also have classes I can take through them for college credit 4) It looks awesome on a resume 5) It will be my choice to sign up. I may not be in control after I join, but joining will have been my decision. And that is what matters to me.
So, one month from now I will be joining the United States Army and be shipped off to basic training. I guess I actually owe Mary Evilbitch my thanks for being the catalyst for this decision. But for now I hope she dies in a horrible fiery car wreck.
So, for the past four months or so I've been working as a security guard at a small technical college. It's nothing more than a small office building and their parking garage. Over my time there I've repeatedly posted of the problems we've been having with skateboarders. This post has nothing to do with them. This post is basically a rant about that bitch of a building manager who tried to get me fired for no apparent reason.
Apparently this all started a month ago when said building manager started making complaints about me to my bosses. No one said anything to me, and I was unaware I was doing anything wrong. My bosses apparently didn't believe her because they basically ignored her. Then Monday they got another call from her, this one had an ultimatum attached to the normal complaints: get rid of me or lose the contract for that site.
So today at my lunch break I get a call from my supervisor. I need to come into the office after my shift ends to "discuss things". I ask if I'm in some kind of trouble. He simply says "Not yet" and again tells me to come in after my shift.
I spend the next three hours panicking about what I could have done. Did I curse in front of someone who took offense to it? Did the Messianic Jewish receptionist mistake some of my comments toward him as Anti-Semitic? Was someone mad about the number of breaks I take(which was the specific number and length my supervisor told me I could take)?
I spoke to the receptionists and they couldn't think of anything I could have done. They said I was a good worker and that I never caused any problems. I also ran into the building manager and asked her if she knew of any complaints against me. This is when I got worried. She told me that yes, there were complaints(plural!) against me, but she couldn't talk to me about it and I needed to speak with my boss.
So my shift ends and I go to the office. I meet with my supervisor and he basically gives a nice long laundry list of complaints against me(My reactions in parenthesis):
-I sleep in my car on shift(Absolute bullshit. As soon as I get out of my car at start of shift I never get back in until end of shift.)
-I sit in my car during shift and listen to the radio(Also bullshit, see above. I do sometimes lean against my car and listen to the radio, but never for more than a few minutes and I am still keeping an eye on things. My supervisor said this was okay so long as I was still alert and not sitting in the car.)
-I take 30-minute breaks every hour(I take a ten minute break every hour plus a 30-minute lunch mid-shift. This was how my supervisor told me to do it when I first started at this site: For every 50 minutes I spend outside walking around I am allowed ten minutes inside where I can sit down, get a drink, go to the bathroom, and just take a break for a bit. I have to inform the receptionists when I take my lunch break. All the guards do this at this site.)
-I am unkempt, unshaven, my uniform has stains on it, and my hair is messy(I shave every morning. Every morning. Have these people never heard of a 5 o'clock shadow? My uniform is always neat, tucked in, and unwrinkled. I only have two uniform shirts, so when some stains appear on both of them before I have a chance to wash them, I have no choice but to wear it. I wouldn't be stupid enough to show up with a shirt with a big coffee stain or something like that on it, but small dirt and other stains are inevitable. I always try to have my uniforms in top condition. I also hang them up when not wearing them so they don't wrinkle. I also wear a hat. You can't see my fucking hair when I have it on. Was she complaining about one of the times I took it off to scratch my head or adjust it and saw my hat-messed hair for a brief moment?)
-I am unapproachable and too much of a presence, making some people nervous(I don't like small-talk. I'm paid to watch the site, not talk to people. I'm sorry if this makes me seem rude, but that's how I am. The few times I do talk to people I do so in a polite, friendly manner. I don't try to scare people off, I'm not an asshole. And too much of a presence? I'm a security guard! I'm supposed to be a big presence! That is the point of a security guard: to make would-be troublemakers notice that there is someone there watching the place and think twice about causing problems.)
So after all that he told me I was being reassigned. I told him I couldn't believe that someone would say all that about me. This is basically what was said:
Me: The people there say I'm a good worker and one of the best guards they've had.
Him: Who said that to you?
Me: Mary(the building manager, name changed), for one.
Him: Mary. Mary Evilbitch? The manager?(Said in a surprised tone)
Me: Yeah...*hamster running at full tilt*...*Mental click as hamster stops*...She's the one that made the complaints, isn't she?
Him: Yep. She said that to your face?
Me: Yeah. That bitch!(Yes, I really said this, I take betrayal really hard)
Him: Huh. I can't see why she would say that to you then turn around and complain...never mind, I've known people to do that before. I can see her doing something like that.
So now I'm working at a site that is three times the distance from my home. It's also on the South Side, one of the bad neighborhoods in this city. I don't like working that part of town. And my schedule is stupid: Wednesday and Thursday I work 8AM-4PM. Friday and Saturday I work 12AM-12PM. I have Monday and Tuesday off. This will be my permanent schedule starting tonight. I've had to work both day and night shifts in a single week before, it isn't fun.
After I left the office I was understandably upset. I've worked security for almost three years now. Almost every single one of the shifts I have worked has been either swing shift or graveyards. When I got the day shift at my site a few weeks ago it was the happiest I've been in a while. I was finally able to hang out with my friends at normal hours! I was making enough money to cover bills and have some left over for simple pleasures. Now I'm working graveyards and day shifts in the same week! I hope I can adjust to it, otherwise I'm worried I may go insane.
After I got home I started bitching to one of my friends over the phone. He tried to cheer me up by telling me it wasn't all bad, but when I'm in a pissy mood people trying to cheer me up make me even pissier. I ended up cursing him out and hanging up on him. He called back, I ignored it. Then I realized why I was so upset: all this is out of my control. I have no choice but to go with what my bosses say, or I'm out of a job. I do not want to be unemployed in December. That would just suck.
So I did something that I have been thinking about doing for a while now: I went and spoke to an Army recruiter. That's right: I'm joining the Army. Why? Several reasons: 1) It will get me in shape 2) It will give me a sense of direction 3) They will pay for school, and also have classes I can take through them for college credit 4) It looks awesome on a resume 5) It will be my choice to sign up. I may not be in control after I join, but joining will have been my decision. And that is what matters to me.
So, one month from now I will be joining the United States Army and be shipped off to basic training. I guess I actually owe Mary Evilbitch my thanks for being the catalyst for this decision. But for now I hope she dies in a horrible fiery car wreck.
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