Tweet
Several months back, we got some new blood in the human resources department here at Pit of Despair Manufacturing, Inc. This was because the upper management decided that the reason morale is so low at the plant must be because of H.R. Thus, once the new H.R. lady (an utterly joyless chimpanzee -- but she came to us well-recommended) was ensconced, one of her first acts was the establish the "morale committee."
The point of this committee was to seek out ways to make working at Pit of Despair more enjoyable. The problem with even trying is that most of the work at the factory, at any factory, is mindless drudge work where you are reduced to a cog in a machine and know it. This also occurred in an atmosphere where some departments have been working overtime since April and forced overtime since June when they dared to complain about the amount of overtime they were working in the springtime.
Anyway, the morale committee's latest and greatest suggestion on ways to make the Pit of Despair a happy funfest was for each shift to hold a Thanksgiving dinner.
A note -- my shift is known for holding dinners and celebrations. We used to do it for individual birthdays, then switched to holding one every month so nobody would feel left out. We even have theme dinners. People who get to be known for their specialties, such as myself with cheesecake and chai tea cake, will be asked to make their specialties every time. It's a great way to build camaraderie and make friends.
H.R and the morale committee are unclear on this concept though. They did not suggest that each shift hold a dinner. They commanded it. One of the office staff will be ordering catered turkey and stuffing for each shift -- at a cost of $150 per shift.
The problem I have with this is that people will hold a dinner because they want to, not because they have been ordered to by management. Furthermore, one would think that if you have been ordered to hold a dinner, and if someone is offering to provide the centerpiece of the meal, that would be offered gratis. Or am I alone in thinking that?
The managers on my shift refused the $150 turkey, much to the consternation of the upper management, H.R. and the morale committee. We also refused to hold our dinner on our appointed day, and held it instead this past Monday. Hell, we got two turkeys and cooked another one last night, and enjoyed with the leftovers from the first night.
And this leads me to the mice... Just as I'm known for cheesecake and chai tea cake, one of my other coworkers is known for her chocolate mice. They come in two varieties: peanut butter and cherry. To hear her tell it, they're easy to make, albeit time-consuming. I loved the peanut butter ones and ate them til I got sick both nights.
Behold!
Anyway, to sum this up... We were ordered to hold a celebration, and were further ordered to pay for it, all in the name of improving morale. Does this make the slightest bit of sense to anyone?
The point of this committee was to seek out ways to make working at Pit of Despair more enjoyable. The problem with even trying is that most of the work at the factory, at any factory, is mindless drudge work where you are reduced to a cog in a machine and know it. This also occurred in an atmosphere where some departments have been working overtime since April and forced overtime since June when they dared to complain about the amount of overtime they were working in the springtime.
Anyway, the morale committee's latest and greatest suggestion on ways to make the Pit of Despair a happy funfest was for each shift to hold a Thanksgiving dinner.
A note -- my shift is known for holding dinners and celebrations. We used to do it for individual birthdays, then switched to holding one every month so nobody would feel left out. We even have theme dinners. People who get to be known for their specialties, such as myself with cheesecake and chai tea cake, will be asked to make their specialties every time. It's a great way to build camaraderie and make friends.
H.R and the morale committee are unclear on this concept though. They did not suggest that each shift hold a dinner. They commanded it. One of the office staff will be ordering catered turkey and stuffing for each shift -- at a cost of $150 per shift.
The problem I have with this is that people will hold a dinner because they want to, not because they have been ordered to by management. Furthermore, one would think that if you have been ordered to hold a dinner, and if someone is offering to provide the centerpiece of the meal, that would be offered gratis. Or am I alone in thinking that?
The managers on my shift refused the $150 turkey, much to the consternation of the upper management, H.R. and the morale committee. We also refused to hold our dinner on our appointed day, and held it instead this past Monday. Hell, we got two turkeys and cooked another one last night, and enjoyed with the leftovers from the first night.
And this leads me to the mice... Just as I'm known for cheesecake and chai tea cake, one of my other coworkers is known for her chocolate mice. They come in two varieties: peanut butter and cherry. To hear her tell it, they're easy to make, albeit time-consuming. I loved the peanut butter ones and ate them til I got sick both nights.
Behold!
Anyway, to sum this up... We were ordered to hold a celebration, and were further ordered to pay for it, all in the name of improving morale. Does this make the slightest bit of sense to anyone?
Comment