Grrr... Some People... RL RANT ALERT...

*Shoves a double glazed donut in Willow's mouth to calm her down.*

*Keeps the bavarian cream for himself*.

Hugs Willow - hands her peanuts and a beer.

Don't sweat it Willow, as Hiro pointed out, a lot of them have HR policies that state they cannot give you a perfect evaluation. Also, some asshat co-worker probably made an off handed remark about your not being at a meeting or some event and the manager grabbed onto it as THE thing.

I had it happen because I refused to golf with the sales people. Our company just recently hired this new VP of Sales that is so phoney he makes me want to upchuck every time the guy opens his mouth to speak.

Everytime he walks past my cube I want to throw something dangerous at him and scream BITE ME YOU ASSHAT!

When I am sitting in meetings, I make lists of things that remind me of him: Rats, Weasles, Poo, etc.

Trust me, it helps keep your sanity.

There wouldn't be enough hours in the day. Face it, we are far outnumbered.

Politics is an inevitable part of every job. You can minimize it by shopping around for the right job, but it will be there to some degree anywhere you go. I'd start going to that meeting if I were you, even if it meant not getting tied up with a "customer" problem during the hour or so before it. Probably everyone in that meeting hates being there and they are not so thrilled that you have found a way out of it.

You should also be interested in what other members of your "team" are working on, what obstacles they have run into etc., even if your particular job is mostly isolated from "the big picture". You may also find that you can help someone else out who is "stuck" on something at that meeting. Worth a try anyway.

I worked for a company not that long ago that had a real tight-wad owner. Even though there were several hundred (at one time, over a thousand) employees, he insisted on having a look at every single employee review. If there wasn't at least one negative comment he would send it back, and one way or another he would find a way to reduce the supervisors suggested salary increase. If the employee was perfect in every way he would play the round-down game: If a suggested raise was 2 percent and that came out to be $1495 he would suggest rounding it down to a "nice even" $1000. But if you tried to outsmart him by suggesting the raise amount as $1500 he would suggest a "nice even" 1.5 percent. Managers who attempted to game this system by asking for really big raises didn't last very long. Wouldn't surprise me if a similar dynamic goes on where you work.

Do the best you can within whatever screwed up system you find yourself, and if you can't stand it try and find something better. I still think it's true that the best way to get a raise is to change jobs. Generally, screwed up companies don't get fixed until they have lost a few good employees. You may have to be one of them.

Stories like this are why I'm self employed Although, this morning I heard myself saying rude things about me by the coffee maker. I may have to write myself up. I let my cat do my employee evaluations. This year I got two claw marks and a poop stain. I'm not sure if that's good or not.

That made me snort, I needed that laugh this morning.

Happy to oblige

How frustrating, Willow! It sucks when your best efferts are missinterpreted as flaws. WTF city. And that "so and so should be a team player" is a dopey cliche that usually means "gee, I don't have anything objective criticism so I'll throw itn the 'team player' line"

My current job is great, but with former jobs I have not been so lucky. One evaluation criticized me for not interacting more with my co-workers. The problem was these co-workers (with a few exception) were a tight clique who rudely blew off mere mortals such as myself. My officmate (another mortal) was also kept out of the loop. It was ridiculous. For example I'd run into the gaggle in the halls around noonish and, to be friendly, ask them were they were off too. They'd look at eachother and come up with weird evasive answers, assuming, I suppose, that I'd follow them if I knew where they were going. When they returned they'd clog up the general email with what a great time they had at wherever they went.

My former career as a teacher was also plagued with nonsense. I worked as a long term sub but wanted a contract so I could be a "real" teacher with my own class for the full year. The principal and vice principal at school X kept telling me how "great" I was... then gave contracts to three unknowns instead of me. The district head honcho told me I was wonderful but that they couldn't give me a contract until I got this newly required bonus credential. This meant an extra year of inane classes, busywork and money. Once I had the damned thing the policy changed so I didn't need it after all! Things seemed to be comming into place. I was subbing at school Y and the principal told me she needed a new 2nd grade teacher for next year and I was her "first choice". Then, on the last day of the current school year, she called me in the office and said, whoops, the current fifth grade teacher at the school wanted the 2nd grade position, and she had priority over me. I thought I'd be offered the 5th grade position but she said my "niche" was with primary grades, but whoops, no positions there.
(After this final blow I dropped my teaching ambitions and got a degree in computer animation. My current job, which I adore, involves visual effects for movies. Maybe all the snags I hit in teaching was fate telling me I was in the wrong place)

Ahhh - is that Catbert, the evil HR Manager that you report to?

When they learned how to write those reports in business school the format included a paragraph for negatives and the instructor wouldn't allow that paragraph to say "nothing wrong so far", so, to this day they have to find SOMETHING that they can put in that paragraph.

hehe, something like that! He's a harsh task master, but easily distracted by catnip, shoelaces, and empty paper bags. A perfect HR manager.

I made it quite clear to my boss that I was here to work - not make friends, and that honestly if not for the fact that they pay me, I'd throw rocks at them.

If they want a partyboy, go hire bobo the clown... if not - let me do my damn job and stop wasting my time with this assinine crap..

I also made it abundantly clear that the year I don't get a raise is the year I say 'yes' to the next headhunter.

Funnily enough my 'evaluation' now consists of an email from the News Director saying 'thanks for another year -- your raise is x% and should be on your next paycheck'


Short - sweet - simple.

Siggy.

The world is a vampire, you know..

At least you get evaluations.


fen-

Yeah it sucks

Siggy, if you hold courses, just tell me how much i have to pay to attend a class...