People Who Don't Care About Their Work

[EricW]

I don't give a crap whether someone's a doctor or a garbage man. Every operation should merit the finest cutting a knitting the doctor has ever done. Every trash day should be a model of cleanliness and efficiency. Nobody should do a job they aren't willing to do right. Good enough doesn't cut it.

I'm sick and tired of being held hostage by worthless jerks who show up to collect a paycheck, do a half-job in faceless anonymity, then skate home as soon as the 5:00 whistle blows.

It has never mattered what I was doing, from mowing a lawn when I was 12 to later in life, installing a process monitoring system in a gigantic factory. I always have felt the quality of my work was a direct reflection of my character as a person. I always felt it was a personal failure when a customer had suffer my poor handiwork. I'll bet if everybody everywhere had to sign their name to their work, there'd be a lot less half-assed crap going on.

Do the job right or don't do it all. Half a job doesn't do sh*t for me.

[SiG Lady]

"I always have felt the quality of my work was a direct reflection of my character as a person."

That's because it IS. You're right-on with this one.

Other people are going to grade you on your work whether you receive an actual 'report card' or not. I kinda rather like getting "A's" myself. So I try and get "A's" by being honest with the work I do (If I can't do the job, I'll say so...) and trying to be as go-the-extra-mile as I can afford to be. That way I can live with myself, sleep at night, and know I did the right thing.

[schmitz]

I'm sick and tired of being held hostage by worthless jerks who show up to collect a paycheck, do a half-job in faceless anonymity, then skate home as soon as the 5:00 whistle blows. 

Jerks are my hobby, I fire them! Sacked one of my mechanics last year, same attitude as

[Gun Geek]

"I always have felt the quality of my work was a direct reflection of my character as a person."

That's because it IS. You're right-on with this one.

Other people are going to grade you on your work whether you receive an actual 'report card' or not. I kinda rather like getting "A's" myself. So I try and get "A's" by being honest with the work I do (If I can't do the job, I'll say so...) and trying to be as go-the-extra-mile as I can afford to be. That way I can live with myself, sleep at night, and know I did the right thing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ahhh, well, see that's the problem, those people probably used to think this way as well. But they ran into conflict (over doing a good job) and frustration with the people/process/system around them. Problem was, it drove them nuts. A part of their character was out of their control, a part of their self-esteem was tied up in whether some numbskull delivered. Feeling like a personal failure because somebody else farther up/down screwed up is dangerous. We were coached to become tolerant, more PC.

Enter the choice; withdraw (stop caring) and be happy(er), or stay engaged and run the risk of feeling angry (contentious as is posted in another thread), discontent, and like a failure.

Ever been called a "problem child", or "malcontent"? (I'm pretty sure Eric has )

I fight this every damn day!

[TriggerT]

Your work is a dirrect reflection of you as a person. If it sucks and looks like crap, well you figure it out.

[carinab]

Rant on brother! Add to the list, arrogant pr^cks who think they know best and won't listen to your suggestions about how you want the job/service to be done.

[Chuck D]

Funny that I'm reading this on my 10-37 (15 min. break) while my fellow Officers are in the Ward Room watching a DVD instead of patrolling the campus.

Oh well...when the cats away (the Supervisor) , the mice will play.

[shred]

One of the favorite lines in my job description is "..able to leave projects before they're finished.." . It's meant in a different way, but it still provides considerable entertainment.

[Precision40]

I feel your pain. I work for the govt. in a skilled position. Unfortunately, it seems like I'm the only one there who actually gives a shnit if the job is done right.

If your not familiar with govt. service, it's nearly impossible to get fired, so no matter how worthless or incompetent you are, you are still are guaranteed a job.

Fortunately (or Unfortunately) for me, I'm a patient person and tolerate alot more than I should. Getting mad only adds grey hair to what little hair I have left

[ipscron2000]

I feel your pain.  I work for the govt. in a skilled position.  Unfortunately, it seems like I'm the only one there who actually gives a shnit if the job is done right. 

If your not familiar with govt. service, it's nearly impossible to get fired, so no matter how worthless or incompetent you are, you are still are guaranteed a job. 

Fortunately (or Unfortunately) for me, I'm a patient person and tolerate alot more than I should.  Getting mad only adds grey hair to what little hair I have left 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Allowing a worker to continue to do unsatisfactory work encourages more of the same day after day and I bet they feel why do a damn thing at all. That is one of the major problems with this country.

I'll tell you a little story.

An American company sold some heavy equipment that goes in factories to the Japanese. After a short while the Japanese called the American company and was complaining that the machines were leaking oil. So the American inspector flew to Japan and inspected the machines and didn't see anything wrong. The Japanese workers pointed out that there was oil or grease dripping below the machines. The American said that was normal. The point being, the Japanese only accepted perfection. I will guarantee if that American company wanted to sell anymore equipment to the Japanese, they would have to build a perfect machine.

Hell, look at there cars.

[Doggorloader]

I'll tell you a little story.

An American company sold some heavy equipment that goes in factories to the Japanese.  After a short while the Japanese called the American company and was complaining that the machines were leaking oil.  So the American inspector flew to Japan and inspected the machines and didn't see anything wrong.  The Japanese workers pointed out that there was oil or grease dripping below the machines.  The American said that was normal.  The point being, the Japanese only accepted perfection.  I will guarantee if that American company wanted to sell anymore equipment to the Japanese, they would have to build a perfect machine. 

Hell, look at there cars.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Reminds me of when I worked in the precision parts industry. Reluctantly the company outsourced a big order of parts to a Japanese machining company and the QC manager specifically admonished his counterpart that the expectations were for 10 parts per million bad product.

The parts arrived 2 days early and when QC opened the boxes for sampling there was a plastic bag with a note saying "we don't know why you wanted 10 bad parts but we put them in this bag so you could be sure we met your expectations."

[Caspian_45]

I build custom houses as a hobby (full time shooter).

The customers don't want to see sloopy craftmanship even if it's getting covered up with drywall. No wrinkles or dents in the soffot. No waves in the siding. Doors and windows that open and close smoothly

I just don't know what these people expect for their $500k (and much more) they are paying.

All kidding aside. The PAY does make a difference. Low pay = low quality.

Thank you for caring enough to do your very best.

[Rob Boudrie]

On a similar thread, I am annoyed by people who volunteer for a job and then act like there is no performance standard, on the basis that "It's free, so you're getting a great deal no matter how slow and mediocre the work.".

[tightloop]

As a former Govt employee, I totally understand the Peter Principle.....and left the service because I had to keep retraining my bosses....they would change after each administration ( or so it seemed)...

No one would tell them they should at least have some idea of how to do the work, even if they were appointees.....

[Ron Ankeny]

I have been teaching vocational education for almost 30 years. Perhaps the toughest thing to "teach" is pride in craftsmanship. It's especially tough to get a kid to do a decent job when they perform a task for another person. Man they got is backwards on that one. If you wanna slop it together for yourself fine, but when you do something for another person do it right.

Back to the topic. I have taught long enough to have a second generation come through the shop doors. Believe it or not, pride in craftsmanship appears to be a possible indicator of future success, especially for small businesses and self employed workers like welders, carpenters, etc.

[SiG Lady]

One of the reasons (there were many, but we won't digress too deeply) I quit my last little office gig after nearly three years with them was that I was hired to 'improve' various processes there and contribute in some significant creative ways, etc., etc. After that nearly three years, there was no cooperation with my myriad sensible suggestions for streamlining, economizing, getting creative work done expediently and less expensively, etc., etc., ad nauseum. One final betrayal (and an additional chronic act of economic lunacy on their part) sent me out the door permanently. It was hopeless. Utterly hopeless. I actually wasted those nearly-three years there.

Even though these people were friendly and harmless on the surface, their inability and unwillingness to make even small changes was kinda mind-boggling... especially after swearing that's what they wanted.

[George]

My way of preventing poor performance on what I do is to either charge full rate (I'm not cheap), or give it away free because I care about the project. Either way, I perform to 100%+ (my minimum delivery level) and have nothing to bitch about.

Selling yourself short is the best way to under-deliver on a job.

--

Regards,

[BritinUSA]

Not sure if this belongs here or not, I'm hearing a lot of things that I normally hear myself saying. It's all summed up in this: It's called Self-made man..it indicate the nobility and dignity of work.

[SiG Lady]

RIGHT ON.

[cking]

I work for the state myself. yes it true what they say, all of it. What is required is keep your opinions to yourself, kiss-ass to the boss. Smile and dress nice. No one is qualified to evaluate your work.

I believe it all started with Nixon, culminated with Clinton. Add that to the finanical scandals.

I think Martha Stewart has more balls, they any of those other bums from WorldCom, etc cooking the books companies. Especially the stock brokers.

So the average guys knows that everyone is out for themselves, honest hard work is for fools, the only sin is getting caught, and if you stole enough it doesn't matter cause you can hire lawyers to get you off.

Add to that the growing welfare group that believes they are entitled to welfare as some God given right. Who then have more children to stay on welfare who grow with the same if not worse attitudes.

Have you noticed the attitude of the fast food employees that are on those welfare supplimented jobs. They have wonderful attitudes. We don't have people skilled enough to flip burgers or make change.

During the 60's America's kids were the brightest in the World, now we don't even rank with other industrialized nations of the world. Thank God for immigrants who have skills and work ethics. But what about our kids?

[Run n Gun]

I don't give a crap whether someone's a doctor or a garbage man.  Every operation should merit the finest cutting a knitting the doctor has ever done.  Every trash day should be a model of cleanliness and efficiency.  Nobody should do a job they aren't willing to do right.  Good enough doesn't cut it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say; here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well."

- Martin Luther King, Jr

[ParaJoe]

I'm sick and tired of being held hostage by worthless jerks who show up to collect a paycheck, do a half-job in faceless anonymity, then skate home as soon as the 5:00 whistle blows. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are describing about 80 percent of the US Navy in that statement. I would like nothing more than to get out of the Navy and work somewhere that people actually give a s*** about what they do.

[tightloop]

It is pitiful....

[Round_Gun_Shooter]

I was self employed as a P&H contractor for 11 years. I was offered a job as a manager for a large company. That lasted three years.

I supervised too many people whose attitude was "Good enough, you can't see it from my house"

I tried and tried to change them to the attitude " Excellent job, it would look great at my house" Unfortunately, the owners were brother and sister who only cared about money not quality. I walked out on them and told them I would not allow them to ruin a repuatation I had spent a long time building.. I am self employed again and my customers are happy.

Good enough never is.

Regards,

[robomanusa]

I'll tell you a little story.

An American company sold some heavy equipment that goes in factories to the Japanese.  After a short while the Japanese called the American company and was complaining that the machines were leaking oil.  So the American inspector flew to Japan and inspected the machines and didn't see anything wrong.  The Japanese workers pointed out that there was oil or grease dripping below the machines.  The American said that was normal.  The point being, the Japanese only accepted perfection.  I will guarantee if that American company wanted to sell anymore equipment to the Japanese, they would have to build a perfect machine. 

Hell, look at there cars.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL, those sound like Cincinnati Milacron machines