|
|
Post by Mighty Jack on Jun 1, 2011 1:22:35 GMT -5
^You are a wise, wise man.
------------------------
And so it begins... the warm weather months, that's when the idiots come out of their holes to plague me. I had cops all over the place tonight, and I'm like "Aah-Duh" when I'm around them. These guys were nice at least so I didn't feel too stupid.
So it's 'fill out a report' nite, just because some dillholes dumped their plunder on my site when they saw the Fuzz. On the plus side, their ill gotten gains didn't come from here, which was good because then I'd really have mountains of paperwork to fill out.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Atari on Jun 2, 2011 13:32:21 GMT -5
Well it finally happened. I fired my first employee.
We started this church back in 2005, and we've only ever hired one person besides me. He was on payroll for the last 2 years. Like every other organization in the country, we have to make budget cutbacks. But it wasn't just a budget decision. He wasn't pulling his weight or giving us bang for the buck, and was pretty half-assed in his job performance. So it really became an issue that everyone in the congregation was wondering why I hadn't done something yet.
We had "the talk" a week-and-a-half ago. This Sunday, I'll be telling the congregation. What really sucks is that he's one of my best friends and has been a tremendous help in other ways since we starting this thing. And now, he's giving everyone the silent treatment and vowed never to set foot in the building again. It would be so easy to bury this guy and protect the momentum of the church. But I can't do that. The only way to honor God in this is to honor him and be honest with everyone.
Church politics suck. Even the politics that come from necessary, agonizing decisions.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mitchell on Jun 2, 2011 13:44:01 GMT -5
Be happy that was an easy one, MrA. The tough one is when you have to tell a good worker they have to go because of budget reasons.
Pyrrhic victory, I understand.
|
|
|
|
Post by mummifiedstalin on Jun 2, 2011 22:23:39 GMT -5
One of my best friends who I've known almost my entire life is an entrepreneur and franchise guy. (If you live in Austin and ever ate at a Jimmy Johns, you probably gave him some of your money.) But he's often suggested job deals that I could help him with. And even though they're tempting, especially given the life and career options of an academic, I'll always say no. I just never want my friends, at least my best ones, to turn into a professional relationship as well. No matter how we respect each other in general, the moment we work together, I'm sure there'd be something that we wouldn't agree on.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mitchell on Jun 3, 2011 11:54:59 GMT -5
If you live in Austin and ever ate at a Jimmy Johns, you probably gave him some of your money. Check. Check. Oh, I paid in other ways. Oh, crap, this isn't Sloane. Strike that. |
|
|
|
Post by Mighty Jack on Jun 4, 2011 5:39:59 GMT -5
Sorry to hear that Mr. A. I've had to do it in the past -- firing someone isn't fun.
This isn't the same guy you mentioned a few months back in the complaints bar, the one who wouldn't return your calls and whatnot?
|
|
|
|
Post by Katie on Jun 4, 2011 21:01:05 GMT -5
So, Katie, you worked at Borders? What? Of course my husband and I didn't meet at Borders a few years ago while we were both chafing under its increasingly idiotic decisions streaming in from the main office while telling the perverts to not take the nudie mags into the children's section and getting screamed at by customers who didn't want to give out their emails while trying to buy a newspaper. And of course I didn't get fired and my husband didn't basically tell the management that he was quitting so they could blow said policies out their butts, and of course reading about Borders bankruptcy gave me no feeling of deep, personal satisfaction. Heavens, no. haha not Borders, a smaller store, still national chain though. I take a liiiitlle bit of pride in knowing right after I quit like, a bunch of people quit and the store is basically dying. At least the specific store I worked in. I went back to visit the other day... Creepy. |
|
|
|
Post by Katie on Jun 4, 2011 21:04:17 GMT -5
Well it finally happened. I fired my first employee. We started this church back in 2005, and we've only ever hired one person besides me. He was on payroll for the last 2 years. Like every other organization in the country, we have to make budget cutbacks. But it wasn't just a budget decision. He wasn't pulling his weight or giving us bang for the buck, and was pretty half-assed in his job performance. So it really became an issue that everyone in the congregation was wondering why I hadn't done something yet. We had "the talk" a week-and-a-half ago. This Sunday, I'll be telling the congregation. What really sucks is that he's one of my best friends and has been a tremendous help in other ways since we starting this thing. And now, he's giving everyone the silent treatment and vowed never to set foot in the building again. It would be so easy to bury this guy and protect the momentum of the church. But I can't do that. The only way to honor God in this is to honor him and be honest with everyone. Church politics suck. Even the politics that come from necessary, agonizing decisions. Ouch. Good luck telling the church. We lost our worship pastor about 2 years ago, really rough. Very awkward. But he was very much loved and he was crucial to our music ministry. I still hang out with him, and also still attend the church he left. It's super super awkward. But you are right, the best option is be honest with the congregation as much as possible. It helps heal the wounds a lot faster. Cuz man, church can really wound deep. I love my current church but I got bured bad by my last one. Just gotta give God the glory for getting you through. |
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Atari on Jun 5, 2011 8:24:18 GMT -5
Thanks Katie. It always bothers me when people rip on the church because this one time a Christian hurt their feelings. You want to talk about being emotionally hurt by a Christian? Try being a pastor!
Anyway, I couldn't sleep last night. I stayed up stressfully writing and rewriting my comments to the congregation about this. Which is really odd, since I never script my sermons. But this will require exact language. I feel like I need a teleprompter like Obama. Maybe I'll do the Clinton lip-bite and thumb move for emphasis.
|
|
|
|
Post by mummifiedstalin on Jun 5, 2011 8:29:59 GMT -5
Nah. Just break down and cry a lot. It worked for Swaggart!
|
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Atari on Jun 5, 2011 16:04:26 GMT -5
Well, I made it through without crying. But it was tough.
On the plus side, it just freed up some monthly income for our church. Now we get to figure out the best way to use it to make a difference in our community. That's a good problem to have.
|
|
|
|
Post by Don Quixote on Jun 5, 2011 17:33:44 GMT -5
Buy lots of hookers & blow. For Jesus.
But I kid. Do you have a food pantry? You could probably expand it if you do. Or, a place for people to donate their stuff for the less fortunate, such as clothing and things. A youth retreat may be helpful for the community too.
|
|
|
|
Post by GProopdog on Jun 6, 2011 0:29:10 GMT -5
I just realized that I didn't speak of another job I had that had an annoying arse co-worker. I was one of several teens who worked in a mom and pop video store quite a few years ago. We are all the same age and became friends, the managers were this cool, laid back hippie husband and wife, and everything about it was great!
.....except for Rich.
Rich was one of the people who worked there, and good Lord, it was literally like if Dwight Schrute from The Office worked at the video store. He was *constantly* trying to supervise people even though he had no managerial or assistant managerial power, he would write down any little infraction a worker did to report it to the managers, he was rude to customers, and he went out of his way to be anti-social to all of us working there.
He even sorta looked like Rainn Wilson, now that I think about it...
|
|
|
|
Post by mummifiedstalin on Jun 6, 2011 21:23:29 GMT -5
Well, I made it through without crying. But it was tough. On the plus side, it just freed up some monthly income for our church. Now we get to figure out the best way to use it to make a difference in our community. That's a good problem to have. I'm glad that part's behind you. I'm sure the "political" fallout will probably crop up in un-fun ways. But, like you said, you found a blessing in it. |
|
|
|
Post by nondescript spice on Sept 10, 2012 12:49:13 GMT -5
i'm bumping this because i just took the most idiotic call at work - this might be the stupidest one i've taken all year.
caller: yeah, i was calling (first of all, i hate it when someone opens with that - of COURSE you're calling!) - and i bought some cds at a yard sale this weekend and i was wondering if you could tell me if this one cd here is country or what.
me: duhhh, okay. wait, what?
caller: wait, let me get it. okay, the lost trailers. are they country?
me: .....what do they sound like?
caller: i haven't put it in the cd player yet.
me (after a two second google search): country.
caller: okay, thanks.
okay, maybe she wasn't around a cd player. that's possible. but still. if she bought it over the weekend, it seems she would have had a chance to find out for herself instead of calling a radio station to ask. she could have asked the person at the yard sale. but call a radio station? how much trouble would it have been to stick it in her freaking cd player??
|
|
