A genius way to manage workflow

For the past several weeks I've been trying to confirm employment for a customer. The customer is not cooperating, so I have to contact the employer. I've tried calling and e-mailing, and no one would respond. Finally I asked someone else in my organization for help. Some research was done, and the only way that company verifies is by mail. Yep, old school USPS. I immediately knew exactly why they did this- it cuts the number of these have to do to practically none. Most places aren't going to bother trying to get info by mail. HR strategy in action! 

As Scrooge McDuck would say "Work smarter, not harder."

It's like this person knows me

A recent article on AskAManager.com focused on working with others when you don't necessarily agree with them. I'm sure you've never had to do that right? My favorite quote was this:

Task-focused people can get the job done whether they like another person or not. 

Oh yes, so this. Anyone who knows me well will tell you I am definitely a task oriented individual. I am all about the checklist. Dealing with humans when it's required to complete items on the list- not my favorite thing. One day at my previous job my team was meeting about something when I commented "I am not a team player." My boss, who'd worked with me for over 10 years at that point, seemed shocked by this. My coworker said "She is not a team player, but she can work well in a team." That's it in a nutshell. When I read the above comment in the article, it was like the author had met me.

When 1/4" is all the stands between you and employment- Update

The customer called me Monday afternoon from his truck at his new job. He started that morning.

The Different Worlds We Inhabit

Some of my friends (husband and wife) have an annual get together the day after Thanksgiving. At the end of the evening, these friends, another friend, and I were in the kitchen talking. While standing there I was struck by how different we are from the people with whom I deal at my job each day. Everyone in the room was employed, had at least some college, and is well traveled. Your friends and family tend to be like you, and I worked with a similar demographic in my last job, even though we had lots of blue collar positions.

Coming to this job has been a huge culture shock, and it’s not just me. I’ve talked to the coworkers in my office and another person who works in this building, and they feel the same way. I tell them it’s like I’m dropped off in a foreign country each morning when I come to work. For example, we had 4 people Monday who came to the office and didn’t have photo ID with them. Now, how did they most likely get here? They drove. Before working here I had never met anyone who didn’t have a high school diploma or GED. I am amazed how many people we see who don’t. Our office does wage printouts that show how much customers have earned in the last several years.  They are used for energy assistance and other various programs. I see many people who have earned little to nothing for several years. Granted, I know this is a nonrepresentative sample of the population, but I’m still amazed at how many there are. And the resumes we see. The description the staff uses most often with each other is “train wreck”. Also, many people seem to have never been taught or figured out that “you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar”. It’s definitely been eye opening.

I am very fortunate that my trip to the foreign country only lasts while I’m at work. I’m extremely happy to get back in my car at the end of the day and transport myself back to my home country.

Be careful whom you text

Be careful whom you text, especially when plotting illegal activity.

Ambiguity at work

I was having a discussion with someone about ambiguity in the workplace. When she described what she faces, I loved it and asked for permission to share it. Permission was granted, so without further ado:

"It's like working with the circus clowns who keep going in one car door and out the other while asking you to keep on driving."  

When 1/4" is all the stands between you and employment

Last week I made calls to check in with several of my customers at work. Part of my job is to see how their job search is going, are there services our office can offer to help, etc. One of the people with whom I spoke is Mr. X. He has been unemployed for over 6 months. He lost his long term job due to failing a post-accident drug test. Oops. However, because his employer didn't universally drug test everyone who was injured, he was able to draw unemployment. He exhausted the full amount (26 weeks) a bit ago. Overall, he's a nice guy who didn't make wise choices and is now paying the price.

He has been diligently job searching, and he has been frustrated that for the first time in his life, it's not been a quick process. We've paid him to be retrained in what is a very marketable skill locally. Due to issues with his driving record, it has taken him longer than normal to get a job in that field. Finally, though, it's starting to pay off. He had one offer, but he failed the agility test. He had a confirmed offer for a job that would require a ton of travel, not his preferred, but you do what you have to do. While waiting for that job to start, he found what seems like will be a great match of his previous employment and his new training. It is a local job too. He's passed the urine drug test, and now just one thing is separating him from gainful employment- 1/4" of hair. Yes, you read that right. His new employer does both urine and hair drug test. For the latter, you must have at least 1/2" of hair. Right now, his is only 1/4". So hopefully in another 2 weeks or so, he can test and start work. Thankfully, the potential employer is cool with that. It's not often that 1/4" is all that stands between you and a job.