‘If you don’t like it, find another job', said a grouchy manager through clenched teeth, certain that his employee would back down like a pup from a wolf, but to his dismay, this machinist did not take the bait. ‘Good luck replacing me’, said the machinist, grabbing his things and taking off, not forgetting to inform the manager that he would take ALL his accrued PTO & vacation time for the next 2 weeks. This is what happens when companies hire managers without a day of experience. A machinist…

Agreeing to something only to find that the terms of that deal have changed is an altogether disappointing experience. And why wouldn't it be? An expectation has been set that hasn't been met, and usually not in your favor. While sometimes you might fight and argue to reach the terms of the original deal… Sometimes, all you can do is pray that the deal isn't altered any further. Even though the terms of employment shouldn't be like making a deal with Star Wars Darth Vader—well… sometimes it is;…

Every job has its quirks, and workers usually have their own adapted processes to deal with these in efficient and effective ways. Sure, sometimes these might cut too many corners and need reeling in by management, but the worst thing a new manager can do is assume that they know a better way of doing things. See, usually, these adapted processes are developed by workers over an extended period of time through experimentation and process of elimination in order to streamline their tasks and rem…

Learning that you're making less than a new hire with less experience is insulting. Yet, companies seem to consistently possess a higher hiring budget than a budget for raises for dedicated workers—with the frequency of stories like this making it seem more like the norm than some fringe occurrence. A female machinist shared her recent workplace experience on the popular r/antiwork Reddit sub. She explained that she had been training a new hire and found out that the trainee was earning a highe…

It seems like a common theme for new supervisors to enter the workplace with a big bang, having the desire to prove themselves, leading to a quick and sudden change in the status quo. Oftentimes, this isn't necessarily a good thing. Some are as quick to go as they are to come, and this is exactly what happened in this particular case. A foreman joined a company and naively thought he could mess around with one of their oldest employees (a machinist) when giving him demerit points for being ten…

A lesson in appreciating vital staff.