This can only work out better for you. Your happiness is such a huge part of life, now you get to determine that. Best of luck in your new adventure. You can do this.

 

What dicks.

Avoid signing a non-disparagement contract if you possibly can, so that you can tell everyone what a rotten place they are.

- Eric

 

Well good luck Chris, I don't know where you were getting abused before? I think Dart is looking for people.

Pat

 

My bet is that you'll look back on this as the best thing that happened to you in 2016.
Best of luck!

 

Thanks for the kind words, folks.
Taking a day off today.

i did happen to store the email addresses for the HR of Americas and one level above that. The Euro HR person's address is no longer valid but evidently the Americas HR person got the brief overview of what has been taking place here. And how, when alerted to what was going on, my HR person brushed it aside, fed me some patronizing remarks about how maybe I am just imagining things. This makes her either 1) inept, or 2) in cahoots, and either way, has no business in that position. They can choose to do as little or as much as they like about the toxic leader atmosphere but at least I did my part to make known the situation.

The wife is totally supportive, and it is as if a great burden has been lifted. I am feeling better, I can eat and enjoy it again, etc.

Let the good times roll.

 

Chris i hope things turn around for you soon. You are a very capable man i wish nothing but the best for you.

 

Feel sorry from your story, hate asses like the one you speak above.

But its not an end of the world; it may turn even better. Atleast, you have your wife, and friends.

 

I would be 99.9999% HR is in cahoots with the company. You said your feeling better and your wife is supportive, Sounds like you have a very understanding wife that loves you unconditionally. That other door is within a few footsteps, your stronger than them, You took the giant step and they couldn't take a step away from you!! Give your wife a huge hug, Good fortune is coming your way !!

 

I can't thank you enough for the kind words.

I had to spend today going over the 40 pgs of shenanigans that i recorded because I tend to forget things otherwise.... Sort it out by date, add a note to each summarizing what sort of misbehavior is exemplified... get it ready to run past a lawyer. Probably nothing will come if it but at least I get the release of writing down the bullsnort and venting to myself. In retrospect, it was pretty bad... And appears to be as mentioned here.

Stupervisor is incompetent
I got named on the motor patent
then when it became clear that I was the more competent equally educated one, with a passing acquaintance with English.... I became a threat.

After that the stuporvisor's activities went from avoid using me to, try to catch me doing other than told, to not telling me what to do therefore making not doing as told easier to catch... to outright lying about things in order to fabricate something to blame on me. Meanwhile, He himself is wasting time, wasting money, making faulty molds and parts that have to be redone at great expense, designing parts that fail and require costly field fix visits, etc.

This dude uses green for a power wire.
Seriously

Does not understand and use enginnering terminology such as the difference between a tap bolt and a tapping bolt... Thinks "4/16" cable is called 3/16 with ground.... not if the green is insulated, it's not. Read the jacket please.

He puts a 240V cord end on a 480V cord. Later, it was he himself who fried the 240V device by plugging it into the 480 V cord.... which should not even be possible.

If anyone cares to read the whole thing and offer feedback I can send a word doc via email...

Much lower stress level now that I just don't care what them buttweiners do or say. I have to go back one more time, to collect my stuff. That should be interesting when I get my spy camera from out of the lab. hee hee hee.

 

Two questions,

Who will be judging you? It literally doesn't matter who is right to HR. HR is not concerned with who is right, ever, and they're not concerned with doing the right thing, nor are they concerned with who gets screwed. None of this matters, at all. Only thing that matters is that the company does not get sued and lose.

While you are being judged by HR, the easiest way to do this is fire you, and take away your access to damning information. As long as HR is doing the judging, you are fired, and all these meetings are simply to see what ammo you have, and how they can neutralize it. They just want you to go away, and for you to go away, you have to be gone, and be rendered harmless.

But, you have the goods, and you're going to lawyer up. This means that you will be judged in court, and court is not something HR controls. You will never work there again, nor should you want to, but you should be able to hit them for a damn good severance package, an apology for firing (on paper), the ability to resign (with dignity), and a stellar recommendation letter with court order to stand behind it from the head of the company, PLUS whatever your lawyer recommends.

The second question is, what do you want? Figure that out, and figure out a strategy to get it. Depending on your age, you may be able to get salary until your age of retirement, as they destroyed your career. You may also, see your lawyer, be able to get in the court order further penalties that go into effect if the company does not speedily and enthusiastically follow the court order's demands. Feel free to agree to a hush hush order, but make sure it is only binding if the company does everything they have to do; again, see a lawyer.

Hire the nastiest dirtbag lawyer you can find, too.

 

I've been through it too Chris. I got fired in 2006 at age 42. I'd just gotten a 7% raise. We did all State work and I pissed someone at the State off because I wouldn't set them up with an office twice as big as the specs required and wouldn't deliver a bunch of salvaged materials from a job to their house. No one will ever admit to that but that's what happened.


The best thing I ever did was go to work for a small family company that is long on work ethic but short on brains. In my geographic area there aren't a lot of people that do what I do either. It kind of makes me indispensable. I have much less of an "attitude" now. I do what I'm told but still speak up when it's really important (like when someone might get hurt). I let the stupid decisions that result in increased cost kind of slip....unless I feel VERY strongly that they are headed the wrong way. This way when I do talk, they listen.


Good luck. I'm 52 now and as long as the place doesn't go out of business it should employ me until my 6 year old graduates high school. And then I'm getting the hell out of NY and going into a working retirement

 

This is very good advice well written. Lot of good thoughts went into this Koda. I could not agree more.

 

Unfortunately, I cannot afford to pass up the severance pay on the chance of gaining the above and forcing the company to look at its practices.

Probably signing the papers and collecting my last few items today.

I am holding out for HR to change my status which is officially listed on the workplace info web site from "technician" to "engineer" - which I had asked HR to do quite some time ago, but it went ignored.

4:25 pm, The title has been changed to Engineer and I screen captured it and they texted that it will remain thus. How nice.

That's right, 425... :-)

Their latest douchebaggery is they don't even want to escort me in to round up the tools I have there, they want my list and then go get them and bring them to me. While I wait up front. Incredible weiners.

 

You now have your freedom. Ignore the past and win the future. Don't get too caught up in your car parts and selling them though because while somewhat therapeutic, it can get you off track to your next adventure.

 

Nothing wrong with taking whatever you can get from them.
The chance of winning a suit, and getting enough money to make a difference, after expenses, isn't worth the risk in most cases.


You MUST have a clause specifying this in the separation contract, so that they can't change it later.

Also, they probably have a non-disparagement agreement for you to sign.
Make sure that the contract goes both ways - they can't say anything bad about you either, which explicitly includes saying anything negative to anyone who checks your references.

- Eric

 

 

I finally heard from HR head for M*******ers Americas.

One person who might be far enough removed to be unbiased and in a position to fix the company's ways, if they wish to.

The HR of Americas person had of course only contacted the usual gang of idiots and liars and so were feasting on bullsnort, at best.

I said, the reasons you are not looking at litigation for these practices is
1) it's costly
2) probably no benefit to me, and I am done "helping" you; I can't care more than you do.
3) M******ers and the incompetent "engineer" you still have deserve each other.

Enjoy they guy whose lame design I was called in to fix, which cost oh $100k in service trips for that one project alone.... The feller who lies, deceives, uses green wire for power, does not know basic terminology, wastes valuable "engineer" time, squanders company resources, etc. etc. etc.

I related that I was disappointed but not surprised that no one at M****rs has bothered to ask me for pertinent facts. Note, "facts," as in, by definition, truthful information.

Pretty much all done with them folks as soon as I get that Sev Pkg.

It feels great to be rid of that situation which as you know has been ongoing for some time. I feel healthier already.

Oh, and I have an interview Tuesday. :-)

Meanwhile I finally sold that #14 intake, so that helps a little.

 

Good.

- Eric

 

Amen. Putting it all behind you is the healthiest reaction to these problems.

Consider lessons learned...

• The people in HR drink the same Kool-Aid, no matter how high up in the organization they are.
• When you observe a serious problem, say with unsafe acts or illegal or unethical activity, the best person to contact is the top lawyer in the company.

 

Well, it frankly took me a loooong time to spot what was going on there. I had regarded the other guy as a competent colleague, but he is actually inept. Very inept. Yet, he thinks he knows the only way to do anything. For example, several of us noticed that he would look up stuff on the internet, read thru to refresh/ learn, then talk it up and toss out the pertinent engineering jargon like he knows it inside and out. Whereas, in reality, I got chastised one day for putting duct tape on the "wrong side of the housing" - ??? I thinks, what, do I not understand the system here? Well, no, I understood perfectly, it was the incompetent who failed to grasp the basics of the machine. Of course, when he realized the error he apologized.... NOT. That is probably about the time he saw that he needed to somehow get rid of me, lest his shortcomings all come to light.

Thanks for letting me vent, and for your words of support. I had some depressed days, but 1) still better than at the Bully Palace, and 2) When I realized that Cap'n Idiot and the Idiot Company deserve each other, I felt a lot better about the whole deal. Oh, and other places ARE hiring.

 

Well, the one place I had an interview at has not contacted me. Another place seems a poor fit for me, and we could not get a face to face meeting to work out... but the job market is evidently robust.

I have applied to D*** Cont**ner several times over the years, for various positions. Usually no reponse. I did get one "nothing for you at this time but we will file your application" reply this time around. Something seems amiss there.

I have an offer which I will probably accept today, for a trial period to see if we like each other. Reverse engineering and drawing. Turns out the guy who called me in knows my brother's neighbor, small world! That was very fast- 3 days from spotted the job posting to personal interview and quick offer. Not a huge international company either. Real, local folks.

Meanwhile yet another recruiter called with a similar job, not too far away, he wanted to chat Monday but I am supposed to be at the new job on Monday! Chatting this afternoon instead.

Looking at the figures, disregarding half a car pmt and 401(k) contributions that are on hold, it only cost me $20 a day to not have absurd levels of stress. A bargain.

I need to get Solid Works on a machine I can practice with.... I doubt we have a computer with capable graphics.

Anyhow, things are looking up, and the support from kind folks here certainly helped. Breakup of even a "bad marriage" is never easy.

I would attempt to make a go of restoring cars, but I know that is not something one makes money at, unless you have an ample supply of not-rusty cars, and cut a lot of corners and pay no attention to detail. I cannot do that. The guy I work with on such projects tends to rush assemble and then have to re-do because it does not work... and he never would have been able to get the lamp with a bad ground path to work.

 

Great! Keep us posted. We all know you'll do fine!

- Eric

 

Well, theres nothing more left than to say congratulations!
Hope you and them can work together, so you can stay there as long as you like.

 

Nice results for such little time off. Congrats on your new venture. You will be happier and everyone here is happy for you, I'm sure.