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Re: Workplace Loses Productivity
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Re: Workplace Loses Productivity
Discuss employment-law issues such as family leave, overtime, disabilities law, harassment, immigration and termination.
I am overwhelmed by various elements of my work environment and wish to know what my rights are.
The place I work in is very loud, caused by employee talking, hooting and hollering, even on part of m
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Forums » Topic Forums » Legal Forum » Re: Workplace Loses Productivity
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Re: Workplace Loses Productivity
posted at 8/2/1999 5:29 AM EDT
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Posts: 10
First: 8/2/1999 Last: 7/22/2000 |
I am overwhelmed by various elements of my work environment and wish to know what my rights are.
The place I work in is very loud, caused by employee talking, hooting and hollering, even on part of mgmt. It is an office environment. It is very hard to concentrate and I've begun after a year to get headaches. Management says it is aware of this noise problem, but doesn't stop it. Once in awhile, mgmt. reminds everyone to "quiet down." The people I work with are very invasive and will physically come right in to your work space, even though they have their own space and have no need to do this. They (including managers)also will talk at you and sometimes holler at you while you are on the phone talking to customers. They will interrupt sales and sometimes simply take over the entire sales transaction. They are really aggressive and hostile at times. (We get commission.)Rules are no one has a right to interrupt a sale. I have learned to address these things with my co-workers and my manager, but it doesn't stop, just gets more subtle, such as stepping into your space in order to wait on a customer although the rules are that they should take customers at another location. One co-worker in particular insists on her right to take over a sale if it is someone she knows, although there are no customers who "belong" to employees. There is a "group gang up" aspect which occurs where co-workers will refuse to speak to you even when they know it is a work related and necessary question. The group really doesn't welcome any new people and have managed in the past to get many other newcomers to quit or be fired. Their habit is to run to the manager and "tell" on the new person until the perception builds that the new person is doing something wrong. I am a very productive worker. I produce high sales percentages and I don't believe in changing that. A year ago, manager asked me to "not work so much." Recently I discovered I produce 4X more than each in the group. I get paid less than they, but that is not the issue. The issue is how to protect whatever rights I may have. I am not interested in a lawsuit. I am subjected to listen to a co-worker discuss daily how much she sweats or doesn't sweat, discussions of how she smells or doesn't smell, discussions of how her throat is today ad nauseum. There is a lot of veiled language where they talk about someone such as about manager or other employees amongst themselves which is definitely hostile. They are arrogant to customers, putting down every customer after waiting on them, talking badly about them etc. all day long. Recently I discovered that a couple thousand dollars worth of my sales were taken over by the others and made a formal complaint, and documented evidence of all sales taken over. Management has seemed to "wash it" saying,"It could happen to anybody" and told them to "be careful." Problem is, it's not from any thing I didn't attend to that caused it to happen, but is a historic problem that the members of the group have all done this before, stolen sales (which caused people to quit or get fired.) Today I brought more stolen sales to manager and she checked them out, and looked sickened by it. I will say she doesn't welcome it, but it's food for my kids as far as I'm concerned and after discovering all of the sales they've taken, I'm cross-checking every day to make sure there aren't any more, (which is a headache to have to do in itself.) Furthermore, when mgmt gives orders, group does exactly the opposite intentionally, like a big passive aggressive "NO" to mgmt. It is the most confusing place I've ever been. The problem aside from all this discipline problem is that there also is favoritism: one member of group is close to higher mgr., and another member of group is related to longtime co-employee. The two who are "favored" ride on those relationships. All I want is equality. One member is especially agressive and hostile toward me. She started yelling at me in a meeting stating "Is it me you don't like?? Is it me, is it me?!" trying to provoke me. It was crazy and she is very manipulative. I don't enjoy her but that's not the point. I like my job alot. I don't like the behavioral games and lack of management around the problems. The manager makes the mistake of confiding to workers what she thinks of other workers, etc. The manager only cares about us "making her look good to the boss" and rewards us when we do, for "making her look good" quote unquote, by giving us a "casual day" filled with many breaks. But overall, the place purposely does as little work as possible always. When I confronted the sales steals, members of the group got sick and still aren't back to work. The owner is completely in the dark as to why they are losing revenue although has mentioned it in meetings (where we are not allowed to say anything, per our managers.) Anything we say must go through a chain of command so the truth gets squelched by lower and middle management, so there is no protection for individuals with legitimate complaints, and any good ideas we have get usurped by manager under manager's name only. Our true sales statistics are not reported. What is reported is only that the "group met goal." I am not interested in "ditzing" other employees or in staying forever with this company. I am there for now and while I am would like to know what I can do to protect my spave, rights and finances.When my sales got taken I called them "lost" and gave an "out" stating that some of it may have occurred during a computer switch. Still there are too many "lost" that way and too much pattern evident. Management only seems to deal with things if they can rationalize it as a mistake and not any thing that could have been managed or prevented even though when I started work there it had been a problem with the last person and amongst eachother as well, (stealing eachother's sales). It isn't a computer problem. It's a BIG problem. Any suggestions? It's a very rough situation. |
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Re: Workplace Loses Productivity
posted at 8/2/1999 4:35 PM EDT
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Posts: 833
First: 6/11/1999 Last: 8/23/2001 |
You posted in a legal forum; although your workplace sounds, at the very least, unique, your situation is based on your employers' policies and practices, and not on anything patently illegal. It would be inappropriate for us to make suggestions on how to improve your workplace; that is for you, and your co-workers. Besides, if they're not listening to you, there is precious little effect we are going to have.
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Re: Workplace Loses Productivity
posted at 8/2/1999 6:37 PM EDT
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Posts: 58
First: 6/14/1999 Last: 2/20/2006 |
I too was in a similar situation to that and eventually I got so disgusted I quit. It's sad that I had to do that but I realized there was nothing I could do to change a menatality that had existed for a long time. I am now at a good company and am glad I left the old one. |
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Re: Workplace Loses Productivity
posted at 8/3/1999 3:05 AM EDT
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Posts: 2217
First: 6/16/1999 Last: 12/13/2001 |
I will Leave aside the potential legal issues in your posting, since you have said you are not interested in litigation. Is there a company Human Resources representative available to you? Can you have your work area moved to an area where at least some of the issues you discuss are less difficult? Are there others who feel as you do? (Sometimes a larger group raising similar complaints is more likely to receive a response.) |
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Re: Workplace Loses Productivity
posted at 8/3/1999 5:44 AM EDT
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Posts: 10
First: 8/2/1999 Last: 7/22/2000 |
Thanks for responding. There is no company Human Resource person, just our manager. I have asked to be moved to a better environment but am told there is nothing they can do. I am interested in knowing the legal aspects of what is right and what is not right, that they are doing. I also have a disability and my employer knows about it, but doesn't seem to believe me or care about disabilities. The nature of my disability, in part, is that loud noise affects me negatively. But the noise there is very very high volume and out of control. At least today they gave me back my sales which were taken over. Do you know if workplaces have to have a Human Resource person? I would like to know legal aspects because when I address these issues, I feel assured knowing there is law behind what I am complaining about. I just don't want a big mess. I want to forthrightly address things without threatening legal action, but to be informed so that I can at least change my space and situation. Thank you again. |
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