Sunday, January 23, 2011
Any recommendations to make it things better?
Just curious (and no, I'm not management): Given the current context at the Laboratory (increased health costs, upcoming contribution to TCP 1 pension, two-year salary freeze, and limited budgets for professional development/travel), what are some things the Laboratory could do to make working at the Laboratory more satisfying during this difficult economic time (reasonable and workable recommendations)?
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18 comments:
Rule #1 during hard times for any management to follow is to just be HONEST about the situation with all your employees.
Don't sugar coat the situation or try to rationalize away what is really happening.
In this regard, I would say that NNSA, LLNS and LANS have been a total failure. In particular, trust in the LLC management team is non-existent with most of the employees. There is a strong sense that they are in no way "sharing our pain".
Why should they "share our pain"?? They are MANAGEMENT and we are
WORKERS. Think carefully about what experience led you to believe that management and workers were equivalent. Yes, you've got it! Working for UC for many years! If you had ever worked in the real world, corporate or manufacturing business, you would know that you are naive and delusional. These crybaby posts are getting tiresome. Do you think the management salary to employee salary ratio is smaller in the corporate world?? Get real.
Category 5 Hurricane in the National Capital area?
Legalize opium in DC?
"January 23, 2011 10:28 PM"
How do you know anything about the real world?
Here is a general rule: anyone who says "let me tell you about the real world", has no actual knowledge of the real world. These "I know about the real world!" posts are getting tiresome.
Common decency is always in style.
You-all, living in that once special square mile, still don't get it! Your now in a world, ala Bechtel, and greed is rule number one. Rule number two is that if your not contributing to the greed, your out. Rule number three is that your on your own so make the best of it and if you can do better somewhere else, go for it.
The beauty of the 2-year (and possibly 5-year) salary freeze is that MacMillan/Knapp/Wallace thought they would be inheriting a golden kingdom. Thank you Dr. Steven Chu, I've been waiting to see this day for 5-years; what goes around finally came around! Anyone would be a fool to lead what is left of LANS. Hah!
A recommendation the would work for me: A retirement incentive package. Throw a couple of years on my age and service credit and color me gone. I guarantee my morale will improve.
I for one would actually like it if I could actually work a 9/80 schedule. As far as I can tell, that wouldn't cost the lab a cent extra!
I would like to see a reduction in the number of managers. The workers were drastically reduced in the layoff yet few managers were let go. This is a huge managment overhang that sucks the life out of the lab. My sense is, if budget shortfalls hit the lab, they will lay off more workers and yet again leave the bloated management untouched. These failed division leaders ADs PDs etc. should be fired, not have a new position created for them. For me I realize this will never happen and will be taking my skills elsewhere to someplace much more pleasant to work.
I for one would actually like it if I could actually work a 9/80 schedule.
January 25, 2011 5:55 PM
What you mean is that you'd like to have every other Friday off without actually working any more hours each day than you do now. I've seen how this works at LANL - hundreds and hundreds of cars leaving "the hill" any time after 3:30 - all of those people supposedly working 9/80, meaning they must have started work at 6:30 am if they took a lunch break. Problem is, if you go in at 6:30, no one is there for at least an hour. If managers actually monitored how many hours their employees worked, there would be many fewer employees - fired for time card fraud.
There are ways to make yourself more satisfied, one does not need any management involvement.
1. Concentrate on higher education. Retrain yourself on new skills. Self-empower yourself to be better each month. They can never take education away from you. A 5 year freeze does not mean you have to come out the other end the same person as you went in.
2. Live below your means. Exmaple, Invest in Green energy: Can you save 5% in energy costs per year for 5 years? Consider that as giving yourself your own raise.
3. Take advantage of the negative moral. Management knows you are not getting a raise, they won't be expecting you to work as hard. Converse with fellow employees more, clean your area to a polish for fun. Working on a time critical project? Go wander off to sharpen your pencil, and get a good laugh at it in the process.
4. Get some perspective. Volunteer to help at a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen. Call your distant relatives and ask if they need anything.
5. Finally, the most dangerous idea from a management perspective: Take some of your best ideas you come up with at work, and simply forget them. Management has no mind reading ability. They will have no clue you just solved the world's energy problems, which you somehow forgot when you went to get your coffee.
6. Be vocal. Silence is acceptance. Share the management issues with your neighbor, hairdresser, grocery clerk, etc. You don't need to go directly to Congress. Lay a straw on management's back every day, and wait patiently.
7. Get some laughs. Go to a comedy. Read some Dave Barry, or Dilbert.
8. Don't worry so much about your retirement. Our fiat currency is destined to fail at some point. Prepare a backup strategy.
p.s.
Personally, yes, I find the LLNL management salary (many times higher the President of the USA) is an appalling, brazen example of Government corruption. It is not the first case, so don't get your hopes up for an immediate solution.
"January 25, 2011 11:14 PM"
Hey do not be a jerk. It is called the 10-4-4 rule. You work 10-4, 4 days a week.
To be fair the one poster may actually want to work 9 hours and get every other Friday off. Sure it does not work all that well at LANL
but at LLNL it could work.
I just come to work and leave work anytime I want to. Seems to be working wonders for my morale.
January 23, 2011 10:28 PM
I am pretty sure you will find the work environment at LLNL (at its inception) was purposely structured to simulate the environment of a university, not a for profit business. That has all been chucked out the window now so,yeah,"crybaby posts" are perfectly acceptable. Do some research before you stuff your foot in your mouth next time.
Due to the particulars of this year's calendar, LLNL will only have a single work day between Christmas and New Years. Declare that day a special holiday benefit and keep the facilities closed and cold for the entire week. No cash flow, but it's sort of like a 0.45% raise. We've had packages nearly that small.
January 27, 2011 8:24 PM
As a former LANL employee, I am mostly sympathetic to the current plight of both LANL and LLNL workers. However, I must say that if the LLNL workforce is already worried about what vacation days will happen during the upcoming (11 months away!) holiday season, I begin to doubt their sincerity and trustworthiness on bigger issues.
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