OT 20: rotisserie roller coaster

[Tar]

I have two contract gigs right now, but my bigger one is a long-term contract that I have with a Japanese company that has a small service office locally. Everyone works from home except the branch manager who likes the space and needs his desk. I pick my invoices up once per month, and usually after hours when nobody is there. The last time I saw that whole group together was in Feb 2019

Aside from group project related, I am baffled why we would want to congregate at work.

[D Griff]

I have two contract gigs right now, but my bigger one is a long-term contract that I have with a Japanese company that has a small service office locally. Everyone works from home except the branch manager who likes the space and needs his desk. I pick my invoices up once per month, and usually after hours when nobody is there. The last time I saw that whole group together was in Feb 2019

Aside from group project related, I am baffled why we would want to congregate at work.

I mean I'm saying in a perfect world when COVID is out of the equation... for me it is just fucking boring. I have pretty much zero motivation and am totally disenfranchised with my job. I think if I was around other people and had a 'team' environment going on in-person, it would make a difference. I also think that over time, a lot of companies will probably get worse due to having no culture, no hands on training/experience, etc. It will take years but when you start to have entire teams/divisions/companies that have never worked together or even met, I think many will care a lot less, understand a lot less, etc. it will be interesting to observe.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

The KFC by me was out of chicken for the week before we left for NYC. I've been craving it ever since.

Meijer makes surprisingly great fried chicken might need to hit that up this week

Before COVID there used to be spicy fried chicken at Walmart for like $6-7 for 8 pieces and it was great. Now anywhere else is like double that or more.

Meijer is under $10 for 8 pieces still. deal overall.

[D Griff]

The KFC by me was out of chicken for the week before we left for NYC. I've been craving it ever since.

Meijer makes surprisingly great fried chicken might need to hit that up this week

Before COVID there used to be spicy fried chicken at Walmart for like $6-7 for 8 pieces and it was great. Now anywhere else is like double that or more.

I feel like the stores here have pretty good fried chicken for around that price but I haven't bought it in a while, I'm probably out of touch.

Add it to the long, long list of things that are either 2X the price from 1.5 years ago and/or just not available in any capacity.

[D Griff]

Man, we had people over to watch sportsball yesterday and I drank a gratuitous amount... feeling pretty rough

[Tar]

I have two contract gigs right now, but my bigger one is a long-term contract that I have with a Japanese company that has a small service office locally. Everyone works from home except the branch manager who likes the space and needs his desk. I pick my invoices up once per month, and usually after hours when nobody is there. The last time I saw that whole group together was in Feb 2019

Aside from group project related, I am baffled why we would want to congregate at work.

I mean I'm saying in a perfect world when COVID is out of the equation... for me it is just fucking boring. I have pretty much zero motivation and am totally disenfranchised with my job. I think if I was around other people and had a 'team' environment going on in-person, it would make a difference. I also think that over time, a lot of companies will probably get worse due to having no culture, no hands on training/experience, etc. It will take years but when you start to have entire teams/divisions/companies that have never worked together or even met, I think many will care a lot less, understand a lot less, etc. it will be interesting to observe.

Team spirit/motivation may play a bigger role with some jobs, I guess my line of work isn't as conducive because the background jabbering is distracting when i need to focus on job planning/etc.

The training piece can be done online, but being face to face may have sociological impacts that I'm not weighing correctly. My team of techs get in person supervision when we do jobs, and I agree that using the five senses gives them greater understanding. It may be the same sitch in office settings, and I'm just not cognizant of those nuances.

[D Griff]

I mean I'm saying in a perfect world when COVID is out of the equation... for me it is just fucking boring. I have pretty much zero motivation and am totally disenfranchised with my job. I think if I was around other people and had a 'team' environment going on in-person, it would make a difference. I also think that over time, a lot of companies will probably get worse due to having no culture, no hands on training/experience, etc. It will take years but when you start to have entire teams/divisions/companies that have never worked together or even met, I think many will care a lot less, understand a lot less, etc. it will be interesting to observe.

Team spirit/motivation may play a bigger role with some jobs, I guess my line of work isn't as conducive because the background jabbering is distracting when i need to focus on job planning/etc.

The training piece can be done online, but being face to face may have sociological impacts that I'm not weighing correctly. My team of techs get in person supervision when we do jobs, and I agree that using the five senses gives them greater understanding. It may be the same sitch in office settings, and I'm just not cognizant of those nuances.

Yeah it depends a lot on the person/job/company. Sales is sort of a funny thing because you have to pretty much make your own motivation. There's no one really waiting on you to get things done and less accountability than many other jobs, so 'drinking the ' really helps and I just find it difficult to do that when I'm not really connected to the company in any way outside of Teams video calls.

[Tar]

Team spirit/motivation may play a bigger role with some jobs, I guess my line of work isn't as conducive because the background jabbering is distracting when i need to focus on job planning/etc.

The training piece can be done online, but being face to face may have sociological impacts that I'm not weighing correctly. My team of techs get in person supervision when we do jobs, and I agree that using the five senses gives them greater understanding. It may be the same sitch in office settings, and I'm just not cognizant of those nuances.

Yeah it depends a lot on the person/job/company. Sales is sort of a funny thing because you have to pretty much make your own motivation. There's no one really waiting on you to get things done and less accountability than many other jobs, so 'drinking the ' really helps and I just find it difficult to do that when I'm not really connected to the company in any way outside of Teams video calls.

Sales is something I've never done before, so I can't speak to it in different settings. My old neighbor is a IT Recruitment Exec for some small company, and he pushes his employees using fear tactics (hit numbers if you want to keep working here). Maybe he thinks that people need a certain amount of pressure to stay productive/motivated in that role? It's honestly more difficult then having a project based work scope IMO

[D Griff]

Yeah it depends a lot on the person/job/company. Sales is sort of a funny thing because you have to pretty much make your own motivation. There's no one really waiting on you to get things done and less accountability than many other jobs, so 'drinking the ' really helps and I just find it difficult to do that when I'm not really connected to the company in any way outside of Teams video calls.

Sales is something I've never done before, so I can't speak to it in different settings. My old neighbor is a IT Recruitment Exec for some small company, and he pushes his employees using fear tactics (hit numbers if you want to keep working here). Maybe he thinks that people need a certain amount of pressure to stay productive/motivated in that role? It's honestly more difficult then having a project based work scope IMO

We don't have to deal with that sort of stuff unless put on a PIP which apparently can happen if your sales/productivity are weak.

I think as far as sales jobs go, mine is pretty low pressure/stress. It is generally easy enough to hit your goals if you just simply do your job at a reasonable level.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Man, we had people over to watch sportsball yesterday and I drank a gratuitous amount... feeling pretty rough

We had neighbors over for dinner. 2 bottles of wine between the 4 of us and I had some scotch at the end. Woke up feeling like for some reason, but recall being a bit on the side so I guess it kind of snuck up on me.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I have two contract gigs right now, but my bigger one is a long-term contract that I have with a Japanese company that has a small service office locally. Everyone works from home except the branch manager who likes the space and needs his desk. I pick my invoices up once per month, and usually after hours when nobody is there. The last time I saw that whole group together was in Feb 2019

Aside from group project related, I am baffled why we would want to congregate at work.

I mean I'm saying in a perfect world when COVID is out of the equation... for me it is just fucking boring. I have pretty much zero motivation and am totally disenfranchised with my job. I think if I was around other people and had a 'team' environment going on in-person, it would make a difference. I also think that over time, a lot of companies will probably get worse due to having no culture, no hands on training/experience, etc. It will take years but when you start to have entire teams/divisions/companies that have never worked together or even met, I think many will care a lot less, understand a lot less, etc. it will be interesting to observe.

It will be interesting to follow for sure. I actually valued going into the office last week (my first week) more than I expected, but the teams that I work with are sprinkled all over the world. In the office, I met my boss and a team member, and that was it. All meetings took place via zoom, even in the office...which um, why not just do that at home?

I think on-boarding in the office is valuable, I can't imagine doing it virtually for some reason. But over time, the value of in person interaction will depend a lot on the company.

[D Griff]

I mean I'm saying in a perfect world when COVID is out of the equation... for me it is just fucking boring. I have pretty much zero motivation and am totally disenfranchised with my job. I think if I was around other people and had a 'team' environment going on in-person, it would make a difference. I also think that over time, a lot of companies will probably get worse due to having no culture, no hands on training/experience, etc. It will take years but when you start to have entire teams/divisions/companies that have never worked together or even met, I think many will care a lot less, understand a lot less, etc. it will be interesting to observe.

It will be interesting to follow for sure. I actually valued going into the office last week (my first week) more than I expected, but the teams that I work with are sprinkled all over the world. In the office, I met my boss and a team member, and that was it. All meetings took place via zoom, even in the office...which um, why not just do that at home?

I think on-boarding in the office is valuable, I can't imagine doing it virtually for some reason. But over time, the value of in person interaction will depend a lot on the company.

This is a concern I have with the job I've been interviewing for at Audinate. They're based in Sydney, US base in Portland, I kind of doubt I would interact much at all. I like the product/company a lot but I'm not sure it would really be the best thing as I'd be pretty much on an island at work. I do want a change of pace

[ChrisoftheNorth]

It will be interesting to follow for sure. I actually valued going into the office last week (my first week) more than I expected, but the teams that I work with are sprinkled all over the world. In the office, I met my boss and a team member, and that was it. All meetings took place via zoom, even in the office...which um, why not just do that at home?

I think on-boarding in the office is valuable, I can't imagine doing it virtually for some reason. But over time, the value of in person interaction will depend a lot on the company.

This is a concern I have with the job I've been interviewing for at Audinate. They're based in Sydney, US base in Portland, I kind of doubt I would interact much at all. I like the product/company a lot but I'm not sure it would really be the best thing as I'd be pretty much on an island at work. I do want a change of pace

I get that concern, it's one I share with my new role. BUT, I think it depends 100% on the team. My new group has "sync" meetings constantly, and uses cameras, which honestly goes pretty far toward feeling engaged. Seeing and interacting with someone while having an open discussion about what everyone is working on really helps feel less like an island. We'll see how I feel going forward.

[D Griff]

This is a concern I have with the job I've been interviewing for at Audinate. They're based in Sydney, US base in Portland, I kind of doubt I would interact much at all. I like the product/company a lot but I'm not sure it would really be the best thing as I'd be pretty much on an island at work. I do want a change of pace

I get that concern, it's one I share with my new role. BUT, I think it depends 100% on the team. My new group has "sync" meetings constantly, and uses cameras, which honestly goes pretty far toward feeling engaged. Seeing and interacting with someone while having an open discussion about what everyone is working on really helps feel less like an island. We'll see how I feel going forward.

It definitely helps, we do Team Meetings here several times/week with video and it's mostly nice, although with my new manager it is sometimes

I think if I do get an offer (assuming the pay and everything is what I'm expecting) I'll just have to do a bit of soul searching on whether I want a more challenging job I would be more engaged with and care a lot more about, or continue on easy street.

I have a great work/life balance now and the job is chill, it's just a bit depressing to spend 40 hours/week doing something I care absolutely zero about and being bored out of my mind. This potential job is also selling a product I am way, way more enthusiastic about which really goes a long way.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I get that concern, it's one I share with my new role. BUT, I think it depends 100% on the team. My new group has "sync" meetings constantly, and uses cameras, which honestly goes pretty far toward feeling engaged. Seeing and interacting with someone while having an open discussion about what everyone is working on really helps feel less like an island. We'll see how I feel going forward.

It definitely helps, we do Team Meetings here several times/week with video and it's mostly nice, although with my new manager it is sometimes

I think if I do get an offer (assuming the pay and everything is what I'm expecting) I'll just have to do a bit of soul searching on whether I want a more challenging job I would be more engaged with and care a lot more about, or continue on easy street.

I have a great work/life balance now and the job is chill, it's just a bit depressing to spend 40 hours/week doing something I care absolutely zero about and being bored out of my mind. This potential job is also selling a product I am way, way more enthusiastic about which really goes a long way.

I'm not sure you're the type of person who can just cruise along easy street ZFG. I don't think it'll work for you long term, as tempting as it may be right now.

I can't do easy street either.

[D Griff]

It definitely helps, we do Team Meetings here several times/week with video and it's mostly nice, although with my new manager it is sometimes

I think if I do get an offer (assuming the pay and everything is what I'm expecting) I'll just have to do a bit of soul searching on whether I want a more challenging job I would be more engaged with and care a lot more about, or continue on easy street.

I have a great work/life balance now and the job is chill, it's just a bit depressing to spend 40 hours/week doing something I care absolutely zero about and being bored out of my mind. This potential job is also selling a product I am way, way more enthusiastic about which really goes a long way.

I'm not sure you're the type of person who can just cruise along easy street ZFG. I don't think it'll work for you long term, as tempting as it may be right now.

I can't do easy street either.

That is sort of my thought. I really wish I was more into it, as it frees up time for shit that will always be more enjoyable than work, but

Another thought is trying to stay at this place and maybe get into product management or something eventually.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I'm not sure you're the type of person who can just cruise along easy street ZFG. I don't think it'll work for you long term, as tempting as it may be right now.

I can't do easy street either.

That is sort of my thought. I really wish I was more into it, as it frees up time for shit that will always be more enjoyable than work, but

Another thought is trying to stay at this place and maybe get into product management or something eventually.

If you like everything about your current place other than your role, I'd highly consider staying put but talking more with your mgmt about growth opportunities. Culture and working environment are way harder to find a fit for than a job itself.

[D Griff]

That is sort of my thought. I really wish I was more into it, as it frees up time for shit that will always be more enjoyable than work, but

Another thought is trying to stay at this place and maybe get into product management or something eventually.

If you like everything about your current place other than your role, I'd highly consider staying put but talking more with your mgmt about growth opportunities. Culture and working environment are way harder to find a fit for than a job itself.

This place definitely makes a big effort to be a good employer. I do keep a look out on the careers page to see what comes up. It may be tricky though as my current department has been struggling hard to fill two existing openings... I doubt they would be too stoked to send me off to another area.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

If you like everything about your current place other than your role, I'd highly consider staying put but talking more with your mgmt about growth opportunities. Culture and working environment are way harder to find a fit for than a job itself.

This place definitely makes a big effort to be a good employer. I do keep a look out on the careers page to see what comes up. It may be tricky though as my current department has been struggling hard to fill two existing openings... I doubt they would be too stoked to send me off to another area.

Well, if it comes down to losing you or keeping you, I'd like to think they'd try to keep you. Maybe in the interim there's some job shadowing or other such exploratory things you could try to keep busy and figure out what the next step is? I really think it would be a good idea to have a bit of a heart to heart with your boss regardless, might surprise you?

[SAWCE]

Hey guys.

Mom passed yesterday evening. I got the call in the morning that things had changed and she was on her way out. Packed a bag and made it up to Lancaster in record time. Got to spend her last 6ish hours with her. Her breathing became more labored just after 7:00pm. We opened the blinds in her room so she could see the sunset, and she took her last breath right as it went behind the horizon. It was beautifully poetic and sad.

I’m heartbroken that she’s gone, but so happy that she’s no longer in pain. The hurt is there, but my overall feeling is that of peace and comfort knowing her suffering has ended.

Thank you all for the kind words and support these last few years as we/I have gone through this.

[D Griff]

Hey guys.

Mom passed yesterday evening. I got the call in the morning that things had changed and she was on her way out. Packed a bag and made it up to Lancaster in record time. Got to spend her last 6ish hours with her. Her breathing became more labored just after 7:00pm. We opened the blinds in her room so she could see the sunset, and she took her last breath right as it went behind the horizon. It was beautifully poetic and sad.

I’m heartbroken that she’s gone, but so happy that she’s no longer in pain. The hurt is there, but my overall feeling is that of peace and comfort knowing her suffering has ended.

Thank you all for the kind words and support these last few years as we/I have gone through this.

Hugs man. I'm glad to hear it was peaceful for her and she had the comfort of being at home with her family.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Hey guys.

Mom passed yesterday evening. I got the call in the morning that things had changed and she was on her way out. Packed a bag and made it up to Lancaster in record time. Got to spend her last 6ish hours with her. Her breathing became more labored just after 7:00pm. We opened the blinds in her room so she could see the sunset, and she took her last breath right as it went behind the horizon. It was beautifully poetic and sad.

I’m heartbroken that she’s gone, but so happy that she’s no longer in pain. The hurt is there, but my overall feeling is that of peace and comfort knowing her suffering has ended.

Thank you all for the kind words and support these last few years as we/I have gone through this.

Man, so sorry to hear this. I can't imagine how tough that was, but like you said, at least the suffering is done and you were able to make it up there to be with her at the end.

[D Griff]

This place definitely makes a big effort to be a good employer. I do keep a look out on the careers page to see what comes up. It may be tricky though as my current department has been struggling hard to fill two existing openings... I doubt they would be too stoked to send me off to another area.

Well, if it comes down to losing you or keeping you, I'd like to think they'd try to keep you. Maybe in the interim there's some job shadowing or other such exploratory things you could try to keep busy and figure out what the next step is? I really think it would be a good idea to have a bit of a heart to heart with your boss regardless, might surprise you?

Probably advice.

Although I have two bosses now It is real life Office Space.

[troyguitar]

Sadface.sawce

I just saw the photos today on faceybook, looked like Mom was happy at the end.

Also, your family all has really great teeth. Such pearly. Much white.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Well, if it comes down to losing you or keeping you, I'd like to think they'd try to keep you. Maybe in the interim there's some job shadowing or other such exploratory things you could try to keep busy and figure out what the next step is? I really think it would be a good idea to have a bit of a heart to heart with your boss regardless, might surprise you?

Probably advice.

Although I have two bosses now It is real life Office Space.

Hopefully it's just interim?