I'm not pulling one out of my ass

[evilhomer]

I'm delivering a cabinet. After the usual headache of getting a hold of the customer and getting into the building for my scheduled delivery, I'm finally at the end user's desk. I take a quick look and see that it isn't going to fit into the space that's been allocated. The end user calls over her team leader who totally wants to blame me for the mistake. Hey dude, sorry, I'm the lowest level minion around here, the P.O. # on my workorder matches the # on the cabinet, that's the 100% full extent of my ability to ensure the proper product is being delivered. Well this is utterly impossible, he ordered the right thing. After triple examining of my workorder and the label on the cabinet, he confirmed that yes, I do possess the ability to read.

So rather than dealing with the reality of the situation, he determines that it is of the utmost importance to immediately determine whom is responsible for the mistake. Finally, after going through about six layers of management, someone takes a portion of responsibility for the error, admitting to ordering "a cabinet" rather than "a 30" cabinet" (the default size is 36", so when she failed to type in the 30" on the request, the order got put through as a default size).

Well that was 30 minutes of my life that I'll never get back, and not surprisingly, finding someone to blame didn't magically knock 6 inches off the size of the cabinet, so we've still got the original problem. Well if you don't want to try to come up with a solution, I'm taking this one back to my shop and leaving. No, I can't do that, this person needs this cabinet today. Okay, then find an alternate location where this one will fit. No, can't do that, it has to go in the allocated spot. It doesn't fit, and I don't have the right sized one hiding up in my ass so make a decision now because my shop is already riding my ass about how long this is taking.

After a couple of fruitless efforts to gain some space where it's obvious that none is available, this highly paid manager is stumped. I come up with a suggestion; during our blame tour of the floor, I noticed a 30" cabinet in a space that could accomodate a 36" cabinet, so I suggest that we do a swap. After an initial reaction of disdain - how dare this idiot minion voice his opinion, someone chimes in that this is a good idea.

After going through another six levels of bureaucracy, we finally find someone who is reluctantly willing to allow the swap and finally, after over an hour, I've completed my five minute delivery.

[Gilhelmi]

Bureaucracy, the downfall of all civilization.

[earl colby pottinger]

The Peter Principal

The Peter Principal at it's finest.

Also assuming the OP did not inflate the numbers, and I have seen too many companies with so many layers of bureaucracy, sounds like there are more managers and managers of managers than people who do the real work.

One of my gripes is whenever companies want to cut costs they let the workers go, if instead they got rid of the unneeded managers (who are paid a lot more money each) not only will they save money, but the company will become a lot more efficient too.

[Geek King]

More like the classic of giving someone the title "Manager" but not the power to actually make decisions.

[eltf177]

And let me guess, billing for the actual time this disaster took will be an issue?

[Mondestrucken]

Shoot me now.

[dalesys]

... and the best perk of the corporate jet: Some fine day the pilot will get ptomaine poisoning with a full load of upper management...

(free-association derivative from "Up The Organization")

[Captain Trips]

This is business, I can believe six levels of bureaucracy:
Useless Manager - Useless Mgr's Boss' Secretary - Useless Mgr's Boss - Procurement Officer - OP's dispatch - OP's boss.

[EvilEmpryss]

One of my gripes is whenever companies want to cut costs they let the workers go, if instead they got rid of the unneeded managers (who are paid a lot more money each) not only will they save money, but the company will become a lot more efficient too.

A joke for you along those lines:

A company had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Management said, "Someone might steal from it at night." So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.


Then management said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people: one person to write the instructions and one person to do time studies.


Then management said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing his tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people: one to do the studies and one to write the reports.


Then management said, "How are all these people going to get paid?" So they created positions for a timekeeper and a payroll officer, and hired two more people to fill them.


Then management said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people: an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.


Then management said, "We've had this command in operation for one year now and we're $318,000 over budget. We have to cut back on overall costs."


So they laid off the night watchman.

[MoonCat]

Management, the downfall of all civilization.

Fixed it.

[Gizmo]

So they laid off the night watchman.

Sounds about right....

[TopEndDave]

A recent opinion piece on cutting the Australian Public Service (an easy target) has some interesting numbers. It shows that while the total number of people employed has been about the same but the number of executive level people has doubled from 15% to 30%.

I like this paragraph:
As you would expect, managers were sacking or not replacing staff to achieve the efficiency dividends. But no one has been culling the managers. It could well be managers were hiring more managers to do the dirty work.

Change the last line of EvilEmpryss' joke to be:

So they employed a consultant to lay off the night watchman.

[notalwaysright]

New Manager recently said that if we don't keep our average ticket up (by selling "add-on" items to increase the total) we don't get as many hours. Which means less hourly employees to sell things, but the same number of managers who get paid much more than the hourly employees. So if we sell less, we get less people to sell things, and we sell even less, and get even less hours until nobody is left except managers.

Edited to add that this is REGARDLESS of if we make budget. We could have a goal of say $10,000 and make that goal, but if the average purchase was only $10 we would be in Big Trouble, because average ticket was supposed to be $20. If we had 500 transactions of $20 we would be peachy.

[evilhomer]

...
So they laid off the night watchman.

It's funny cause it's true


Not that I know the precise details of the hierarchy of this office, but it seemed like everyone "consulted" was on the same level. It was just that nobody was willing the make a decision, they just wanted to pass the buck. I guess that if anybody had a problem, nobody wanted to be the one who made the decision.


Maybe I'm just desensitized to this beureaucratic bullshit, but it didn't really bother me that much. The guy who annoyed me was the first assclown who was adamant that the proper size cabinet appear immediately, as if I had a full supply hidden away somewhere.

[registerrodeo]

The blame game crap happens all the time. We are told something was done in a wrong way, please watch it isn't done like that again and suddenly, out comes the pitchforks and torches to find the person that made a simple mistake (never anything big, just a way we don't want anyone getting into the habit of) and torture them until they admit they are the only one to have made a mistake and none of their esteemed co workers would ever make such an error due to their perfection. Pisses me off!