What’s On Your Mind?

[lizkat]

Knowing someone is going to be fired before they are is not pleasant. (The reason I know is because I do employee scheduling and my boss tells me when someone is leaving; it's just that so far, it's only been people quitting, usually temps finding full-time work somewhere else). But this is a full-time employee who's been here a year--someone I'm on friendly terms with. So talking to her today like everything was normal knowing what I know was so awkward and uncomfortable. I need a break from work...

I used to hate that sort of thing too. There was a time it was part of my gig to revoke infotech-related access when someone was leaving, and the protocol was to make it happen while the exit interview was occurring. It was not a hassle personally when the situation was like a departing consultant group or a temp clerk at end of contract, but for an in-house employee of some longer term employment, it could feel really awkward when it was obvious the separation was involuntary.

 

[ronntaylor]

Knowing someone is going to be fired before they are is not pleasant. (The reason I know is because I do employee scheduling and my boss tells me when someone is leaving; it's just that so far, it's only been people quitting, usually temps finding full-time work somewhere else). But this is a full-time employee who's been here a year--someone I'm on friendly terms with. So talking to her today like everything was normal knowing what I know was so awkward and uncomfortable. I need a break from work...

That's a messed thing to do; for the employee and you. They should just have the employee informed at the beginning of their shift and have them leave, with payment for the shift.

I worked for Barnes & Noble and for several years they would have managers and supervisors fire temps without notice. It was always F'd up to have people work a shift and inform them as they're punching out at the end of their shift. Especially if they believe they'll be working for 2+ days more. A bunch of us managers revolted and insisted that we be allowed to give exact working days and even inform temps if their expected time was going to be cut short. We'd rather have some temps leave on their own and have other temps (or regular available staff) pick up shifts if temps were upset and didn't show up.

We once had a temp that first wanted to fight her supervisor, then sat down in the middle of a room and bawled her eyes out after being told that she was no longer needed for the remainder of the week.

 

[fischersd]

Labour guidelines in the US are very different than up here. We usually give more severance than what's required by law (usually 4 weeks per year). (partly to keep people from litigating) - though, you don't actually need cause to terminate someone.

I've been in management most of my career. Worst was outsourcing a department - some of the staff weren't going to the new services company. Just an awful experience for all involved (and it was completely a BS move by the VP that made it happen).

 

[DT]

I fortunately have never had to deal much with company/corporate firing practices. My previous company, I did let a few people go, but it was very clear they were not cutting it (to them as well), so it was pretty expected and we didn't do anything like escort people out of the building.

When that company was acquired, we were rolled into a corporate machine and at some point very early in the process they wanted us to jettison some of our staff, and these were long-timers, because of existing people where they merged us.

I raged up to the P's office, said I would walk, and that the existing people are shitty at their jobs and are massively overpaid.

Hahaha, the existing staff (people there before the merge) got moved into a sort of "special practice" that was eventually shut down by way of offering them positions at other divisions (in a different state).

My company was like a family, you do NOT fuck with my people

 

[lizkat]

My company was like a family, you do NOT fuck with my people

A rarity any more, I suspect, as far as corporate outfits go. Workforce so often gets treated as if part of just-in-time inventory schemes and that goes even now when the labor market is tight. The days of a two-way-street of consideration between employers and employees had long since begun to fade by the 1990s. But the USA was yet to see the brutality of today's gig jobs. Even fast food joints back then still had full time employees with regular shifts.

By ten or so years later, when one of my nieces got a counter slot at a fast food place in the summer before college, they had her calling in on Sunday nights to find out a) how many hours she'd have the following week and b) when and how long the first two of that week's shifts for her would be. So she was always max three or four days away from finding out there was no work. I was thinking about what it would be like for a single mother with two kids to be working that kind of gig... and at the pay at that point, probably working multiple similar jobs.

 

[DT]

Forgot to mention back before the flood (I guess around Genesis 6:17 ) we got a Burrow sofa!

This is one of those modular products, and there are several brands in this marketspace, Joybird, Lovesac, and they're all very interesting. They tend to be built around sustainable materials, small-ish companies led by smart people, really outstanding construction, clever design elements, insanely good customer service. This isn't a Swedish brand that comes in a box for DIY assembly, it's really pre-built modular components, with heavy duty locking systems, the ability to change the configuration, size, features.

One thing that drew us to Burrow is they offer a "cat proof" material. Like they even built this cat scratching simulator and tested the material against 100K scratches and according to the dozens of incredibly enthusiastic reviews it really works, so there you go, we chose our style, size, features, material, color, legs. The olefin fabric is super stain resistant, uses some deep dying process, you can actually use ++bleach++ on it.

And using my mediocre super power, I managed to find a really good coupon (I think it was 20%, and they always offer free shipping).

It arrived sooner than expected, the Sun before Ian hit (that Thu), so it sat in the garage for a few days, then we figured we should at least bring it inside, then decided just to set it up - this chair goes there, other sofa moved to that wall, etc., and we had a new place to sit for a few days before it was stacked on top of the old sofa

Even the packaging was stellar, very "Apple-like", nice design, everything labeled, covered with thick protective cotton bags, it was like 30 minutes start to finish. We went with a Nomad 3-section, mid-height block arms, navy blue fabric with walnut legs.

 

[lizkat]

One thing that drew us to Burrow is they offer a "cat proof" material. Like they even built this cat scratching simulator and tested the material against 100K scratches and according to the dozens of incredibly enthusiastic reviews it really works

Well I sure could have used something like that back in the 70s in NYC. I had a nice loveseat from Macy's in my apartment then, and unbeknownst to me one of my cats was stealthily turning the end that faced away from view (unless one was doing spring cleaning, duh) into the equivalent of a shredded grass skirt, one day at a time. I tossed a magazine towards a rack meant to store such things one day, missed, and the thing caromed off a leg of the piano onto the floor. In retrieving it, I saw that end of the couch. Holy sh^t! Total destruction, you could see through to the wood of the corners of that loveseat behind what little was left of the upholstery...it looked like Spanish moss.

That cat knew it had been outed, because it got up off the cushions of that love seat and disappeared into my bedroom for the rest of the weekend, leaving there only whenever I went in there myself looking for it, and then hiding out under the piano or a credenza in the living room...

 

[Herdfan]

Annoyance.

Found out last night that we are not going to have a traditional turkey dinner at Thanksgiving. Idiot BIL doesn't want his mom to have to cook so he is going to smoke a turkey on his smoker. Which means there will be no stuffing (which is different than oven cooked dressing) and no broth to make gravy. So dry meat and mashed potatoes. Yay.

She doesn't cook anyway, she just wanders in the kitchen and gets in the way of the people who are actually cooking.

Wife is going to make a proper turkey on Sunday when we are back home.

 

[Renzatic]

Idiot BIL doesn't want his mom to have to cook so he is going to smoke a turkey on his smoker.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. If he's at all competent at it, smoked turkey is about the best thing in the world. You miss out on the stuffing, gravy, and whatnot, sure, but you can mix up your sides a bit to compensate. I recommend mac 'n cheese, though of a fancier make and model, since it is Thanksgiving and all.

 

[DT]

Well I sure could have used something like that back in the 70s in NYC.

It's working so far, in fact, I think it's sort of unfulfilling since she knows she can't wreck it, so she pretty quickly ignored it.

Annoyance.

Found out last night that we are not going to have a traditional turkey dinner at Thanksgiving. Idiot BIL doesn't want his mom to have to cook so he is going to smoke a turkey on his smoker. Which means there will be no stuffing (which is different than oven cooked dressing) and no broth to make gravy. So dry meat and mashed potatoes. Yay.

She doesn't cook anyway, she just wanders in the kitchen and gets in the way of the people who are actually cooking.

Wife is going to make a proper turkey on Sunday when we are back home.

Ha!

Same thing here, down to the IL's place in NSB, he's doing a turkey in a BGE, apparently all the sides (we're bringing pies from Village Inn), so I guess no stuffing, no real turkey fat gravy ...

The wife however, also bought a smaller-er-ish 15 pound Butterball for us, so Saturday, we'll have a properly STUFFED turkey, with her killer gravy (also mashed potatoes, hers are magic, especially with a gallon of gravy )

You miss out on the stuffing, gravy

Full stop.

 

[lizkat]

Stuffing is key.... look up a recipe for sheet pan stuffing or traditional herbed pan dressing made with chicken broth and assorted veggies and just bring it along. Gravy, well... chicken broth to the rescue again, add a little something or other for umami -- soy sauce, worcestershire etc. Only tell people what's in it so to avoid any allergy issues. Also there's no law says a "side" dish can't include a pan dressing made with shredded roast chicken in it, what the heck. Let them wonder.

 

[DT]

It's working so far, in fact, I think it's sort of unfulfilling since she knows she can't wreck it, so she pretty quickly ignored it.

Meant to mention: we ordered a matching ottoman, same material (and color/legs), but that looks a lot more like a scratching kind of thing, we'll have to see if she changes her mind ...

 

[Herdfan]

That's not necessarily a bad thing. If he's at all competent at it, smoked turkey is about the best thing in the world. You miss out on the stuffing, gravy, and whatnot, sure, but you can mix up your sides a bit to compensate. I recommend mac 'n cheese, though of a fancier make and model, since it is Thanksgiving and all.

Yes, smoked turkey is great. My wife's family love dark meat. To the point there is never enough. So one year I bought 2 turkey legs and smoked them in addition to the regular oven cooked bird. They liked them which I think was the impetus to smoke the whole thing.

 

[Herdfan]

Stuffing is key.... look up a recipe for sheet pan stuffing or traditional herbed pan dressing made with chicken broth and assorted veggies and just bring it along. Gravy, well... chicken broth to the rescue again, add a little something or other for umami -- soy sauce, worcestershire etc. Only tell people what's in it so to avoid any allergy issues. Also there's no law says a "side" dish can't include a pan dressing made with shredded roast chicken in it, what the heck. Let them wonder.

Funny story about the gravy. Wife's family always made giblet gravy. First couple of years the wife would strain the bits out for me. Then one year when we hosted and my mom was attending, the wife kept some of the broth and made more of a white gravy without the giblets. And this continued over a few years until one year her son asked if there was any more of the other gravy. That did not go over very well.

 

[lizkat]

On my mind: none of us has had anything on our minds since Thanksgiving gravy? We are slackers.

 

[lizkat]

Ok so on my mind today is how northern Californians here experienced the 6.4 earthquake in the wee hours today...

Live updates: A 6.4-magnitude earthquake strikes Northern California

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake impacted Northern California's Eureka area early Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey, leaving thousands without power. Follow the latest news here.

www.cnn.com

 

[Apple fanboy]

On my mind: none of us has had anything on our minds since Thanksgiving gravy? We are slackers.

I donated my mind some years ago.

 

[lizkat]

I donated my mind some years ago.

I'm fairly convinced of having lost my own mind every time I watch myself look for the pour-over coffee filter, pawing through the dish drainer with one hand since the filter's in the other and what I want is just a spoon.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My mother is on my mind; she passed away four years ago today, and I am now raising A Glass Of Something Nice to the memory of my mother, recalling how much she loved travel, and (good) food and history and sport and culture and laughter. And us.

 

[lizkat]

On my mind today is how one can tell (despite this being Super Bowl weekend), that the season of March Madness is not far off: I typed 'Jazz discoveries Feb 2023' into a search engine this afternoon in preparation for my usual Friday night prowl for some new (or old made new again) jazz options, and about half the top hits were all about the prospects of the NBA's Utah Jazz team.

Yep. Even ol' fashioned search engines that fetch up links instead of serving up an AI suggestion do know that basketball is starting to trend...