Hierarchy
I work at "corporate" and all it really means is that I happen to work in the same infrastructure as the "big wigs" of the company. This summer at worked at a plant, all this means is that I was working with the lowly workmen who actually produce the products that make the big wigs "big." I have been at work for close to three months now and here is what I have noticed:
1. I got no respect at the plant. When I was working in the plant, the people at corporate, and especially those at the plant, were not very, hmmm...how should I say this, "acquiescent" to my requests. It didn't matter if my request was a top priority for the company or if it would make their lives easier, it usually took people a long time to get around to what I needed them to do.
2. Now that I'm at corporate, people are actually apologizing to me. I sent out a request for someone at one of our plants to do something today. The request was important, but didn't need to be done today. The email was brief and, in my opinion, could have also been worded nicer and fluffed up more. I wasn't really expecting an answer from anyone for awhile, if at all, and continued on with my work. About 2 hours later I get an email back from this person with a "high importance" tag next to the email and him telling me how sorry he was that he hadn't gotten to it earlier.
Now to put some perspective on the two points: Before at the plant I was essentially asking someone to fix my radiator, now I am asking someone to refill my windshield wiper fluid. Yet I get so much more urgency from the windshield wiper guy than from the radiator guy- both of which take equal time to do.
So I have to ask myself, why the sudden difference in attitude? It could be because people in NE are poopchunks and just don't like doing things, but I have to correspond with people all over the US now and all of them respond with this level of urgency that I have never experienced before. My conclusions is simply the fact that I am "at corporate." My title has not changed, in fact on every email I put my title as "LOP Intern." I suppose an "LOP Intern" is better than a "DMA intern" but I'm a lowly intern nonetheless. It's just that people have this fascination with corporate, as if it's this magical land where all your dreams come true. As if somehow in life there is this totem pole and that plants and their workers are always at the bottom.
This makes me very angry. I want people to do something because it's important and because its their job or good for the company; not because someone at "corporate" told them to do so. It's like the whole world lives by a totem pole mentality and we prioritize things and life in this way. I want to live in a blob, and in my blob all things are of equal importance and I do not classify things simply because one looks more important than the other or dresses better or has "big wigs" living in them.
I say we all stick to the totem pole people and live life like it's a blob.
1. I got no respect at the plant. When I was working in the plant, the people at corporate, and especially those at the plant, were not very, hmmm...how should I say this, "acquiescent" to my requests. It didn't matter if my request was a top priority for the company or if it would make their lives easier, it usually took people a long time to get around to what I needed them to do.
2. Now that I'm at corporate, people are actually apologizing to me. I sent out a request for someone at one of our plants to do something today. The request was important, but didn't need to be done today. The email was brief and, in my opinion, could have also been worded nicer and fluffed up more. I wasn't really expecting an answer from anyone for awhile, if at all, and continued on with my work. About 2 hours later I get an email back from this person with a "high importance" tag next to the email and him telling me how sorry he was that he hadn't gotten to it earlier.
Now to put some perspective on the two points: Before at the plant I was essentially asking someone to fix my radiator, now I am asking someone to refill my windshield wiper fluid. Yet I get so much more urgency from the windshield wiper guy than from the radiator guy- both of which take equal time to do.
So I have to ask myself, why the sudden difference in attitude? It could be because people in NE are poopchunks and just don't like doing things, but I have to correspond with people all over the US now and all of them respond with this level of urgency that I have never experienced before. My conclusions is simply the fact that I am "at corporate." My title has not changed, in fact on every email I put my title as "LOP Intern." I suppose an "LOP Intern" is better than a "DMA intern" but I'm a lowly intern nonetheless. It's just that people have this fascination with corporate, as if it's this magical land where all your dreams come true. As if somehow in life there is this totem pole and that plants and their workers are always at the bottom.
This makes me very angry. I want people to do something because it's important and because its their job or good for the company; not because someone at "corporate" told them to do so. It's like the whole world lives by a totem pole mentality and we prioritize things and life in this way. I want to live in a blob, and in my blob all things are of equal importance and I do not classify things simply because one looks more important than the other or dresses better or has "big wigs" living in them.
I say we all stick to the totem pole people and live life like it's a blob.
posted by chen at 2:04 PM
2 Comments:
Wait, are you saying that corporate isn't a magical place where all dreams come true? I've been living in a land of lies my entire life....
Also it takes longer to fix most radiator problems than it does to fill up windshield fluid, but I understand the point of your analogy.
Instead of wanting to live in a blob you should be proud of the fact that you are at the top of the totem pole. Exploit the masses. Why? Because you can.
Communist! ;)
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