Stimulus working? Economy recovering?

[loCAtek]

To where there's no Freedom of Speech; welfare is encouraged and one biddy with no fashion sense, gets five small fiefdoms to do nothing on? No thX!

[oldr_n_wsr]

Dear God, is it that pervasive over there? ("Land of the Free" some conditions may apply!)

Pretty much although most companies only do it when hiring and would only test you again if they suspect something like being blown out at work. The aerospace industry is a different animal as they fall under FAA rules. I got in trouble in my last job when I went out to lunch few times and had a couple of scotches or beer. Not drunk by any means, but someone smelled alcohol on my breath (gotta remember the tic-tacs next time) and I got called in. I didn't lie and told them the truth but got put into the corporate system. Had to go to a counselor three times where it was determined I was not an alcoholic and that I was ok.

[loCAtek]

Shoot, they did drug testing at Home Depot.

CP you didn't eat any poppy seed muffins did ya?

[rubato]

Drug testing new hires is almost universal in the US for larger companies because 1. it is dirt cheap and 2. screens out a swathe of bad hires without depending on your hiring committee having the slightest judgment at all.

yrs,
rubato

[Gob]

I got in trouble in my last job when I went out to lunch few times and had a couple of scotches or beer. Not drunk by any means, but someone smelled alcohol on my breath (gotta remember the tic-tacs next time) and I got called in. I didn't lie and told them the truth but got put into the corporate system. Had to go to a counselor three times where it was determined I was not an alcoholic and that I was ok.

Friday at my office, everyone downs tools an hour and a half early, and there's a kittty for wine beer and snacks, (which the team manager and senior management contribute to, even though they do not usually participate.)

The TFIF hour and POETS day celebrations are encouraged by management as a team bonding thing.

Unfortunately as a shift worker i cannot participate.

The last time the team boss joined in, we had to call a cab for her to go home in, fucking lightweight, and she's Welsh too. (letting the country down there girl!)

[oldr_n_wsr]

I got in trouble in my last job when I went out to lunch few times and had a couple of scotches or beer. Not drunk by any means, but someone smelled alcohol on my breath (gotta remember the tic-tacs next time) and I got called in. I didn't lie and told them the truth but got put into the corporate system. Had to go to a counselor three times where it was determined I was not an alcoholic and that I was ok.

Friday at my office, everyone downs tools an hour and a half early, and there's a kittty for wine beer and snacks, (which the team manager and senior management contribute to, even though they do not usually participate.)

The TFIF hour and POETS day celebrations are encouraged by management as a team bonding thing.

Unfortunately as a shift worker i cannot participate.

The last time the team boss joined in, we had to call a cab for her to go home in, fucking lightweight, and she's Welsh too. (letting the country down there girl!)

This new place (Motorola and no I don't design the phones) is much much better.
While I did have to go for a prehire pee test, they take things much more lightly here. Don't know if I posted this story here but two weeks before I was to start here, the admin assistant emailed me that they were having a "team building" excersize that friday afternoon around 2pm at a local marina and that they would like me to join in. I told her I should be able to be there and I figure it's some kind of team thingy maybe going sailing and seeing how everyone meshes together or whatever. I get there and it's free food and booze for 5 hours courtesy of the boss. Yeee ha I was ready to start right then and there. Then just this past friday it was "bosses day" where the workers are supposed to honor their bosses. Here the boss took all his employees out for lunch and drinks.

[rubato]

Wasn't Motorola the first company in the world to achieve 6 sigma with a commercialized product? Back in the 90s?

yrs,
rubato

[oldr_n_wsr]

Could be
According to Wiki Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a business management strategy originally developed by Motorola, USA in 1981

and

Bill Smith first formulated the particulars of the methodology at Motorola in 1986

I work in a division of Motorola that used to be Symbol Technologies (think bar code scanners) that was purchased by Motorola about 5-8 years ago.

[loCAtek]

Congrats, you sound much happier there.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Congrats, you sound much happier there.

I am.
At the old place, my blood pressure went from a solid 120/70 to 180/90. I got put on hypertension pills and was taking zolof daily for anxiety attacks and had a script for xanax for when the attacks got really bad (only took those twice, they really looped me up).

No more zolof nor xanax needed now although I'm still on the hypertension pills. I go to the doc in another month or so, so maybe I can get off those too.

[Gob]

No more zolof nor xanax needed now although I'm still on the hypertension pills. I go to the doc in another month or so, so maybe I can get off those too.

Well done old son, chemical aids for anxiety only solve the symptoms, not the problems. How's your exercise levels these days? A regular routine of CV and strength exercise would help with the anxiety and the hypertension problems.

[loCAtek]

Not to mention- beating on the bag, is great outlet therapy. :

[Sue U]

Not to mention- beating on the bag, is great outlet therapy. :

Is that what the kids are calling it these days? Oh well, just don't let Christine O'Donnell catch you.

[oldr_n_wsr]

How's your exercise levels these days? A regular routine of CV and strength exercise would help with the anxiety and the hypertension problems.

I try and walk a few miles every night especially now that it is cooler out. I do all my own yard work, home repairs and whatever else needs doing so I am not in terrible shape. At 5'11" and 180lbs I think I am doing ok. I do smoke though. yeah yeah I know I know

[loCAtek]

Not to mention- beating on the bag, is great outlet therapy. :

Is that what the kids are calling it these days? Oh well, just don't let Christine O'Donnell catch you.

Just don't let me catch Christine O'Donnell

[Crackpot]

Hi ho....

[Lord Jim]

At the old place, my blood pressure went from a solid 120/70 to 180/90. I got put on hypertension pills and was taking zolof daily for anxiety attacks and had a script for xanax for when the attacks got really bad (only took those twice, they really looped me up).

No more zolof nor xanax needed now although I'm still on the hypertension pills. I go to the doc in another month or so, so maybe I can get off those too.

It's really great when good things happen to good people....

I remember the callous way your old company let you go...(if I remember correctly you had been with them for a number of years)

But it looks like that it turned out to be a real blessing...You'll probably live years longer than you would have.

[oldr_n_wsr]

At the old place, my blood pressure went from a solid 120/70 to 180/90. I got put on hypertension pills and was taking zolof daily for anxiety attacks and had a script for xanax for when the attacks got really bad (only took those twice, they really looped me up).

No more zolof nor xanax needed now although I'm still on the hypertension pills. I go to the doc in another month or so, so maybe I can get off those too.

It's really great when good things happen to good people....

I remember the callous way your old company let you go...(if I remember correctly you had been with them for a number of years)

But it looks like that it turned out to be a real blessing...You'll probably live years longer than you would have.

I was at the "old place" 24 years, 11 months and 2 and 1/2 weeks when they let me go. I can't say a bad word about them as they did give me 10 weeks severence pay, 4+ weeks vacation pay, and $2500 for being there 25 years and they also picked up health care for 6 months. (I wish they had given me my sick time which was 15 weeks, but oh well.) And I did have a pension plan with them which is now in an IRA making more then if I "let it ride".

The company I went to after the layoff was a real sh%$hole and was way too stringent for me. They treated the employees like children. Hell, I'm 52yo and know what needs to be done, so back off and let me do it. The problem was they didn't know what needed to be done and was constantly changing. (got written up a few times, not for how I said it, they just didn't like the message) But in the end, the stuff that needed to be done still needed to be done and what they switched too really didn't need to be done, so if they would just leave the people doing what they were doing they would have been ahead of the game.

The new place (Motorola) is much better and they treat you like adults and trust you will do what needs to be done. And guess what? we actually do get the job done.

[loCAtek]

Hi ho....

Welcome back to the Rat Race! Did you get any cheese?


...hey! this says your online, what gives!?

[Crackpot]

lunchtime