People. Fucking useless people.
Mar. 17th, 2008 10:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grrgoylThis marks the first weekend where I think I was more pissed off by my co-workers than by the dogs (which isn't to say I didn't have any annoying dogs -- did you know a West Highland terrier makes an extremely loud, extremely high-pitched keening noise when it's unhappy? And it will not stop for anything. At least she got tired eventually on her own).
First I got out of my car and was greeted by the sight of a big old dog poop on the sidewalk in front of the steps. Now, it's possible this was left by a client, which ew -- I would hope most dog owners don't bring their little furry angels out in public without being prepared to clean up after them. However, I suspect more that it was left by a co-worker. There's been an increasing trend of employees bringing their dogs in with them lately, probably because their dogs, like every other dog in the world, lose their minds when left alone for any length of time. They probably got off work, went out to the parking lot and oops! their little snoogums made a mess. Oh well, since no one can prove it was mine, I'll just go my merry way.
The second thing I saw when I went downstairs was an empty kennel with blanket and food bowls still in it. This has been part of this trend: people bring their clingy little pets in with them for the day, set them up in a kennel, then take the animal home but leave their mess for me to clean up. This I take exception to. HELL no. I'll walk your dog if it's here, but when you pick it up you know damn well where the laundry and dirty dishes go; clean up your own damn mess. I'm not even asking you to clean the blankets and dishes yourself, just have the courtesy to pick them up and hose down the cage. Not that much to expect.
This happened a few weekends ago. No sooner had I set the alarm and prepared to go downstairs for the night when I heard someone trying to unlock the door. I let her in (after determining she was a tiny thing that I could easily stomp into the floor if she turned out to not be an employee) and she went to retrieve her dogs that had been there all week. Then quickly left before I noticed that she hadn't touched anything else in the cage. I called Tery, who sighed and asked me to clean it, but made a note. It turned out this was a new employee, hadn't worked hardly a week, then called in sick citing debilitating pain after a ski trip with her boyfriend. Evidently she was sneaking in after hours to get her dogs so Tery wouldn't see that her pain wasn't really THAT debilitating after all.
So there was a staff meeting and many notes posted regarding this. If you're saving the kennel for your own dog leave a note (one of our long-term techs who works every weekend does this and I'm always appreciative). If it's your dog, pick it up yourself, and if it was a client's dog I'll happily do it. But people have been abusing this privilege so consistently now that gone are the days I quietly tidy up without questioning who I'm doing it for this time.
The other thing I noticed outside was the garbage I had left by the front steps the previous night was still there (Tery doesn't want me taking it to the dumpster in the morning, it's in a dark area with too much opportunity for someone to lie in ambush). Again, there was a staff meeting explaining it's the responsibility of the morning assistant to take these bags out, conveniently forgotten (or ignored) by everyone two weeks later.
Then I started walking the dogs and noticed the yard was FULL of poop. I mean, you couldn't take more than two steps without having to change course. I used to scoop it before being told by the cops that I needed to stay close to the stairwell at night as much as possible; again, the further from the building you venture, the darker it gets and the more hiding places for an intruder there are. And I wasn't going to scoop it (HELL no), except one of my charges was this senile deaf schnauzer who stopped to sample each and every pile. Since he couldn't hear me yelling to stop, I had to stay right behind him and pull him away physically every time he wanted to nosh.
And I STILL wasn't going to scoop it because the bucket where the poop is dumped was already full almost to overflowing. Tery had left a note for someone to empty it (who will go unnamed); the note was discarded and the task ignored, because if you throw a note away it's just as if it was never written, right? But it was so very NASTY out there that I eventually caved and started scooping (I didn't go into the darker areas, however). Over about 15 minutes I had amassed quite an impressive heap:
Pile o' Poop
See what I mean? NASTY. So now when Buddy goes a'walking he's got an all-you-can-eat buffet instead of a between-meal snack, but much easier to pull him away from.
This was my breaking point. Because this shit (literal) wasn't just one day's worth. Some of it has been out there so long it had flattened and softened until nearly becoming sod. Why isn't this getting done by the day crew? I think I know why. Because on one end of the building you've got Recovery and Surgery, where all the action is and all the cool people hang out. All the way at the opposite end all you've got is stupid barking dogs and a yard full of feces. Who would choose to hang out with the dogs, except smokers? Which reminds me of strike 5: smokers leaving their butts in the yard, or in the trash inside stinking up the place. Also NASTY. This is Tery's biggest pet peeve daily, so it's finally starting to sink into their heads not to do it.
I was absolutely livid by this point, and unfortunately I have no one to vent this to but Tery, who doesn't want to hear it. She knows she has useless, lazy workers who resolutely disregard every rule put to them. But sadly no one is beating down the door to replace them, so she spends her days kissing their asses just to keep her staff at a barely adequate level. So last night I left notes.
I don't normally leave notes. 99% of the time I receive no response and therefore no indication that they're even being read (particularly when the behavior I'm complaining about continues unabated). The one time I DID get an answer was a memorable afternoon after I had discovered a ferret litter box with at least two days' worth of poop in it (shit -- it's always about shit). I left a note asking what went on all day, half-jokingly, which is not at all the way it was interpreted. I got a call from the tech that evening totally smacking me down. How DARE I imply that the assistant did nothing all day. I had no idea how crazy things got there, who was I to criticize? Yes, how dare I. How dare I question why, in an 8-hour day (or even two 8-hour days), no one could find 2-1/2 minutes to scoop the animal's box, which is sort of their job but who was I to say anything?
Because let's be clear. I'm not complaining about huge multilevel projects that would require hours and a team of five not getting done. I'm complaining about small, easy, quick things that don't get done regularly, resulting in a yard so full of shit that it takes me 15 minutes to scoop 2/3 of it, or a bucket so full of shit that no one wants to deal with it. I honestly have no idea how Tery lives with these people day in and day out, because if it were me, there'd be a lot more yelling.
And I'm sure, on some level, some of them might be thinking "How convenient that the night crew doesn't have to do some of these more unsavory tasks." Yes. It is convenient. But that doesn't change the fact that there's a perfectly good reason why we can't (not "won't") do it. This past week J., the regular overnight woman, has been out sick with walking pneumonia. Tery covered one night and had a couple of other people agree to stop in on the other nights. Tery later learned they brought boyfriends along, because the place is just too creepy at night for them (she was none too pleased to hear this, but whatever). So they, at least, realize that the threat of prowlers seems all too real around about 2 a.m. Everyone else apparently thinks "As long as I don't have to be there, it's not such a big deal leaving doors unlocked or security systems disabled." (Tery thinks everyone should be required to work one overnight shift to get a better appreciation of it, which I think is an outstanding idea)
(Speaking of which, Saturday night I had such a vivid dream of being stabbed in my sleep that I actually jumped up off the cot while still unconscious. THAT was one of the freakiest experiences of my life.)
So I left notes. I pointed out how I had scooped the yard despite being instructed by police to stay near the door as much as possible. I added that Tery wants someone to empty that bucket. I reminded them that I gladly got the garbage upstairs, but it was their job to bring it to the dumpster every day, not my decision but Tery's. And I left a huge note on the empty cage asking whose it was. The notes could have been a lot snarkier, but I tried to stay semi-professional. I just wish my co-workers would make half an effort to do the same.
First I got out of my car and was greeted by the sight of a big old dog poop on the sidewalk in front of the steps. Now, it's possible this was left by a client, which ew -- I would hope most dog owners don't bring their little furry angels out in public without being prepared to clean up after them. However, I suspect more that it was left by a co-worker. There's been an increasing trend of employees bringing their dogs in with them lately, probably because their dogs, like every other dog in the world, lose their minds when left alone for any length of time. They probably got off work, went out to the parking lot and oops! their little snoogums made a mess. Oh well, since no one can prove it was mine, I'll just go my merry way.
The second thing I saw when I went downstairs was an empty kennel with blanket and food bowls still in it. This has been part of this trend: people bring their clingy little pets in with them for the day, set them up in a kennel, then take the animal home but leave their mess for me to clean up. This I take exception to. HELL no. I'll walk your dog if it's here, but when you pick it up you know damn well where the laundry and dirty dishes go; clean up your own damn mess. I'm not even asking you to clean the blankets and dishes yourself, just have the courtesy to pick them up and hose down the cage. Not that much to expect.
This happened a few weekends ago. No sooner had I set the alarm and prepared to go downstairs for the night when I heard someone trying to unlock the door. I let her in (after determining she was a tiny thing that I could easily stomp into the floor if she turned out to not be an employee) and she went to retrieve her dogs that had been there all week. Then quickly left before I noticed that she hadn't touched anything else in the cage. I called Tery, who sighed and asked me to clean it, but made a note. It turned out this was a new employee, hadn't worked hardly a week, then called in sick citing debilitating pain after a ski trip with her boyfriend. Evidently she was sneaking in after hours to get her dogs so Tery wouldn't see that her pain wasn't really THAT debilitating after all.
So there was a staff meeting and many notes posted regarding this. If you're saving the kennel for your own dog leave a note (one of our long-term techs who works every weekend does this and I'm always appreciative). If it's your dog, pick it up yourself, and if it was a client's dog I'll happily do it. But people have been abusing this privilege so consistently now that gone are the days I quietly tidy up without questioning who I'm doing it for this time.
The other thing I noticed outside was the garbage I had left by the front steps the previous night was still there (Tery doesn't want me taking it to the dumpster in the morning, it's in a dark area with too much opportunity for someone to lie in ambush). Again, there was a staff meeting explaining it's the responsibility of the morning assistant to take these bags out, conveniently forgotten (or ignored) by everyone two weeks later.
Then I started walking the dogs and noticed the yard was FULL of poop. I mean, you couldn't take more than two steps without having to change course. I used to scoop it before being told by the cops that I needed to stay close to the stairwell at night as much as possible; again, the further from the building you venture, the darker it gets and the more hiding places for an intruder there are. And I wasn't going to scoop it (HELL no), except one of my charges was this senile deaf schnauzer who stopped to sample each and every pile. Since he couldn't hear me yelling to stop, I had to stay right behind him and pull him away physically every time he wanted to nosh.
And I STILL wasn't going to scoop it because the bucket where the poop is dumped was already full almost to overflowing. Tery had left a note for someone to empty it (who will go unnamed); the note was discarded and the task ignored, because if you throw a note away it's just as if it was never written, right? But it was so very NASTY out there that I eventually caved and started scooping (I didn't go into the darker areas, however). Over about 15 minutes I had amassed quite an impressive heap:
Pile o' Poop
See what I mean? NASTY. So now when Buddy goes a'walking he's got an all-you-can-eat buffet instead of a between-meal snack, but much easier to pull him away from.
This was my breaking point. Because this shit (literal) wasn't just one day's worth. Some of it has been out there so long it had flattened and softened until nearly becoming sod. Why isn't this getting done by the day crew? I think I know why. Because on one end of the building you've got Recovery and Surgery, where all the action is and all the cool people hang out. All the way at the opposite end all you've got is stupid barking dogs and a yard full of feces. Who would choose to hang out with the dogs, except smokers? Which reminds me of strike 5: smokers leaving their butts in the yard, or in the trash inside stinking up the place. Also NASTY. This is Tery's biggest pet peeve daily, so it's finally starting to sink into their heads not to do it.
I was absolutely livid by this point, and unfortunately I have no one to vent this to but Tery, who doesn't want to hear it. She knows she has useless, lazy workers who resolutely disregard every rule put to them. But sadly no one is beating down the door to replace them, so she spends her days kissing their asses just to keep her staff at a barely adequate level. So last night I left notes.
I don't normally leave notes. 99% of the time I receive no response and therefore no indication that they're even being read (particularly when the behavior I'm complaining about continues unabated). The one time I DID get an answer was a memorable afternoon after I had discovered a ferret litter box with at least two days' worth of poop in it (shit -- it's always about shit). I left a note asking what went on all day, half-jokingly, which is not at all the way it was interpreted. I got a call from the tech that evening totally smacking me down. How DARE I imply that the assistant did nothing all day. I had no idea how crazy things got there, who was I to criticize? Yes, how dare I. How dare I question why, in an 8-hour day (or even two 8-hour days), no one could find 2-1/2 minutes to scoop the animal's box, which is sort of their job but who was I to say anything?
Because let's be clear. I'm not complaining about huge multilevel projects that would require hours and a team of five not getting done. I'm complaining about small, easy, quick things that don't get done regularly, resulting in a yard so full of shit that it takes me 15 minutes to scoop 2/3 of it, or a bucket so full of shit that no one wants to deal with it. I honestly have no idea how Tery lives with these people day in and day out, because if it were me, there'd be a lot more yelling.
And I'm sure, on some level, some of them might be thinking "How convenient that the night crew doesn't have to do some of these more unsavory tasks." Yes. It is convenient. But that doesn't change the fact that there's a perfectly good reason why we can't (not "won't") do it. This past week J., the regular overnight woman, has been out sick with walking pneumonia. Tery covered one night and had a couple of other people agree to stop in on the other nights. Tery later learned they brought boyfriends along, because the place is just too creepy at night for them (she was none too pleased to hear this, but whatever). So they, at least, realize that the threat of prowlers seems all too real around about 2 a.m. Everyone else apparently thinks "As long as I don't have to be there, it's not such a big deal leaving doors unlocked or security systems disabled." (Tery thinks everyone should be required to work one overnight shift to get a better appreciation of it, which I think is an outstanding idea)
(Speaking of which, Saturday night I had such a vivid dream of being stabbed in my sleep that I actually jumped up off the cot while still unconscious. THAT was one of the freakiest experiences of my life.)
So I left notes. I pointed out how I had scooped the yard despite being instructed by police to stay near the door as much as possible. I added that Tery wants someone to empty that bucket. I reminded them that I gladly got the garbage upstairs, but it was their job to bring it to the dumpster every day, not my decision but Tery's. And I left a huge note on the empty cage asking whose it was. The notes could have been a lot snarkier, but I tried to stay semi-professional. I just wish my co-workers would make half an effort to do the same.
