I hate my job because.....
Discussion
... I'm getting totally pissed off with having to make up for the problems caused by every other 
in the sales/delivery/support process!
My company sells equipment to the rail industry. Everything to do with track maintenance from simple rail saws and wrenches to fit to bolted joints up to multi-million pound machines to move pre-made track and switches and kit to install/tension the catenary cables.
My little area of this is ultrasonic equipment to test for defects. cracks and bad welds.
In theory, I'm supposed to carry out presentations to potential customers, commission new equipment and train operators to use the kit. I was told at interview that it would be a rare thing for trips to be any longer than fly out Monday, fly home Friday.
In practice, I'm involved in the development of new kit, testing on receipt from our (Russian) suppliers, translation of the manuals, installing, sorting out electrical/electronic/mechanical problems and having to train customers, who have no interest or experience how to use it.
The majority of my input is at the end of the manufacturing/sales process which results in my never having any time to do my job/check out the equipment because it has to be delivered on schedule.
A typical example is the project which I'm on now. I had a two week slot to test the kit (from Russia) which arrived two weeks late then had a fault which took two weeks for the supplier to sort out.
My time for testing in the uK was totally lost and the kit was shipped to our factory ion France to integrate into a rail vehicle. I was due to travel there and spend a week setting up and testing. The week turned into a day as there were problems getting a crane to lift the vehicle onto track.
This ended up meaning that I was trying to set up, outside, in France, in January until 10 at night in freezing conditions ready for customer acceptance the next day.
Strangely enough, for many reasons, the customer would not sign off the factory acceptance test!
Hoorah! This would give me time to iron out the bugs before e the next test!
No!
For some reason, it was shipped to Bangkok for the factory and site acceptance tests to be carried out together. Unfortunately some prise plum shipped it before I could spend any time fixing the bugs!
I came out to Bangkok in February to .attend the acceptance testing, sorted out most of the bugs, found a couple more and was ready for the acceptance testing... The relevant persons from the customer's company decided that they wouldn't attend!
I'm out here again now, sorted out all problems and found a new one, which I have a solution for, and was preparing to come back in two weeks to sort out (customer decided not to attend acceptance testing again!0
I was ready to return today but was told by MD that I should stay on until the job was finished!!!!
Problems are:-
1) Some items I need are nigh on impossible to obtain in Thailand.
2) There are National holidays in Thailand Monday, Thursday and Friday this week
3) The customer has still not confirmed if/when they will attend for testing.
Bearing in mind that I am on a flat salary (and not particularly high) is it unreasonable that I'm getting a bit pissed off?
in the sales/delivery/support process!My company sells equipment to the rail industry. Everything to do with track maintenance from simple rail saws and wrenches to fit to bolted joints up to multi-million pound machines to move pre-made track and switches and kit to install/tension the catenary cables.
My little area of this is ultrasonic equipment to test for defects. cracks and bad welds.
In theory, I'm supposed to carry out presentations to potential customers, commission new equipment and train operators to use the kit. I was told at interview that it would be a rare thing for trips to be any longer than fly out Monday, fly home Friday.
In practice, I'm involved in the development of new kit, testing on receipt from our (Russian) suppliers, translation of the manuals, installing, sorting out electrical/electronic/mechanical problems and having to train customers, who have no interest or experience how to use it.
The majority of my input is at the end of the manufacturing/sales process which results in my never having any time to do my job/check out the equipment because it has to be delivered on schedule.
A typical example is the project which I'm on now. I had a two week slot to test the kit (from Russia) which arrived two weeks late then had a fault which took two weeks for the supplier to sort out.
My time for testing in the uK was totally lost and the kit was shipped to our factory ion France to integrate into a rail vehicle. I was due to travel there and spend a week setting up and testing. The week turned into a day as there were problems getting a crane to lift the vehicle onto track.
This ended up meaning that I was trying to set up, outside, in France, in January until 10 at night in freezing conditions ready for customer acceptance the next day.
Strangely enough, for many reasons, the customer would not sign off the factory acceptance test!
Hoorah! This would give me time to iron out the bugs before e the next test!
No!
For some reason, it was shipped to Bangkok for the factory and site acceptance tests to be carried out together. Unfortunately some prise plum shipped it before I could spend any time fixing the bugs!
I came out to Bangkok in February to .attend the acceptance testing, sorted out most of the bugs, found a couple more and was ready for the acceptance testing... The relevant persons from the customer's company decided that they wouldn't attend!
I'm out here again now, sorted out all problems and found a new one, which I have a solution for, and was preparing to come back in two weeks to sort out (customer decided not to attend acceptance testing again!0
I was ready to return today but was told by MD that I should stay on until the job was finished!!!!
Problems are:-
1) Some items I need are nigh on impossible to obtain in Thailand.
2) There are National holidays in Thailand Monday, Thursday and Friday this week
3) The customer has still not confirmed if/when they will attend for testing.
Bearing in mind that I am on a flat salary (and not particularly high) is it unreasonable that I'm getting a bit pissed off?
People.
People are strange, they get aggressive when they are scared they get verbal diarroahea,they become mute, they dont listen to simple instructions (for example I always have to tell people to lie on their backs with their head on the pillow if I just told them to lie down 9times out of 10 they would lie on their belly with their feet on the pillow) they become paralysed and become completely incapable of doing the simplest task themselves.
Mind you on the rare occasions when someone actually appreciates what we do for them it is a great feeling
People are strange, they get aggressive when they are scared they get verbal diarroahea,they become mute, they dont listen to simple instructions (for example I always have to tell people to lie on their backs with their head on the pillow if I just told them to lie down 9times out of 10 they would lie on their belly with their feet on the pillow) they become paralysed and become completely incapable of doing the simplest task themselves.
Mind you on the rare occasions when someone actually appreciates what we do for them it is a great feeling
I like my job -loving would be a bit over the top as employee- but sometimes am a bit miffed
because people rely on me to do overtime and correct other´s misplanning and mismanufacturing.
I could just let it slip but it may bite me because on location we have thight schedules for installing,
so I better have everything ready to load when travelling.
OK, overtime gets extra pay but I could do something better with my free time,
which is somehow running out at 56, but at that age a change of job is almost impossible with my qualifications.
because people rely on me to do overtime and correct other´s misplanning and mismanufacturing.
I could just let it slip but it may bite me because on location we have thight schedules for installing,
so I better have everything ready to load when travelling.
OK, overtime gets extra pay but I could do something better with my free time,
which is somehow running out at 56, but at that age a change of job is almost impossible with my qualifications.
Sometimes I really like my job, sometimes I can't stand it, usually because of certain people and the hours, not the work itself, which is okay and can be interesting. In all honestly though, if it weren't for the money, I'd probably be doing something more enjoyable, but I imagine that goes for most people.
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff