Struggling to deal with "Corporate BS" lately. Any advice?
Discussion
Hi all.
Firstly - I'm a regular poster here, but posting under a pseudonym as various friends and colleagues are on here too.
I work for a sizeable company in an engineering role. I've been here close to ten years, and have a fairly good package of pay and benefits (£60k + car). Until recently I've thoroughly enjoyed my work, I find the core job of installing, maintaining and testing equipment interesting, and without wanting to sound immodest I'm good at what I do.
However, during the last few months various management initiatives have put paid to this. Our focus has moved from simply doing the job to rigidly following prescribed processes involving vast swathes of paperwork and mandatory, but useless, team meetings. Senior management have dictated that said these meetings take precedence over actual work.
It's getting me down. I'm completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume and convoluted nature of the new processes, and cannot accept that attending a meeting should take priority over planned, scheduled work on the equipment that generates the company's income. I'm hugely frustrated that half of my working week is taken up with unproductive, box-ticking exercises while important repair and maintenance tasks are overlooked.
It's reached the point where I've got into arguments with managers over it on a few recent occasions, and have effectively been shouted down for questioning them and their methods.
Thing is, I know I can't possibly win. I know that I should simply copy my colleagues in shutting up and putting up. But I keep reaching a boiling point, the frustration takes over and my mouth opens. Always much to my regret.
I don't want to leave - the combination of the pay, the benefits and the working hours isn't matched elsewhere. But if I carry on as is I'm going to get myself sacked, or make myself ill. It's already showing at home: wife has commented on my being stressed and short-tempered in recent weeks, and that I've been having a drink at home nearly every evening after work. This last part is what really worries me. It's a clear signal that I'm not coping well.
So I suppose what I'm asking is, can anyone with experience of a similar situation offer any guidance as to how I should deal with it? Any ideas or methods to manage my frustration and anger rather than allow it to ruin my career? Even if it's just "suck it up", although that's what I've been telling myself already.
Sorry for the long and rambling post.
Firstly - I'm a regular poster here, but posting under a pseudonym as various friends and colleagues are on here too.
I work for a sizeable company in an engineering role. I've been here close to ten years, and have a fairly good package of pay and benefits (£60k + car). Until recently I've thoroughly enjoyed my work, I find the core job of installing, maintaining and testing equipment interesting, and without wanting to sound immodest I'm good at what I do.
However, during the last few months various management initiatives have put paid to this. Our focus has moved from simply doing the job to rigidly following prescribed processes involving vast swathes of paperwork and mandatory, but useless, team meetings. Senior management have dictated that said these meetings take precedence over actual work.
It's getting me down. I'm completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume and convoluted nature of the new processes, and cannot accept that attending a meeting should take priority over planned, scheduled work on the equipment that generates the company's income. I'm hugely frustrated that half of my working week is taken up with unproductive, box-ticking exercises while important repair and maintenance tasks are overlooked.
It's reached the point where I've got into arguments with managers over it on a few recent occasions, and have effectively been shouted down for questioning them and their methods.
Thing is, I know I can't possibly win. I know that I should simply copy my colleagues in shutting up and putting up. But I keep reaching a boiling point, the frustration takes over and my mouth opens. Always much to my regret.
I don't want to leave - the combination of the pay, the benefits and the working hours isn't matched elsewhere. But if I carry on as is I'm going to get myself sacked, or make myself ill. It's already showing at home: wife has commented on my being stressed and short-tempered in recent weeks, and that I've been having a drink at home nearly every evening after work. This last part is what really worries me. It's a clear signal that I'm not coping well.
So I suppose what I'm asking is, can anyone with experience of a similar situation offer any guidance as to how I should deal with it? Any ideas or methods to manage my frustration and anger rather than allow it to ruin my career? Even if it's just "suck it up", although that's what I've been telling myself already.
Sorry for the long and rambling post.
Useless, pointless, boring, repetitive, time-wasting meetings are the bane of many large corporations. Many middle managers I have encountered do not appear to do any actual work whatsoever. Their jobs consist entirely of having meetings with other middle managers. The business could get rid of all of them and productivity would increase sharply.
I feel your pain, but getting stressed about it really isn't going to help either your career or your sanity. The only suggestion I can offer is the time honoured :
"God, give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference"
I feel your pain, but getting stressed about it really isn't going to help either your career or your sanity. The only suggestion I can offer is the time honoured :
"God, give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference"
As posted, go to meeting, chill out, relax, make oooh saaar rubs on your lug holes, day dream whatever. You still get paid.
Keep doing the bits you do well and enjoy that side of it. And the 60k + car.
Still stressed in the eve? Go do exercise, have a run, take wife out for a nice meal and laugh at the silly managers and their silly meetings.
Honestly, don't get ill over it.
Keep doing the bits you do well and enjoy that side of it. And the 60k + car.
Still stressed in the eve? Go do exercise, have a run, take wife out for a nice meal and laugh at the silly managers and their silly meetings.
Honestly, don't get ill over it.
Is there any market for what you do as a contractor? Or if being self-employed is too alarming you sound useful enough that finding another job would be straightforward; 10 years is a long time with one employer. It's all very well saying 'suck it up', but being stuck in a meeting full of dolts competing to see who can suck most oxygen out of the air is no way to pass the time.
What you're doing is highlighting that the meetings are not important and that you could be doing the meetings and the company still makes money, effectively meaning you're unrequired. Keep your head down if you like your £60k. 
You could always ask for a demotion to a more hands-on job... yes, it means less money but you'll probably be more satisfied with your job.
You could always ask for a demotion to a more hands-on job... yes, it means less money but you'll probably be more satisfied with your job.
Diary management. Fill your calendar with made-up meetings on the other side of the building, to do with the strategic synergy committee meetings. Vary them enough, and you should get time to wander off, pick up spanners and do some maintenance if that's what you want to do. Jacket on the back of your desk chair means enough freedom to go off and do something interesting.
I had the same issues 20 years ago, so walked away from a very good job and started my own business. Have been self employed ever since and wished I had done it sooner.
I ended up being so stressed with the politics being played within the business, something I did not want to be part of, but carried on and ended up having a mild heart attack when I was 46.
It wasn't until I had walked away from it all that I really appreciated how the stress had been affecting me. It can be a killer, I was lucky to get a warning, don't let it happen to you OP.
I ended up being so stressed with the politics being played within the business, something I did not want to be part of, but carried on and ended up having a mild heart attack when I was 46.
It wasn't until I had walked away from it all that I really appreciated how the stress had been affecting me. It can be a killer, I was lucky to get a warning, don't let it happen to you OP.
ReaderScars said:
Try to stay silent throughout the meeting with head down slightly, remain seated when everyone else stands, then look up and blurt out, 'Wha..?' with your mouth agape and eyebrows raised. Repeat until sacked.
You're experiencing the symptoms of a mature organisation that is on the, inevitable, downward slope of its lifecycle. It may take many years, but downward it is heading. You can either stick around and watch the slow demise to uncompetitiveness or move now. Good luck!
For big companies, paperwork and evidence is everything, is there some reason why the senior management now need more complex paperwork, don't know the exact work you do but perhaps it's required by a client, perhaps there is some legal reasons.
If you can, ask questions without being aggressive about it, more I am trying to understanding - people love imparting wisdom
But if you want to change things, you need to fight back like with like, document exactly what you are doing with your time, show how much time you are spending in meeting and how much time is being lost, how it is impacting on your work. So you don't get into a argument but have actual documentation and paper work to support your facts. You might find you are actually spending less time than you think in meetings but because you hate them so much, they have grown in your mind.
But finally if they are happy with these changes, you either just have learn to accept them or leave.
If you can, ask questions without being aggressive about it, more I am trying to understanding - people love imparting wisdom
But if you want to change things, you need to fight back like with like, document exactly what you are doing with your time, show how much time you are spending in meeting and how much time is being lost, how it is impacting on your work. So you don't get into a argument but have actual documentation and paper work to support your facts. You might find you are actually spending less time than you think in meetings but because you hate them so much, they have grown in your mind.
But finally if they are happy with these changes, you either just have learn to accept them or leave.
Have a quiet word with the MD, be positive but to the point, make it casual and unofficial, show your concern, you are frustrated because you care about the business, tell him but make the reasons clear that profit and customer service are your main personal goals.
Key words to use -
Profit
At risk
Customers (internal or external)
Quality
Productivity
At my place we have a standing policy that any admin/process that detracts from servicing our customer (my customer is within the business) can be dropped or suspended and re-addressed later, I spend time when its quiet doing background admin for other people in a different dept. because I know they are busy & in the long run it will benefit my productivity.
I too am someone who gets frustrated by bulls
t and gets emotive about it, if you make it clear its because you care (about the business and its profits) then you shouldn't have a problem. Sometimes pushing back against senior management and approaching it correctly can be very beneficial.
Key words to use -
Profit
At risk
Customers (internal or external)
Quality
Productivity
At my place we have a standing policy that any admin/process that detracts from servicing our customer (my customer is within the business) can be dropped or suspended and re-addressed later, I spend time when its quiet doing background admin for other people in a different dept. because I know they are busy & in the long run it will benefit my productivity.
I too am someone who gets frustrated by bulls
t and gets emotive about it, if you make it clear its because you care (about the business and its profits) then you shouldn't have a problem. Sometimes pushing back against senior management and approaching it correctly can be very beneficial.Some good advice here so I can't add much. Great point on exercise, big stress reliever for me. I would also say though to make sure that you buy some time out from the stupidity to formulate your plan B. Whenever I've been in that situation I just take some time to get some of my own plans sorted, develop sidelines, spend time with people you care about. You then get to a position where you are doing more of what you want to do and still getting paid, or the issue gets forced and you have to leave or get paid off at some stage. Either way better than not achieving your own goals. Just my two penneth!
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