File puptcrit/puptcrit.0808, message 26


From: "Puppet People" <puppetpeople-AT-nycap.rr.com>
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 19:18:15 -0400
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Retail jobs: suitable for puppet artists?


Hey Mathieu;
    Thanks for the e-mail but I was only kidding about being a bad boss.
    But as someone who does time to time hire out for work I do know that a 
"good boss" usually a result of having "good employees".
    Most  of the stress of being a boss is not the delegating, or financial, 
but finding the right person. Someone who will come in, and in a positive 
way  fill a position in your company, and not do it do it half-assed.
    Discipline to the job and presion in any aspect in life is a great 
thing. But here I am just preaching to the choir: most Artist are already 
like that. Bye

Mark
The Puppet people
www.thepuppetpeople.org

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mathieu René" <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca>
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 6:06 PM
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Retail jobs: suitable for puppet artists?


>    I can only hope that in the near future as we expand into employees I
will prove better than others I have seen. (Naaaa!!!!!Who am I kidding, I
will probably be one too.) Bye.
Mark
-------------


Hi Mark.

I don't believe that becoming a boss automatically makes someone a bad one.
Unless of course they start out or become a darn mean inconsiderate
money-grabbing monster.

I just think that the pressure and the power makes it easy to forget who you
are, what you are doing it for, and that actual people work for you. People
with talents, experience, ideas, drives, and emotions. I also believe that a
good boss will listen to, delegate and trust his/her employees, because when
people really get involved and give it their best, the company can only grow
in health and abundance. Any position of authority should be infused
regularly with a healthy cocktail of humility, open-mindedness, and
fairness. Being a boss doesn't make someone right. In fact, maybe it makes
them wrong more often than not, if they neglect the above mentionned
aspects. The few good bosses I had and those I was told about were always
open to their employees input, and made sure they made them feel like they
were benefitting from the company's growth.
I'm not just talking metaphorically either, some companies offer shares and
other benefits when profits grow.
A True Boss should understand that the company is nothing without its
employees. I read somewhere that co-workers and managers spend more time
with each other overall then with anyone else in their life!
Simple things like a healthy work environment (emotionally as well as
physically) can make "a job" become a wonderful career.

Which reminds me of a wonderful Coop store where I'm a member. They have a
great selection of ecological products for the home. I'd love to work there,
the atmosphere there has always been positive, and if they truly follow the
fair mentality they talk about in their newsletter, then it might be a
perfect workplace for me.
Another interview in the works then...









----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Puppet People" <puppetpeople-AT-nycap.rr.com>
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 5:18 PM
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Retail jobs: suitable for puppet artists?


Hey Mathieu;
    Although I am self employed now I can sympathize. For over 8 years I
worked retail (Ugggh) as well as puppeteering .
    My company was just getting started and I wasn't making enough on
puppets to pay the bills. The job I had was a "custom picture framer" and I
would really recommend it. It allowed me to use my creative skills and
helped me in talking to potential customers, also the hours weren't to bad.
    As for bad bosses: that like, death and taxes, is pretty much a sure
thing. Although to tell the truth, the worst boss I had was at a puppet
company. Go figure? It seems alot of theater company have tyrants in charge.
    I can only hope that in the near future as we expand into employees I
will prove better than others I have seen. (Naaaa!!!!!Who am I kidding, I
will probably be one too.) Bye.

Mark
The Puppet People
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mathieu René" <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca>
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:38 PM
Subject: [Puptcrit] Retail jobs: suitable for puppet artists?


> Hi all.
>
> While I'm always looking for a permanent or long term position in Puppetry
> (building/performing, local or abroad), in the meantime I took a day job
> to
> help pay the bills. The puppet contracts continue undisturbed, although
> should I get more of them, the daytime work hours would be reduced to
> part-time, to accomodate my true calling.
>
> I just found out my previously wonderful new job has a dark side, namely
> the
> store is run by bullies.
> And bullies can't stand having their authorities questionned or even
> subtly
> resisted, so they make sure they get you out of the way.
>
> Which happened to me just this week.
> So, my questions to my fellow puptcritters:
>
> Are retail jobs possible (and /or suitable) for artists who are used to
> think and stand up for themselves?
> What can one do about it (after being fired or after quitting of course),
> when one knows stores have a steady inflow of slaves waiting in line for a
> job opportunity? The abuse just goes on, because they can get away with
> it!
> I sure would like to know of a way to make them understand, and if they
> don't a way to make them stop their abuse. I'd really want to know about
> success stories as well as nightmares you might have lived while trying to
> earn a living when the puppet contracts were not enough...
>
> What can a puppet artist do about it?
> Maybe build a show about bullies at work?
> Maybe use the staff as characters?
>
>
> - - -
> Background (a bit of a lenghty rant):
>
> The colleagues at the store I started working at about three weeks ago are
> all good, honest working people with all the right skills and more. We are
> all being treated with lack of respect (some rules are ridiculous and
> inflexible, some comments and attidudes are degrading, there have been
> some
> shouting), but with enough subtletly that it doesn't really show on the
> surface. Some of us probably don't even notice it, or just accept it as
> normal, sadly.
> To me, NORMAL does not automatically mean it is RIGHT. I do speak up when
> I
> think something is wrong.
> Most bully bosses I've dealt with can't stand questions, especially if you
> ask about the reason behind the rules they impose. One is supposed to
> accept
> a seemingly unreasonnable situation without questionning it?
>
> I was just transfered to the warehouse (the choice was either that or
> quitting), to label and sort mechandise, having been deemed (by the
> manager
> who hired me) unfit for customer service. Which is a ridiculous judgement,
> I
> have only received positive feedback from my customer service there (from
> customers and even from fellow employees), and anywhere else in the past.
> I've learned most of the store's inventory in reccord time and was already
> pretty much autonomous with customers after 3 weeks of very part-time
> work.
> All the time and money they spent on training me (includes paid training
> in
> jewelry making) is now wasted for them because of a lack of judgement by
> an
> inexperienced manager.  I am insulted and furious, but at the same time,
> strangely calm, because I know I am not going to stay there very long. Too
> bad for them, I was honestly looking for something stable where I could
> contribute to the growth.
>
>>From a  variety of events and comments, I am now certain I am being
>>bullied
> into resigning, and at the same time put in a position to make it easy for
> them to fire me legally in a week or two (the sweatshop job I was assigned
> to do can be done soon and they can claim there is no more work for me).
> The
> manager is very new there. A friend I confided in tells me she believes he
> might feel threatened by my quick learning, which would explain why he
> would
> change his mind about hiring me, when he first was so impressed with my
> resume. If that is the case, maybe I should have mentionned, during the
> interviews (I had two, one with an external consultant), that I was not
> interested in a promotion. Oh well, can't ease every paranoia if you don't
> know about them.
>
> Now I work in the dusty warehouse, under bad lighting and worse air
> circulation (the dust and heat are intense), examining thousands of spools
> of wire for defects, every day. About 50% are deffective, and need to be
> re-sent to the supplier. No matter what, I can't bring myself to do a bad
> job, so I made a proper setup, devised a system. I'm efficient and quick
> at
> it, but I do hate it with a passion. Even with my music player and
> headphones (which the business owner warns me today he might decide to
> forbid, as I created a precedent), the time there is excruciatingly
> boring.
> I feel like my time and skills are wasted there. But I won't quit  until I
> find another work, or until they give me a quotable reason to do so
> (whichever comes first, I do want my severance pay after all). When I
> leave
> them, I'll make sure I tell them what's on my mind. Maybe they will ignore
> my words, but at least I will have tried and be able to sleep without
> regret.
>
> It wouldn't be the first time. My previous retail job, years ago,  was
> also
> ruled by a bully. I told her "the truth" when I resigned (she insulted me
> one time too many), and it felt wonderful and liberating.  I know she
> continued to mistreat her employees, continuing the pattern (at least 60
> people resigned during the year I worked for her).
> I filed a complaint with the worker's rights, but didn't see any real
> effect. The next time I visited the store to see a friend still working
> there (she really needed the money), the boss treated me like royalty. She
> was always a very convincing two-face.
>
> In a way, her abuse tought me a lot about standing up for myself. Maybe
> this
> current job is the universe's way of teaching me how to get the next level
> of respect... I used to be shy, docile and quiet. Nowadays I'm extroverted
> and accomodating but resistant to injustice.
> What will happen in a few days???
> I'm kinda scared with the possibilities...
> Watch out world!
> LoL
>
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