Just a random thought...
I thought Google AdSense was supposed to put ads relevant to your blog content on your page.
Teaching English in Japan doesn't really strike me as relevant.
No wonder nobody's clicking on my ads.
Boo.
:::J:::
Friday, June 12, 2009
So You've Hired Bozo the Clown...
Slow volumes of traffic means fewer customers... which means the only idiocracy left is the "powers that be"... ...and myself I guess...
After being overrun by customers and students a few weeks ago (which escalated into a near shoplifting incident... twice), I had called it to my supervisor's attention that maybe we should start looking into getting me a helping hand. (I work in my shop completely alone). Apparently he thought this was such a funny joke, he showed my concerned email to a fellow co-worker to see if he'd get a good laugh at it, too.
Unfortunately for my supervisor, he didn't realize that I talk to this co-worker on a regular basis. I go to this co-worker when I need help more often than I do my chain of command (and now you see why.) And also unfortunately for my supervisor, I now realize just how seriously he takes me. Me and my valid concerns. Not only my valid concerns for loss prevention and customer service, but for my safety as well.
Let's do some math: I have on hand over 60 aluminum tanks. These tanks are 80 cubic feet each in capacity, pressurized (filled) to 3000 pounds per square inch.
80 x 12(inches) = 960 inches
960 inches x 3000 = 2,880,000 pounds of pressure.
In one tank. However, I keep on hand a stock of about 60 tanks.
960 inches (each 80 cu ft tank) x 60 = 57,600 total inches of capacity among 60 tanks.
Unfortunately, my calculator gives me an "E" display, and I'm assuming that the number is too large to display after I multiplied 57,600 x 2,880,000.
Regardless of the end result displayed or not displayed on my cheap calculator, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that I'm working with a whole lot of contents under high pressure.
Another co-worker of mine, who has been with the company for 10 years, informed me that one 63 cu ft tank - when exploded under a locomotive - would lift the locomotive into the air 3 feet. Online research has told me that a fully pressurized 80cu ft tank - when exploded under a ladder truck (fire engine) - would lift the entire truck 60 feet into the air. And that is the power of just one tank. Unfortunately for me, my entire tank stock is stored in a small room that is about 12ft x 12 ft. If one tank blows for any reason, it could start a horrific chain reaction resulting in all of the tanks blowing.
Why do tanks blow up? They could blow for a number of reasons. Structural compromise, manufacterer defects, operator error, etc. Unfortunately, the first two reasons can be nearly impossible to spot with an untrained eye or the correct tools. Cracks within the neck of the tank may start inside the tank but might not penetrate all the way through to where it would be visible to the naked eye on the outside. The only way to see these cracks is to drain the tank completely, remove the valve, and use visual inspection tools to inspect the inside of the tank. Not all customers needing a quick 10-minute air fill would like to wait 2 hours for this process to be completed. Nor should they have to.
If you google "Scuba tank explosion", you'll find a handful of blood-spattered pictures accompanied by incident reports. YouTube also has a good video documenting the aftermath of a tank explosion.
And my manager thought that my concern for not only my inventory, but my safety as well, was a funny joke.
And I know what you're thinking. My application is already in at other places.
Thank you again, faithful reader, for visiting my post.
:::J:::
After being overrun by customers and students a few weeks ago (which escalated into a near shoplifting incident... twice), I had called it to my supervisor's attention that maybe we should start looking into getting me a helping hand. (I work in my shop completely alone). Apparently he thought this was such a funny joke, he showed my concerned email to a fellow co-worker to see if he'd get a good laugh at it, too.
Unfortunately for my supervisor, he didn't realize that I talk to this co-worker on a regular basis. I go to this co-worker when I need help more often than I do my chain of command (and now you see why.) And also unfortunately for my supervisor, I now realize just how seriously he takes me. Me and my valid concerns. Not only my valid concerns for loss prevention and customer service, but for my safety as well.
Let's do some math: I have on hand over 60 aluminum tanks. These tanks are 80 cubic feet each in capacity, pressurized (filled) to 3000 pounds per square inch.
80 x 12(inches) = 960 inches
960 inches x 3000 = 2,880,000 pounds of pressure.
In one tank. However, I keep on hand a stock of about 60 tanks.
960 inches (each 80 cu ft tank) x 60 = 57,600 total inches of capacity among 60 tanks.
Unfortunately, my calculator gives me an "E" display, and I'm assuming that the number is too large to display after I multiplied 57,600 x 2,880,000.
Regardless of the end result displayed or not displayed on my cheap calculator, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that I'm working with a whole lot of contents under high pressure.
Another co-worker of mine, who has been with the company for 10 years, informed me that one 63 cu ft tank - when exploded under a locomotive - would lift the locomotive into the air 3 feet. Online research has told me that a fully pressurized 80cu ft tank - when exploded under a ladder truck (fire engine) - would lift the entire truck 60 feet into the air. And that is the power of just one tank. Unfortunately for me, my entire tank stock is stored in a small room that is about 12ft x 12 ft. If one tank blows for any reason, it could start a horrific chain reaction resulting in all of the tanks blowing.
Why do tanks blow up? They could blow for a number of reasons. Structural compromise, manufacterer defects, operator error, etc. Unfortunately, the first two reasons can be nearly impossible to spot with an untrained eye or the correct tools. Cracks within the neck of the tank may start inside the tank but might not penetrate all the way through to where it would be visible to the naked eye on the outside. The only way to see these cracks is to drain the tank completely, remove the valve, and use visual inspection tools to inspect the inside of the tank. Not all customers needing a quick 10-minute air fill would like to wait 2 hours for this process to be completed. Nor should they have to.
If you google "Scuba tank explosion", you'll find a handful of blood-spattered pictures accompanied by incident reports. YouTube also has a good video documenting the aftermath of a tank explosion.
And my manager thought that my concern for not only my inventory, but my safety as well, was a funny joke.
And I know what you're thinking. My application is already in at other places.
Thank you again, faithful reader, for visiting my post.
:::J:::
Friday, June 5, 2009
Girls, girls, girls...
Perhaps today, I am the idiot of the day. I have a million tanks to fill for a class tomorrow, as well as mountains of other things to work on. And yet I have no motivation whatsoever to complete any task, no matter how minute or imperative it may be. So here I sit, blogging. But I am so grateful that you are still here reading.
The Idiot Pandemic is not just a blog for me to flame my workplace, I promise. I love my job, actually. The amount of actual difficult work to be done versus what I get paid is clearly in my favor. I get to work alone, with no upper management coming around and screaming at me. They don't tell me I do well, but they don't tell me I suck either. However, it just so happens that there is a wealth of idiocracy amongst the company, and it also just so happens that I enjoy ranting about said idiocracy. Thus, the Idiot Pandemic is born.
The nature of the dive industry is a dirty one. When you work in a dive shop, you're gonna get dirty and not a day goes by where heavy lifting is not required. Customers return their soaking wet rental gear, straight from the ocean. Sometimes if it's not straight from the ocean, it's fresh out of their trunk - where it has sat overnight - and it is accompanied by a nice, funky, moldy aroma. People have been known to grab seashells from the ocean floor, unaware that there are living creatures inside, and put them in their pockets. When they return their gear, they forget the shell is in their pockets. But the smell that efferveces from the pocket a day or two later makes us employees totally aware that some kind of sea creature has expired inside. People pee inside the rental wetsuits, and they're back on our rental shelves an hour later. 80 cubic foot aluminum tanks are everywhere, needing to be filled. Needing to be moved.
That having been said, it is no wonder why SCUBA diving is a mostly male-dominated sport. The ladies are starting to come around, but male customers far outweigh the females. And I came to a realization the other day. Ever since certain male employees had hjacked the power to conduct interviews, all the interviews for floor personnel have been women. Most of them have been younger, less than the age of 24. A few "older" and less attractive women were hired for mid-management positions, but the rest of them, and the most recent interviewee, were young chicks that looked like they had no business or interest in the dive industry. And how did they work out? Two of the 5 were gone within a month. They caused nothing but drama, had all kinds of schedule demands, and then they quit. And then I hear that another interview was conducted earlier in the week. Co-workers reported that the interviewee looked like she was going to the club, arriving in a spaghetti-strap dress, sky-high hooker-heels, her nails all did and whatnot. This really made me ponder; WHERE ARE ALL THE MALE APPLICANTS?? Now I know for a fact that this island is full of dudes, and statistics here show that dudes like to dive. Why wouldn't they want to work in a dive shop? I find it a bit hard to believe that our program gets nothing but young, attractive females applying, and that's it. But I do find it a bit easier to believe that the man or men who take it upon themselves to conduct these interviews, are considering other job "qualifications" when they hire these bimbos. And so 3 months after we hired 5 females in one round, we find ourselves sorely shorthanded once again. And the chicks are trickling in once more to repeat the cycle. That is terrific. Kudos to you, Mr Interviewer, for getting your priorities straight.
The Idiot Pandemic is not just a blog for me to flame my workplace, I promise. I love my job, actually. The amount of actual difficult work to be done versus what I get paid is clearly in my favor. I get to work alone, with no upper management coming around and screaming at me. They don't tell me I do well, but they don't tell me I suck either. However, it just so happens that there is a wealth of idiocracy amongst the company, and it also just so happens that I enjoy ranting about said idiocracy. Thus, the Idiot Pandemic is born.
The nature of the dive industry is a dirty one. When you work in a dive shop, you're gonna get dirty and not a day goes by where heavy lifting is not required. Customers return their soaking wet rental gear, straight from the ocean. Sometimes if it's not straight from the ocean, it's fresh out of their trunk - where it has sat overnight - and it is accompanied by a nice, funky, moldy aroma. People have been known to grab seashells from the ocean floor, unaware that there are living creatures inside, and put them in their pockets. When they return their gear, they forget the shell is in their pockets. But the smell that efferveces from the pocket a day or two later makes us employees totally aware that some kind of sea creature has expired inside. People pee inside the rental wetsuits, and they're back on our rental shelves an hour later. 80 cubic foot aluminum tanks are everywhere, needing to be filled. Needing to be moved.
That having been said, it is no wonder why SCUBA diving is a mostly male-dominated sport. The ladies are starting to come around, but male customers far outweigh the females. And I came to a realization the other day. Ever since certain male employees had hjacked the power to conduct interviews, all the interviews for floor personnel have been women. Most of them have been younger, less than the age of 24. A few "older" and less attractive women were hired for mid-management positions, but the rest of them, and the most recent interviewee, were young chicks that looked like they had no business or interest in the dive industry. And how did they work out? Two of the 5 were gone within a month. They caused nothing but drama, had all kinds of schedule demands, and then they quit. And then I hear that another interview was conducted earlier in the week. Co-workers reported that the interviewee looked like she was going to the club, arriving in a spaghetti-strap dress, sky-high hooker-heels, her nails all did and whatnot. This really made me ponder; WHERE ARE ALL THE MALE APPLICANTS?? Now I know for a fact that this island is full of dudes, and statistics here show that dudes like to dive. Why wouldn't they want to work in a dive shop? I find it a bit hard to believe that our program gets nothing but young, attractive females applying, and that's it. But I do find it a bit easier to believe that the man or men who take it upon themselves to conduct these interviews, are considering other job "qualifications" when they hire these bimbos. And so 3 months after we hired 5 females in one round, we find ourselves sorely shorthanded once again. And the chicks are trickling in once more to repeat the cycle. That is terrific. Kudos to you, Mr Interviewer, for getting your priorities straight.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
"Can I Just Get Paid and Not Work?"
At just 27 years old, I am by no means an old windbag, but moving further and further away from being a "spring chicken". So how is it, in even the infancy stages of my career, have I noted such a horrific faceplant of work ethics in many of my peers? Perhaps I was raised old-school, where I was led to believe that work is for the greater good of society for the most part, and it is the only honest way to put food on your table and a roof over your head. I was also under the impression as a small child, that most people - while maybe not completely happy with their jobs - were at least grateful to have one. Today, it would seem as if people want to prove me wrong.
My boyfriend works at another branch of the same company I work for, and is currently dealing with a small fiasco concerning the schedules he makes. He has been running the biggest and busiest of all branches, at which I also used to work at. Having spent about a year and a half at that location, I know the nature of the beast as well as anyone there. Now when you WORK in the dive industry, it is automatically assumed that weekends will bring in the most traffic. Especially SUMMER weekends. Most 9-5ers (which we employees are not) can only go diving on the weekends. Common sense. We are there to serve the customers. We enable them to enjoy their weekend diving. Which means we are working. This concept, my dear reader, is as simple as grapes to wine.
Or so I thought.
Apparently, some employees (especially newer ones, but unfortunately the seasoned ones have become "afflicted" as well), assumed that even though our busiest time of the year happens to be weekends during the summer, they could have weekends off. They want to go diving. Together. Or they want to further their diving education. On the weekends. And oh, by the way, I need next Saturday off. Sorry for the late notice, I know you already made the schedule. I know we're really shorthanded, but I really want to go diving with so-and-so on a boat dive. Why can't I just get Saturdays off anyways? There are 4 other people to cover the store. And I'll need next Tuesday off too, because I'm taking the night diver course. Thanks.
Now when did it become protocol for employees to tell their employers when they're going to work and when they're not going to work? I don't know about most folks, but when I apply and interview for a job, I ask about what kind of hours I should expect if I get hired. If I have a problem with these hours, I DON'T ACCEPT THE JOB. What I also don't do, is if I indeed wind up accepting the position, is expect certain handouts to me - the newbie - and get incredibly upset if I don't get what I want. Is this completely crazy? Or is it, perhaps, common sense?
Somebody please tell me.
Until next time
:::J:::
My boyfriend works at another branch of the same company I work for, and is currently dealing with a small fiasco concerning the schedules he makes. He has been running the biggest and busiest of all branches, at which I also used to work at. Having spent about a year and a half at that location, I know the nature of the beast as well as anyone there. Now when you WORK in the dive industry, it is automatically assumed that weekends will bring in the most traffic. Especially SUMMER weekends. Most 9-5ers (which we employees are not) can only go diving on the weekends. Common sense. We are there to serve the customers. We enable them to enjoy their weekend diving. Which means we are working. This concept, my dear reader, is as simple as grapes to wine.
Or so I thought.
Apparently, some employees (especially newer ones, but unfortunately the seasoned ones have become "afflicted" as well), assumed that even though our busiest time of the year happens to be weekends during the summer, they could have weekends off. They want to go diving. Together. Or they want to further their diving education. On the weekends. And oh, by the way, I need next Saturday off. Sorry for the late notice, I know you already made the schedule. I know we're really shorthanded, but I really want to go diving with so-and-so on a boat dive. Why can't I just get Saturdays off anyways? There are 4 other people to cover the store. And I'll need next Tuesday off too, because I'm taking the night diver course. Thanks.
Now when did it become protocol for employees to tell their employers when they're going to work and when they're not going to work? I don't know about most folks, but when I apply and interview for a job, I ask about what kind of hours I should expect if I get hired. If I have a problem with these hours, I DON'T ACCEPT THE JOB. What I also don't do, is if I indeed wind up accepting the position, is expect certain handouts to me - the newbie - and get incredibly upset if I don't get what I want. Is this completely crazy? Or is it, perhaps, common sense?
Somebody please tell me.
Until next time
:::J:::
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