The Story of James Robinson

Hey H.K. Man,

As we near our November elections, Politics will always play a part in any “Social situation”, and Yes, work is a social situation. There will always be the person that is the center of attention. If we are lucky, in the workplace, that person will be the boss. That, however, is not always the case.

Ideally, we would like to think, it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game — BUT, in today’s world, plays are rarely noticed — WINS always are! (The company your work for, unless it is some social service agency, pays their bills by winning, not by placing in the top 5).

Sometimes, there are situations where you have two equally “qualified” employees; Let’s say Joe and Diane. Joe spends his off time schmoozing with the boss, Diane spends her off time researching the competition. Diane is obviously the harder worker, right? Not always –! Joe may be making contacts with others in the industry or at least appear to, when he is spending time with the boss. In today’s world, appearances ARE EVERYTHING! If they weren’t, we wouldn’t need the latest cell phone, the sportiest/classiest car or even the membership to ???

I am usually Diane! Sadly, I know that the other Diane’s out there, when we make a success, we don’t feel it is as well noticed. So we have a tendency to try to toot our own horn — we also look desperate when we do this.

Firing is a very tenuous proposition. It is an aggressive move, and a move even if followed by the letter of the law, is still subject to litigation (I fired a Bartender for selling an alcoholic drink TO-GO, I and my employer were sued from here to eternity, with allegations of everything from sexism to sexual harassment to racism — The lawsuit took 2 years and in the end, it was cheaper to settle than to pay to take it to a judge or jury trial) So investment isn’t always the reason that an employer won’t terminate someone. It may be easier to get the “Squeaky Wheel” to quit and hope that the “Family” in the office will get over any turmoil.

My advise, in most cases, if you are in a situation where a “Joe” is getting all the perks and you are a Diane, is to either become a “Joe” or look for an employer who fosters a more even playing field in the workplace.

Hope I added something of value to the other comments!

James in San Diego