Sent to all my company contacts including the president. Large multi-national Corp.
To XXXX management and field staff
I, Race D Bannon, resign my position as mechanic at XXXX elevator as of 9AM, Wednesday August 10th.
The reasons for said departure are reflected in my comments below.
Timesheets are not to be messed with. This should be a bedrock principle. If the need to alter someone’s entered time is required, the absolute minimum that should happen is communication from management to the affected worker. I personally experienced 3 instances of my time being altered without notice from management, only discovered after my pay being short. Once was during last Xmas. Where I had received approval from my supervisor to purchase some tools and put the bill in. I did EXACTLY as requested, only to find that sum mysteriously absent from my pay. I never did get a proper explanation for this, ie: none ever took responsibility or admitted to doing it, and as I was $500 short during Xmas, caused me some level of enmity for the inconvenience.
Why can’t we keep staff?
When I started in service, it was the day after 9/10s of the XXXX service department walked out on the same day to work elsewhere. My placement there followed the discovery of hundreds of XXXX employees financial details released on a XXXX service app. Now I didn’t see the move as any kind of punishment as I am an elevator man, and do/go where management requires me to go. But it sure felt like an attempt at punishment. In either case, I acted like a professional and continued to attend to my new duties as best I was able. As I have always done. Not sure what happened in the end with that, but I hope all those guys didn’t get scammed. What happened with ZZZZ? Any updates worth sharing?
Why can’t we keep field guys?
Several interesting things happened during my time in service.
It took awhile to get your service department back running at a decent capacity after all those guys left. I was part of that. Once the department was staffed back up, and the guys had a chance to gel, things were getting done. Perhaps not at the pace management wished it to be, but we were making progress. My foreman at the time had a meeting with the manager of the department to discuss the changing of crews. When informed of this, the foreman replied incredulously that he had just got the department running smoothly, the guys finally comfortable working as a crew, and now management wanted to break it up. He was quite upset, being the results and work ethic driven guy he is. The response from the manager, and I’m paraphrasing as I wasn’t party to the conversation, “I don’t want your guys to be comfortable”. I’m pretty sure this was the same guy who got multiple management contracts with XXXX , but was allegedly selling XXXX tools and equipment on Kijiji. But that is only something I heard, so good chance it isnt true.
Why can’t we keep the good mechanics?
When I went to maintenance, I was a bit nervous. I had a decently small route had a good partner, and was assured by management on multiple occasions that, “it’ll take at least a year to get fully comfortable”. I worked hard getting the crappy units back in shape and keeping the rest there. Getting parts in a timely fashion was difficult. I honestly thought I was keeping the route in good shape, and learning a ton in the process. Until I wasn’t I guess. I say I guess, as I was never given a reason for this. Was never communicated to that management wasn’t happy. Just one day a text to “Clean out your tools and bring the truck to Main St on Monday, you’re going to service”. No explanation, but most incredibly, no follow up with management or the new guy on route, as to critical parts needs, shutdowns, problem units…nothing. I have to say…any maintenance super who doesn’t do an exit interview with a departing route mechanic, and incoming mechanic, is not doing his job correctly.
You have, and have had in the past, many top notch guys, both in management and in the field. Why do you have difficulty identifying them? Or doing what you have to, to assure their continued desire to be with XXXX ?
Personally the final straw for me was my recent conversation with my supervisor. I had to explain to him how I’ve been to 6 funerals and wakes of close friends in the last month. How we lost 2 of our own guys just a couple weeks back. That I’ve also had a tragedy within my own family during this time, and that I have my own physical issues (I went thru a back strain earlier in the month, fully recovered from now, and ongoing personal mental health issues on top of everything else). While I felt very supported by management during my physical injury, and worked my ass off to get back to work, the same cannot be said for the response to mental health needs.
“I’m really sorry for your loss and understand, but I need you back on the car”.
Firstly I had taken to only communicating by text with my supervisor as I found verbal communication to be half truths and obfuscations. As this was a necessary verbal conversation to have, and I knew things would be said that would not be related by text, I recorded said conversation for posterity. I’ve listened to it a couple times now and it has only cemented my resolve to seek employment where management truly cares about their labour force.
I am fortunate to have found a management team that not only is one of the most organized and best in the business, but they truly care about their team.
Something I rarely felt at XXXX .
Props to M, C, ML, MA, RM, J , S , E and K for walking the walk and being professional and responsible support staff, supervisors and management.
I got nothing for the rest of the management team there.
To all the men and ladies in the field, keep your heads up, work safe and hold the bad actors to account. You’re the ones who get things done. Never forget it.
Warmest/coldest regards (you know who you are)
K.