Veritas
Regular Member
imported post
drew68 wrote:
Believe me... I sit right in the belly of the beast. I can tell you stories about shit I've heard executives say at meetings... the types of things they push for.
One meeting in particular, last December, really left a sour taste in my mouth. We had just laid off about 98% of an entire department about 2 weeks before Christmas. The rest of us who fortunate enough to keep our jobs were given additional workloads, decreased staff, decreased resources, and decreased income. Almost simultaneously, as all this was being announced, a corporate executive had the gall to get up in front of the audience and ask us to reach into our pockets to donate $100 a month to the corporations PAC (political action committee). I'll spare you the details, but there were some questions from us in the audience. Things like "What will our money support?" "WHO will our money support?" Etc, etc. The executive talked over us like we were too stupid to understand the "complex world of politics" and, more or less, explained that our donations would be used to lobby politicians who sought to secure protective positions for financial companies at the expense of their consumers and the American public.
I truly believe this executive was so disillusioned, living in his ivory tower, that he neglected to realize that the very people he was speaking about were the type of people sitting in the room working for him. Nevermind the fact that he was traveling around, from State to State, flying FIRST CLASS, seeking non-deductible political contributions... and on company time. Meanwhile, he was one of the very people who voted to cut hundreds of people out of their jobs two weeks before Christmas.
That was a low point for me. And just so folks know, the politicians they support tend to be the type who are anti-People... the kind who want to strike the 2A. They support a hell of a lot of politicans from Illinois, if that gives you any indication.
It wasn't long after that that I began removing myself away from the corporate bossom and starting seperating my work contacts from my social contacts (in other words, leaving work at work and not involving work people in my social life, or vice versa). At one point, my boss expressed a great deal of interest in my out of work activities. He asked questions about who I was hanging out with, who I was friends with, and what sort of things I do when I'm not at work. Sensing a set up, I declined to answer. When HIS boss began asking similar questions, I KNEW something was up. I poignently told his boss, respectfully of course, that what I did outside of the company walls while I was on my own time was none of her concern. Apparantly, it was the wrong thing to say. By January of that year, my boss warned me that I, and I quote, "Have a target on (my) back" and to be careful because there were "spies watching (me) at work". By February, I was sitting in front of that same boss, as well as HIS boss, and was told that I no longer had a job. Conveniently, during the meeting, he completely forgot about his warning to me just one month prior. They (the two of them together) attempted to discern whether or not I was having a relationship with a member of my staff outside of work. The fact is that I was NOT. I was, in fact, dating someone at the time who was not, nor was ever, an employee of my company; although she was very good friends with someone who worked there. All the while, as I'm being accused, I couldn't help but think of all the people above me who slept their way around the company. My boss, for instance, was screwing one of my colleagues. The boss I had before him had screwed at least two of my colleagues and made a sordid attempt at screwing my assistant (before firing her later that year). Of all the things they could have made up to pin on me, THAT'S what they chose to run with? In all my years with that company, I had never screwed anyone I worked with... never screwed anyone at the company. And yet I was accused of such, no investigation into the matter whatsoever, by people who were guilty of what they accused me of doing. Company trips... tales of naked asses running from one hotel to the next were no big secret. The president of one of our divisions married a lower-level staff member (who was mysteriously promotoed to executive level not long thereafter, go figure).
There's so much more to this story... I just don't care to spread the details right now. Companies like this don't deserve to be in business. Nevermind how much they screw eachother, I can't even begin to tell you how badly they screw their own consumers. That's something that plagued me in my last several months with that company... when they began adopting all these new policies that harmed consumers, I used my position with the company to make exceptions for folks who needed them. I couldn't justify charging a little old lady, barely getting by on her dead husbands SSI income, $600 for a $20 issue. She needs the money a hell of a lot more than any corporation does.
I was so sick about it that I began writing a book about my experiences in the business. Problem is that now I'm working so many hours that I haven't the time nor energy to continue with it. But believe me, as an insider, I can share tons of intimate knowledge about the goings on of the world of finance... on nearly all levels. I can't help but think that one of the worst things companies like this can do is train people like me... and to let us behind their closed doors into the room that consumers don't ever get to see. I owe them no allegiance, especially since they have shown none to me. I'd be happy to sing like a canary... when the time and forum is proper. Haha.. and I am far from alone in my opinion. The more these companies crap on their workforce... especially of the variety who has access to sensitive data, the more they will stand to lose face in the eyes of the pulic when these employees have had enough. I am just about to that point. Although I need my income right now, so the time is not yet right. As soon as that can be adequately replaced, all gloves are off. And I will love every minute of it.
I can honestly say, however, that I have always maintained my ethics... I have never sold that out, nor will I ever. This is, to me, the chief reason why I'm in the position I am now. But it is what it is, and at least I can sleep at night.
drew68 wrote:
You got it man.I recently received a subscription to Rolling Stone magazine after not reading it for years. It certainly has changed a lot from the days of my youth.Anyway I was astounded when I read an article about the banks in this months issue. I was gonna tell you all it's a must read go buy a copy now, but alas here it is online you can read it here. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/30481512/wall_streets_naked_swindle This is a very long article in the magazine and it's 8 pages on the web site, but I guarantee it's worth reading. If more people find out whats really happening maybe something can be done to stop this corporate greed that is literally destroying this country.
Believe me... I sit right in the belly of the beast. I can tell you stories about shit I've heard executives say at meetings... the types of things they push for.
One meeting in particular, last December, really left a sour taste in my mouth. We had just laid off about 98% of an entire department about 2 weeks before Christmas. The rest of us who fortunate enough to keep our jobs were given additional workloads, decreased staff, decreased resources, and decreased income. Almost simultaneously, as all this was being announced, a corporate executive had the gall to get up in front of the audience and ask us to reach into our pockets to donate $100 a month to the corporations PAC (political action committee). I'll spare you the details, but there were some questions from us in the audience. Things like "What will our money support?" "WHO will our money support?" Etc, etc. The executive talked over us like we were too stupid to understand the "complex world of politics" and, more or less, explained that our donations would be used to lobby politicians who sought to secure protective positions for financial companies at the expense of their consumers and the American public.
I truly believe this executive was so disillusioned, living in his ivory tower, that he neglected to realize that the very people he was speaking about were the type of people sitting in the room working for him. Nevermind the fact that he was traveling around, from State to State, flying FIRST CLASS, seeking non-deductible political contributions... and on company time. Meanwhile, he was one of the very people who voted to cut hundreds of people out of their jobs two weeks before Christmas.
That was a low point for me. And just so folks know, the politicians they support tend to be the type who are anti-People... the kind who want to strike the 2A. They support a hell of a lot of politicans from Illinois, if that gives you any indication.
It wasn't long after that that I began removing myself away from the corporate bossom and starting seperating my work contacts from my social contacts (in other words, leaving work at work and not involving work people in my social life, or vice versa). At one point, my boss expressed a great deal of interest in my out of work activities. He asked questions about who I was hanging out with, who I was friends with, and what sort of things I do when I'm not at work. Sensing a set up, I declined to answer. When HIS boss began asking similar questions, I KNEW something was up. I poignently told his boss, respectfully of course, that what I did outside of the company walls while I was on my own time was none of her concern. Apparantly, it was the wrong thing to say. By January of that year, my boss warned me that I, and I quote, "Have a target on (my) back" and to be careful because there were "spies watching (me) at work". By February, I was sitting in front of that same boss, as well as HIS boss, and was told that I no longer had a job. Conveniently, during the meeting, he completely forgot about his warning to me just one month prior. They (the two of them together) attempted to discern whether or not I was having a relationship with a member of my staff outside of work. The fact is that I was NOT. I was, in fact, dating someone at the time who was not, nor was ever, an employee of my company; although she was very good friends with someone who worked there. All the while, as I'm being accused, I couldn't help but think of all the people above me who slept their way around the company. My boss, for instance, was screwing one of my colleagues. The boss I had before him had screwed at least two of my colleagues and made a sordid attempt at screwing my assistant (before firing her later that year). Of all the things they could have made up to pin on me, THAT'S what they chose to run with? In all my years with that company, I had never screwed anyone I worked with... never screwed anyone at the company. And yet I was accused of such, no investigation into the matter whatsoever, by people who were guilty of what they accused me of doing. Company trips... tales of naked asses running from one hotel to the next were no big secret. The president of one of our divisions married a lower-level staff member (who was mysteriously promotoed to executive level not long thereafter, go figure).
There's so much more to this story... I just don't care to spread the details right now. Companies like this don't deserve to be in business. Nevermind how much they screw eachother, I can't even begin to tell you how badly they screw their own consumers. That's something that plagued me in my last several months with that company... when they began adopting all these new policies that harmed consumers, I used my position with the company to make exceptions for folks who needed them. I couldn't justify charging a little old lady, barely getting by on her dead husbands SSI income, $600 for a $20 issue. She needs the money a hell of a lot more than any corporation does.
I was so sick about it that I began writing a book about my experiences in the business. Problem is that now I'm working so many hours that I haven't the time nor energy to continue with it. But believe me, as an insider, I can share tons of intimate knowledge about the goings on of the world of finance... on nearly all levels. I can't help but think that one of the worst things companies like this can do is train people like me... and to let us behind their closed doors into the room that consumers don't ever get to see. I owe them no allegiance, especially since they have shown none to me. I'd be happy to sing like a canary... when the time and forum is proper. Haha.. and I am far from alone in my opinion. The more these companies crap on their workforce... especially of the variety who has access to sensitive data, the more they will stand to lose face in the eyes of the pulic when these employees have had enough. I am just about to that point. Although I need my income right now, so the time is not yet right. As soon as that can be adequately replaced, all gloves are off. And I will love every minute of it.
I can honestly say, however, that I have always maintained my ethics... I have never sold that out, nor will I ever. This is, to me, the chief reason why I'm in the position I am now. But it is what it is, and at least I can sleep at night.
