Reminder: these stories are not being claimed as true or false, real or imagined, nor arguments, but over time will be shaped and molded as training exercises.
On most days PEter relunctantly does the morning routine and participates in the typical office politics of a large company. It's really just a large set of numbers, each employee represents a +1 and a warm body in a seat. Most everyone knows the stats by now of the wealth in America; the top 10% of the American population own 80% of the wealth... Well in PEter's corporate world it's 10% of the employment base that controls 80% of the decisions and changes. If you are not actually IN the 10%, then you are just a warm expendable body. Or are the PEters of the world expendable?
The answer is yes, absolutely, but here's where the experiment continues. Try as you might, it takes some serious fucking up to get laid off or terminated in most companies these days. So much focus on legality and palsying around everyone would rather just pay off the PEters of the world than have possible "bad" press. Because managers are told on a semi-annual basis to reduce cost but do the same level of work without adding employees, they don't dare lose a +1 warm body since they know it's not possible to rehire in absence of a loss. Not because of what that +1 can contribute but because each person they lose means less money received and as a result a smaller bonus pool (Hmm, and who do you think that bonus pool goes to. Exactly!) 1 + 1 equals many. Regardless of what those +1's do.
The most amusing part of this statistic is that the "PEter's" of the company actually don't even have to really turn their brain on nor be present physically to get counted. The "padding" of employment numbers is more a tactic that companies like to use for prove their worth and strength. The typical manager in PEter's company is more concerned with self validation and preservation than anything else. It's not all bad, they do put in some time to be managers and spend the major part of their workweeks in meeting to discuss actual agenda items, but it appears that really the meeting is just a forum of "Yes" men in front of their managers. When that large steamy, stinky brown ball rolls down the hill (usually just minutes after the meeting of "Yes" men) that works goes into PEter's queue to validate the need for warm seats. Some companies and Business units are mainly interested in hiring "meat" and not minds.
Yeah yeah it's all stats and numbers so let's give a better scenario vision for you to prove what I mean. Last week PEter showed up about two hours past when the office dwellers had already been in their caves doing whatever it is they do. In usual format he enters the building and passes a few other employees, walks to his cubicle and sits. From car to cubicle nobody speaks a word and barely raises an eyebrow. PEter sits in his chair long enough to get it warm, makes a couple of key clicks and office noises. Everyone is still in the same stagnant position of heads down and headphones on (of which PEter is one of them). A quick glance at the calendar shows no meeting today, at least none scheduled.. yet. Now PEter has a choice to sit and stare at the screen scour some work issues of which the majority are non urgent and just busy work (validation)... or... move around a bit. Anyways, PEter decides since he has made his obligatory on-site appearance, though most do not notice, he hops about to another location. It's quite interesting to travel to other desks or locations in the company as he finds everything very bustling with activity but mostly like ants or worker bees. Most people seem busy and are doing things but it's mostly done from habit or to satisfy the queen bee. He is struck with dis-passion in how many people don't stop to realize what they are doing nor ask what he is doing.
a quick digression: The company he works in has come right out and said telecommuting is not allowed, and such activity is not authorized. Yet they still advertise this to potential new recruits as a company benefit. PEter has enlisted this inquiry to executive board levels and HR, yet the queries have gone un-answered as to more explanation. Seems a bit wrong to post such mumbo if it's not really offered. confused? so is our Pseudo Employee.
For the remainder of the day because everywhere he goes it seems all bees are just in reactionary mode, he decides to find a comfy chair with a window for a Walden Thoreau remainder of the day. PEter punches his time card at the end of the day with not hours but minutes of actual work. The take away from here was that whether he was in his cubicle or on the moon the exact same level of work happened. Telecommuting rules be damned.
