I hate being honest at times

"zeontestpilot" (zeontestpilot)
02/10/2016 at 08:47 • Filed to: Michigan

Work’s policy is if the weather is bad and you can’t make it to work, work from home. Well the weather is questionable, but I’m still making the 40-60 minute commute because I know I can. Meanwhile people who live 10 minutes away are most likely staying home.

I guess you can say I’m a bit jealous. I don’t like lying, and I’m not a fan of twisting the truth either. If I know the truth but dont want to admit it, I keep my mouth shut. But if I don’t show up at work, I have to tell my manager why I’m not in the building, which is where I can’t lie. I can’t tell my manager “I can’t make it to the office” when I know I can.

I have a good gauge of what I can and can’t do in a car, and any bad weather it’s the same story: keep space between you and the car in front, brake early, keep your speed down, and be aware that you might lose tire grip (also prepare for it). I’m not a fantastic driver, but I know enough to get by.

I know, I know, not a lot of you can relate to this issue. But it sort of annoys me how some people get away with it.

Anyways, drive safe my fellow Michiganders and opponauts.

DISCUSSION (57)

CounterTorqueSteer > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 08:50

You are being a good employee. Take pride in the money that will be earned

$kaycog > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 08:54

Good for you! I’m impressed. Your manager will remember this.

450X_FTW > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 08:56

Few years ago we had a really bad snowstorm hit us in Michigan. My boss who lives about 10 miles from the office sent an email out after I made it in saying “I’m snowed in and cannot get out of my driveway”. He drives a 2014 4x4 Grand Cherokee.........

Ash78, voting early and often > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 08:58

Where I live in Birmingham, we’re often right at the “snow line” whenever a big system hits the East. We have no snow clearing capacity, so if you don’t know whether it’s going to be a dusting or 3"+, the schools usually close (or release early) just to be extra safe for the bus drivers.

Then employers have to do so, in turn, since there are so many working parents that productivity would drop to near zero anyway.

It’s messed up, but on the plus side, we always know what to expect — snow in the forecast, work from home until told otherwise. HR is way too skittish to leave things to our own judgment, plus our entire downtown arteries are elevated highways, which is bad news in icy conditions.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:01

A couple of weeks back, I was one of like six people here. In a RWD sedan with all-season tires. The one time I actually called in unable to get to work several years ago, it was because of over 9" of snow on the drive that I had to clear out with a mini-backhoe. All that to say, there’s a difference between “can” get to work, “could actually try” to get to work, and further “don’t want to go to work”.

zeontestpilot > $kaycog
02/10/2016 at 09:02

Thanks. We actually have a rule that if your 45 minutes and 45 miles out ( that ‘and’ is important), you can work from home Monday and Tuesday.

I live 40 minutes and 39 miles out, I just miss those requirements. I actually negotiated with my manager for working from home 1 day, and he let me. Work has recently realized that people are abusing it (again, 10-15 minutes away people), so work is getting more strict and crashing down. -_-. Thankfully, my manager said he’ll argue my case (with the higher ups) as an exception, since I do show up through sunshine, rain, or snow.

CalzoneGolem > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:03

These days are some of my favorites at work.

davedave1111 > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:03

The real shitter is that clearly working from home isn’t a problem, so why the hell do they make you come in at all, regardless of the weather?

pjhusa > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:04

Sigh... This is why we can't have nice things.

zeontestpilot > CounterTorqueSteer
02/10/2016 at 09:06

Thank you. I do what I can so I can keep my job. So far, in the Java/.net area, only 6 to 9 people have shown up, out of 80 seats (I think?). Of course, it’s only 9am here, but only time will tell.

E92M3 > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:07

I drove in to work during a bad storm once. I was 1 of 10 who showed up in a building of over 400 people. When my boss found out I thought he would be impressed. Instead I got lectured on how stupid it was, and how I was a liability for the company had I got injured in an accident. Not what I had imagined. Not 1 hour later he started IM’ing me to turn on computers for dozens of employees whose computers had hibernated, so they could remote desktop from their home computers and work.

I thought maybe he would apologize for the lecture by the end of the day, or maybe even be grateful I was there. He never mentioned it again.

$kaycog > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:09

People always abuse things. Be proud of yourself for being honest.

Stapleface > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:10

I’m a contracted employee, and my employer treats snow days as if the snow doesn’t exist. Even though I work in a different building that will close if there’s snow, I have to go to my home office and sit there with my thumb up my ass all day, since I can’t do my job at the home office. It’s maddening, really. The alternative is use your personal time or don’t get paid. So I will sometimes go in. On the plus side, it’s an easy day at work, since THERE’S NOTHING TO DO.

To the point of your story, people who can and don’t piss me off. If you can't get your 4x4 SUV to work less than ten minutes away in a reasonable storm, what's the point of even having 4 wheel drive? Just save money (and gas) and buy the 2WD version.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:13

Kinja'd!!!

As a Michigander living in NJ, this was what my typically crowded parking lot used to look like after I arrived on snowy days. The car in the background? A coworker who grew up in Ontario.

nerd_racing > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:13

I had a decent commute in today, it was snowy and slippery but managed to do 45-50 most of the trip until I met up with a line of cars stuck behind a short bus. last 5 miles were 30 or less mph. Love my blizzaks, sometimes when I’m trying to have fun I can’t.

OPPOsaurus WRX > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:14

congrats on not being a wimp. Make sure your boss knows you did it and it will pay off.

OPPOsaurus WRX > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:14

u just wanted to have the excuse to go out for snownuts

zeontestpilot > Stapleface
02/10/2016 at 09:19

That’s very true. I'm currently driving a Grand Prix, which doesn't have much ground clearance. Before that, a pt cruiser. If I can make it, I feel anyone should.

jariten1781 > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:21

Same way. I pretty much always come in unless I’m notified the facility is shutdown, and even then I’ll typically go into a satellite office I have the keys for unless the county orders all non-emergency personnel to stay off the road. It is noticed. Interestingly, I’ve also noticed that the real core of effective leadership (excepting token and nepotism fills) here do the same.

zeontestpilot > Ash78, voting early and often
02/10/2016 at 09:21

My work does send out emails saying that the roads are bad, at around 8 to 9 am. Unfortunately I leave for work at 7am and arrive at 8.

zeontestpilot > E92M3
02/10/2016 at 09:22

Now I’m glad I don’t have him for a boss, :).

Ash78, voting early and often > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:24

I ran into that several years ago — I leave at 6:45 or so, and the email went out at 7:30. Everyone complained, since 90% of our office was already en route and didn’t see the email until after they got here. Now they usually just tell use the afternoon beforehand. Overly cautious, but more timely.

zeontestpilot > PotbellyJoe and 42 others
02/10/2016 at 09:25

It's like an average winter Tuesday for us Michiganders....

zeontestpilot > nerd_racing
02/10/2016 at 09:27

I have all season tires, but they are brand new. With the new brake pads and rotors, winter driving is easy, :).

zeontestpilot > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/10/2016 at 09:31

Yesterday was one of the few times I wasn’t sure if I could make it. It was extremely loose snow, a few inches thick., which isn’t too bad but I won’t be the only one on the road.

Though I had a dentist appointment that I couldn't cancel, so I drove to it and found out the roads were pretty decent. I let out a heavy sigh and headed to work at 11am.

zeontestpilot > davedave1111
02/10/2016 at 09:36

I figured out that the rule is there because the office building used to be located an hour to the east. When they changed to our current location(and closed the other one), a lot of mangers and employees still lived an hour away. So they made this rule to accompanied them. But they reopened the other office back up, so there's two locations and people just go to whatever is closer.

Also, we have potential clients visit the building, so having all the employees in the office here looks good for the company.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:39

oh yeah this part sucks.

What kills me is when someone who’s no longer with our company lived 10 minutes down the road from my house and was like I CAN’T EVEN GET DOWN THE STREET IT’S TONS OF SNOW AND ICE!

I’m like, if I can drive through the 2 inches of snow you’re worried about in a Milan, you can get to work. Don’t tell me you had 10 inches when were 10 minutes apart.

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:39

You just need a better rationalization. It’s not just can you make it to work, but is it worth the risk of an accident.

I don’t know how many managers are actually like Dilbert’s pointy haired boss, but it’s likely that yours is more reasonable than you think.

On a day where you did make the more arduous, and dangerous, than normal commute, have a chat with him (her?). Just say something like, “I obviously was able to make it in today, but the next time it’s like this it would be better if I worked from home.”

The response will probably be something like, “For sure, man. Like, totally!” ;-)

zeontestpilot > pjhusa
02/10/2016 at 09:42

I’ve never understood ‘why’ people abuse stuff like this. I mean, I do have a bit of an authority issue ( I'm not fond of being told what to do), but even I know that rules, no matter how much you dislike them, should be followed. You can complain all you want, just follow the rules.

zeontestpilot > $kaycog
02/10/2016 at 09:42

I tell myself that, :).

zeontestpilot > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/10/2016 at 09:44

He sits in the row behind me. I actually just asked him if he got my ‘essay’ on why I’m a good employee and how I’d like a raise. I didn’t plan that, I just wanted to know if there's anything I should change on it, lol.

nerd_racing > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:46

where I live you have to have winter tires and even still sometimes it’s just too much accumulation. Last winter my boss got 92 inches at his house in 48 hours.

zeontestpilot > jariten1781
02/10/2016 at 09:49

I’ve noticed that I might have the trademarks to be a leader, I just don’t want to be one. I hate making choices because I weight every possible thing before I make a choice. Plus, all eyes are on you, and I’m not comfortable with that. I don't feel mentally prepared for that kind of responsibility, :/.

davedave1111 > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 09:50

“so having all the employees in the office here looks good for the company.”

Oh gawd, I hate that more than anything. I’ve worked for people who did that from time to time, and usually the people in the office weren’t even the people doing the work the prospective clients wanted done.

zeontestpilot > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
02/10/2016 at 10:00

Fun fact, I don’t bother shoveling my driveway, I just plow right through it. The only time I do shovel, is on Sunday morning when I make a path from the house to the car, so my family can get in for church. And my subdivision has decided to stop plowing the roads apparently as well, but I just drive cautiously.

If you can’t drive in the snow here, can you really call yourself a Michigander?

E92M3 > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 10:00

I’m glad I don’t anymore either! He was a real bipolar prick.

CobraJoe > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
02/10/2016 at 10:14

Don’t tell me you had 10 inches when were 10 minutes apart.

Don’t forget about drifts. I have personally seen drifts big enough to make a road impassable while the rest of the road is completely clear. Even in our neighborhood during the last big storm, I had to scoop 3 feet of snow piled up on the bottom of my driveway from the plow when nearly everyone else on my street had significantly less (you could tell by the gigantic piles of snow on either side of my driveway).

Snow can be funny like that.

zeontestpilot > luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln!
02/10/2016 at 10:14

That’s very true. A few years ago, same company, my previous manager gave me a hassle because I couldn’t make it to work for most of the week.

It was one of the worst winters to hit here, and it was my first Michigan winter since moving from Florida. My engine wouldn’t start. I had a heater on it, trying to heat it up in <10 F. I had to rearrange my vacation to that week so I wouldn’t get in trouble.

The manager still expressed his dismay that I didn’t show up at the office, telling me to ‘just to get a new car’ (seriously?), despite that having a broken car with a cold engine being something I can’t control. And a paycheck that mostly went to student loans.

I spent a good amount of time trying to get in that mangers good graces afterwards. So much that I took a total of two vacation days that year, in total. I‘m glad I got a new manager now, but I really don’t want to be on a managers bad side again. -_-

zeontestpilot > nerd_racing
02/10/2016 at 10:20

The fund was for winter tires, until I discovered that my current tires were dead (I’m thankful for that flat tire now). I just got the car, and cramps said the tires were good. I trusted his judgement and didn’t check myself. He needs his eyes checked apparently.

Lesson I learned, always check it out yourself.

zeontestpilot > davedave1111
02/10/2016 at 10:27

Having employees on site is a selling point. Unless the client deems you work at their site, which is when then fly us out Monday and have us return Thursday....usually...

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 10:32

Sounds like your old manager’s hair was a little pointy. But, then again, maybe he had dealt with slackers before. People see you through a filter of their past experiences. You probably fit into one of his predefined slots of “slacker guy I need to keep an eye on” when the car thing happened.

Your manager (old and new) is just another guy with a job who doesn’t want to look bad. It sounds like you are a pretty conscientious person. Try to make it clear to him that you care about your, and his, success on the job and you’ll be golden.

What’s your job, anyway?

zeontestpilot > E92M3
02/10/2016 at 10:33

Apparently prick is a swear word. I always thought it was a stronger form of saying jerk. I only know this because at my last job a coworker was getting on my nerves and I called her a prick (I don’t anger easily, nor do I usually say demeaning things about people). She told other employees and the manager, and they all said the same thing, that I “don’t swear”.

I later apologized, because I shouldn’t of gotten upset despite her being annoying, but still, didn’t know that word was considered a “strong" word.

zeontestpilot > luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln!
02/10/2016 at 10:37

Application developer, namely in Java. Or whatever they want me to do or fancy, lol.

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 10:52

Oh yeah, work from home any chance you get. Some companies even give their programmers a stipend to get out of the office and work from a co-working space.

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 10:56

The way I see it, you’re leading by example, showing up to work even though there are people closer who supposedly can’t.

zeontestpilot > luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln!
02/10/2016 at 10:59

But the honesty issue is what stops me, plus work wants us in the office, while working from home is a privilege. It’s used as a selling point to say “all our employees work out of this office”.

zeontestpilot > Svart Smart, traded in his Smart
02/10/2016 at 11:13

Thanks. The office is pretty full now...thankfully..

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > CobraJoe
02/10/2016 at 11:20

Oh I get that. This woman was notorious for it.

1 snowflake- I’M NOT COMING IN

She acted like she got an entire snow storm we didn’t get.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 11:21

Most people here can’t drive in the snow!

It amazes me how bad people in Michigan are at driving in the snow.

Most don’t clean their car off, most don’t leave enough distance ugh it’s terrible.

New Jersey drivers (where I grew up) were better at it because they had to be with hills/mountains. Michigan is so flat it’s much more forgiving.

Burn-Spaz1966-Burn > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 11:31

People get away with all kinds of shit. But Karma will happen to them.

Don’t worry about other people. If I did that, all the crooked VA people would have their shit pushed in.

zeontestpilot > Burn-Spaz1966-Burn
02/10/2016 at 11:40

I don’t believe in karma, but I do let out a prayer for any speeders to get caught. Actually, I pray that a lot. :)

zeontestpilot > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
02/10/2016 at 11:41

Hmm, I guess I’ll have to help spread awareness then. I do on my FB, :).

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 11:44

add on me on FB next time your on.

Burn-Spaz1966-Burn > zeontestpilot
02/10/2016 at 11:45

Karma , God letting things happen,(Not causing anything), just letting it happen. Same thing.

zeontestpilot > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
02/10/2016 at 11:59

Just sent a request.

pip bip - choose Corrour > zeontestpilot
02/11/2016 at 06:21

surely the boss will recognize your commitment?

zeontestpilot > pip bip - choose Corrour
02/11/2016 at 08:17

I'm hoping so.