Ok so here we are again you and i , me being the orator and you the reader/listener. If you are a man, you will have a different view of what I am going to say than a woman.
I have written numerous times here about events in my life, mostly a lot of work things, because while we don't like to admit it, a whole lot of our identity is tied to that, even though it is transitory. I mean I used to drive a school bus for a living, because its was all i could find and so I did it. It certainly was not in line with my education or aspirations, but when you have to feed yourself and a family, well earning an income becomes real critical unless you are self sufficient.
Each week I have a meeting with my manager, who is Chief of Operations. I am one of several Project Managers she has under her, and our meetings have become more cordial than when I started working for her 3 months ago.. .I remember one meeting I had she talked about all these things, and so I asked her to just tell me how I am doing. She had a shocked look, and then said I was doing what she expected. Now it’s more familiar, and she has a smile on her face when we start, at least most of the time. I have learned that she is pretty non-expressive a lot of the time, and so I have started taking notes of what I need to talk with her about before our meeting. She informed me that I should consider seeking promotion to the next level up, in Executive Management. I have considered that, but really where I am now is as a specialist with managerial responsibility for a project, but not the supervision of staff that I have come to loath. I can direct them on tasks to do for the project, but don’t have to deal with the day to day approve vacation, timecards that eats up so much of my peers time. I have considered it though, because surplus money can go straight into my retirement account. I have found a position that may work for me, so I have applied. I will definitely say here if something comes of it…
Meanwhile my project continues to drag my spirits down. I have been reviewing the contracts approved in the past six months when the plant manager thought he could do it all, and so he didn’t ask for an immediate replacement to the previous project manager. While he understands his line of work extremely well, it is becoming clear the vendors readily saw he was out of his expertise, and have been “sticking it” to him, and the organization. Case in point: Recently I sat in on a meeting between him and the vendor regarding a new maintenance agreement on the hardware and software. One provision is that after 24 hours of being down, we get credit on the next bill for loss of productivity. They came back with the idea that 24 hours is 3 regular work shifts, ergo 3 workdays, so if something breaks on Monday they have until Thursday to fix it. I burst into laughter, and said that was crazy. After about a hour of this, I got my things, and left, saying I had serious work to do, and this was pointless.
Afterwards I had a talk with him, and mind you he still believes a woman shouldn’t be in charge, “just because” he has slowly come to the conclusion I might be right. Yesterday I reviewed a new contract for a piece of equipment that runs at the end of production, and verifies information applied by a previous set of machines in what is called 2d barcode, and then applies a shipping label. It does this extremely fast, and can either generate a label and apply it, or divert to another line and spray on the information with high speed inkjet; once it does this it sends the shipping details to the main production system to say XYZ widget was shipped to Destination, City, State, on Date and Time. It does a bunch of other stuff too, the point being it is seriously complex equipment that runs via computer and software, and hence it falls under the purchasing rules for IT equipment, my area of expertise. I assessed the order as being weak in the Statement of Work, and extremely weak in the contractual provisions regarding…you guessed it, warranty and maintenance. I added some our standard organization contracts for IT equipment and systems, and approved it transmittal to the vendor. This morning was an emergency meeting with the vendor area manager, who was “outraged at these draconian terms and conditions” Luckily, I had been warned by the system administrator, and had my binder full of contract language to review with them.
Here is where this tale deviates from all work, and delves into the emasculation of men by women, or the perception by some men that is what happened, and their response.
Our meeting ended, and the system administrators, myself, the line supervisor and Assistant Plant Superintendent left the room, and Teresa had to go back for a notebook she forgot. When she came back, she had this weird look, and sat in the chair in my office and leaned towards me and whispered to me something- apparent when she got to the meeting room, the door was ajar and she could hear the vendor team talking- The area maintenance guy was saying to his manager something about “she not only acts like a man, she sort of looks like one, she is so tall….yeah, kinda like Janet Reno.” There were other references to who had bigger balls, and so forth, when she knocked on the door and entered to get her book. She was upset, and I simply told her it was no big deal, they were just pissed because we finally were standing up for ourselves and making them do what is right. Besides, I don’t think I look like Janet Reno.
I told her she was doing a good job, and she looked at me and said “NO, YOU are doing a good job, we were getting treated like nobody until you came.” Then the other admin, a cheerful fellow, poked his head in and agreed.
As much as I really don’t like this project, I understand the need they have for a strong manager, and I guess that’s me.
I get really upset at being taken advantage of, and these guys have by my estimate really overcharged for stuff.
The other thing that is starting to freak me out a little is when I return to HQ, as I did Monday and Tuesday, there is almost this reverential attitude towards me, and so in conversation on the phone last night with a colleague who works for the CIO, she just blurted out “Canice, don’t you understand that since you came onto the project, you have stopped the hemorrhage of money into that project? He (her boss) reported to the board that you have thus far suspended payment on $185,000 vendor charges and charged back to them an estimated $86,000 in overcharges- girl you are saving us money!!!” I had not really thought about it. But I guess that’s about right. I know the vendors got mad when I said we weren’t accepting anymore subcontractor bills, all billings had to be coordinated through the primary contractor, and bill line items had to be more clear than “Maintenance- $45,000”, but had to say maintenance on what why and reference the Service Agreement Section…I did what the darn contract says, why cant they..OK, enough about my boring life, remember to live , love and laugh.
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