a small fish in a small pond

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Peter Kropotkin
Posts: 1505
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2022 5:11 am

a small fish in a small pond

Post by Peter Kropotkin »

as is known or not, I've worked in a grocery store for
the last 15 years. I have worked for a total of 45 years and
in some of my previous jobs, I was in management and so I
am very familiar with being a manager, and recently due to
events, I wound up being the front-end manager... I started
last week, and I hit my first crisis rather quickly... a female
checker asked to go to the bathroom, no problem, but she was gone
for quite a while and then I saw her at the deli counter buying
her lunch which was coming up in 20 minutes, but she was doing
personal business, buying lunch on company time, and that is a
stealing from the company and people have been fired for doing just
that before.. so what am do I do? As it was busy, I made a quick decision
to talk to her... and I then explain to her what she did and why it was
wrong... maybe she listened, maybe not.. I haven't worked with her since...
but in thinking about it later, I realized what bother me the most,
and it is philosophically related...

The concept that I believe in most is justice.... which is the equal application
of the law/rules.. everyone gets treated the same under the laws/rules....
and by her leaving early, while on the clock, meant she was treating
herself differently than others.. she was asking for treatment that
wasn't given to others... no one is allowed to take care of personal business
on company time and she allowed herself that very privilege....
and on those grounds, that of the equal application of the laws/rules,
I should have made my case on... not on the theft of company time,
although I could have done both, but being back in management, I can
see how my philosophical applications can be used to my work as front end
manager...I can apply philosophy to my position as a manager...

and if I can apply philosophy to my job, perhaps you can apply philosophy
to your job... and we can also try to apply philosophy to our daily lives....
and therein lies the value of philosophy... it can and must be engaged in
our daily lives... just as Socrates believed it to be..... philosophy
has no point if it can't be applied to our lives, working and personal lives....
how will you apply philosophy to your work or personal life?

that is the question you must ask yourself, how do go about applying
philosophy into my life?

Kropoktin
Walker
Posts: 14280
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 12:00 am

Re: a small fish in a small pond

Post by Walker »

Peter Kropotkin wrote: Mon Nov 28, 2022 3:40 pmI was in management and so I
am very familiar with being a manager, and recently due to
events, I wound up being the front-end manager...
I can relate to that. Now I just putter around, but for a long, endless time :lol:, in one of the various past lives, I was a front-end manager working with hundreds of union men on the docks, you know, like Eric Hoffer ... according to all the work rules that were settled in contract negotiations, and some of the rules rather screwy. I did a little research during all those years to confirm what I learned on the job. As a manager you're responsible for the effect, but you're dependent upon others to produce that effect. That's a different kind of stress than the producers know, studies show that's more stressful. And here's the thing. If the good producers see the bad producers go unpunished, it's quite discouraging to the good producers, quite unfair, especially when everyone including the good get punished with a layoff. Lay that logic on the little time thief.

Philosophically that applies to all who respect others through laws, and through responsible use of weapons such as guns and automobiles.

But here's where it gets rather strange, or at least, unconventional ...

(to be continued)
Walker
Posts: 14280
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 12:00 am

Re: a small fish in a small pond

Post by Walker »

- continued

The manager begins the day by assessing a lot of real-time information, then making a plan and setting it in motion. A lot of the big plan, the infrastructure plan, is in motion already, but work crews change, assignments change according to free-market forces. So you have to make the plan your own according to conditions, keeping some simple profit guidelines as a measure, then tell the men what must be done, which involves all the details including safety which can be very costly if disobeyed, then implement the plan. Once the plan is in motion, you take a break … but you listen and when you know the job well enough, which takes years, you can picture reality with your mind sense. You hear the forklifts and you know by the sound where they are, and you know from memory what is in the location of the sound where they are and what they must be doing there, and you hear the men too although it is a more subtle sound.* This was before video surveillance. You hear the other sounds, the other machine tools, other devices that the men use clanging about the auralscape. Then you go back out on the scene to verify what your mind sense told you and you see that it corresponds exactly to what is actually happening, and then you get the thought … Am I Witness, Or Creator? :lol:

Best to recognize you’re a witness, but then the principle begins to apply everywhere and again, best to choicelessly know you’re a witness. Those who choose against this knowing become megalomaniacal German Philosophers. :lol:


* I know of someone on this forum who perceives reality via the mind sense's interpretation of aural sensory portal information, and her knowledge would be most fascinating through this lens.
commonsense
Posts: 5116
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2017 6:38 pm

Re: a small fish in a small pond

Post by commonsense »

Peter Kropotkin wrote: Mon Nov 28, 2022 3:40 pm
that is the question you must ask yourself, how do[sic] go about applying
philosophy into my life?

Kropoktin
First of all, pay close heed to Walker’s posts above. He offers extremely sage advice regarding managing the workplace.

To highlight a point of his, know that at the same time you allowed Ms. Employee to get away with her poor performance, you not only demoralize the good employees, but you reveal that what you accept you encourage.

A mentor of mine once said that in a difficult situation with a subordinate, puff out your chest, walk right up and tell them what’s what. Sometimes it takes courage to apply your principles.

FYI: you should have docked Ms. WMO’s pay for the time she stole—that would’ve been fair even for a first offense.
Age
Posts: 20205
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2018 8:17 am

Re: a small fish in a small pond

Post by Age »

Peter Kropotkin wrote: Mon Nov 28, 2022 3:40 pm as is known or not, I've worked in a grocery store for
the last 15 years. I have worked for a total of 45 years and
in some of my previous jobs, I was in management and so I
am very familiar with being a manager, and recently due to
events, I wound up being the front-end manager... I started
last week, and I hit my first crisis rather quickly... a female
checker asked to go to the bathroom, no problem, but she was gone
for quite a while and then I saw her at the deli counter buying
her lunch which was coming up in 20 minutes, but she was doing
personal business, buying lunch on company time, and that is a
stealing from the company and people have been fired for doing just
that before.. so what am do I do? As it was busy, I made a quick decision
to talk to her... and I then explain to her what she did and why it was
wrong... maybe she listened, maybe not.. I haven't worked with her since...
but in thinking about it later, I realized what bother me the most,
and it is philosophically related...

The concept that I believe in most is justice.... which is the equal application
of the law/rules.. everyone gets treated the same under the laws/rules....
and by her leaving early, while on the clock, meant she was treating
herself differently than others.. she was asking for treatment that
wasn't given to others... no one is allowed to take care of personal business
on company time and she allowed herself that very privilege....
and on those grounds, that of the equal application of the laws/rules,
I should have made my case on... not on the theft of company time,
although I could have done both, but being back in management, I can
see how my philosophical applications can be used to my work as front end
manager...I can apply philosophy to my position as a manager...

and if I can apply philosophy to my job, perhaps you can apply philosophy
to your job... and we can also try to apply philosophy to our daily lives....
and therein lies the value of philosophy... it can and must be engaged in
our daily lives... just as Socrates believed it to be..... philosophy
has no point if it can't be applied to our lives, working and personal lives....
how will you apply philosophy to your work or personal life?

that is the question you must ask yourself, how do go about applying
philosophy into my life?

Kropoktin
What does the word 'philosophy' even mean or refer to, to 'you', "peter kropoktin"?
User avatar
vegetariantaxidermy
Posts: 13983
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2012 6:45 am
Location: Narniabiznus

Re: a small fish in a small pond

Post by vegetariantaxidermy »

Walker wrote: Mon Nov 28, 2022 5:33 pm - continued

The manager begins the day by assessing a lot of real-time information, then making a plan and setting it in motion. A lot of the big plan, the infrastructure plan, is in motion already, but work crews change, assignments change according to free-market forces. So you have to make the plan your own according to conditions, keeping some simple profit guidelines as a measure, then tell the men what must be done, which involves all the details including safety which can be very costly if disobeyed, then implement the plan. Once the plan is in motion, you take a break … but you listen and when you know the job well enough, which takes years, you can picture reality with your mind sense. You hear the forklifts and you know by the sound where they are, and you know from memory what is in the location of the sound where they are and what they must be doing there, and you hear the men too although it is a more subtle sound.* This was before video surveillance. You hear the other sounds, the other machine tools, other devices that the men use clanging about the auralscape. Then you go back out on the scene to verify what your mind sense told you and you see that it corresponds exactly to what is actually happening, and then you get the thought … Am I Witness, Or Creator? :lol:

Best to recognize you’re a witness, but then the principle begins to apply everywhere and again, best to choicelessly know you’re a witness. Those who choose against this knowing become megalomaniacal German Philosophers. :lol:

The most interesting thing you've ever written on here. A refreshing change from your usual gibberish.
Walker
Posts: 14280
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 12:00 am

Re: a small fish in a small pond

Post by Walker »

Blame Kropotkin.

The good news is, one out of 11000 is not 1 out of 1000000.
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