Dec 18 2007
Disloyal? Moi?
A slightly antagonistic conversation with the boss today led him to ask me if I was sticking with the company for a while. I gave my stock answer, which is basically;
“If anyone offers me a buck an hour more to do any less I’m gone”
Which, while not strictly true, (the schedule has been more important to me than the wage, particularly as daycare for Jilly has been an ongoing scheduling nightmare) captures the mercenary spirit that I hold true to my heart. Now that mercenary mentality means that I represent my employer to the best of my abilities, and that I protect their interests, I don’t barter their secrets and I don’t quit on a moments notice. Leave? Oh yes, undoubtedly. It’s not personal, it just means you got outbid.
I’ve had to remind my boss before, I didn’t lie to him in the interview. I told him that I don’t job-hop, that I am typically with an employer for 2 years, more if things work out well. I could make the appropriate noises and claim I’d be there for decades, but it’d be a huge lie, and I’m a mercenary not a liar.
I envy you. I work with such a collection of people. Many of them operate under this bizarre idea that because we have government coat of arms on our shoulders and are “real” government security guards, as opposed to you “fake” private security guards, we should be totally loyal to the organization.
Oh, sure, there are a couple of guys who are, well, I’d like to say running out the clock to retirement, but waddling might be more accurate. I had one guy wig out on me because he asked if I thought I was better than this job and instead of lying, I responded “Yes”.
I’m going in tomorrow to convince my boss to let me take the 6 month secondment over to another ministry as an investigator that I was offered on Monday. This oughta be fun.
Ah - It’s good to see the Christmas Spirit is alive and well
One thing though, Greg, is the few government security guard jobs I’ve brushed with here in TO were as close as I ever saw to an honest week’s pay for an honest day’s work. Most of the staff where I am see it as the Holy Grail of door-shakers. None of them gave two thoughts to being loyal to the government, though, just the insane pay.
I have a boss that is actively working to ensure you can’t get better than where we work. He knows you can’t expect loyalty from tradesmen and technicians, since there’s always a better opportunity around the corner.
I’ve always noticed I get the 2 year itch. Not so much for the money, but to change the pace/scenery. When I jump, it usually is to better pay, but I’ve jumped ’cause I’d hated the current job so much I was willing to take a small cut.
In this day and age, and in my profession, I find the only way to get steady cost of living increases in pay, is to jump to another job. I’ve never had a union salary kinda job.
It’s too bad you’re not on this side of the continent Mon!! We could’ve gotten you into Transit with little to no problems.
The one good thing about this gig is that we all basically start at the bottom - and it’s still over $21/hr. Hopefully, things will work out enough that we’ll be getting damn near nursing wages for a lot less formal education (and debt) and Dodge Chargers with the Police packages next year.
Sure as hell beats ANYTHING contract!!
As for being “real” Gubmint Security Guards, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Loyalty? I’m working at a job tonight that I’ve been at over ten years. OK, granted, I’m not full time, nor would I like to be, but isn’t too much apathy to look elsewhere a form of loyalty?
It’s not even that I’m not looking, it’s that as a casual gig, there is literally no reason to quit. I still think Mugwug was stupid to quit this gig, despite going to the less civilized side of the Rockies. The demands are silly stupid low and it’s always nice having a fallback position.
I do agree with you Mike, the loyalty is always to the almighty buck. As I’ve often said as I careen to the end of a job and get really itchy to get out elsewhere: I don’t care if I’m flying the helicopter or dumping the napalm on the unsuspecting villagers. I’ll take anything at this point to get out of this job.
“I don’t care if I’m flying the helicopter or dumping the napalm on the unsuspecting villagers
Wow, are you hiring? I have vary little experience, but I’m an eager learner and I can provide my own napalm.
Should I just send my resume off to Greg@merchant-of-death.com?
As my grandma once said, “it’s really sad that all those kids in Africa are starving and so poor. But it’s not my fault so I don’t care.”
I’d drop some napalm if it meant getting to fly a helicopter. Helicopters are pretty loud. Don’t you think the villagers would hear it coming, thus making them suspecting, rather than unsuspecting.
It’s the mere idea of loyalty to a company that puts us all into a genocidal rage.
Ironic that Erik and my Grandpa got the gold watch and pension from working at Sears his whole career, minus that whole world war thingy.
“Wow, are you hiring? I have vary little experience, but I’m an eager learner and I can provide my own napalm.”
Yes, we are hiring. You’ll take a cheque, right? Or better yet, we’ll do direct deposit…just mail me a signed blank cheque. I’ll provide my post office box in Nigeria for your convinience…
“I’d drop some napalm if it meant getting to fly a helicopter. Helicopters are pretty loud. Don’t you think the villagers would hear it coming, thus making them suspecting, rather than unsuspecting.”
Amateurs. OK, here’s your free lesson. The first three times you fly over the village, you drop food and medical supplies. This allows you to win their hearts and minds. Now that you have their hearts and minds, on your next flight, you drop napalm as they rush out expecting a hot meal and enough penicillin to clear up that pesky itch.
I’m going to hell.
That is cold, even by our standards dude. Smart, effective, but cold.
Well it will be hot, tasty, and the itch will be gone…
Besides, by drop 3 they’ll be relying on the aide instead of working toawrds independence anyways. You’re doing them a favour!
I bet my office is next to yours.
It’s threads like this that really make my wife wonder what she’s gotten into.
Ted-
“That is cold, even by our standards dude. Smart, effective, but cold.”
See, that’s pretty rare for any of my plans to contain all three of those elements. I always remember to use #2 and #3, but making smart plans often goes by the wayside.
I tend to fall back on stupid plans when all else fails. One of Mugwug’s favorite quotes from an article I wrote for a previous website on security that he ran discussing planning for failures in violent encounters in security rooms was along the lines of “…and if that doesn’t work, then your door guard gets to play free safety and punch people in the mouth.”.
“It’s threads like this that really make my wife wonder what she’s gotten into.”
My wife hasn’t ever had any illusions about me and my friends. She accepts that we’re all seriously messed up in the head.
Mike-
“I bet my office is next to yours.”
You can play on my team any time.
In times of crisis, my fall back stupid plan was to pick the laziest ex-Israeli military 20 year old who’s now here in med school, and patrol the point of the site farthest away form the trouble. Especially if the sheer volume of concrete between you and the other guards made radio communications sketchy.
I never had to resort to violence, just intimidation.
I should have added devious to the description. I’m sure being called devious would have made your Christmas. I know it lightens up Erik and my brothers days.
jeez…
sounds like some of y’all have worked for [u]The Wackenhut Corporation.[/u]
as for…
“My wife hasn’t ever had any illusions about me and my friends. She accepts that we’re all seriously messed up in the head.”
…ditto for mine.
You haven’t lived the Security life until you’ve stood watch with automatic weapons and tossed drunk hookers outta the local Waffle House … all in the same night.
As for being a mercenary: what do you think ‘RONIN’ means?
-Steve