Conference 7.286::digital

    Nice try: but
    
    A. It will never happen
    B. Even if it did, it wouldn't work. People with families and mortgages
    will opt for a raise and security over an IOU. There is no loyality.
    C. Actions say it all: the only people management thinks are indispensible 
    are themselves.

    
    
    In a meeting last week, our manager explained his feelings on morale
    and attitude.
    
    He stated,  "You should be more concerned with your daily contribution
    to Digital, than the performance of Digital as a whole."  We shouldn't
    worry about the price of Digital stock, because Wall Street is so
    fickel.  If you provide a good days work, you should go home with a
    smile on your face.
    
    Jon

    
    Upper management feels and says:
    
    'your lucky to have a job, there are no chains holding you down'
    
    that is almost verbatim what a group of us heard recently.
    Anyone heard or seen differently?

    re .3 and .4.The 'managers' making such statements should be
    sacked.They are employed to motivate and manage resources and are
    clearly failing in their duty.
    

    
    re: .4
    
    I think the comments in .2 are the *best* advice...
    
    There is absolutely no sense in worrying about Digital's overall
    situation, unless you happen to be in a position to influence it...
    
    Making the most of your job, and satisfying actual, money-paying
    customers is the only positive influence most of us can possibly have.
    There is certainly a lot of stuff in this company that is broken,
    but if you become totally paralyzed by it, I sincerely wish you'd 
    find a job elsewhere. 
    
    I have freinds in other computer companies, and all of them tell me
    that their company is the worst at everything. Unfortunately, whining
    and complaining is not nearly as institutionalized at IBM and AT&T as it
    is here. 
    
    So instead of whining, call a customer and try to sell him something;
    or call a head hunter. But do something, people!
    
    /ljj

    re: .5 & .2:  I stand here on August 1, fairly well assured of being 
    120% of the budget I expect to have (isn't assigned yet) for Q1, 
    having worked my (you know0 off to get there.  My product makes money, 
    and I'm happy that I am contributing to profitability.  Unfortunately, 
    every little step forward I take is counteracted by the 4 steps backwards 
    Digital (as a whole) is taking.  Wall Street may be fickle, but it sure 
    is united *against* us right now.  
    
    I'll go home with a smile on my face again when I get a raise, all my
    cube-neighbors and I feel a little bit safe in our jobs, management
    (from the local level all the way to BP's office) looks upon us with
    some respect again, and the stock price begins to reflect the real 
    value of this company, which I, personally, believe is a heck of a lot
    higher than Wall Street does.
    
    M.
    

Re:.6

>     I'll go home with a smile on my face again when I get a raise...

Make that "if".  

				Steve

    
    re -.1
    
    "It'll never work"  - so what, we will make it work...
    "This is bad"       - who cares, that over there is good...
    "Management stinks" - big deal, I don't smell like a rose either.
    
    I work, just let me sort things out, or let things stop sorting
    themselves out.
    
    -Mike Z. 

    re .8   little old ladies! Little Old Ladies"  LITTLE OLD LADIES!  
    
    urrrrrrrgh!

    re:  -1
    
    OK, not "old ladies".  How about grumpy old men?  Or general cranky
    people.
    
    The issue isn't sex or age - it's the attitude.  No offense meant
    except to those negative thinkers out there.
    
    BTW, why insert "little"?

    re: .11
    
    Why associate age and grumpiness?  Why imply that older people are all
    negative thinkers?  
    
    --bonnie

    Well, we've heard from the naysayers again.
    
    "It'll never work"
    "This is bad"
    "Management stinks"
    
    How about some comments from someone who's going to figure out how to
    make life at Digital work?  Yeah, times are hard, and so many good
    people have been let go.  This doesn't mean that we adopt a general
    "life is terrible" view.  Unless we who work here decide to become
    successful, we're not going to be successful.  
    
    I can hear it now - "Just tell me what is success" - I don't have a
    budget either, but so what.  The point is, it's not hard to figure out
    that selling our products to customers is a good thing to do.  That's
    what we should do.  Adjust to changes and go forward.

Re .14,

I think that it would be reasonable to expect more positive comments, and more
helpful suggestions, if we could be assured of being heard.  If we knew that
those suggestions wouldn't just fall on deaf ears.  The current attitude, that
many people have, is a result of long-term problems and mismanagement that 
have brought on deep-seated frustration and anger.

You are right, we should start selling products to our customers.  But, who 
are our customers, what are our products, and when are we going to stop down-
sizing so that *I* can be assured of being able to deliver on the promises 
that *I* make to my customers?  I don't know about you, but I have a problem
trying to convince people that Digital has the answer to their long-term needs.
I'm not even sure I know what this company will be selling to whom tomorrow.

You see, it's hard to adjust to the changes, and go forward, when things never
stop changing.  People are slow to adjust, that's just the way we are.  We
need stability in order to get motivated enough to pick ourselves up by the
bootstraps and move on.  Whining about the whiners doesn't work.

The only things that are going to put an end to the majority of the whining are
a stable environment, and a clear vision (a doable goal with a clear plan for
accomplishing it).  Perhaps this next reogranization will do the trick.  It
would certainly be nice if it did.  In the meantime, you're just going to have
to put up with people venting their frustration.

Rob

    Re: .14
    
    > it's not hard to figure out that selling our products to customers is
    > a good thing to do.  That's  what we should do.
    
    Who with, if we've chopped the salesmen :-)

    
    	Here in the UK the weather's terrific and I'm off for the weekend
    ... I'll start next week on Monday and ............................

    My vacation hours accrued to the max... began losing them a few weeks
    ago, so I'm on vacation at home this week.  
    
    how come I'm still having stress related headaches?
    
    tony

Because you're reading DIGITAL?

    maybe you're right!
    
    I'm gone!
    tony