My boss just gave all of us a copy of Larry Winget's "It's called work for a reason"

[Taverner]

I read it on the plane back from BWI...

Is this some kind of subtle hint that we're all a bunch of slackers guilty of stealing from the company by surfing the net during the workday????

The guy who wrote this (Larry Winget) is a real piece of work. He hates unions, the government, OSHA, Workmans Comp, Lawyers, and anyone who doesn't agree with him. Total social darwinist.



And the book is full of contradictions. On one page he said we should all respect the workplace, and dress nicely. Never loosen our ties or wear jeans. But on the friggen cover of the book, he's wearing, well, JEANS!

One might argue that he's posing for a picture, not working. But earlier in the book he says his personality is just that - his job. So by his logic, any time he's on TV or posing for a promo pic, he's at work. And he's DISRESPECTING THE WORKPLACE!!!! Jesus jumped!

The guy is like Dr Phil with more redneck, more ignorance, more finger pointing.

He's like the guy I worked for in High School who ran a Dime store (remember those?). Anyone who didn't work as hard as he did was "a lousy bum" and he would accuse of you of "expecting the world to owe you a living." I'm sure you know this kind of guy. Didn't matter that we were just kids, because when he was 12 he washed cars every day for a pittance and LIKED IT. Winget's just like this guy.

So should I take this as some kind of hint that we're all a bunch of slackers?

For reference, the boss is a nice guy from Texas. Ex-Navy, likes things "by the book" which is fine by me. I give people what they want, and then do what I want. He bought us all this book with his own money and said it was a life changing book.

[Crabby Appleton]

1. Shouldn't you be working instead of playing around on DU right now? nt

[Taverner]

3. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Shaddup ;)

[Fire Walk With Me]

8. Just say "I was inspired by the book to do some further research on the subject."

And this guy is just a jammer looking to make some quick bucks from a modern version of snake oil. He's smarter than those who buy his product.

Edit: His real message must be taken to be: Individuality.

[madinmaryland]

2. Hey! Sorry I missed you in Maryland the other night.

You guys walked right by me! GoG sent me a photo of you guys and I do remember seeing you come in. It wasn't til I got there that I had no idea who I was looking for! Glad you made it back safely.

[Taverner]

4. It's cool - I find my way around the Eastern Seaboard a bit these days.

[seemunkee]

15. Realized the same thing when I got there

If it wasn't for GoG saying she was going to have her son with her I wouldn't have known who to look for.

[madinmaryland]

16. The funny thing is I you guys walked right by me!

GoG posted a picture of you guys and I remember you coming in and walking right by me! I was standing next to a set of small bar tables that had desserts on them and was staring up at the TV! I walked back to the bathroom before leaving and remember where you all were seated.

Damn!

[Pierre.Suave]

5. I would

start looking for a new job.

[Taverner]

7. Eh, I like my job

Even like the boss, even though it's highly likely he's a Repub.

I think he was trying to give us the motivational element, and didn't think we would take it as a "you're all slacking off!". But then again, military types are hard to read. Poker face and all.

[KG]

6. jeez, what an asshole this guy is.

guess what larry, only idiots wanna be like you. :eyes:

[ThomCat]

9. I hate people who think we surrender our lives to our employers.

They hire us to work, but not to work ourselves to death. We are employees, not machines.

A paycheck does not give anyone the right to turn us into machines.

Employers are entitled to a return on their investment (our pay) but but this idea that employers are entitled to control our every action during the work-day is ridiculous.
x(

[Taverner]

10. Me too

I am not, and will never be a "company man" unless I own the company. And if I do, I will never expect my employees to be company men and women.

You owe your employer NO loyalty. Just because they signed a contract with you saying they would pay you X for Y, doesn't mean you owe them anything else. That's the point of Unions - to make sure Y is always received for X.

[grace0418]

14. I agree. It's a business transaction not a blood oath.

I haven't pledged undying love. I haven't sold you my soul. You pay me a certain sum of money and I do a task/sell a product/manufacture something for you. You are not better than me, nor am I better than you. I have a skill you need and you are paying me for it. Now, because I am a human being and not a ream of paper or a stapler, you can inspire me to work harder and be happier by treating me well and paying me well. But you cannot expect my utter devotion just as a condition of employment.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

18. Its worse when you're single....

My current boss believes that just because I don't have a SO or kids, that I should be bending over backwards to do extra work for him.

He tries to use money as a bargaining chip. He's like: "C'mon, you WANT to work until 8PM every night. Just think of all the extra cash you'll make! What else are you going to do?" when he's only offering to pay me my normal hourly rate w/ zippo overtime for the 50-55 hrs I normally work a week for his business.

Employees do not equal slaves.

[Lisa]

11. "Anyone who didn't work as hard as he did" -- yeah, I know the type

Good points, Taverner. And if you DO work as hard -- or harder -- what generally happens is that you get exploited (the boss starts to EXPECT that you will put in extra shifts and do all kinds of stuff outside of your job description, without a word of thanks, let alone payment). Or sometimes the boss gets jealous of you, your stamina, and your expertise -- and starts to make snarky comments and put-downs. I worked for one guy who used to tease me, in the workplace, about how I had "no social life", and go on to his buddies, when I was around, about how I should be "grateful" that he was giving me a place to go. And the reason I had to break dates and cancel outings with friends was because he kept coming up with extra stuff for me to do (I later found out that he was using that to curry favor with his superiors, and they never knew that I'd done it for him).

[HughBeaumont]

12. OMG, it's "Bald Lawler"!!! Larry Wingnut is loathsome as shit.

Many of the things he's against are the only things that make a workplace not a complete drag to come IN to. Yeah, there's so much pride working in a fabric-walled box constantly wondering if you'll get any meaningful work or whether today's your last day or not.

I don't even want to THINK about Wingnut's opinion of Office Space.

[Taverner]

17. My favorite is how he defines unethical

I can understand the beef about stealing office supplies - but I never did that. But I can't think of how many times I've used my own pen or paper to do work stuff - so shouldn't it be quid pro quo?

But surfing the net while you work? Good gawd has the man never heard of productive distractions? The man defines every minute you are at work and not doing something as stealing. Then wouldn't our commute be stealing from us? I mean, we didn't decide to put the office where you did, and we sure as hell wouldn't sit in traffic if we didn't have to...and he's NOT paying us for that time.

[Nikia]

27. We don't have internet access on our computers

If we must use the internet for work purposes, there are two computers in the owning family's main office where they often check several times, noting what we are doing and how long we are there. Of course, there is a webpage history so it is a bad idea to even think about checking out a website that is non work related. I actually don't have a problem with this or being expected to work most of the time at work as long as they don't expect me to do work while I am clocked out for lunch. Our production workers work constantly with the exception of their scheduled breaks. It is hard for them to even get to the bathroom if it is not a scheduled break. I, on the otherhand, use the restroom almost anytime that I want, which I don't think is unproductive to me because having to feel the urge to go can be distracting. Of course, I have a commute of less than 5 minutes if I drive.

[ceile]

13. Doesn't he have a show on A&E?

Something about not living above your means?

[GOPisEvil]

19. He does. It's about helping people get out of serious debt and reforming bad spending habits.

I didn't know he did anything other than that.

He sounds like a real piece of work.

[Taverner]

20. This should explain it all :)

I'm sorry, cowboy boots and hats are not fashion, they're a FUCKING COSTUME! Just like dressing up as a pirate, spaceman or vampire.

[GOPisEvil]

21. Actually, he gives those people on the show some sound advice.

Figures he'd be a right-wing asshole though.

Those people on his show make me look like a financial genius. :D

[Taverner]

22. My dad summed up personal finance in a simple quote

"Don't spend what you don't have."

Basically, If you're going to use a credit card, make sure it's out of convenience and you have the cash in the bank.

As a result, I always pay my credit card bills every month, and hate hate HATE to pay interest.

Bad enough we pay interest on the home.

[Greyskye]

23. I got the same advice.

And plan on passing it along. Life without debt hanging over your head is so much better than the alternative.

[GOPisEvil]

25. I got that advice, too.

I didn't TAKE it, but I got it. :D

[HughBeaumont]

32. I think my aunt had a shower curtain of that same pattern . . . in 1978.

He has a book rack for his custom-made Tony Lamas. I'm done.

[Deja Q]

24. Would he like it if he had to play by his own rules?

[Hoof Hearted]

26. Might I suggest you gift him a book in return?

Something by Robert Greenleaf on servant leadership, perhaps?

[mitchum]

28. Scribblings of a grifter

[sasquatch]

29. You should buy your boss a book titled "People call you 'Asshole' for a reason"

[skygazer]

30. He calls dressing up as the cowboy from the Village People "nice?"

I realize that's only a head shot but just from the top of that shirt, I can imagine what the rest of it looks like. And I really hate those chin-hamsters like the one he's wearing.

Really, I'd have a hard time taking seriously anything a guy who looked like that said. :shrug:

[Kali]

33. .

:spray: :rofl:

STEALING!

[Xipe Totec]

31. Show your boss this image: