An Angry Mob!!!

Are those pitchforks and torches I see!!! So apparently the "higher ups" decided awhile ago that we needed a new timecard system for our Company. Let me give you a bit of background....remember the last Corporate Culture entry I blogged about (go look it up if you want, I'll wait)? As some of you may know I work for a Company called Amec. It is an Engineering firm like BKF was, but that's where the similarities end. With Engineering or Architecture or Law firms the "product" is professional people's "time". In other words, if a client hires us, it's because they want us to "engineer" something. For example, I bill the Geotechnical Department. They use their time determining the structural integrity of something, or how best to go about stopping a slow leak in a big dam that if left unchecked could possibly flood Nashville. The guys and gals run computer sims, do site visits, etc. The educated opinion and facts at the end of it all are the "product" we sell. So to accurately account for the time spent, we use a bill rate table that is driven by a persons "class code" (or professional title, ie Field Tech level 8). Sometimes we have clients who don't like our rates, but are huge clients and so sometimes one has to propose lower rates to get the business. Simple capitalism basically. If you and I are selling the same exact widget, I will make more sales and therefore my profit if I sell my widget lower than yours. Well apparently the powers on high thought they knew how things run in the company. (don't they always....I think they do crap like this to justify their existence and thereby their large salaries....but I digress). Did they ask us why the different codes? No. They know why....uh huh....sure you do. They were tired of people overwriting their codes (I'm still not sure why....they always give some ambigious answer...gee that never happens in a big corporation) so they picked new timekeeping software that doesn't use those codes. Great!!! Now we have to scramble to find another way to do billing. IDIOTS!!!! Let's just piss off our multi-million dollar clients and make ourselves look like fools. My Project Managers and Unit Managers are out for blood. I've told them they are preaching to the choir. Even my boss, Ms. Company Line herself, thinks this new system is shit. It gets implemented on June 25 th. Watch this space for many rants to come.

Ciao for now.