Power Over Others, Is a Dangerous tool in the Wrong Hands

The fall out from the conversation I had with Bucky changed the lives of few.  John was terminated. He was close to retirement, but he was forced to leave. My position as Training Director was eliminated.  I could quit, be terminated  or take a  lateral move into a Senior Claims Adjuster position.  If they were offering me a lateral move, they knew they had no grounds for termination.

The problem they faced was who should I report to as I had trained all of the adjusters who had been promoted to supervisors and the supervisors left, I had more experience with claims handling, so they placed me in Bucky's unit.  Bucky was unscathed by this incident which leads me to believe, she was the canary who sang her lungs out.

She called me into her office that first day and was apologetic that things played out the way that they did. I'm sure it was all for show.  She knew that I did not need to be supervised as I was very knowledgeable in claims handling and she did not expect me to come to her for direction. She suggested that I be open to the staff though for continued guidance if they had questions about claims handling.  She had to be kidding me!

Within a  month, additional claims training was needed on a subject matter that the legislation had changed. Howdy approached me with regard to conducting training for the staff, in addition to my new responsibilities as a senior claims adjuster.

I was stunned that the words even were directed toward me.  You want me to train staff when you just eliminated that position because it was no longer needed? Howdy suggested I think about it. I think he saw the look on my face and felt the need to remove himself from the immediate area.  How can you eliminate the position and shortly after suggest I continue the duties of that job?

Bucky closed the office door and attempted to convince me that I should consider the "offer." It appeared to her, they were making amends. It was a chance for me to accept this offer and show support for senior management.  She lost her mind!

I didn't have to think about this "opportunity." To me, it was a slap in the face. I informed Bucky that she could convey the message to Howdy that I had no interest in training ever again.  I had "moved" from that position and would gladly partake in the training, but as a participant, not the trainer.

Bucky suggested I might be making an error and to reconsider the offer.  No, it was very clear to me.  My current job description did not entail any training nor would I accept that it fell under the catch all of "all other things assigned." If that were the case, any adjuster, could train staff and I would be more than willing to participate as a member of the class.

Howdy approached me after Bucky had conveyed my message.  Once again he presented an "opportunity" for me to shine by offering to train. I informed him he had "demoted" me and if I was not worthy of the position a month ago, I was not worthy of it today, nothing  had changed.  He was quick to point out I was not demoted, it was a lateral move.  I didn't lose any pay, I was in the same pay grade.  Like this was going to ease my mind and change the playing field for me.  I am not interested. They gave up on asking any  more.  It had to be obvious to them by now that I was not a push over.  

I rather liked my job as  a senior claims adjuster. I was very good at it. I would take old files, that had been around for years, checks being issued weekly and no one trying to resolve the claim, review them from page one through volumes of paper, summarize the events and set out to settle the claim.  I lived to take those dog files and bring them to closure.  No one else wanted to invest the time or negotiate the settlement.

Howdy and Bucky noticed I had a knack for resolving old claims.  I suggested they reassign every one of them to me and let me knock them out one by one.  They refused my idea.  It would not be fair to the other  adjusters to assign me these old files.  How would they learn to handle them?  They weren't handling them, that is why they had been collecting dust.  No, that was not an option, so I just sat in my cubicle and worked.  I didn't participate in "unit" activities. I didn't go to "unit" lunches or socialize with any of the others within the unit. I was an island.

Hartman, the woman who I bowled with had been promoted to an adjuster position and she was in this unit.  She sat right next to me.  I would cringe when I heard her on the phone talking to people about their claim.  She was bitter that she had been overlooked for a senior level position, but she did  not have the skill set necessary to carry out the requirements of the job.  She could hardly manage what she had and she had a difficult time closing files.

She went on maternity leave and all of her files were assigned to me.  In addition to the files I had in my own name.  I carried the highest case load.  I knew they were trying to break me, but I don't break.  I buckle down and get things accomplished. By the time she returned to work six weeks later, I had reduced her claim count by over fifty percent.  Was this recognized, no.  It didn't matter what I did or how good I was, I had marked myself through Julie and I would never move up as long as I stayed there.

I had to come to the realization that I was paid very well for the work I was to perform.  Bucky left me alone for the most part.  She tried to create some documents regarding my travel to mediation's suggesting that I was not returning to the office after I had completed my hearings.  

I found this communication by accident and was surprised that she was documenting my every move.  She would document that I may have drove two hours to a hearing.  She estimated the hearing might last so long and then I was to be in the office.  She didn't document the two hour trip  home and the required lunch hour all employees are entitled to.  I knew she was out to make a name for herself at my expense and so I made it my mission to make her "documenting" very difficult.

I look back on this period of time and chuckle. Why people try to control me is beyond me. I work best if you tell me what you expect and then get out of my way.  At the end of the time you have given me to accomplish this mission, I will provide you results, but don't get in my way with hoops and loopholes for me to jump through.  I don't play that game.

Bucky had a party at her home shortly after this all occurred.  She was upset with the demands that senior management had been placing on the unit supervisors, so she invited several employees to her home to include her new "best friend" the supervisor who was slated to be terminated but was not.

Chappy and I attended this soiree along with many others. It was after work. It was on the weekend. It was on all of our own time. But Bucky had pictures of both Roger and Howdy photo copied and through their faces she had the relatively "new" symbol for "not" drawn around and through their mug shot.

The party was all in support of disrespecting our leaders.  I wanted to take a "poster" as a memento to this gala event she hosted and share it with our senior management staff on Monday, but what would it have served? By the time this happened, I was on my way out of the Fund and on to bigger adventures.

Karma is a funny thing.  When you least expect it, it bites your opponent in the nuggets and doesn't let up. Julie was terminated before I left the Fund. Roger was asked to step down and left to start a similar Fund in Kentucky.  He just retired this year after eighteen years at the helm there.  Bucky, was promoted to manager of the new risk management department.  She wasn't successful as she had no experience in risk management and those that reported to her were far more knowledgeable than she. Howdy eventually quit, the pressure and stress of the job wore heavily on his family life. I moved out of the state eventually and landed a job as a supervisor and promoted myself several times to manager positions with multiple companies.  

Some days you need to know when to pick your ball up and leave the play ground.