#352 Email NotificaShawn

So as I mentioned the other day, I've taken on some new responsibilities at work. Specifically, Collections and Accounts Receivable.

We receive notifications from our clients that do electronic funds transfer via email.  Now, the greater number of these notifications are sent to a group email address that I was already on. But quite a few of these are sent to the person that has just retired. And in this company, the day you leave they shut down all your access and kill your email address. And to complicate things more, they do not sent bounce notifications. This is the first job I've had since 1994 that when an employee leaves that their email is not re-routed to some catchall address, or forwarded to a specific other address.

Well,  I spoke to our IT guy and asked that the email that belongs to the person that just retired would be forwarded to me, as it's very important that we are able to receive these notifications. And that I'd make it a priority to have the clients correct the address they use, with the intent that in a month or so we could then properly deactivate the old email address.

Well he said it was not going to happen. Not because he didn't agree with my request, but that the US office dept that maintains the email servers simply "don't do this".

I kinda laughed and said, "because this would require them to do about 90 seconds work?!" 

He laughed and said,  "Pretty much"

I said do you mind if I cause a stink about this, involve the CFO and the Canadian VP pointing out at just how ridiculous their policy of just killing email addresses is? Not to mention how many lost notifications there would be, I'd be unable to complete some daily reports and that electronic transfers would go un-applied to clients accounts and that I'd end up making the company look incompetent because I'd have to contact clients and ask why invoices were not paid, when they *were* but we just didn't know because our company just kills email addresses.

He gave me his blessing, and I sent the email out at 9:30 this morning.  And guess what?  By noon, the mail forward was set up and it's now policy that when an employee departs there's a process to determine if their email should be re-routed for a period of time, or if indeed there is no issue in the email being closed. AND that there is an auto-responder goes out in either case indicating the address should no longer be used and direct them to the appropriate address.

I mean this is such a basic thing. And any company in 2014 that values their clients as well as their reputation is going to take a minute to do such a basic thing. 

And as of end of day today, this simple email forward has ensured that over $15,000.00 was properly applied to clients accounts, because they were using the old email address.

So score one for me!  I'm no rocket scientist, but I'm no noob either!

#024 Financial ConsideraShawn

You know what really grinds my gears?  

Upper Management types; in particular, one in my office. The General Manager and CFO for our division.

Under her 2 years in these roles we have seen the largest decrease in sales and profit, the most lay-offs in the 5 years - except for the Finance Dept which has doubled in the last 3 years. I'm not sure how one can rationalize doubling the department that controls all the money when said money has decreased annually during the same period. 

What’s even more of a joke is we have a client that owes us close to a  million dollars. Her brilliant solution is to open new accounts and provide new products and services to this client. Oh, and sending a far too politely worded email every 4-6 weeks kindly asking for a bit of the outstanding balance. I have more than once suggested we withhold all products and services from this client for one week.  As a private medical clinic group, they would soon buckle and pay up. But no, due to a culture of appeasing clients at any cost, regardless of the negative impact to OUR company and employees, we continue having to cut corners and people to make budgetary minimums. 

The latest lay-offs (which I mentioned back on Jan 7th) included 3 extremely hard working individuals. In the case of the individual that worked 2 desks away from me, the hole her lay-off has created now means that the remaining employees in the department have to pick up her tasks, including but not limited to her direct Manager (who knows NOTHING about the task involved) and one of the Finance Dept. employees, who fortunately knows more than the Manager (as she once worked daily in our Dept..)

I'm not saying I'm a financial whiz, but I know when someone is not paying up, or when you have an employee that is as useful as a superfluous nipple... Cut. Them. Off.   What amazes me is that those with any position to do something don’t see this or are afraid that acting on it now would bring them down too.  In the mean time, it’s denial as usual at the office… 

For now, I'll cling to T.G.I.F...  

#023 TransportaShawn FrustraShawn II

Nothing annoys me more than stupid and rude.  Put that into the Metro and I lose. My. Mind. 

If you stand in front of the opening doors of the Metro or an Elevator, at the top or bottom of an escalator or moving walkway or just inside or outside of doors to a building and I can neither enter or exit because you're too busy talking to someone, or you all of the sudden have lost your mind and don't know where you are or where you’re going, if are not aware that these are not acceptable locations to loiter or are picking your nose etc. I will push you. If you fall and break a limb, I will laugh my ass off. And if I have to, I will walk over and/or on you to get on my way. It's that simple.

And don’t think that mouthing off will deter me, because I swear, as god is my witness, I will throw back twice what you give.You have no one to blame but yourself.

The correct thing to do if you’re not aware, is STEP TO THE SIDE or just KEEP ON WALKING.

A few extra points of procedure if I might…

- Elevator and metro doors are only open mere seconds at a time so moving in quick and orderly fashion is not only preferred, it is MANDATORY.

- Also with regards to elevators and metro cars.  The order is as follows (with NO EXCEPTIONS)

1) People get OFF

Then and only then...

2) People get ON

- Escalators and moving walkways move… NON-STOP. It's what they do. It's who they are. There is no ‘Pause’ for idiots like you that can’t think of what to do after getting to the end of them. If you can’t remember where to go next, step off and to the side. There ARE people behind you that are not able to stop moving forward… they must go THROUGH you.

- Also with escalators and moving walkways, the standard accepted protocol is if you are just going to STAND there and not walk, MOVE TO THE RIGHT, ensuring you leave space on the left for those of us that don’t want to Age, doing nothing but wasting oxygen, looking like a bump on a log.

If all that’s too complicated for you then might I suggest you simply find a rock, crawl under it, curl up and die.

This has been a public service announcement from a person that has reached the limit.