|
|
|
Not too long ago I read an interesting article in the (March
2001) Soldier
of Fortune magazine under the "I Was There"
column. It was about a
dissatisfied employee who worked for a Texas based defense
contractor in Bahrain, and his story kinda reminded me of my
own experience working for a similar defense contractor in
Bosnia. Except the company I worked for, it's main
office was located in Alexandria, VA.
Sorry, but I can't tell you the name of this company because
they might
catch wind of this article and try to sue me. And not
for slander or making false accusations, but for releasing
some confidential information that I agreed "in
writing" not to disclose. But if you're really
that interested or curious to know who they are, look in the
"employment section" of the Army Times newspaper
because they sometimes place an advertisement there.
Anyway, this company hired me back in 1996 along with a
bunch of other ex-Army Rangers, Special Forces, etc, to help
train the Bosnia & Herzegovina Army under the US State
Department approved "Train & Equip
Program." And even though this company claimed to
be "military professionals," with lots of
"resources" (cough! cough! hint), this company's
motto should be, "Over-Paid, Under-Worked, and
Watch-Your-Back." Why? Well, whatever you
were making on active duty, your last pay grade...
"Double it" and that's about how much they think
you're worth and paid you too. No BS! (Oops! Oh
no, there goes some company confidential information that I
wasn't supposed to disclose. Now I'm in deep shit if
they find out about this article.)
And although we were told we had to work 8-5, six days a
week, there were only a few of us who actually worked this
"rigorous, tough schedule." And it wasn't
because we had to, but because we wanted to, I think it's
called, uh... umm... dedication? Yea, that's right,
it's called "dedication!" Something a few
too many of this company's "senior ranking"
employees lacked and or failed to recognize in "lower
ranking" employees.
Though we were all hired because of our military skills,
expertise and many years of experience, if you did more than
others and or became "too popular" with the troops
you were training, instead of getting a "slap on the
back" for being so dedicated to the mission and making
the company shine, your superiors would sometimes "chew
your ass" for making your fellow co-workers look
"less dedicated." (Go figure that one out.)
Retired 0-4s, 0-5s and 0-6s who disagreed with their
superiors on how
training should be conducted were usually
"rotated" or "promoted" to another
position within the company. But retired E-7s, E-8s
and E-9s who disagreed with their superiors on how training
should be conducted were usually tagged "loose
cannons" and had their job positions terminated.
(Note: This company rarely fired anyone, they terminate
positions to avoid lawsuits)
When you leave and go searching for another job, even though
you may have thought you left under honorable conditions,
such as receiving an "attaboy" or "hooah
letter" from the company president or CEO, you might be
in for a surprise. Employees Beware: If you left under
conditions similar to what I'm describing, avoid listing the
company on your resume or next job application as a prior
employer. "Been there, done it, listed them and
got screwed (so far) twice!"
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
