fuck this job.com

This sucks beyond major suckage. Twenty-four years working up thru the ranks ... sixteen in the healthcare & scientific research facilities maintenance field (emphasis on HVAC systems), last eight in facilities management. Same employer the whole time ... excellent attendance & performance reviews the whole way. Until this week. Everything came to a screeching halt thanks to a supervisor with absolutely no physical maintenance background. Bottom line, I got shitcanned for not knowing enough about facilities HVAC maintenance and project management ... by a supervisor with an interior decorator background, on the job for only 1-year.

Co-workers filled me in that I was doomed from the start. My previous department lost a major funding source, so I got laid off. I transferred to a different dept, but they already had someone selected for the job ... one of the boss's few friends who knows even less about the work at hand (and with less seniority). Given the layoff situation, they had to accept my transfer which meant the internal suck-up couldn't get the position. I've managed dozens of projects, totaling over several million dollars, and EARNED a reputation as one of the best FMs. Needless to say, I was (and always will be) proud of that distinction.

The new department is a lot smaller than where I was, and much heavier into stereotypical office politics. I managed two small projects for them (which to them seemed major), improved the day-to-day operations and response, and continued building the trust & respect of the department's occupants and other managers. But here's how backward the boss's thinking is: One of the tasks I improved involved significant employee safety/security deficiencies. My predecessor overlooked some critical system equipment tests. I discovered the problems and, with the rest of our facilities mgt team, got the equipment working and testing on-schedule. In my dismissal/exit meeting I was told this made the dept look bad as it was previously remiss in its duties. WTF kind of logic is that? Most places are more than thrilled knowing their capital assets (especially safety/security systems) are working properly.

This is with a government agency, so don't kid yourself into thinking what happens in the private sector can't happen in the civil service arena. It does. I've seen this game played many times, just now it's my turn tied to the stake. It sucks as much as the weekly unemployment I'll be getting until I can transfer . This time, I'm going back to the field-tech ranks. Piss on this management crap. All the good "old-timers" who knew anything have either retired or died. The new administrative generation is top-heavy with brown-nosed, yellow tie, ass kissers more interested in maintaining an incompetent office culture than maintaining the facilities.