[effingwewt]

This is happening to me in the trades.

Im in maintenance as an industrial electrician.

New plants came to town paying current market rate and snagged most of the top talent.

Then the company started quiet-firing to avoid layoffs. It killed all motivation.

Then they froze hiring as we kept losing people. We are now short on HVAC, mechanics, and electricians.

Lucky me I'm the only guy who can do all three so im running ragged all day.

We have response times we have to meet but our vehicle (an electric GEM) had the charger die, it's only $2k but they won't let me order it so we all walk everywhere. Huge plant I easily bust 30k+ steps and 20+ stories climbed via stairs.

We then had a mechanic and an electrician take paternity leave so we are even more shorthanded. Still wont let us hire.

We lost the maintenance manager and cant get another one for what we pay and the condition the business is in now.

I love my job andy co-workers but I'm sending out resumes and interviewing because I can't take all the extra workload with no extra pay while our administration keeps getting more money and bonuses.

How do companies keep making the same mistakes over and over expecting different results? They don't, they know what's going on and are getting theirs before the bottom falls out.

[ninininino]

If your company:

* needs HVAC, mechanics, and electricians to function and deliver revenue

* your company cannot afford to hire new people, only maintain their current payroll, or are unwilling to raise wages to be able to hire more (not enough talent)

* you are able to do all three, but are being asked to do more than want or are able to do

then there's a simple outcome that to me it seems like you're missing.

you can just say "I can't", or "no, I'm going home at 6" or "cool, that's a great plan but I only have time to do the first half of the tasks you just described today", and most importantly - your company simply won't be able to afford to do anything about it.

What are they gonna do? Fire you and be even more fucked? Seems like if you set firmer boundaries on how much you can work, their best decision is going to just be accepting it. Because their only alternative is to even stupider which would be to fire you and have no work get done at all.

[effingwewt]

Not really. I just came off night shift and was thrown right back on it. We work 12 hour shifts, they alternate between forced overtime and disallowed overtime at their whims.

When I brought up I have yet to get my float (4x10s considered the 'easy' shift) I was told there was nothing they could do. All I could think was well how will you handle it when I leave?

Management really is that dense.

They care not one whit about objections nor people leaving.

Imho it's merely a matter of time but the younger guys all hold out hope. I've none left.

[tivert]

> All I could think was well how will you handle it when I leave?

You mentioned upthread:

> New plants came to town paying current market rate and snagged most of the top talent.

You should totally get a job at one of those plants and let them hang.

[nothercastle]

Many Manufacturing managers hate people and just treat them as an expense to be exploited.

[ninininino]

So what you're saying isn't you have tried saying "no" and just seeing if they call your bluff and fire you or just let you leave.