Who is Golden Handcuffs?

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by Unregistered24

Hi Admin,

I don't think it's necessarily that this rogue group of former Eracians are "happy with Enteprise". We just had a good time while there and moved on when we left. However, we are in such a minority we should be a protected class! As someone said earlier in this thread, there are a few types of people who post on the board. It's mostly banter and debate between bitter current employees/ex employees and current "green bleeders".

This rogue class of people to which I refer are people rarely represented on this board because we are 1) not with ERAC anymore, and 2) at the time of our departure, whether voluntary or involuntary, we had developed a set of skills during our time in the trenches, and we immediately set out to use those skills in a new career somewhere. 3) We had a blast at ERAC, and we have fun reliving those times when we can, so we are not angry with ERAC for any reason - it's just a company that was part of our continuing journey through life, that's it.

There are definitely people who use this site as part of their "healing" process (that sounds funny to say - as if it's on the same scale as grieving the loss of a loved one for some reason). There are others who were angry when they worked there and will be angry in 40 years when they are old and crotchety.

There are people who waste their time defending ERAC to the core. As if they are going to convince the masses otherwise - wrong site for that, unfortunately.

There are people who are so bitter and immature that they try to hurt people personally - why they give someone else that much control over their own lives even after they are out of the situation is beyond my comprehension.

The poor souls who try to come back on here and reconnect with old friends are akin to a guy jumping into a pool full of sharks and hoping to find that one friendly little clownfish. They won't find friends on here, because 83% of the people on here are angry, resentful people.

Admin, your site definitely has it's merits when it comes to customers because it has been true for you, and there are commonalities in other experiences all over the US. For the most part it tells one side of the story to the prospective new hire. There are a whole group of people out there who had a great time, learned alot, and moved their skill sets to become an asset to a new company. They never looked back, and it's not often you find them on here because they have not the time nor the inclination to be here.

I agree the conversation here definitely leans towards negative opinions of Enterprise. This is partially, I'm sure, because I created the site as an infuriated customer and named it "Failing Enterprise".

Another reason though is that this discussion board serves as the missing half of the conversation that should be happening at Enterprise. People in any organization are going to have issues and complaints. Healthy organizations provide a way for those issues to get heard and dealt with. Unhealthy organizations like Enterprise simply ban the expression of any opinion that's not positive. People still have these opinions and they need an outlet, so they come here.

I hate to oversimplify, but if you have something nice to say about Enterprise, you can say it at Enterprise where saying such things is welcomed and a necessity for advancement. If you have something not so positive about Enterprise, you have to come here. It would be a further sign that Enterprise is intellectually bankrupt if they announced that since it's mostly negative opinions here, they can safely ignore them.

The other interesting trend is that essentially nobody even tries to refute the criticisms about Enterprise anymore. Everybody knows this stuff is going on, but they've just got too much invested in it personally to take a stand.

Those Enron guys were the kings of the financial world and recommending their own stock right up until the day they went bankrupt.

All the information Enterprise needs to turn it around can be found right here in our discussion board. We're all going to be able to enjoy a big round of "I told you so".

Andy Taylor, hand over the reins to professional outside managers and turn it around while you still can. The writing is on the wall, and it's right here at Failing Enterprise.

Originally Posted by FailingEnterpriseAdmin

I agree the conversation here definitely leans towards negative opinions of Enterprise. This is partially, I'm sure, because I created the site as an infuriated customer and named it "Failing Enterprise".

Another reason though is that this discussion board serves as the missing half of the conversation that should be happening at Enterprise. People in any organization are going to have issues and complaints. Healthy organizations provide a way for those issues to get heard and dealt with. Unhealthy organizations like Enterprise simply ban the expression of any opinion that's not positive. People still have these opinions and they need an outlet, so they come here.

I hate to oversimplify, but if you have something nice to say about Enterprise, you can say it at Enterprise where saying such things is welcomed and a necessity for advancement. If you have something not so positive about Enterprise, you have to come here. It would be a further sign that Enterprise is intellectually bankrupt if they announced that since it's mostly negative opinions here, they can safely ignore them.

The other interesting trend is that essentially nobody even tries to refute the criticisms about Enterprise anymore. Everybody knows this stuff is going on, but they've just got too much invested in it personally to take a stand.

Those Enron guys were the kings of the financial world and recommending their own stock right up until the day they went bankrupt.

All the information Enterprise needs to turn it around can be found right here in our discussion board. We're all going to be able to enjoy a big round of "I told you so".

Andy Taylor, hand over the reins to professional outside managers and turn it around while you still can. The writing is on the wall, and it's right here at Failing Enterprise.

I agree with you 100% when it comes to the company or the management style of certain people - criticize away, and feel free to do it so no one knows who you are.

But, it's a step over a line when people start making personal affronts against others. In your discussion board guidelines you say:

"If you want to talk about the job performance of an individually-identified employee, or things related to their employment at Enterprise, that's not a problem, but speculating on private matters which are inappropriate to discuss in the workplace distracts us from our goals here at Failing Enterprise, so please avoid posting this sort of information, particularly when linked to identifying information such as including more than a first name."

You are obviously unable to monitor every single thread all the time, but there are some totally inappropriate things on this board about people that have absolutely NOTHING to do with their job. People speculating on affairs, people talking about spouses, people talking about supposed drug habits, etc.

You'd spend all day trying to make people follow your above-stated guideline, so they slip through the cracks.

There are people that heard about the discussion board, and actually came on out of curiousity - nothing against ERAC as an emmployer whatsoever, When I saw some people who I know to be honest and well-respected getting derided, I realized no one is safe. Someone, at some time, may have had a problem with one thing they did, and now they are fair game on this board. Of course, if they were well-liked, people will certainly jump on and defend them.

But, would you want Mrs. FailingEnterpriseAdmin posts to be on here? If this is the wild west, it needs you as a sheriff. And you may need to deputize some people to keep some of the inappropriate, irrelevant posts from continuing to pop up.

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by Unregistered4

I agree with you 100% when it comes to the company or the management style of certain people - criticize away, and feel free to do it so no one knows who you are.

But, it's a step over a line when people start making personal affronts against others. In your discussion board guidelines you say:

"If you want to talk about the job performance of an individually-identified employee, or things related to their employment at Enterprise, that's not a problem, but speculating on private matters which are inappropriate to discuss in the workplace distracts us from our goals here at Failing Enterprise, so please avoid posting this sort of information, particularly when linked to identifying information such as including more than a first name."

You are obviously unable to monitor every single thread all the time, but there are some totally inappropriate things on this board about people that have absolutely NOTHING to do with their job. People speculating on affairs, people talking about spouses, people talking about supposed drug habits, etc.

What I'm hearing about affairs is that Enterprise has a non-fraternization policy and that people feel it's applied inconsistently. If, for example, the policy says no dating subordinates and an Area Manager is sleeping with an MT, that's not just "personal" anymore; that's also a job performance issue.

As for drug habits, I believe driving a vehicle is an important part of the job for just about everyone at Enterprise. In fact, I hear you can get fired if you get a DUI (again, applied inconsistently) or lose your license. I'm a fairly libertarian guy so I generally don't get bent out of shape if someone's taking drugs, but I get very motivated when it comes to driving a car in public. If you're high then, then I really want you to lose your license. Do whatever you want in private, but don't endanger other people.

Therefore, I believe that if you've got a drug habit, it's probably a job performance issue.

Yes, taking cheap shots at spouses isn't such a great idea.

Originally Posted by Unregistered4

You'd spend all day trying to make people follow your above-stated guideline, so they slip through the cracks.

The discussion board is unmoderated. It would be impossible for me to verify the accuracy of every statement made here.

Originally Posted by Unregistered4

There are people that heard about the discussion board, and actually came on out of curiousity - nothing against ERAC as an emmployer whatsoever, When I saw some people who I know to be honest and well-respected getting derided, I realized no one is safe.

OK, this sounds like an inconsistency. Are they "well-respected" or are they "getting derided"? I suspect that for most employees a comprehensive survey of anonymous comments would show at least some praise and at least some criticism.

Originally Posted by Unregistered4

Someone, at some time, may have had a problem with one thing they did, and now they are fair game on this board.

Everyone's "fair game" on this board, including me. That's the nature of free speech. People will talk, and it doesn't matter if they do it here or in the wash bay.

Originally Posted by Unregistered4

Of course, if they were well-liked, people will certainly jump on and defend them.

But, would you want Mrs. FailingEnterpriseAdmin posts to be on here? If this is the wild west, it needs you as a sheriff. And you may need to deputize some people to keep some of the inappropriate, irrelevant posts from continuing to pop up.

Free speech isn't a perfect way to run a democracy, but to paraphase Winston Churchill, the only thing worse are all the alternatives. Sure, sometimes you have to put up with other people and their free speech, and sometimes other peoples' speech hurts our feelings. That's the price we pay.

If someone finds that comments made about them here are so debilitating, then I recommend they discontinue use of Failing Enterprise immediately. It's not for everyone.

Nonetheless, if you have specific posts you'd like me to have a look at, I'll be glad to review them. I've occasionally deleted things I've thought were out of line. I'm a gentleman, but I'm not a nanny. If you think something is really out of line, I might very well agree with you and delete it.

Originally Posted by FailingEnterpriseAdmin

What I'm hearing about affairs is that Enterprise has a non-fraternization policy and that people feel it's applied inconsistently. If, for example, the policy says no dating subordinates and an Area Manager is sleeping with an MT, that's not just "personal" anymore; that's also a job performance issue.

As for drug habits, I believe driving a vehicle is an important part of the job for just about everyone at Enterprise. In fact, I hear you can get fired if you get a DUI (again, applied inconsistently) or lose your license. I'm a fairly libertarian guy so I generally don't get bent out of shape if someone's taking drugs, but I get very motivated when it comes to driving a car in public. If you're high then, then I really want you to lose your license. Do whatever you want in private, but don't endanger other people.

Therefore, I believe that if you've got a drug habit, it's probably a job performance issue.

Yes, taking cheap shots at spouses isn't such a great idea.

The discussion board is unmoderated. It would be impossible for me to verify the accuracy of every statement made here.

OK, this sounds like an inconsistency. Are they "well-respected" or are they "getting derided"? I suspect that for most employees a comprehensive survey of anonymous comments would show at least some praise and at least some criticism.

Everyone's "fair game" on this board, including me. That's the nature of free speech. People will talk, and it doesn't matter if they do it here or in the wash bay.

Free speech isn't a perfect way to run a democracy, but to paraphase Winston Churchill, the only thing worse are all the alternatives. Sure, sometimes you have to put up with other people and their free speech, and sometimes other peoples' speech hurts our feelings. That's the price we pay.

If someone finds that comments made about them here are so debilitating, then I recommend they discontinue use of Failing Enterprise immediately. It's not for everyone.

Nonetheless, if you have specific posts you'd like me to have a look at, I'll be glad to review them. I've occasionally deleted things I've thought were out of line. I'm a gentleman, but I'm not a nanny. If you think something is really out of line, I might very well agree with you and delete it.

I respect your position, Administrator, and you always present arguments clearly and concisely - in every post I've read of yours. And you are correct, you can't ever get "fair and balanced" when people will be looking to tear down anyone and everyone they can get their hands on. I remember before I started working for ERAC, I used to think people were generally good, and it took about 2 cash rentals to shatter my rose-colored glasses.

I also used to think my former co-workers were generally good people. This board has proven what anonymity and a "heart of darkness" can breed. It's like the Lord of the Flies without the physical violence.

Originally Posted by Unregistered12

There are a few types of people that post on this board:

1) bitter former employees
2) bitter current employees
3) non-bitter former employees (a rare breed - bordering on extinction)
4) defenders of the faith - those that bleed green til they die or retire (at which point they fit into category 1, 2, or 3)

5) customers (also rare nowadays)

May the good Lord help you if you are not type 1 or 2 - this is their place to vent and commiserate.

Type 3 is so rare because they are too busy succeeding in life to post on here.

Type 4 are what are known as "lurkers" of the board - people who are successful and happy in their positions, but can't help reading and posting every once in a while. In this case, a type 4 decided to post.

Sorry group 62, for invading on your pity party, if only for a moment.

I heard about this site from a fellow BRM. I am a 'type 4', trying to understand why people are coming to this site and encouraging negative responses. I believe ERAC is a great company to work for, however I also believe our group has significantly changed from 2002 to the present, which in turns brings critisim and has caused our group to lose respectful Level 3's like Brad Deal and Ernie Kop even BRM's like Shane T and Brian Maloy. ERAC is about having fun, meeting/working for great people, and molding you into a stronger manager/person.

Yes, AM's and GRM's are cracking down hard on many issues and really pushing BRM's to the limit. But, the people on this site just didn't have what it takes or lost ERAC in their hearts to change, which is also ok. But, I don't believe we should keep encouraging people to write on this site because we are only helping the Administrator prove his point that ERAC should not be around. Every company makes mistakes, and yes we may not have the right size car every day, or that check oil light comes on...but we provide a service and our job is to do the best we can and help everyone in our power. Seeing that ERAC is growing every day, obviosly this site is not winning the fight against ERAC. And listening to the new changes/arrivals of products ERAC has coming in the new future, not even this website will slow us down.

Don't blame Steve T, Tim Guz, TJ, or anyone else. You experience ERAC, if you didn't get what I got from it my apologies, but I'm sure it has helped you in one way or another; whether it be a better paying job or just keeping a friendship. Take the small stuff from ERAC, and please don't encourage this site. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Unregistered7

I heard about this site from a fellow BRM. I am a 'type 4', trying to understand why people are coming to this site and encouraging negative responses. I believe ERAC is a great company to work for, however I also believe our group has significantly changed from 2002 to the present, which in turns brings critisim and has caused our group to lose respectful Level 3's like Brad Deal and Ernie Kop even BRM's like Shane T and Brian Maloy. ERAC is about having fun, meeting/working for great people, and molding you into a stronger manager/person.

Yes, AM's and GRM's are cracking down hard on many issues and really pushing BRM's to the limit. But, the people on this site just didn't have what it takes or lost ERAC in their hearts to change, which is also ok. But, I don't believe we should keep encouraging people to write on this site because we are only helping the Administrator prove his point that ERAC should not be around. Every company makes mistakes, and yes we may not have the right size car every day, or that check oil light comes on...but we provide a service and our job is to do the best we can and help everyone in our power. Seeing that ERAC is growing every day, obviosly this site is not winning the fight against ERAC. And listening to the new changes/arrivals of products ERAC has coming in the new future, not even this website will slow us down.

Don't blame Steve T, Tim Guz, TJ, or anyone else. You experience ERAC, if you didn't get what I got from it my apologies, but I'm sure it has helped you in one way or another; whether it be a better paying job or just keeping a friendship. Take the small stuff from ERAC, and please don't encourage this site. Thank you.

Well-written...type 1's and 2's...take him...

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by Unregistered4

I respect your position, Administrator, and you always present arguments clearly and concisely - in every post I've read of yours. And you are correct, you can't ever get "fair and balanced" when people will be looking to tear down anyone and everyone they can get their hands on. I remember before I started working for ERAC, I used to think people were generally good, and it took about 2 cash rentals to shatter my rose-colored glasses.

I also used to think my former co-workers were generally good people. This board has proven what anonymity and a "heart of darkness" can breed. It's like the Lord of the Flies without the physical violence.

You sound like an interesting person to have a conversation with, but it's going to be awfully hard to track if you're unregistered. You don't lose any anonymity by registering; feel free to give a fake e-mail address if you wish.

As for the "Lord of the Flies" conditions, is this discussion board creating them, or merely reflecting the "profit at all costs" attitude of much of Enterprise?

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by Unregistered7

I heard about this site from a fellow BRM. I am a 'type 4', trying to understand why people are coming to this site and encouraging negative responses. I believe ERAC is a great company to work for, however I also believe our group has significantly changed from 2002 to the present, which in turns brings critisim and has caused our group to lose respectful Level 3's like Brad Deal and Ernie Kop even BRM's like Shane T and Brian Maloy. ERAC is about having fun, meeting/working for great people, and molding you into a stronger manager/person.

Yes, AM's and GRM's are cracking down hard on many issues and really pushing BRM's to the limit. But, the people on this site just didn't have what it takes or lost ERAC in their hearts to change, which is also ok. But, I don't believe we should keep encouraging people to write on this site because we are only helping the Administrator prove his point that ERAC should not be around. Every company makes mistakes, and yes we may not have the right size car every day, or that check oil light comes on...but we provide a service and our job is to do the best we can and help everyone in our power. Seeing that ERAC is growing every day, obviosly this site is not winning the fight against ERAC. And listening to the new changes/arrivals of products ERAC has coming in the new future, not even this website will slow us down.

Don't blame Steve T, Tim Guz, TJ, or anyone else. You experience ERAC, if you didn't get what I got from it my apologies, but I'm sure it has helped you in one way or another; whether it be a better paying job or just keeping a friendship. Take the small stuff from ERAC, and please don't encourage this site. Thank you.

You're obviously new here. I usually have a wood-chipper response to comments like this but I'll spare you.

I appreciate your posting here. By the way, speaking your mind isn't necessarily "supporting" Failing Enterprise. Even if you disagree with me, I'd still prefer that you join in the conversation. More ideas and opinions are better than less, and if you disagree with me, I might learn something.