Comments on: Vonnegut, Schenectady, and Corporate Values

By: Business Needs More Vonnegut | HRM Today

Business Needs More Vonnegut | HRM Today — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:52:47 +0000

[...] the RSS feed for updates on HR topics.Longtime readers of Punk Rock HR know that I’m a big fan of Kurt Vonnegut. His eight rules of writing are back in vogue on the internet. Call me crazy, but those [...]

By: Business Needs More Vonnegut | Punk Rock Human Resources

Business Needs More Vonnegut | Punk Rock Human Resources — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:45:20 +0000

[...] Laurie on December 16, 2009 Longtime readers of Punk Rock HR know that I’m a big fan of Kurt Vonnegut. His eight rules of writing are back in vogue on the internet. Call me crazy, but those [...]

By: The Icepick

The Icepick — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:55:15 +0000

Awesome that you met him. If I’m not mistaken, Vonnegut lived in a hamlet just outside of Schenectady and was a member of the volunteer fire department, and the local papers highlighted his ties to the area when he died in 2007 (of course, there’s no trace of those articles on their Web sites now). Schenectady has had some rough years (what city in the Northeast hasn’t?) as GE jobs largely went elsewhere, but the city that once “lit the world” is trying to make a comeback.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:29:34 +0000

@Max Bank the money and look for another job. At some point, you’ll need to leave!

@BlueFlame I agree with you on the arms merchant comment. 100%. Nuclear is nuclear.

@Puf That list is golden. I wish I had a real job so I could get paid to spend time on the internet. I miss those days.

By: Max

Max — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:06:40 +0000

In the company that I am working with, everything was fine until the ceo came onboard. He spends his time implementing favourism, dirty politics, gossips, etc into the company. The President is aware of it and chose to remain silent about it because he doesn’t want to admit that it was his biggest mistake to hire the ceo.

I am still there because at the mean time the money is still good and there are some great colleagues (who don’t choose to get involved with all those games the ceo is playing) to work with.

By: theblueflame

theblueflame — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:28:06 +0000

It might have been slightly clearer to Vonnegut if you had characterized GE as an arms merchant. They are, of course. Developing nuclear power is essentially always well-intentioned, even while there is disagreement about its wisdom. A key distinction is the death rate if the product woks well and is used correctly.

And so it goes…

By: HRPufnstuf

HRPufnstuf — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:49:42 +0000

Dude, they all suck http://bit.ly/Y9waT

Don’t make me get on my high horse about the Teapot Dome Scandal!

Damn you books – why must you fill me with this worthless trivia!

By: Laurie

Laurie — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:34:04 +0000

@jeff Really? He was old & creaky but seemed like a nice fella. It was two old guys in the front of the room, and I was a little scared of how old they looked!!

@adowling All these stories end with people quitting. It’s like the only way to take control of the situation is to leave. Own your own destiny. I give this advice to readers but I really wish someone would prove me wrong and get all Norma Rae on me.

@MarkF I work for money. In a situation like yours, it’s not enough money.

@Cathy I get either full agreement or blank stares, too. We are kindred spirits.

@Latina HR I think that’s the big wake-up call for Americans in this health insurance debate. Self-insured companies often claim to have procedures to protect your identity — but there are so many stories like yours. It’s such a shame.

@Nevin I dunno — nuclear power isn’t inherently evil but the power industry, as a whole, is pretty shady. Nevertheless, I think you’re right that Vonnegut was the product of a certain era.

@Puf C’mon. Your mail gets delivered every day, doesn’t it? Don’t hate on the feds. If anything, hate on the state level.

@Mari I’m glad you quit. You can only be expected to endure so much!

@Mary Ellen He was pretty amazing and goofy guy. He came to my school because some of his stories were being turned into a ballet. Really? Vonnegut? Ballet? Yup, he loved it.

By: Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:10:39 +0000

I also met Vonnegut, through a similar connection. My high school English teacher was the guy who wrote this book: Conversations with Kurt Vonnegut. My last semester, I took a seminar on Vonnegut with him with a half-dozen other students, and Dr. Allen took us on a surprise field trip that involved meeting Vonnegut and Joseph Heller. We also wrote letters to Vonnegut throughout the semester, as we were working on our papers. He responded, with his goofy little drawings. Pretty amazing experience.

By: mari

mari — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:35:46 +0000

With my previous employer, everything was smooth until a new CEO took charge. He played favorites. Slept with the secretary. promoted her to HR Manager, etc etc. Anyone who disagreed with him was dealt with in such a way that one would feel incompetent and inadequate in his/her job despite a good track record.
The trainings, workshops and benefits were above industry average but I couldn’t work with that kind of boss. So, I quit.