Some Nicknames are Given, and Some are Earned

As I said before, I will not use real names in this blog for thee companies and for people that I used to work with while working as a federal contractor.  So, I thought that it would be fun to make up company names and their acronyms.  Some names I have made up on the fly and some are their earned aliases.  One of the earned alias’ is Act Like a Broke Bitch.com.  My friend made up this name for a company that I worked for over 10 years ago and it stuck.  The real company no longer exists, however, whenever it has been mentioned and I say ALBB instead, people who remembered or worked with the company would break out into laughter. 

I started working for ALBB in January of 2001.  One of the advantages of the company was that the business was more transparent, so you could feel like you had more control over your job and your money.  For, example, I knew ALBB’s billable rate for me, I was able to customize my insurance and some of my other benefits.  The idea was that this in turn would motivate me into being a better worker.  Well, one of the benefits ALBB had was you were allowed to put some of your pre-tax income away in a separate account.  You could use this money to pay for classes, workshops, or books related to your profession.  I loved this idea.  I had always wanted to go to the Society of Technical Communicator’s (STC) convention but I was never was able to save up the money needed.  This benefit allowed me to take a year to save up for the convention.  After a year, I was able to pay for the convention, flight and the hotel.  Well, when I was ready to take the money out of the account, I called my company and they sent me a check.  I decided to speed up the process by going to ALBB’s bank and cash the check.  When, I handed the check to the teller, she looked at the account and told me that the money was not there, so she couldn't cash the check.  I stood there wondering how this could happen.  I had been having money taken out of my paycheck for the past year.  My company didn't have any financial problems; at least not to my knowledge.  Well, I went back to work, and I called my company.  My account representative went to the owners and told them what had happen.  Later that day, she called me back, she that the bank had made a mistake.  And, I needed to go back to the bank.  So, I went back to the bank the next day and they had my money.  However, I don’t believe that the bank had made a mistake.  After that incident, my friend nicknamed them Act Like a Broke Bitch.com.  The name stuck.  I wish that was the only financial story I had about ALBB, but it isn't.  They continued to earn their name until the very end.  

Listening to Your Gut is Good Business

After about 2 years, Allen, the manager who had hired me on my first government contract and our Deputy Director decided to leave our department.   He decided to leave because he didn't like our new Director, Lester.  Everyone had liked our old director, who was also named Allen, but the prime contractor, Come Get These Nuts (CGTN), thought that he was too expensive for the project.  Lester was younger, more ambitious and I guess cheaper.  Anyway, Allen thought that Lester was a snake, and he even called him that publicly.  Well, I didn't know why Allen called him that, but I soon found out how Lester was earning that title. 

So, first let me provide you with the scoop on Lester.   Lester was a young Director on his

way up through CGTN, the Program Manager liked him and he planned to have Lester manage our department for a short time and then move on.  Our department was just a quick stepping stone.  He was going to make some budget cuts, receive his praises and get a promotion.  He may not even be in this position for a year.  So, the goal was to do your job and hopefully you would outlast him.  The first impression of Lester was young, smart, abrupt and rude.  Now, this opinion was from the other directors, his peers, not the people in the department.  He didn't really communicate with his staff, except for the managers and his admin.  He would go into his office, attend meetings, or whatever, and he was out by 4 pm.  I think that I said hello once and he nodded.  Although I was not management, I did report directly to him, but since I had heard all of the negative rumors, I decided to do my work lay low.   

My plan worked for about a week.   I happened to be one of the budget cuts for the department.  Getting rid of a staff member is one of the quickest ways to save money, and aside from the management team, his staff consisted of an Admin, a Facilitator and a Senior Technical Writer.  The former management team had assigned the Facilitator a lot of my traditional duties, because she needed extra work to fulfill her 40 hours and I had a lot of documentation projects.  I didn't get a call into his office, but a phone call from a HR manager from the prime contractor, CGTN.   She told me that she was calling on Lester’s behalf, and she wanted to know what specifically I had been doing on the project as well as what was I working on now.  She explained that to me that Lester was looking at cutting the budget, and I was an expensive contractor.  Therefore, she wanted to know what my average day at work was like and what were my skill sets?   She asked me about my work history and to email my resume as well as samples of work that I had completed while I had been there.  Then, I was told that someone would get back to me.  I provided her all of the information that she asked and then I went to his office and asked if I could set up a meeting with him to discuss what my role was and what it could be. 

When I went to his office I heard yelling coming from inside his office.  It was Allen yelling. 

If you do that, you will not have a department!!  I will help every contractor find another job, and after they all have jobs, I will quit!!  The reason that people become contractors is to make money.   If you take away their ability to earn overtime, then you have taken away their purpose of being a contractor!!  And essentially you want them to work unpaid overtime!!  Absolutely not, not on my watch!

And then, he stormed out of his office.  I didn't say anything; I just scheduled my appointment and went back to my desk. 

My meeting was scheduled the next day, so I started prepping for my meeting.  The meeting went surprisingly well.  I suggested that I should start editing his presentations and reports because I believed that I could do better than the Facilitator.  What was surprising was that he admitted that he knew what his peers thought of him, abrupt, rude, and etc…He stated that he didn't really care, but he realized that you do want to get along with people.  I told him that I was a good communicator, and I could at least make him look more professional on paper.  So, I made a deal with the devil. 

Well, the next issue was paperwork.  As a Senior Staff member, I reported to Lester and I needed him to sign my time-sheets.  I had 3 different time-sheets that had to be signed by my manager, CGTN, Annoying United Systems (AUS) and Act Like A Broke Bitch.com (ALBB).  So I needed Lester to sign all three at the end of the week.  Lester would only agree to sign CGTN’s time-sheet, because he was a CGTN employee.  He told me that I would have to find an AUS manager to sign AUS’ and ALBB’s time-sheets.  There was one AUS manager in the building that I knew, however, I didn't work in her department, in fact she barely even knew me.  We didn't even see each other in the building.  She worked on the other side of the building.  So now, I was in trouble again.  I called HR at both companies and told them the situation and they agreed to accept my time-sheets unsigned.   A week later, I went to Allen’s going away party and I told him that unlike him, Lester would not sign my time-sheets.  I told him, that it made me nervous, because I would have to make sure that the time-sheets were meticulous and I would always need additional proof (emails, being seem by other employees) that I worked hours that I had.  He told me, that I was very smart.  For almost 3 years, I had two sets of time-sheets that were submitted unsigned.   And, I never felt comfortable about it.  

#actlikeabrokebitch
#devil
#listentoyourgut

Sometimes you just got to just let the Detroit Out of you!!!

The Maryland DC area is not like Michigan, and definitely not like the Detroit.  The women in the area are thought to be passive-aggressive and petty.  Detroit women don’t have that issue.

When I started working in Maryland, I worked in a small department.  There were only about 10 people and we usually greeted each other during the day. Our Deputy Director, Allen, only had two rules for our department and we had to agree to them before he hired us.  1. You need to be present for the 8:00 am meeting on Wednesdays.  2.  You worked the hours you reported.  I can still hear him saying “We do not cheat the government.”  (Breaking the second rule was grounds for termination.)  They were pretty simple rules, and you would get a warning if you violated them, before actual action was taken.

Well, one of the Network managers, Bill, had problems with the second rule during the beginning of the project.  If his day was going slow, he would take off early.  Well, one day on his way out, Allen confronted him about breaking the rule.  Bill was irritated that he got caught.  He decided that the only way Allen could have found out was that if I had told him.  I will never know how I got into the picture, but that was what he thought.  Anyway, I found this out because Bill would make snide remarks towards me in meetings, or ask me about attendance, which was something I didn't pay attention too.  Finally, I asked him where these remarks coming from and he were told me that I kept track of everyone’s attendance and I had reported him to Allen.  My response was, “Let’s have lunch, my treat.”  I knew that Bill would agree to go; he would never turn down a free lunch.  After we ate, he went outside to smoke a cigarette.  I followed him outside to talk.  As he was lighting his cigarette, I said, “Bill, you don’t work for me, and I don’t work for you.  And, I really don’t give a fuck about what you do, what time you come in and when you leave.  It isn't my fucking job.  Are we clear?  Because we need to be clear, because I don’t want any more snide comments about this shit.”   His cigarette almost fell out of his mouth.  And then, he decided to defend himself.  He said, “I thought that you were reporting me, because you say goodnight to me when I leave.  I thought that was your sneaky way of announcing that I leave early.”  I told him that I don’t know what time he starts work in the morning and I don’t have to say anything to him in the morning or afternoon.  Well, I didn't say the word “anything.”  So the next question Bill asked was “Well how does Allen know that I have left early?”  I replied, “Well, you park in the back.  Allen’s office window, which by the way takes up the whole wall, faces the back parking lot.  Allen is in around 6 am and he works a few hours after his meetings so he doesn't go home until 6 or 7 pm at night.  He sees when everyone leaves.”  Bill replied, “Well in the afternoon, his head is down and he is working.”  I responded, “He knows when you leave, even when his head is down.  I know because I waved goodbye to see what he would do, and he waved back.”  Bill’s response was “Oh.”  Then I yelled, “If you don’t want Allen to know when come in the morning and when you leave, then park your Simple Ass in the front!”  He told me that I didn't have to be so mean.  After our conversation, I left.  My relationship with Bill was never the same after that, here was a man who helped build NASDAQ, but was an idiot.  

#simple
#iamfromdetroit
#rules

Rocking Tell Tale Signs

I should have known that I was going to have stories to tell about working on Government Contracts my first day at work.  Silly me, I thought that the craziness would end after my interview.

My first day of work started with a mound of paperwork to fill out, getting finger printed and the orientation.  Originally, the orientation was a week long and they managed to condense the program to half a day to save time.   Well, I thought, at least I will not fall asleep.  In the orientation, I was grouped with other Technical Writers and Editors, which I don't always like, because some of the people in my field are a little odd, or should I say more odd than I am.   A lot of people who work with Technical Writers know it is true, but will not admit it.

Well, I sat down next to a Writer who was going to work in the Quality Department.  In fact, he was going to be one of the writers who would review and edit my work.  The first thing that I noticed was that he was nervous and kind of fidgety.  I asked if he was OK, and he stated that he was fine.   He told me that he was a lawyer, but he found that field to be too stressful for him, so he switched to Technical Editing. and this was his first assignment.  I sat down, smiled and wished him luck on the project.  Well, during the orientation, the former lawyer continued to rock back and forth while slowly pushing the the table away from us.  He would continue to rock and push until the table was almost out of reach and then he would pull the table back towards us and start the same rocking and pushing all over again.  He continued this action for the next 5 hours.  If being a Technical Editor made him this nervous, I would have been scared to have him as a lawyer.  I could easily see his nervous tics making a client feel unsure or nervous as well.  I wish I could say that he was the only interesting character that I encountered, but he was one of many.

How I became a Federal Contractor...

I thought about stepping back even further in time, to discuss how I became a government contractor...

Well, it all started in November 1, 2000.  I was working as a Disaster Recovery consultant at Allstate in Illinois, and I told my company that I needed to be in Michigan, so I could vote in the presidential election.  So, I stayed in Michigan that week, when I got home from voting.  I got a call from a recruiter in DC.  “Good Afternoon my sister, I hope that you are doing well.”   Most African Americans know that this was my cue to hang up, but I didn't.  The recruiter went on to tell me that they were looking for contractors who had worked on commercial projects to come to DC and work on a large government project.  He stated that the government was beginning to realize that contractors and consultants who worked in commercial projects had a larger range of skills than those who had always worked in the government.   And they needed people like me to come to DC and work on this project and share your skills with your country.   Why don’t we fly you out here and you can interview on this project.   At most, you will get a great job and help your country, if it doesn't work out, you will at least get to see our nation’s capital. Can you fly out tomorrow?   The recruiter told me that he would pick me up at the airport and drive me to my hotel.   (Yes, I fell for it.)  So, I booked my flight and selected a hotel, with the impression that they would reimburse me, when I got there.   Well, he did pick me up, granted I waited at the airport for 2 hours.  When he finally came, it was getting dark.  So, as we were driving, he told me that he didn't want to be rude, but I had a lot of skills and experience on my resume, so he and his manager were trying to guess my age.  So, he said, “How old are you?”   My response was “Old enough to know that you don’t ask a lady her age!”  He drove me to my hotel, but he had a nervous look on his face.  So, I asked him, if I had picked a bad place to stay? After all, I didn't know DC and I could change my reservations.  He told me that it was fine for the night.  I asked him if he was sure, he said yes, and offered to carry my bags.

Well, I checked in and then we went to my room.  I went to open my door, and he asked me to wait and let him do it.  He put the bags down, opened the door really fast and jumped in the room.  Once again, I asked if I needed to change my reservations, and he told me no, but he said that I should be careful entering into a hotel room at night, and his goal was to startle someone if they were in there waiting for me.  Well, I know that I was startled.  He also told me that before he became a recruiter that he used to be a New York City policeman.  After, all the excitement, he left and told me that he would pick me up tomorrow at 9:00 am for my interview.  I was tired, so I decided get something to eat, unpack my bags and go to

bed.  Well the hotel had a restaurant, so I ate something and then I went back to my room to unpack.  I opened the dresser drawer and the biggest roach jumped out.  Now I couldn't sleep, and I decided I had to change hotels.  So, I went to the yellow pages, to look for phone numbers of local hotels in the area.   Well, the hotel and motel section of the yellow pages were torn out of the book with a razor.   I called the front desk, and I told them about the roach.   The hotel's response was “Really, we just had the exterminator spray that room.   Well, we will be glad to move you.”  So, I moved, but I didn't want to be there.  I felt like I had entered the beginning of one of those horror stories.   I didn't sleep much, but I managed to go to sleep.

The next day, I got up and got ready for my interview.  My recruiter told me to meet him outside.  So, I stood outside in the parking lot in my navy blue suit.   While I was standing there, a guy pulled up and asked me if I needed a ride.  My response was, “No thank you, I am waiting for someone.”   He asked me if I was sure, I said yes.  I was thinking, "Why did I ever pick this hotel?  Did he think that I was a prostitute?"  The recruiter showed up and drove me to the interview.  The interview seemed to be going well, the manager was very nice and it seemed like it would be fun to work with him.   At the end of the interview, the manager told me that he liked me and that I had the job.  But, he said, "Don’t tell the recruiter, I like to make to make him sweat.  It brings me joy.   So let’s have a serious look when we leave and when he asks you how it went, tell him, you don’t know."  I said OK.  The interviewing manager waited 3 hours to tell him that they had hired me.  LOL.

#federalcontractor
#interview

Office Politics Make Strange Bedfellows…..

In one of my past posts, I mentioned that there was a top ten list.  That was not an exaggeration; there really was a top ten list.  One of issues had to do with sexual harassment, and how men and women should treat each other in the business environment.  Now, at this time, I was surprised that this was an issue, not only because this was a government contract but, because except for me and my friend Angela, everyone else was 40 something or older.  However, their behavior was more like… 15.   One of the top ten issues was Frank.  Frank was in his 40’s, married with 3 kids and had a huge crush on Angela.  Now, there was nothing wrong with having a crush on someone, but there was something wrong with unwanted attention, staring, grabbing a person’s hand, kissing a person’s hand, and etc…when the persons says, “Please leave me alone!”, repeatedly.   Well, one time Angela and I were sitting in the break room talking and Frank walked in and he grabbed her hand, and said “Angela, you have such beautiful eyes, I could just look into your eyes all day.  If you just said the word, I would leave my family and run away with you.”  She snatched her hand away.  Finally, I looked at him and I said “Stop, just stop.  She isn't interested, just leave her alone.”   He then looked at me, and asked me if I was jealous.   Because if I did feel neglected, he would pay more to attention to me as well.   (What??)  I told him, that I did not feel neglected, however, after that I got attention as well.  (Sigh…)  Well, one evening we were all working late, and even though his desk was at the other end of the hallway, he decided to come over and talk to me.   “Cara, I just wanted to say that you looked very nice today, you should wear dresses more often.”  (We had formal meetings with the client that morning, and I wore a dress to work.)   I said thanks and I spun around in my chair.   Well… it was a good thing that I spun around, because he had decided to reach down and kiss me on my mouth; however he only got my cheek because I was moving.  My response should have been “Why did you do that?  What the hell is wrong with you?”  But, instead I asked him to go away, and just said “Ew!”  My coworker Maryann thought that the whole thing was funny.  She did not see it as inappropriate at all.  (You will find out about her issues later) Yes, he did this in front of people.   As I mentioned in the beginning this was on my top ten list, so my boss, Lester had a long talk with Frank about how to treat women in the workplace,    However, Lester told me that “Ew!” was not a nice response to the incident.  (Yes, I told him my reaction.) I probably hurt his feelings.  He was having problems with his marriage.  I did not give a damn about his feelings.  But wait, didn’t I say Bedfellows… 

Well here is what happened, I had to start attending 8 am meetings and Frank was already a regular attendee.  These meetings occurred during the beginning portion of the IRAQ war, and well do you remember Baghdad Bob?  Well if you don’t know or remember, Baghdad Bob was the Iraqi Information Minister, and the media made fun of him all the time, because he would make these outrageous declarations that did not have any facts related to them.   Well, Frank was Egyptian, and he had to give a daily Change Request report every morning, and our Deputy Director would say every morning, and now here is Baghdad Bob, to present our daily Change Request report.  Frank would ignore it and give his report, but it was embarrassing.  I wish I could say that the mocking stopped there, but it would go on all day long.  The other guys that sat by him would surf the internet and pull up images of camel races and ask him what was it like to race camels or eat camel meat.  The tone was not that of curiosity, buy it was a mocking tone.  He wouldn't say anything, sometimes, he would do things like, leave his mail on his desk, because it showed his title, he had a PhD in Economics.  But, that did not stop the group, it just made it worse.   One time I was over there, and one consultant asked him how his family felt about the fact that he had a University education, after all she said, “Do they have universities in Egypt?”  I responded, “You know that are area is called the Cradle of Civilization.  Do you understand what that means?”  His response was yes, they have universities there.  I could not understand his tolerance.  It was too much for me, and I did not sit with them.   I went to my desk.  Later that that evening, he came over to talk to me and Angela and he said, “Sometimes, I think that we are still slaves.”  

#cradleofcivilization
#economics
#egypt

This is a Government Contract…We do not lock people in Rooms!!

The title of this blog was the Director’s (Lester) response to the Deputy Director (Bob), after he found out why I was looking for another job within the project.  I had decided during my Easter vacation, that it was time for me to look for another job.  I had tried to keep the fact that I was looking for another position quiet, because I didn't want anyone to find out.  However, when I delivered my resume to the hiring manager upstairs, he went directly to Bob, and said, “I didn't know that Cara was available.  We will take her!! “   Bob, who by the way was happy to see me leave, wished me luck.   However,  he made the mistake of telling the Lester that I wanted to leave.  Lester was not happy and he wanted a reason.   I told him that there were many reasons.  And finally, there was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  He asked me to provide a list.  So, I provided him a list that consisted of the top ten reasons why I was leaving, and number one was the final straw.  This story is about that straw…

It was the Wednesday before Easter.  I was in a good mood because I was only working half a day, and I was then driving home to Detroit.   I got to my desk and started to log into my computer.  However, when I went to log in, I noticed that someone had been sitting at my desk, and someone had logged into my computer.  The person had not used my log in ID, but a Rational Tool’s administrator’s ID.   In commercial offices, an admin logging into your computer isn't a big deal, and it probably wasn't today. However, it is different on a government contract, if someone logs in to your computer, you should know why, even if it is for a standard upgrade.  It is just a matter of security.  So, I went to the Deputy Rational Tool’s lead, Dave and asked why someone had logged onto my computer this morning.  Was there an upgrade that I didn't know about, is there something wrong?  He told me that I needed to talk to another manager, and stated that they would explain what was going on.  So, I went to the next manager and he told me that a previous tools admin had made some errors on various desktops when she performed an upgrade, and that Dave logged into your computer to see if she had made a mistake on yours.  She hadn't performed your upgrade, so everything was fine.  So later that day when I passed Dave in the hallway, I asked him.  “Hey, why didn't you just say that it was you and what you were doing?”  His response was “Young lady, you don’t ask me about what I do or don’t do.”  My response was “I am not your wife or your child, and you don’t address me in such a manner.”  Well, apparently this upset him and he reported me to the Bob.  Later that day Bob asked to speak to me privately.  I said OK, and he said, let’s meet in the Software library.  I told him, that I don’t have access to library.   This wasn't strange because the library contained expensive software, computer and media equipment.  There were only few people whose badges could enter and exit the library.  Yes, if you did not have a badge that granted access, once inside you were locked in the room.  Well, he let me in and then he said that he would be right back.  He did not return for over a half an hour.  And no one came in, so I sat there, waiting and wondering why I was there.  When he did return, he brought Dave with him.  For the next 20 minutes, Bob went through this lecture to me about how everyone on this project is treated fairly and with respect.  There is no such thing as sexism on this project, so I should just take this idea out of my head.   He also stated that he left me in the room, because I needed to calm down and think about what I had done that day and how I had talked to Dave.  I looked at Dave, Dave didn't say anything; he just sat there looking stupid.  After, we left the room, Dave apologized for his behavior earlier that morning and he apologized for reporting me to Bob.   He told me that he didn't know that would happen.  However, it didn't matter to me.  I was livid!!  I had been locked in a room like a child.  

At the end of the day, it was time to drive home to Detroit.  I was very lucky that afternoon, because I didn't get a ticket driving home.   The average time it takes to get from Laurel, Maryland to Detroit, Michigan is about 8 hours.  I made it home in a little less than 6 hours. 

I didn't leave the job, although I probably should have.  An Emergency Exit door was installed at the server room entrance to the Software library.

#finalstraw
#livid
#sexism

Holy Crap!! Did you shake hands with the “Finger Painter??

I had thought about telling my stories in the past, but, something always seemed to come up and I would forget about it.  The idea occurred to me again, when I was talking to one of my co-workers, and I was telling him, you would not believe some of the work stories that have happened in my past jobs as a federal contractor.  I would tell you, but I can’t repeat the stories here.  Specifically, I was thinking about the f the “Finger Painter” story, at least that is what the guy was labeled as at work.  So, here is the “Finger Painter” story…

I was working on a long term contract that was falling apart, and our company was at risk of not meeting yet another deadline.  The government was threatening to cancel the contract.  They had made this threat before, but this time, they did not seem to be bluffing and everyone was getting nervous.  The gossip was that they were going to get rid of prime contractor and management first, and the sub-contractors would probably end up working for another prime contractor.  The prime contractor decided to create and incentive to meet the deployment deadline.  They taped a large pink Sticky note pad (pink slip count down)  on each floor, close to the entrance.  Each pad had numbers on each page counting backwards to 45 to 1.  Each number represented the amount of days we had as a contractor to make the project delivery date.  And, each day, one number was removed from each pad on each floor.  Obviously, the work environment was becoming very intense.  Most people had started looking for other jobs.  Others worked their buts off to try to make the deadline, however, some people can't handle stress and they begin to act out.   One of our employees had such issues.

First, someone found a paper bag full of feces in the parking lot.  And, then, the bags in the parking lot began to be appear more often.  Next, it escalated to a guy going into the men’s bathroom and finding feces smeared all over the bathroom stall.  The prime contractor had their suspicions of who might be performing these acts, but they needed to catch the perpetrator, so they began having security inspect the men’s bathroom on an hourly basis.  Security did try to keep the issue a secret; however, it was noticeable because you would see Security guards walking into the Men’s room with a clipboard.   Eventually, Security caught the guy, and he was a prime contractor employee.  So, they tried to keep the situation quiet, and they got the employee the mental help that he needed.  Also, if they had to refer to the issue in meetings, they would refer to him as  the “Finger Painter”.  Anyway, this wasn't the type of story that you would usually hear about on a multi-million dollar government project.  And, you definitely wouldn't think that the company would allow an employee they knew had issues with stress to continue working on the project.  Yes, I said knew, he had behaved the same way on a previous project. Luckily, the project continued, the prime contractor and the government were able to renegotiate a new deadline date. After the renegotiation the Finger Painter went away, at least we think that he did.

Now you may be wondering, how did I find out something that they were trying to keep a secret, well no, I don’t work for HR.  Actually, it was quite innocent, I was walking past our conference room, and I overheard the Facilities Director yelling, he had absolutely lost it.  Here is what I overheard... “First, when we build this building we have to install toilets that flush automatically because the employees are too lazy to flush after they go to the bathroom.  And now you are telling me, that I have to look for someone who on top of that cannot wipe their ass and has to smear it all over the bathroom stall!  Is that what you are telling me?!!!”  Ordinarily, I would keep walking and ignore the situation, but I couldn't.  Instead, I went around the corner and ducked behind the door to listen to the rest of the meeting.  The rest of the intelligence was gathered from coworkers and actually witnessing security going into the Men’s bathroom with a clipboard every hour.  (Yeah, like no one would notice that.)  The group of friends that I hung out with at the time often joked that we would not shake hands when we would meet new people in meetings.  Because you never knew who’s hand that you were shaking.  

#fingerpainter

Introduction

So, today is Labor Day.  And, it is also the announcement of my new blog, “Tales of a Federal Government Contractor”.  The blog is going to consist of the various events that occurred while I was working in the DC area as a Government contractor.  I always thought that I had interesting stories to tell about my job.  And, moving across the Mason Dixon line and into Government contracting provided a serious culture shock.  So, I did some research.  And although, I saw stories that showed life as a Government Contractor, I have not seen any stories like mine.  I think that one reason is that when you are working as a Contractor, companies can get away from following some Government and well legal policies, and when you are a Sub-Contractor, they really have the opportunity back away and avoid some laws.  Accountability becomes something that only occurs if someone wants notoriety or if you are disliked and someone wants to get ride of you.  If you have a legitimate issue with just your company, you risk being labeled a troublemaker in all of the organizations.  And, if you have to sue, you may have to sue multiple companies, which can take a very long time.  Both scenarios have allowed companies to sometimes get away with shady tactics, or allow their employees to create shady work environments. 

The blog may cause some concern, but it will be candid as well as contain some humor.  For full disclosure, I don’t have any lawsuits against any companies, nor do I have any plans for litigation in the future.  I have filed some EEOC complaints in the past, however, either I was unable to prove my case, and the one time that I might have been able to prove it, I became ill, and I lost that window of opportunity.  I am not bitter or interested in finger pointing.  I just have some interesting stories that I want to tell.

I think that some of these stories were unique and unexpected, and although I had seen many stories on the internet, I hadn't seen these, so why not share.  That being said, I will not be using any real names of companies or people, but the stories will be true.  My plan is to make the stories real and entertaining and to give you some insight of what happens in some of those buildings along the Beltway.  

#EEOC
#MasonDixon
#Beltway