Public vs private sector - part 4

Complaining, whining and allegations of favoritism

Now, I segue from the differences to similarities.   People are people everywhere you go.  At the police department, there was always someone whining about what someone else had or a perceived (or actual) privilege which was not evenly distributed.  This was probably at its worst between City departments.  The non-police departments throughout the city were often resentful and angry at all of the perks enjoyed by the police. This became even harsher after the police officers won the right to collective bargaining.

But, even within the department, there were comparisons and dissatisfaction.  In my last year at the police department, I had become very frustrated and the complaining within my unit.  Each of my employees came to me, one at a time, to complain about a perk that they thought that their co-worker was receiving. And they were often right.  But, as they complained about what someone else got, they failed to notice the perk that they were enjoying.

So far, at Lowes, I have encountered mostly satisfied employees who do not seem overly obsessed with office controversies.  But… and you knew there would be a ‘but’, this past weekend, I encountered several angry co-workers who were on the brink of raising a ruckus.  It seems that some employees are counseled or disciplined for calling in sick in excess of the policy while one particular guy has called in sick (from one report) 60 times this year.  I can vouch for the fact that he called in sick this past weekend because I was supposed to report to him on Sunday but he didn’t make it in.

So, basically, people are people and everyone is going to watch out for what everyone else is getting and comparing it to what they are getting.  And I have to admit, I have a little bit of that in me as well.  I wonder if the rest of my team was brought in at the same salary.