Job Eval.

[Moose]

My little brother is the person who gives me mine. Here's the thing. I replaced an office administrator that wasn't able to handle all the tasks put before him, even after 3 years of training and coaching. I came on here in the office with no background, no administrative training, no training on the software for 15 years, ( Been upgraded several times since ), but brought 20 plus years of shop experience to the table.

 

The first few months my job was to get caught up with the advances made in the different software packages on my own with the manuals, even when the real training was being taught in our own training room, ( I also had to answer the phone, make coffe, mop floor, clean office, water plants.....yada yada.....During this time, my little brother would tell me how to walk, talk, carry myself, cut my hair, who to talk to, who not to talk to, how to deliver messages, how to talk on the phone, which made me feel like a complete loser compared to how he wanted me to be.

 

After that I was put in charge of the CAM software that manufactures use to program their CNC equipment. That went well for about a year, now the sales have slacked off a bit. But during that time, I was told to learn the office administrator's jobs, ( And clued in that he would soon be fired ), so I followed him around like a lost puppy and got the hang of his job. So then I was handling the CNC programming software, plus all of the office duties.

 

Next, we also hired a new sales manager who happens to be one of little brother's friends. To ease his burden, I was shown how to place the software orders, track the sales, track the maintenance contracts, enter all the data from that into each spreadsheet, plus handle all of our North office's paperwork to boot.

 

I've had one Job Eval the entire 3 years I've been here, with 1 pay increase. Even though my tasks have multiplied, I only had one increase in pay. I'm not really too upset about that, what I am upset about is that he nit picks every little friggin' thing I do, whether it has anything to do with my job or not. Today was supossed to be my eval, but he postponed it, ( For the third time ), and I think the reason why is because earlier this morning, he was talking to a client that ordered some graphics cards. He placed the order about 4:45 last night. Then called about 5 adding another one to the order. I marked up my PO so I'd remember when I ordered them this morning. Well, little brother was talking to him and his po still had the original amount.

 

He IM'd me to ask if I got the PO, I responded with yes I did, was getting ready to order it plus one because they called in right before closing and added it. He comes back with, why wasn't my po marked up? In a real hateful way. I told him it was because I didn't have a chance to mark his up yet.....that I was sorry, that I was busy last night before I closed. Well, he ripped on me about it!

 

Most of everything he bitches and moans about he'd never bring up with anyone else! These little things that pisses him off would be looked upon by anyone else as petty little quarks and shrugged off. With me he uses those little petty things to rip me a new one!

 

I realize that since we're brothers he may expect more. But I'm getting sick of his little comments and his attitude towards me being so different than his attitude towards the other guys. I'm afraid to approach him on a lot of things because he honestly thinks I should know what he's thinking and how he wants everything done....before hand! It's friggin' impossible!!

 

I guess I'm kind of ranting. But, my eval in this Thursday now.....how can I tell him how I feel? How can I take his eval and turn it around on him? My job isn't hard, but there are a lot of room for errors especially since I'm Mr. Multi-Task around here and carry more than 3 titles.

 

Anything you have to offer would be helpful.

[Pocky]

Wow! Your little brother is your boss? No way I'd work with family! Especially my brother. Oh gawd no...

 

Not sure what to tell you, Moosey. Is he open to criticism? Will it just make things worse to point out how he's treating you? How do you communicate with your brother? Is it very informal or does he expect you to be formal at work?

[Moose]

Is he open to criticism?

 

Not really. He's what I call Mr. Never Fuc$ up, or McGyver for short.

 

Will it just make things worse to point out how he's treating you?

 

I don't know. I'm not good with sticking up for myself. That's kind of why I posted this. Wouldn't you say something to your boss about it?

 

How do you communicate with your brother?

 

It depends on what we're talking about. Whenever we do talk, I feel as if he's automatically taking my points and looking at them in a superior way. As if whatever I have to say, it's of no great importance, or it's nothing that he didn't already know or is petty. I'm constantly avoiding talking to him because of this.

 

Is it very informal or does he expect you to be formal at work?

 

He tries his best to be formal all the time. On or off the clock. He can't distinguish the difference between work and play. He's serious as a heart attack all the time. There have been times when off the clock he'd smart off and I'd want to deck him, but I hold back knowing that he'd take it to work with him. Our parents have dubbed him, "The Don", as if he's some kind of mob leader..........he's helped my step dad in his business and has given them tons of cash to help buying a house, and gooseneck trailer for Pop's business. Everybody, I MEAN EVERYBODY, kisses his ass!!!

[HokeyReligions]

I thought you owned the company? Maybe I'm confusing you with someone else on the board.

[tiki]

Be honest with him. And don't ever work for your family, ever, ever again.

[quankanne]

ugh, I feel for you, I hate job evals. Not because they're bad or scary, but because my boss turns them around and asks me how *I* think *I'm* doing -- I get to figure out what my strengths and weaknesses are. I swear I go in with a mental list of what I want to share ... then go blank when he asks me that inevitable question!

 

My suggestion: approach your eval like it was an interview. Make a list high-lighting some of the bigger projects or trainings you've undertaken since you've been there, then narrow down to specific events or things since your last evaluation with him. And be honest if you feel there are ways to do work in a more efficient manner, especially if it saves time or headache. This will give little bro an idea that YOU know what's going on in the business as well as he does, and that you've got the business's best interest at heart.

 

I'm afraid to approach him on a lot of things because he honestly thinks I should know what he's thinking and how he wants everything done....before hand! It's friggin' impossible!!

 

ooh, fun sticky subject, being expected to be a mind reader when you're not. Sometimes you've just got to be blunt and tell them that you don't read minds and that when he needs something specific done or looked into, he needs to spell it out, otherwise you're going to keep letting him down without meaning to (kinda turns it on him, and alerts him to the fact that communication is a two-way street).

 

you can use humor to diffuse the situation if you think the blunt thing might be going too far ("well, my mind-reading ability has been on the fritz lately, so could you please tell me how you'd like this done? ... *smile*")

 

Good luck with the evaluation, moosey ...

[Moose]

Originally posted by HokeyReligions

I thought you owned the company? Maybe I'm confusing you with someone else on the board.

 

No, little brother is the President, but I run most of it while he's out running another company he started with another friend.

[Pocky]

I'll tell him. I'd keep it very non-emotional and formal and I'd treat him like a boss and not a brother when you tell him. Seems to me that your brother will only respond to the "professional" treatment.

[amerikajin]

There are advantages and disadvantages of getting into business with family. Personally, I'd never do it unless I had to. I've worked for family before but it was awkward. My sister used to own a coffee shop and I worked there as an employees once during the summer. It was obvious that she was toughest on me because she didn't want the other employees to think I was getting preferential treatment. Fair enough, but I just didn't like dealing with the extra weight.

 

It seems like your relationship is close enough so that you can still be brothers, whatever your disagreements may be. I'd be direct, but be careful about being too blunt. Just matter of factly put your concerns out there, and be sure to listen as well as talk.

[moimeme]

I thought you owned the company? Maybe I'm confusing you with someone else on the board.

 

No. It's because Moose said this:

 

The simple fact, (Being a business owner), there is no such thing as a dependable wage when you're not dependable yourself. If the job doesn't get done, then I'm not going to reward them. If I don't pick up the phone and close on a contract, I don't get paid. If I don't get paid, my engineers don't get paid, if the engineers don't get paid, the secretaries don't get paid.....it all rolls down hill.....so to instill that in my kids I'm going to implement the same thinking process into them.

 

And this:

 

Through the years, I finished college, got my degree and now run a successful engineering firm with my brother as partner

 

And this:

 

Being a business owner, I work on our taxes quarterly. Several years ago I noticed a trend in our lifestyle of ridiculous spending. I put a new rule into every purchase.

 

So my question is if you're a 'business owner' and a 'partner', why are you being evaluated at all?

[johan]

Sounds to me like you're sure in your own heart that you're doing a fine job. Your judgment doesn't have to match his in order to be good. So if he starts to rip on you in the meeting tell him just that: "I'm doing a fine job, and I can list a hundred things to prove it. If you didn't think so before, you had the right to fire me. And if you don't think so now, go ahead and do it. If you aren't going to fire me, then get off my case and let me do my job. If you keep after me, then I'll be looking for something else to do. I think I deserve a fair raise, don't you? I'll be taking the rest of the day off while you think about it."

 

Maybe that last part is a reach, but all you have to do is stand on your record. He won't be fair to you until you be fair to yourself.

 

My question is: how sure are you that you'd be OK if you lost your job. Seems to me you're hanging in there for some reason.

[Moose]

Originally posted by moimeme

I thought you owned the company? Maybe I'm confusing you with someone else on the board.

 

No. It's because Moose said this:

 

 

 

And this:

 

 

 

And this:

 

 

 

So my question is if you're a 'business owner' and a 'partner', why are you being evaluated at all?

 

Moi, I had the welding shop before I came on with my brother, That's why I referred to myself as a business owner. It's just a 2 man welding repair shop that takes walk in's for mower handles, brush hog, trailer, welding and repair. I still profit from it, and I still do the bookeeping for it. My brother hired me on to learn this business, and eventually run it myself. It was my understanding at first to be handling the CAM software, scheduling, invoicing. While he helps another one of his friends launch a suspension fabrication shop in another town. Since then it's progressed to handling most of the sales manager tasks, all of the office tasks including spending, scheduling all the classes, when to send the guys out.....which it's really not that much. It's all mainly keeping the contracts we already have going and the rest usually falls into place. I'm not named a partner at D3 on legal documents, my brother is the one who gave me that so called title.

 

The ultimate plan is that he won't have to be here at all and draw his usual salary while earning more at the plant. They're getting a fantastic start, you can check them out online at CUSH . All the suspensions where modeled here at this office, tested virtually with stress analysis software, then fabricated at CUSH in Nixa.

 

The thing is, when he was here doing this on his own, he had a sales manager that did his job well, and did his own paperwork, and ordering, plus he had an office manager. I don't and I'm expected not to make a mistake. I don't know if I should take it as he's trying to toughen me up, or see how I am under stress or what. All I know is that I get pretty frustrated with the his remarks and actions over petty mistakes.

 

He is still the head chief, and he calls the final shots over our wages, who stays and who goes. I'm not too concerned over my wages, but when it comes to performance I get defensive because I know the difference between doing a job, and doing a job well.

 

So approaching him about isn't going to be easy. And I'm at a loss on how to go about it.