R.O.F.L. (Reach Out For Love)

Unknown Speaker 0:00
You're listening to locally produced programming created in KU NV studios on public radio K, u and v 91.5. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and more the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Unknown Speaker 0:22
What's up everybody? Welcome to our show about motivation and being yourself. That's right. What does our O L? Reach out for love show about motivation and love being yourself? Being yourself? Be yourself? Let's find out.

Unknown Speaker 0:44
So today, I've got two new guests. awesome people.

Unknown Speaker 0:49
What's up? You guys? My name is Jordan.

Unknown Speaker 0:51
Yeah, hey, what's going on everybody? My name is AC, I was having a conversation with Jordan yesterday going over leadership, and how the culture of the environment is, is basically cultivated by the people at the top. So you're only as strong as your weakest link. So it it really is like a collective effort. If Yeah, you know, if you think about it, not only

Unknown Speaker 1:16
is management just as good, like on the ground level as it is like coming from the top, but also, if those people at the top don't actually have the mindset of valuing everybody, like as human beings, and they don't actually care. And it's if it's if you're lied to, that they actually care. And then you see that it's actually structure to everything funnels up to them, then like, No, you're in a bad spot, they did that to themselves, that you that that work environment, that's, you know, that's a lot more than just what the workers can do to fix that.

Unknown Speaker 1:47
It also connects to it connects to like managers, if they like you or not, and then that determines how well you do in the

Unknown Speaker 1:55
company. And that's messed up too, right? Like, it's not supposed to be like that. What do you guys think about that?

Unknown Speaker 2:00
Kind of like how managers will pick their favorite favoritism? Yeah, yeah, that kind of that can kind of negatively influence, you know, the, I would say the out the output of other employees in that space. Right. You know, if there's favoritism going on that tends to lead to what would you call a sway? It's kind of like a lever, you know, you got some people that are treated better, or some people that are not and right.

Unknown Speaker 2:28
Yeah, no, you have like the in group and the out group and stuff like that. I've literally like left jobs because of stuff like that. I almost

Unknown Speaker 2:34
left that other job because of that manager should always go and talk to everyone involved in any situation.

Unknown Speaker 2:42
Yeah, long side of the story. Definitely. Yeah. If they don't, then

Unknown Speaker 2:45
you know, that they're not that they're like forming little

Unknown Speaker 2:48
cliques. And, yeah,

Unknown Speaker 2:50
they only are they not even not even, they just want to only see ones, like whatever side of it's easiest for them. That's like what they want to see. Like, they can only come from their point of view, and they can consider other people than like, maybe they also shouldn't be in management.

Unknown Speaker 3:03
Right. I feel like the best managers are the ones that can look from both sides of the point of view. Yeah, make a decision from there. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It's hard to find those ones that I feel like,

Unknown Speaker 3:12
Yeah, well, it's like, you know, people don't was it people say they don't leave bad jobs leave bad management, right. Yeah, that's pretty much it. Like, there's just people who like, you get into management, because unfortunately, like, that's where, like, the beginning of sustainable and like living wages exist, not just on the ground floor, which is messed up, so pushes people to go to there. But then all they cared about was getting there. So they could either have the power or the title or the authority or the money or whatever. But they're not actually cut out for that role. Or, like, the being good in that role comes secondary to the fact that they're in it, you know, they want that superficiality before they want to actually have that like deep core responsibility to understanding of like, not only do I have this restaurant responsibilities, but I actually have to care about what I'm doing and like care about people who are underneath me quote unquote, or like part of the team or whatever so yeah,

Unknown Speaker 4:06
like a lot of managers they become managers and get that power trip off the bat, you know, yeah, I just started saying like, Oh, Boss, this boss this but yeah, lead a team. Yeah, like, Okay, follow me.

Unknown Speaker 4:16
Exactly. Yeah, I feel bad about that. Because like doing what I do here, I kind of am in a quasi management position with the radio station here just because as like the one recording engineer for all of our talk shows and podcasts and stuff. Like I have students who intern with me. And so like, they're technically like, under my purview. I am intentionally very laid back and like try to be hands off because I have been micromanaged and I absolutely hate that and I don't like I've never liked the way it made me feel in the workplace. I never liked the way it like killed whatever, drive or motivation or enjoyment I will was having with a thing. And I don't like being talked down to and being made to feel or even viewed like I'm less than other people. So in my position, I just tried to like, I just tried to come across board like the way I would talk to one person who I talked to anybody, right? Exactly, no, like, I mean, if I have to code switch, because people expect me to use professional words and language, it's like, fine, but I'm not going to do that unless I have to.

Unknown Speaker 5:26
Yeah, I was actually to piggyback on that. I was thinking about if, whenever you're in a workplace and you're being micromanaged, it kind of creates resentment. In a way, that's the one. I mean, that's one of the biggest reasons I feel like that people leave a job. So I always say, you know, you either get micromanaged or you micromanage yourself. So it's kind of like doing things on your terms. And a lot of people might not be okay with that. And you can create animosity, perhaps. Yeah, but I feel like you have to put yourself first exactly, no, it's, it's, if now you kind of get lost. And like I said, that kind of leads to animosity in the workplace, and then you end up having resentment for your employers, or peers, and nobody wants that.

Unknown Speaker 6:14
No, yes. Like, I'm like, what you're saying they're like, micromanaging yourself, like if I figure out how to make something work for me, but depending on the structure above and around me, like if, if what I'm doing like literally only impacts me, or it does guarantee that I get my job done, like, it works for me, but maybe it looks different on the outside, depending on the structure you're under like that can really build that animosity and resentment just because like, it may look like the individual who's micromanaging themselves and making things work for themselves is like being quote unquote, defiant, or like, isn't falling into line the way they want. So it's just a really tricky minefield to navigate.

Unknown Speaker 6:57
Yeah, you know, I think what causes that is stress in that manager, like, they don't know how to handle the stress guarantee. Yeah. And so then they're just giving the stress to the

Unknown Speaker 7:07
workers. I don't know, I don't know many managers who actually manage their stress well, and like, that's me included, like, I, I do my best, but like, I keep I keep the stuff that stresses me out to myself and like, out of the workplace, so it's like, I wouldn't bring it into work. But I know, I used to work like office jobs and like, I worked a call center job. And everyone's on edge. Everyone is stressed. No one's no one's happy. And everyone just has to put on like the face and it's like, it's all fake. We all know, it's all fake. Like, you're not like we'd much rather everyone be like, real AF and miserable then like, Hi everybody happy to see you are better. I can't get I sense that fakeness and I just like I get the IQ. Okay, yeah, I get I will be I will begin to build animosity and resentment, because I can tell that the people who are like I'm supposed to report to or like have management position over me. I can tell that they're not being honest. I don't want to be honest. Like if they can't be straight up with me then I have difficulty being straight up because I can be honest, but I can also like that can make people uncomfortable who aren't actually ready for that. Yeah, that's the crazy thing. You can just like genuinely know what you're saying and like be speaking from the heart and then they're just like, doesn't work for me man get out of here right which is why Nevada being a right to work state is

Unknown Speaker 8:35
trash. Yeah, cuz they could fire it at any moment. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 8:38
no, we're doing nothing right you know, it's

Unknown Speaker 8:41
literally no fault. It's ridiculous like people they make it look like you did something. I was just gonna say yeah, I was just gonna say they can make it be whatever they want it to be because they're the ones felt filing the reports and letting you go. But like that's the trick of any state that like if anyone's hearing this and they don't have they don't know what right to work laws are the big put right to work that sounds like workers rights. That sounds like a right to a job isn't no right to work works is a big better encompassed if you were to write it out and put hyphens in it, like right to work as in, get right to work, or you can go right out the door.

Unknown Speaker 9:15
I also think that they have to have an experience with that for them to understand. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Like the heartlessness. Yeah, because I think like if I was a new employee, like if I'm a new hire from college, and I go into a job, and then I have like, I'm only thinking positive things. My job please loves me. Right? We're gonna hurt me and then you work really hard for two years and then you find out

Unknown Speaker 9:37
you work really hard for two years, you get a two cent raise in the blanket and sometimes that's like literature would happen to my ex girlfriend. She worked at caption call for two years roughly, got a two cent raise. Fantastic. And a giant like, waited a pizza blanket. It wasn't a pizza blanket, but it was actually you know what, I think she might have had an option. It might have been a piece of blanket, but it was like one of those real Bro like heavy like embossed, like, oh, it's like you know some people get like watches and stuff and they get blankets and it's like okay great. Like, what is

Unknown Speaker 10:09
your experiences with this?

Unknown Speaker 10:11
I have this one when I used to work at this one workplace for about a year about a year. You know, you work outside changing tires in the heat make it work a Jiffy Lube, didn't you? Oh, one different one all black, just an all black. Oh dang. burnin. burnin. Yeah, but it wasn't, you know, it wasn't that bad because only six hour shifts. Right? But it's summertime. It's 100. And it's summertime. Right? So I remember was one time I had a friend that come in, get his tires changed. It's hot, seven elevens. Like right down the street. Walking distance. You know, I'll give him a couple of dollars on my leg. Can you give me a couple waters from 711? Yeah, there's no waters in the fridge or nothing like that. Okay. So the manager comes over sees me talking to my friend. Okay. He says, Hey, so are you guys working? Are you talking? I'm like, Oh, man. Come on. I'm like, I'm asking him you know

Unknown Speaker 11:01
that. That is one step below. That is one step below. The old. That's one step below the old like, you got time to lean you got time to clean. I want to strangle people that say that. Don't ever I swear to be the scab and it gets under your skin. Right? Yeah, exactly happened. Can't do No. Like, that's what and that's kind of what I think I'm getting at is like the dehumanizing effect of the way that some of these jobs operate. Like, can't have any leniency can't have any just like, Oh, what do you mean? You're just having a nice casual conversation with somebody while you're still working? I never understand.

Unknown Speaker 11:41
I think that's just the manager.

Unknown Speaker 11:44
What I said to that manager, either. Yeah, went back and let me tell you the next day, I got called in the office. I wrote down every single time I was late and did wrong. That's

Unknown Speaker 11:54
retaliation. retaliation. I don't even think you did all that stuff wrong. Probably like from my experience, some sometimes they'll just think it's wrong. Like, okay, here's an example at work. They have this camera that like kind of watches you while you work.

Unknown Speaker 12:07
Were at the wall. I know what like where you work, but like, where is it physically? In your workspace?

Unknown Speaker 12:13
It's like, right above, like, just it's like above you. Just like

Unknown Speaker 12:17
in like in a corner. It's like it's like a wide view of the room. Okay, yeah, exactly. I was like, okay, but

Unknown Speaker 12:22
there's these like, spots that are one spots, their blind spots. And everyone I know it's blind spot because I can see the cameras. So I know it's blind spot.

Unknown Speaker 12:31
That's where everyone goes to be on their phone while they're on the work. Either that or

Unknown Speaker 12:35
you put food there or something or you go and like I put a drink there like yourself when Yeah, and I'm looking. I put a drink there. And then he'll get like, he'll get like, how do you call it when you're annoyed? A little anal about it? Yeah, he'll be like, you shouldn't have a drink here. Because there's cameras I'm like, but it's bro. But it's blocked.

Unknown Speaker 12:54
Like, I have this thing. I don't know why managers think that customers care as much as they do. Because like, if you're if your big concern when you're like dealing with like customer facing businesses, and your big concern is like, all but like, I want to make it a good experience for the customer. You're only really worrying about the people who are going to act like Karen's, and at the end of the day, nobody cares about those people. At the end of the day, it's like, oh, I'm never gonna come back here. It's like, good, honestly, like, I, I'm much more of the person again, and this is just me being a lay person, if I walk into like a customer serving place, if like, I am the Customer, like an icy co workers and they're just chatting and yucking it up and having a good time and they're chill and everything. I love that I much prefer walking into a business where I can see the employees, like, you know, nobody wants to be there because like, we all want our free time. But like, if, if they're there, and they're like enjoying themselves and having a good time, they're having a conversation. They're just, they're paddling around, good. I want to be in that space, because that makes me happier as a customer. Because if they're happier, then they're probably going to give me better service or like be more, like easier to be around just because like less pressure on them. And less force on them is like more authentic customer service business transaction. I don't know. It just makes sense to me. But you don't see that all the time especially depends on your managers, like you're saying,

Unknown Speaker 14:26
oh, yeah, that kind of goes back to what I was talking about earlier, where it's your base, basically culminating the work environment. Yeah. And that, that kind of goes to the customer. If the customer you know, consents have get a sense of the environment, the atmosphere and there's tension and it's just gonna feel awkward. Yeah. So I mean, it's a it's a better customer experience, if the people doing their job are actually, you know, they actually enjoy being there. Yeah, and they don't have anybody breathing down their neck.

Unknown Speaker 15:03
Yeah, yeah. And it really can be like the easiest job. I mean, I know I used to when I was in college, I worked at a movie theater. And it was like, I had managers, like certain managers that would try to micromanage and cause issues. And when they were around, they were in the building, I was like, real like, that, like negative vibe went around to everybody. Like they purposely they tried, I, they, this manager, I won't mention their name, but they tried to target me and like, write me up for a bunch of stuff, not like not to the extent of what you're saying where it was like, You did one thing, and suddenly, here comes all the receipts. Clearly, they had been storing up. It's either it's this Mexican, you said that I was like, either they were stockpiling that list when they were as things were happening, and just waiting to drop that bomb, or that was something that they just said, You know what, screw it. And then they're just like, making it up. Yeah, to get all down.

Unknown Speaker 15:57
So yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, they were kind of like they had a motive. Yeah, it was very much

Unknown Speaker 16:01
a motive. But that was also what we're talking about, like you can tell where favoritism was. Yeah, that was happening too. Because, like working in movie theater, at least at the time, the positions were like, you can be in the box office doing the tickets, you can be on the inside of the door. Turnham being concessions, or you can be an usher me cleaning theaters. And I was usually cleaning theaters and stuff. But the way that they treated it was like, Oh, if you're in box office here in concessions, like that means manager really likes you. That means like, that means like, you're like in your like in there. And that's what happened was I was always cleaning theaters. And I was always like, tearing tickets and doing like the the lesser, quote unquote, jobs away, it was kind of made you feel, versus the manager had an issue with pretty much like, whenever they weren't doing their job, they just kind of sat in box office and like, yucking it up with whoever employees were in there. It's like they were tight. And I was like, oh, that must be nice. You know, to not have to worry about this one manager being your friend versus being the person trying to get you written up for stuff that is not a big deal.

Unknown Speaker 17:04
It goes to their motivation mode of thing. Yeah, exactly. Manager actually has the employee's best interests in mind when you wouldn't even have to deal with that know exactly. Like, it's kind of like if a manager gives everybody their breaks before his own. Yeah, versus taking his own break first, and then giving everyone else yeah, sure. Sure. Sure. I see what you mean. So if if the way that they motivate their employees basically comes? I don't know, explain it, but it shows you what type of manager they are.

Unknown Speaker 17:33
Yeah, right. I also feel like how well the manager knows their job also shows the type their manager FBR Oh, yeah, I feel like there's a lot of managers that barely know their job. But they're managing all these people that know their job really? Well.

Unknown Speaker 17:46
Yeah. And so it kind of becomes the person in charge is not the person with all the knowledge. And it's just, that's, that's even more frustrating. unionized workplace. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker 17:57
But I feel like a lot of times, like if a manager, you know, the people that get in, in those positions, they get there through, you know, the basic operations of the business. But I feel like being a manager is a lot more than just being able to do the tasks at hand. Right. It's also a lot of, you know, communication with people. Yeah, you have to understand how to deal with different people and their personality traits. Right? Some people work better like this, some people better work better, like Yeah, yeah. So it, it really is like, it's a full circle of like, the you got to know the basic operations of the business, you got to be able to good, be good with people, because people want to be able to look up to you. And, you know, if they maybe want to come to you for advice on the actual job, or if they want just, you know, to be able to be comfortable enough, right, come to you.

Unknown Speaker 18:59
That's a big thing, too, like approachability, like there are certain times I've been like, if I see like, you know, you're you're in one of those difficult positions when it comes to management around you. If, like, you noticed, oh, that person is not here today. And then everyone's just like, a big sigh of relief, like, yeah, then you know, but it's exactly what you're saying. Like, there is more to being a manager. But that's also exactly to like, our point is like, if you don't actually know how to do the job and your management, that's a problem. But if you do not have to do the job within your management, and you don't have that management skill set where you're not able to be approachable or open minded, or, you know how to properly like, navigate a situation and like, yeah, if you're not a proper people person, then you really shouldn't be there either. Because I know, my very first job ever. I was kind of, you know, fast food job. I'm in high school, and was only there for three months because it was so bad. They like I was supposed to be trained. They didn't teach me to do like practically anything. And then they expected me need to be able to, like, do like, like mountains of work that I was brand new to I had no experience with. And the guy who was like left in charge of me was not the actual manager of the building. But he was like, the one he was like the senior person in charge by the end of the shift. And he was so mad at me because I didn't know how to do anything. And I was like, I've been here for weeks. And all I've been done. All that's happened is I've been trained on a computer. And then I'm cashiering I don't know how to do anything like, like, super, super hard and like the kitchen area, like that's not my that's not my position. That's not what I was hired to do one. And then when he was trying to tell me like, Okay, well, you can do this and do this and do this, he would just kind of like assume that I knew how to do everything, and then would be upset when I wasn't doing it, quote, unquote, right? And then he went as far as to tell me, like, I'm going to go to our manager and tell her to give you less hours. And I was like, that's threatening. I was like, Man, that's, I'm like, Hey, you're not a manager, be Oh, you're not people person. See, you can't like that's illegal. You can't do that. And then also do like, I talked to that manager, like maybe two weeks later. And I told her what I was told. And she was just like, yeah, that doesn't fly a these people have like anger issues and like people issues. Maybe they maybe they shouldn't be here, right, you know, and she listened. And most people were not there. But like, it's like they did to themselves. Like don't, don't come down at me for being the new employee. Especially if you're if you're good at your job, you know, I was not good at my job. I'll tell you that. I didn't deserve be. At the time. I was not good at that job. But I also was failed by the other employees and the management that was supposed to make sure I like was trained properly.

Unknown Speaker 21:41
So well. I mean, they knew you were a good worker.

Unknown Speaker 21:44
So that's why I showed up. Yeah, my manager was cool. She was really cool. She was pretty low key. But like, she wasn't on shift a lot of the time when I was so she didn't see the exact like configuration of people I was dealing with. And it was like one guy who wasn't a people person who was telling me all this stuff, making these vague, like vague threats. And the other guy who had such bad anger issues that like he would like be hitting the register and stuff. And it's like, yeah, and it was like, Dude, you're and he wouldn't be great. He would only do it like once the lobby was closed to the public. And all we were doing was the drive thru. But still, it's like, dude, like, I'm seeing you behind closed doors. Like, oh, no, no, no, I don't like

Unknown Speaker 22:27
that. Yeah. See, it's also hard from the manager point of view to it's like, it really got all these employees to and you have some that are working really hard and some that are barely trying to learn. Yeah, it's like the ones that are really trying to learn or bringing down the ones that are really learning all this stuff. Yeah, yeah, you're right. So it's also like, we came back to say earlier in the show, like a it's your weakest link. Yeah, it comes down to your weakest link, making the weakest link stronger, is going to make your team stronger.

Unknown Speaker 22:49
Yeah. And everyone has different needs and different like what we're talking about before, like, everyone has different needs, they work differently. And it's like a good I think I think good management recognizes that people, like contain multitudes and also alike are complex. So it's less about like, I think we'd all have a better time just in the workplace, if we stop trying to make everyone fit, like these perfect cookie cutter molds, and just like, like, the key thing with that analogy is that of the cookie cutter molds, or on the giant pan, like we all have room in the pan to be ourselves and stretch ourselves out. Right? Like we don't have to, we don't have to be exactly what is expected of us all the time. Yeah, I

Unknown Speaker 23:26
understand that everyone learns different in the workplace, you know,

Unknown Speaker 23:29
there's definitely and I can speak to certain experiences I've had around around here even is like, some people on a team kind of just want to be able to say they're part of a team, but they don't actually like I'm not the person to bring up like, what's what's actual, like equitable fairness in the workplace. But like, you can tell when you can tell when it's easy to work with somebody versus when it's just kind of a pain and being dragged out. So I've dealt with that. And it's just,

Unknown Speaker 24:02
I mean, going into a manager role. I didn't think of management as like, I have to take care of people as as if like, I'm in charge of everything, right? Almost. Yeah, I don't think of it like that. But now that I'm in it, or like, I've been in it, like, oh, okay, there's a lot of taking care of people that the whole role is basically taking Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 24:24
there is a lot of that and like no, like,

Unknown Speaker 24:26
managing like, like they like we think it is when we're being managed. We're like, why are you telling me what to do? Well, it's because you got to do this. So that managing I can have the exactly

Unknown Speaker 24:36
managing is not just like managing like, oh, managing my workload, and it's papers and it's on a computer and it's like cubicle work, so to speak. It's like managing people and making sure that people have the right information that they're on the right schedule that they're on a whole new skill set. They're on the right track and tasks and everything. Yeah, you got

Unknown Speaker 24:55
experience with it. I can tell

Unknown Speaker 24:57
management Yeah. Yeah. Right now as a manager at night with electrician job I met, so I definitely have the experience of man. No, no union. Yeah, just 12 hours. 12 hours here. Four on four off. Oh, I see. I see. It's pretty chill. It's, it's cool. But definitely the experience of managing people, because you definitely have those lazy employees. Just man. No matter what you tell him no matter what you do. Yes. It doesn't matter. It's not gonna do it. You know,

Unknown Speaker 25:24
it happens. Yeah. And that's I guess that's what I'm getting to is like board nation. Yeah. Like you can tell. You can tell people on the team who just like, they're here for some reason. But it's not like for the right reasons, not the right reason.

Unknown Speaker 25:37
Favoritism comes from because yeah, see, because then you kind of lean towards the people that are putting the effort in and, like stuff in is like, yeah, that's, you know, that's from the other side, too.

Unknown Speaker 25:48
It's hard for you not to have favoritism in that. In that situation.

Unknown Speaker 25:52
Yeah. Because it's like, if you're not reliable, it's a whole different, like, I think, I think, I think it kind of goes outside the realm of, of outside the realm of favorite, any kind of favoritism. If it comes down to strictly like, No, I can count on these people. I cannot always count on these people. Or, or rather, it's like, if the people I can really count on, I'm gonna give them unfortunately, I'm gonna give them like, the more involved, the bigger words. And then like, the simpler stuff, like, the stuff that can like maybe fall through the cracks a bit or can get picked up easier down the line. If someone follows through on their reputation and isn't reliable, then it's like, it's less. It's like, it's like less damage, like mitigating a problem. Pretty much. I hate to do that. I hate to say that, but like, again, people bring themselves to the table, and then they're not like actually about it, then you have to make this you have to make differences in decisions based on what's actually at hand. Well, that's where

Unknown Speaker 26:51
the manager they have to basically speak with everybody. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 26:54
yeah. I couldn't imagine having to call a team meeting. Like everybody wants to talk about why one person's problem. Yeah. I know. No, no, no, no, I know. But like, in that situation, like, I would like to think more of your team is like on the up and up than like, the few that are, like lacking. And so it's difficult to be able to like how do we address the entire room and not single those people out even though that's who I'm speaking to stare hole. And so

Unknown Speaker 27:19
I think it's really important to create that team aspect from the very beginning. Very beginning. Yeah, if you try to create it later down the line, it's harder to create it because once people get that mindset of like, Yeah, this is that and this is mine.

Unknown Speaker 27:30
Yeah. Like, and people aren't. People aren't dumb. They can tell when like, Oh, this is changing because of Yeah, XY and Z. Yeah, they can tell people

Unknown Speaker 27:38
aren't done. Yep. But if you create that from the very beginning, it's like if there's a way better environment,

Unknown Speaker 27:43
yeah, yeah, setting those expectations from the jump kind of helps.

Unknown Speaker 27:47
Thanks for watching rfl reaching out for love. If you want to check us out, please go to Bosma tea at Instagram. See you guys later.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai