A reminder to why I do this
Fridays are test days. I've stopped worrying about them because I'm owning the role of the nerdy kid who is good at testing. Today was a very different day when I got to school. I was just in a really good mood. And then I went to my station. Someone had left an anonymous note with a word of encouragement.
Quite the mystery that one was.
But the day went on, and it was one of the most relaxed at school I had been. I decided I wanted to play more with taking pictures, I really enjoy it and one of the next tools I need to invest in is a decent DSLR. I haven't spent an entire evening playing with photos in a long time, let alone stay up until midnight doing it. I have to replace my jealousy of Hailie a bigger project using photobooths.
I love this. I get excited about having my OCD come out in a more creative manner. I decided to spend a little more time on some of my pictures and uploaded them under the photography link on the left. Since you're looking over there anyways, I have added a new page for reservations. Currently, it is just the contact number to the school to request a reservation, however, I will be using a reservation system online once I'm in the shop.
On a final note, I need to go to the apple store to replace my iPhone, so I was clearing out all the crap I didn't need to save space on a backup. And then I found it.
The email I sent out at Maximus.
I'm not condoning my actions, but I want to share this for you to be able to gauge my level of 'no longer giving a fuck' I had been at with being stuck in the call center world. I spent over four weeks working on this e-mail, and I sent it out to all 1,200 employees, local management, local HR, corporate management, corporate HR, as well as the VP of the company. After I hit send I sat. Slowly, all the heads started peaking over their desks. "Chris....can you explain this e-mail?" I was waiting for someone to get me. Nobody came. I went over and joked with my boss, who was receiving an email from my old boss about prepping my term notification. Boy, did we get a good laugh out of that. So I left his desk to go see her and give her a hug. But then I sat around, and I sat some more, and I waited for about an hour before I walked into HR with my badge and parking pass asking "Are we going to do this?" Sure it was lashing out against a heartless company that put thousands of families out, but it was me realizing that whatever change I make, is going to change my life for the better.
I take it back. I completely condone mischief.
From: Christopher S Bentley/MAXIMUS
Sent: Monday, October 27, 2014 9:19 AM
To: CCO Federal Supervisors Boise; CCO Federal Managers Boise
Subject: A concern brought up in good faith
To all that care to read –
Today will likely be my last day at MAXIMUS in Boise, ID, although it is not my intent with this letter to resign. Instead, I am sending this as an open letter in good faith to senior leadership within my rights of the Standards for Business Conduct and Ethics (1. We prohibit retribution or retaliation against anyone who reports suspected unethical behavior in good faith. 2. Employees who deliberately make a false accusation in order to harm or retaliate against another employee may be subject to disciplinary action, including ending employment.) Any repercussions that come of this email will be considered as retaliation to a genuine concern I am bringing up with the company (employee handbook 2.5.13).
When I came to work in August of 2013, it was grandiose. Full of promises of a new career, a culture we would be able to create, along with a night and day difference of former work experiences. Unfortunately, all of that was true.
As a majority, management relies on fear tactics and dishonesty to obtain the results they need to look successful. This included lying to the supervisors you relied on, as well as not following (or changing) processes to drive the directive that is being pushed, all in the name of saving face for the client. While I have had a history of asking difficult questions to management, I have never received a straight forward response. It has been either skated around, dodged, or avoided altogether. This is the result of striving for an image of success with a client, while having never defined the parameters of what that success looks like from the site.
The company also has created a public image that is toxic to the enveloping community. 600 computers are gone. While you provided a half truth in stating GDIT requested them back, but failure to mention that they were requested back due to our inability to recruit to our staffing requirements. Let me be clear though, this is not a result of our recruiters. Like Wallace Hartley and his bandmates on the Titanic, they continue doing the absolute best they can, all while faced with the inevitability of failure. The hiring practice of management is a different story. When hiring supervisors, we were unable to recruit enough supervisors that have the competencies to support a team. Instead of looking for innovative ways to find outside talent, (name redicated for blog - this was the site director) ultimately made a decision to lower the criteria for who is capable of supporting 14 agents. The site leadership that supports you has been cutting corners because they are completely incapable of maintaining the positive work environment which drives a desire to succeed.
For those of you in the Boise center – You need to be able to find joy in what it is that you do, but more importantly you need to find stability. I would never want to have this come across as a message of mutiny and abandonment, especially if you are finding a means to an end. However, to continue the trend of dishonesty would only serve to undermine your intelligence as a human. You are being lied to by the visitors that come from outside of this site. The outlined plans coming from corporate are to close the Boise site in the spring, but they will only provide you with a 60 day notice as required by law. This is because Maximus as a whole has lost so much money in relation to this site they could be bankrupted. Some will look at this and say it’s because of the bomb threats and multiple law suits. My personal opinion is that the wrong decision was made in regards to what community would be the most gullible to unfair and unethical business practices. I want to ensure all of you are prepared with a new career when this one halts to a stop.
For senior leadership – In more than 10 years of call center experience, I can say with full honesty that I have never felt it necessary to resort to unprofessionalism to bring light to a bad situation. Yet while I write this down, I am debating the pros and cons of further expanding on my feelings towards this experience. Ultimately, your track record speaks for itself. While I’m grateful I’m not forced to see the face of Maximus when I look in the mirror on a daily basis, it does not change the decisions you have made, and how they have impacted thousands of families and their ability to provide for those who they care about. Thousands of families you have the intent on ruining in the name of profit margin, greed, and personal gain.
My concern and question boils down to this. How can the project leadership be trusted when the foundation they are built upon is made of ash and sand?
Chris Bentley, Supervisor