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A Male Perspective- It's The Women! [1]

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Date: 2022-10-27

Moin! That’s a universal greeting up here in northern Germany that’s slowly growing in popularity nationwide. I think it’s a shortened version of “Guten Morgen” or good morning, which is often shortened by the very close mouthed locals to “Morgen” which is, kinda sorta, “Mornin’”. For me, it’s not a long leap to “Moin” from there.

Now that we’ve got that cleared up to the consistency and clarity of mud, I can move on to the main gist of my story.

See, I work security, I’ve worked it in America and in Europe, I can tell you that the branch has and shares a lot of the same problems no matter which side of the ocean you’re working in it.

I’m not an ideal employee. I learned security from the United States Army- where I pulled guard mount as a private and later secured the nuclear (training, the real ones were kept in a place I still don’t want to talk about.) round I was responsible for as chief of section.

I learned it well, I did and do it well. Modern civilian security operations, in my experience, want you to do it well, but they don’t want you to expect them to do it well. It’s a dilemna. The pay is historically bad, in America I was forced to buy my own weapon to be eligible for a $10.50 an hour job standing in front of a bank in Portland. Yeah, laughable when you consider the rents and other needs you have there.

Here, in Germany, well, they’ve raised the minimum wage to 12 Euro an hour and that helps, but in the larger scheme of things, it’s very low compared to what most other career fields pay- so, we get what that low pay, long hours and thankless job attracts as applicants/coworkers.

To make an admittedly long story somewhat shorter, this is a male dominated industry- which, as you may see during the spinning of this tale, could be part of our many problems. Every company that I’ve worked for had great aspirations, they all wanted to be GOOD at what they do. At least, the boss wants that, or says he or she does. Where it fails is in the exectuion, middle management always seems to… talk a good game? I don’t really need the question mark, it’s there because there are a couple of areas where the problem shows itself, but that one is the most obvious. They want you to work well, they don’t necessarily want to do that themselves. Very many will tell you that “I’m not paid enough for my best work.” I find that bull feces, but I’ve heard it and yeah, they meant it.

In the German language, that middle management guy, and yes, it is a man 99% of the time in my experience, is called an “Einsatzleiter” which translates, roughly, to mission leader. My boss is ex German military, which made me smile when I first talked to him. We went to the same school, so to speak, and he was/is very dedicated to doing it right. He wants to build a company that we can all be proud of.

The day I actually started work, I was told by the person training me “Yeah, don’t expect much from this Einsatzleiter- he’s lazy- and there’s no telling how long he’ll be the Einsatzleiter either. Better we handle things here.” He actually didn’t last long after that. In the year that I’ve been there, we’ve been through five of them, four men, one was doing his own, very bent, thing, one was, surprisingly, a woman, who was forced out by the next male Einsatzleiter who was then fired for gross incompetence- there was one guy who lasted about a week and the last one was in there for two months before being gone again from one day to the next. That’s just the way it’s been.

It was hell. The lack of leadership standards had let everyone become extremely lax. The customers were seriously considering replacing us- we had people who would come to work with no uniform on, they just didn’t want to. Others were always late. Scheduling was a nightmare, somehow no one would sit down and do it right. I could go to work and be told, it’s your day off, go back home. Or get called on a day off after a ten day work week. “Sorry, made a mistake, you’re supposed to be there right now!”.

That stuff is so disheartening because it ‘s all a perfect example of something that just does not have to be. It all comes about because people in the chain don’t do their jobs. It is a terrible circle, no one wants to pay for good security, so we can’t pay good wages. No one wants to work security so, everyone knows you have the boss over a barrel, if you are so inclined, you can let it all go. There just is no finding replacements if a guy is fired or quit, so- things take on a life of their own sometimes.

My boss, I think, finally had enough. This last guy- well, whatever happened, happened. One day he was there, the next we got the coolest group e-mail.

“Due to problems we can’t seem to get in hand, the ladies in the office will be taking over the Einsatzleitung duties. please be patient during the transition!”

Now, the ladies have sprung into play every time one of the “Leaders” couldn’t or wouldn’t lead- they were forced to, but their own work had to be laid aside to do that. I work in a different town as the one where our home office is, but I’ve met them all and they’re good people. People who do the job for which they are paid because, in the end, they agreed to the pay and anything less would be dishonorable. That is a very valid point and one I really appreciate.

Germany is as full of toxic males as anywhere else and usually there would be a round of exasperated sighs and predictions of gloom. “Oh, the women are going to do it, this won’t end well". I want to tell you, things had been so bad that no one said that, all I heard was “Man, I hope they do a better job than what’s been done!” And that was heartfelt, believe me.

So, how’s it going?

Those women are proving themselves to be very practical people. There were discussions, what were they looking at, what are the problems they are dealing with and where did the shoe pinch? The first thing I noticed, is the crazy hours and shifts stopped, for the most part. We still have that understaffed problem, so things happen, but for the most part, it just works.

They sent a few mails- “We provide uniforms, wear them- by the way, do you NEED anything?” See, the previous row of people had always asked. But they somehow never really got you the stuff you needed. Talking that good game, remember?

It’s pleasant. I say this after being the guy who was always at loggerheads with management, when I wasn’t management myself, trying to get them to do their jobs. I don’t have to do that here. The ladies know my background, when they ask my opinion, they take it in. They listen. Do they always do what I suggest, no- but they LISTEN! ANd they keep their word. I can depend on the ladies in the office to do what they say they will and to get me the equipment I need to work. I can depend on the idea that they actually care if I work too many days in a row and get a weekend off every once in while. It’s easy on me, it is logical, and my work week is a thing I look forward to for the first time in a very long time.

Hence, the title.

It’s the women- and it’s time to admit it, to take that in and appreciate them for what they are and do.

Thank you ladies.

Kell

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/10/27/2131595/-A-Male-Perspective-It-s-The-Women

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