work-related bitching

[Stopping in to say hi. HI! What have I been doing with my time off, you ask? Lots of stuff. Mostly the money-making kind.

Today I am hurtin', bad, from my signature six-mile hike to the waterfall in Los Penasquitos. Normally the walking isn't so bad, but I went with Nick from Frogs, and he likes to climb things, so when we got to the waterfall we also climbed all over the boulders. Quite fun. My shoulders and back are incredibly sore-
and tomorrow I'm going kayaking, so I'd better rest up.]

Things are Frogs are starting to piss me off ever so. Nick has been reprimanded and had his shifts taken away for a week because of his climbing over things, etc, and it is, in my opinion, a rather shitty thing to do. Before you punish someone for doing something you don't like, shouldn't you give them a warning first? Also, during his talk in the office with "assistant" Pool Manager and Club Manager they said they were "making an example out of him so that the rest of the guards would step up." That doesn't exactly sit well with me, nor does sit sit well with most of the other guards I've talked to. We all agree that it sucks to have a job where you have to watch your back all the time, and contain aspects of your character that might piss off "assistant" PM (I don't really believe he's assisting- I think he's really in charge despite his title). They seem to be real keen on letting things stew and stew until they can build up some self-justified burst of anger and take away your income.

The guard I worked with on Friday night, Mike C (sweetheart if there ever was one), and I made up a list of improvements we'd like to see the new management at Frogs actually take. They talk big- but I remain skeptical of their ability to actually run the well-oiled lifeguard staff they think they can. For example- it makes me incredibly anxious that I got this job without a watertest, and that everyone else was the same way. Seriously- you could apply to this job, make up a few false LGing jobs, and get it. No interview, no nothing. And even if they're not going to test new hires, they should at least hold inservices once a month. At the "inservice" we did have- all talking, and reading from the manual- "assistant" PM blustered on and on about the need to have hard-working, skilled guards, no mistakes at all. A couple of years back this pool had a drowning- and they're determined it won't happen again. So am I, for that matter, which is why I have a few suggestions for Frogs.

-Bimonthly inwater inservices, with scenarios, lifeguard olympics, team building exercises, and water polo. I want to know the people I'm working with will know to get the backboard when I go in after a spinal, and that they'll know how to work it.

-New equipment including plastic (not wood! too heavy and awkward!) backboard with snaps (not velcro! too weak!, and brand spankin' new rescue tubes, like the kind we had at the Nat with the anti-pick surface (Idle hands destroy the fluffy interior of tubes).

-New shared uniform supplies, including lifeguard parkas and club-bought suits (suits are expensive, and if you're going to have a color/style requirement, you should buy the friggin' things like HCW does), shorts, whistles, and tshirts.

-A more complete and detailed introduction to our specific duties around the pool deck besides surveillance- ie what maintenance we are expected to do, what pool cleaning responsibilities we have, and how to handle chemical emergencies with our specific equipment.

Hell, I should run this bloody pool.

Mike and I wrote these all down, plus a few other issues, that he is going to type up and have the rest of the staff sign to present to PM and CM. I'm thinking about discussing some of these issues (especially the inservice one) with them before it comes to that- because I feel they are extremely important and also that I have sufficient guarding experience to bring to the table and they should make use of it. Now, the management treats their guards like insolent teenagers, beating around the bush when they want you to do something and talking behind your back when they're "concerned" about your performance. I don't need shit like that- I know my job, and I'm there to do it to the best of my ability- tell me what I need to do and I'll do it. In the meantime, trust that I have experiences that lead me to make certain decisions, and they are just as valuable as anyone else's. If you want respect- give it. Dammit.