Anyway, his first request is for me to come up with a slogan for his company, "One Time Express" (O.T.E.). Easy enough request. My slogan? "One Time. Every Time." He loves it!! Since I'm not officially on the payroll yet, I persuaded him into buying me a nice dinner (no chinese buffet this time) in "trade" for my brilliant slogan. The second request is to come up with a logo. DIL was supposed to have designed one THREE months ago, and has yet to come up with even a thought, let alone a rough sketch. So he has asked me to design that, too. All I can think of so far is an analog clock (hands showing 1 o'clock), with "One Time." over it, and "Every Time." under it. For the life of me, I can't come up with where the business name "One Time Express" will play into this!!
Later in the day, after Married Son called Single Son about some business stuff, Single Son comes into my room to tell me Married Son will be calling me shortly, and he's not happy!!
Oh great! What'd I do now?
Only it wasn't me!!
He's furious with Alien. She's been doing data entry - entering his receipts into a spread sheet, and then forwarding it via email to Single Son so he can do the books and file taxes for O.T.E. Except, there's an eight thousand dollar mistake in her records somewhere. And she has no idea where. Son had looked over her spread sheet and can't locate the error either. So it'll take a full "investigation" of her work to find it. And I've been asked to be the one to locate it.
Can we say she's no longer working for O.T.E.?
Single Son is supposed to pick up her computer (O.T.E. property) and all of her files within the next day or two and hand them over to me to find the large error. And take over as secretary for O.T.E.
Which we all saw coming. First her screw up with Butterball dismantling the computer, then a few minor errors and a lot of misfiling receipts into the wrong categories. It's made for more work for Single Son, work he shouldn't have to be doing (and with his many other jobs, damn near impossible to find the time to search for her mistakes).
So I have about a month to find the money that's missing (missing on paper anyway), and correct it. All this while starting Married Son's training for drivers (including basic vehicle mechanics), learning the Dept of Transportation regulations, certifying for my chauffeurs license, kicking DILs ego wherever I can, all my Star Trek "responsibilities" and the daily crap that needs to be done around the house. LOL ... it's gonna be learning to use MY time constructively again.
That, and I'll have to figure out how to be the office secretary while I'm on the road as a delivery driver. Think I can figure that one out? As long as I have a cell phone and internet connection it should be possible. No, not while I'm actually driving down the road ... but when I'm stopped for the night or back home.
So this is my last week of unemployment. Finally. Five loooong years finally behind me! Yay!! And sort of in a field that my degree is in ... business management. Only, according to Married Son it'll be a while before I (or any other employee besides Single Son who already is management) work our way up to management. Nice to know there's no favoritism here, LOL.
I feel bad that Alien got fired, but in all honesty, with her lack of knowledge in even simple book keeping (she's never so much as had a checking account even), and data entry ... I'm somewhat surprised she lasted this long.
*****
My afternoon at the folks condo was productive. Climb a ladder to put some of Mom's prized antique stuff on a display shelf. Climb ladder again to take white lace curtains down so she can wash them. Pull dead flowers out of garden. Ohhed and ahhed over Dad's new computer ... it's a pretty machine. New monitor (he's not adjusting well to a flat screen monitor he says), and a sleek new keyboard. Pretty, pretty!!
I'm not the greatest with heights, so the climb to get the curtains down was a little nerve wracking. Looking out the window I got a little weak kneed, the view of the lake they live on was spectacular, however, that ground being a full two stories under me was what got to me. Especially when I see my jokester of a mother's reflection in the window making like she's going to push me out of said window! Damn near fell backwards off the ladder whist telling her "not funny, Mom"!!
I have to return next week to put curtains back up (yipes!!), get Christmas stuff moved from the basement to their den, and heaven knows what other jobs she'll create for me.
Not that I mind. I don't. As long as she doesn't succeed in pushing me off that blasted ladder anyway!!
Just be careful with the family business...family and business can go bad quickly. And that accounting error can mean a load of trouble for the current bookkeeper around tax/audit time...
ReplyDeleteNot trying to be a spoilsport, just don't want you to have a hard time of things. Hoping it all goes as planned!
Amy, thanks for looking out for me ... but I have to admit, of all the jobs I've had ... all but a few of them have been with family as my bosses. To be honest, I prefer to work with family over strangers. I don't know why that is, but it's true for not only me, but quiet a few of family that I've worked with. There's absolutely no favoritism in the work places I've worked between family and non-related co-workers with Mom, Uncle or Son as our boss. I work harder with family as boss than with non-relatives as boss (probably to show there's no favoritism). I'm even better at taking constructive criticism in the work place from family. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteI've worked at a floral cart owned by my mother (first job ever), two card shops that my mom was assistant manager to (my second and fourth jobs), hospital inventory with my uncle, secretary and grunt work for an ex husband's excavation company (even while going through our divorce), shop owner with other ex husband, and volunteered my time with sons, cousins, and even a friend or two while they set up their own business ventures. I know I'm forgetting someone or a job or two here. But you get the idea.
We've all long worked well together, and are able to separate work from home life. The jobs I've held with my mother, I've even called her by her first name while on the clock, but off clock adjust easily to calling her Mom. Just as my sons have called me by my first name on clock (or StarFleet function) but call me Mom the rest of the time. LOL ... all but a few of our closest Trekkie friends even know Single Son and I are related.
And yes, there are a few relatives or friends I would never, ever consider working with or for. No way, no how. Run. Fast!!
It's funny, I am usually the first one to warn someone off from working with close friends or family members. I've heard horror stories about others who have done it, too. I've never experienced it myself, though. Maybe it's just the way our family is ... my dad and brothers worked together for years (separated only by one brother's death, and my dad's retirement), cousins still work together after decades in business together. There's always been family working happily together in this family tree as far back as our tree goes. LOL, guess it's in the blood?
And the error ... that's exactly why Alien was fired. That error could cause big problems come tax time (every three months we have to file taxes) ... that's why I have only a month to find it and fix it. I'm pretty much suspecting that I'll have to start fresh and enter it all again - comparing it to her records as I go to see if I can spot the error. Then I've been asked to go over every quarterly statement to see if there are errors there, that although haven't caused a book keeping error, could reek havoc should an audit ever happen.
Congratulations....
ReplyDelete