Still are you waiting for solving problem?

great9126,
careers

I stayed in the hotel the first day, then found another place, more “vacationy” for the rest of the weekend. While they offered to reimburse my mileage to and from (it was a 3.5 hour drive), they haven’t requested my mileage and I haven’t prodded them about it. Seems rude considering I used the weekend to vacation.

Sorry, GUTMAN, your explanation is worse than the story. Instead of letting them know that you have something personal going on that week and would like to do it the following week (your anniversary), you were gonna milk it for the wife. No sympathy here.

Kudos on the column and regrets for the delayed response. However, like you, Bing, Gutman is a busy guy (a mover and shaker) who just got around to reading your profound prose at this late hour –after his real boss, the wife, went to sleep.

Gutman appreciates your candor and maintaining his confidentiality (ditto for your HR gurus, I’m sure). Gutman can tell you’re a real mensch, Bing, despite what “Page Six” says.

Anyhow, regarding our unfortunate situation, Bing, your HR folks apparently pitched you some high heat in true Yankees fashion. Something obviously got lost in translation. Talk about crisis communications…very ironic!

Thus, kindly allow Gutman to correct the record by pointing out the FACTS — as the “facts” you articulated are egregiously erroneous (albeit understandable based on what HR mis-conveyed).

First, Bing, your HR folks recruited Gutman, not vice-versa. Repeat: they sought out Gutman for the would-be meeting and potential position. Apparently, Gutman was the solution to your pending problem. Keep in mind that (FYI) Gutman already has a long-time, secure, comfortable and lucrative gig in Hotlanta — where he’s still “THE MAN” as they say.

Thus, from Gutman’s humble perspective, you should have called the column: “How to lose the crucial candidate before the interview.” Read on…

Second, Bing, your HR folks offered to pay for my airfare and put me up for one night at a fancy 5-star hotel to make this meeting happen. Obviously, Bing, your mega-corp still has some money to burn, even if its stock is slumping.

Third, Gutman did in fact inform the HR folks that his lovely wife would join him on the trip, per her request (you know about marriage, Bing: if mamma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy).

Yes, Gutman DID casually inquire to the HR folks — who recruited him — what, if anything could be done to accommodate his travel (on that note, Gutman is guilty as charged — slap on the handcuffs and haul him off to the slammer).

Perhaps the mild mannered inquiry did not go over well with HR. But Gutman is not gutless!

Gutman diplomatically tested the waters to see how much the meeting mattered, and how far “the corp” would go to make it happen — as Gutman had other people to see in the Big Apple (he’s a native New Yorker) and would be there over the weekend following the Friday meeting (which, as a footnote, coincided with his anniversary).

So pity poor Gutman for needing to know where the lines were drawn regarding “the corp” and his travel accommodations. As Gutman says: no guts, no glory!

Hence, the friendly HR gal explained that “the corp” could not pay for Mrs. Gutman’s travel expenses or for more than one night at the hotel for Gutman preceding the day of the meeting. Okay, fine, no problema amiga.

Gutman then had the audacity to ask the friendly HR gal if he could still receive their corporate rate for the other nights the Gutmans would be in town, as they would like to stay at the same hotel — keeping in mind the Gutmans would pay out-of-pocket for those nights (which, by the way, weren’t cheap); not to mention paying out-of-pocket for Mrs. Gutman’s plane ticket and other misc. expenses. It was the Gutmans’ anniversary weekend afterall. No balls, no bliss!

BUT HERE’S THE KICKER, BING — The next day, the friendly HR gal calls Gutman to apologize, explaining exasperated that “the corp” can’t spend chump change for the ONE lousy hotel night that was first promised as sop! Why not? Apparently HR could not “justify” the one night hotel expense to its travel dept — as the meeting was the next afternoon, not the next morning. Thus, Gutman, despite his busy job in Hotlanta and other plans, would have to travel to and from the meeting the same day if “the corp” were even to splurge for the airfare! This would have been fine if expressed upfront. But Gutman stands on principle because accountability counts (or does it in the private sector? Did someone say Enron?)

In essence, “the corp” could not even justify splurging one lousy night for the solution to Bing’s problem…after all the time and effort spent recruiting Gutman (and, let’s remember, time is money — right, Bing?).

Thus HR and the travel dept gutted Gutman’s meeting to apparently save a few pennies on one night at the hotel. Is this what they call “specialty services”? Talk about throwing out the baby with the bathwater!

Is this how a multi-billion conglomerate operates when recruiting a potential star?

Wow, Gutman said to himself, business at “the corp” must be really bad — even though “the corp” just spent nearly $2 billion acquiring a hot Internet outfit a few weeks ago!

In shock at the meeting meltdown, Gutman spilled HIS coffee on his favorite Brooks Brothers suit!!! Argh!!!!!!

You should have received the cleaning bill for the suit by now, Bing. Please don’t hesitate to send it to HR as a speciality service.

Good luck and God-speed,

Gutman

PS – You know how to reach me, Bing.

Bing, upon reading this I burst out laughing uncontrollably, coffee spilling on my shirt. Hmm, how to justify expensing the laundering cost…

If little Gutman is asking for everything now it is only a matter a time before he is asking for a driver and to take vacation during your year-end crunch (just wanted to bring that vacation thing up again).

Well I better get back to looking like I am on top of things for the rest of the morning before I skip out of here for a long lunch for some “appointments”. It is Friday…

Or maybe he really did not what to move to NYC. Believe me after my recent experience with JFK airport, I will happily take ATL anyday.

I too have a great resume and 20 years of sweet talking people into doing things my way but the advances of technology will allow me to solve in from the comforts of home with my laptop.

What is your little problem? I am particularly good at fixing problems.

TJ

The bright side of having this blog is an additional pool of talent on top of the employees or “partners” (as some firms call them) in your organization. Don’t get me started on companies that use the term “partners”.

Sounds like lots of people may be qualified to assist you. Good Luck with the hiring!

Question for “The Chief”- Are you for you real, with that comment?

As for the question about the little graphic to the right of every comment… I have NO idea. I think unless you tell me who you are and include an avatar, the software gives you that weird little thing. That’s why I have my picture of a Mountie.

And I’m curious about the odd little graphic that is now appearing in the upper right corner of each comment. What’s that about?

In today’s world of increasing expertise in top gun gamesmanship, management is more interested in what an individual has behind his eyes and between his ears.

Our foundations were built in 1776 with superstructure from wooden beams

Would it be possible that those beams were loaded today wih termites?

Give a termite an inch of knotty pine and he with his family will take the whole nine yards!

this is indeed done sometimes; if gutman asked for this at the start, bing might well have told HR yes; stepwise refinement did him in