Dell complaints

[Apathy]

Like I reported in the TMC layoffs message, (http://www.ihatedell.net/forum/phpBB2/tmc-layoffs-t12070.html) 2nd Shift at TMC (with a few exceptions that decided to go to 1st Shift or move to another Dell building) was downsized/laid off/kicked to the curb (choose one of the cliches or substitute your own favorite) on August 22nd. After putting up with just over 8 years of BS at Dell, I finally said to hell with Dell and took the money & ran. Just in case Dell management managed to figure out who I really am (I have been hearing rumors to the effect that Dell is using Data Mining software to compare posts here on Ihatedell.net and company email & other public posts to try to figure out who people really are) and because of the non-disclosure agreement, I waited two weeks for my final pay check and severance check to clear the bank before I went public here. There are a few people I will miss and a lot more that I will NOT (especially the Dell MIS-management team).
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Q: How do you know Dell Management is lying to you?

A: Until proven otherwise, Assume EVERYTHING coming from Dell Management is a lie.

[Rocke_T_Sinetist]

Data mining? Ya think so? I dunno. If that worked, and after the things I've said about Dell on their own site, in my inimitable writing style, and knowing I say the same things here (with just a little more zing), wouldn't they have kicked me out?

Bear in mind that their IT budget wouldn't even allow our department to update critical tools. And that was 2005, the budget is STILL being cut. I can't see how snooping would represent a profit center that would sustain itself. They won't even spend $3 shipping to send you a replacement part they get free from their OEMs, and keep you as a customer.

There's money in customers, and customer dissatisfaction is what's costing them their livelihood, not employees badmouthing management on this site. For heaven's sake, customers can deduce that management stinks, from the empirical observation that the products and services stink.
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Rocke T Sinetist
as in, 'it doesn't take a...'

[Apathy]

Actually, Rocke. Dell's data mining efforts are being used two ways. First to find current Dell employees and terminate said employees using a "Code of Conduct" violation as the excuse. This saves Dell money in the former employees salary & benefits and it reduces head count so the management does not have to expend effort "trying" to figure out who is and who is not a "drain on corporate resources." Second, to keep the remaining Dell employees "towing the corporate line." This keeps information about what is happening inside Dell and "unwritten/non-public" Dell policies and procedures from going public. During my time at Dell, the primary motivator that Dell management used was one four letter word; FEAR. Employee termination through the use of data mining information like I said above keeps the remaining employees in line, because people are afraid to loose their jobs and Dell management retains its control over their "scared" employees.
_________________
Q: How do you know Dell Management is lying to you?

A: Until proven otherwise, Assume EVERYTHING coming from Dell Management is a lie.

[Rocke_T_Sinetist]

My point is, that data-mining software is not free. It's expensive. Dell does business primarily in right-to-work states, where they can fire you for no reason at all, and you have no legal recourse.

I can see HR and IT conniving to catch you visiting off-limits websites on the company network. That costs essentially nothing. Not like HR was doing anything in the first place. And the monitoring is already within IT's budget.

But active data mining would be a cost center, with no return, when you consider they can fire you for nothing, or falsify a PIP, which also costs nothing.

But you're dead on about the fear thing. All they need to do to achieve their purpose is induce fear. That's also the cheapest action, which is why I suspect that's what they're doing, rather than anything more resource intensive.
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Rocke T Sinetist
as in, 'it doesn't take a...'

[rustyboots]

FEAR. That has been Dell's main weapon the last 5-7 years. The fear of the unknown, waiting to see if your badge would work when you came to work. The fear of that tap on the shoulder as you were working with a customer. Dell has no other way to control employees other than fear. The idea once was Dell was good to you because you were good for Dell. Now Dell's only GOOD employees are the new one ones; they are paid less!! They don't care for quality work; the idea that you fear them and can barely do the job is enough to make them happy.
As for data mining to catch employees violating work rules; it is expensive. And doing so would only catch a few employees. If you post from work, you deserve what you get if they catch you. If they were willing to spend the money to data mine this site, then somehow track that back to your home computer........well I suspect the expense would not be the software, but the legal fees.
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rustyboots (i use to slave at dell)

[Apathy]

Alright I will concede the point of how expensive the data mining software would be for Dell, but then again Dell could easily outsource this kind of work to virtual assistants in India or China and get dirt cheap rates.

Also Rusty, I agree that anyone posting to this site much less visiting this site at work is just begging to be fired. But from what I understand the data mining is comparing posts from this site to emails and other documentation that is has either been transmitted from Dell's network or stored on Dell's servers so invasion of privacy at the employees home computers and subsequently the legal fees would be a non-issue.
_________________
Q: How do you know Dell Management is lying to you?

A: Until proven otherwise, Assume EVERYTHING coming from Dell Management is a lie.

[HellComputer]

Actually, one of the jobs of the ombudsman was to put stories together, build up profiles of posters, and figure out who was posting what where. All done by a real person, not some software. When it comes time for him to help you out, what he does is "help you out the door"