Subordinate

Was reading an article about what are the most annoying things your boss does, not that I need it or even care, but I thought it was an interesting topic so I took a look. From the Huffington Post article follows:

“1. You pass off work.

I'm not talking about delegation here--that's different. I'm talking about routinely sloughing off tasks to employees that you just don't want to do. Need someone to pitch in on something while you're away from the office? Find a way to return the offer so employees know you care about pulling your weight.

2. You insist on tweaking things to perfection--yourself.

If you’re the person who constantly refuses to see eye-to-eye with your team on whether or not a product is finished, expect disgruntled employees. You’re likely wasting time and money trying to reach your own unattainable standard. Why not try to set a new standard? Make 80 percent the new 100 percent. Stop chasing perfection and begin focusing on getting projects and tasks to the point where they’re good enough.

3. You often shout commands.

There’s a big difference between delegating tasks and ordering others around. Establish more pleasant and effective interactions by asking your employees for their input on given situations or projects. This allows them to come up with their own solution, rather than forcing them to simply swallow yours.

4. You’re avoidant.

Are you MIA at company cocktail hour or other staff events? Bad idea. You're missing out on informal ways to chat up your employees and learn more about their ideas. While being friends with your employees isn’t necessary (or maybe even all that desirable), putting effort into strengthening working relationships almost always pays off.

5. You lack professionalism.

The idea of what is and isn’t casual varies from workplace to workplace, but there are a few behaviors that should be deemed unacceptable across the board. For instance: gossiping, sharing too much personal information, and not using your manners--just to name a few. Just because you're the boss doesn't give you license to do any of the above.

6. You enjoy raining on the parade.

Your negativity may be getting in the way of your employees’ happiness. Positivity and optimism aren’t realistic every day, but consistently exuding negativity will bring your colleagues down.

7. You regularly waste time at meetings.

Meetings are the No. 1 productivity killer. You of all be shouldn't be the person who is constantly straying from the presentation, asking unnecessary questions, and circling back on points. This doesn’t just waste your employees’ time; it also wastes your own. Keep it concise and relevant.”

Now I have been on both sides of that table, but what my mind turned to was the thought of “subordinates”. In this report they are called “employees” and in my environment the term “associates”, like Wal-Mart, was agreed upon, but these people are all “subordinates”. Like different ranks in the army, it helps to define an organization chart. It puts everybody in his or her place.

A boss is the person in power. The boss makes the rules, the boss defines the expectations, and the boss can hire and fire for a variety of reasons.

A subordinate is hired to perform a certain task or assignment with the qualifications or knowledge to achieve the goals, but is under constant scrutiny by the boss. I looked up the definition of a “subordinate” to find:

1.    A subordinate is a person of lower rank or position.

2.    A subordinate is a person who is treated or regarded as of lesser importance than someone else.

3.    A subordinate is a person under the authority or control of another within an organization.

Synonyms: secondary, lesser, minor, subsidiary, subservient, ancillary, auxiliary, peripheral, marginal, junior, assistant, second (in command), number two, right-hand man/woman, deputy, aide, minion, underlings  

Antonyms: superior, senior, or ranking, boss, chief, superior, supervisor, or director.

I will preface this with the full understanding of what was expected of “managers” in my organization. It may not be true in other organizations or companies or businesses so I can only refer to my personal experiences to reply.

I know through my growth up the corporate ladder, I was confused and befuddled by what a boss’s role was. There was the usual attendance and payroll that was usually handed down to a secretary or office administrator. There was also the responsibility to represent the company’s standards of operation on personal matters.

Now most bosses are only bosses to subordinates and must still answer to a higher authority in the organizational chart. There is always someone more important or powerful than any boss’s position.

Maybe all those meetings are worthwhile proposing new and innovative ideas or possibilities to increase profit shares by a few of the leaders while the subordinates continue to produce the product or provide the service or keep the wheels turning all the while awaiting another memo or order or change in their daily lives.

Bosses or whoever directs or supervises the subordinates have perhaps worked their way up by experience or skill or age or family connections. The boss is the person who shows you to your work area and explains the requirements and details of the occupation you have been hired for. They show you they are the authority.

It does not immediately require respect, but the understanding that you are a subordinate is clear. No matter the education or radical ideas, a supervisor who controlled your workflow and your paycheck controlled your position. The personnel department, which morphed into human resources, was a silent ear but their mission was to take care of hiring requirements and subordinate files shuffled through the years. In the background were the union activators who wanted to support the subordinates, but were opposed by the bosses.

The real thought of all this was the submission of a person, with qualities and skills to apply for employment and submit to an inquiry by a stranger following (hopefully) the acceptable required questions to confirm the qualities of the applicant. After the offer of employment, a subordinate or a submissive person will accept the pay, hours required, expectations, and supervision.

My idea here, even though I am rambling, is that a young idealist person, coming out of the latest education environment with up-to-date ideas and skills be surprised to become a subordinate to some older organization with questionable ideas. Now new entrepreneurs are popping up every day and promising ideals that may or may not come to truism, yet a subordinate in a secure working environment offering a steady salary and a somewhat standard workweek may seem comfortable enough to exist in.

 

As long as the work requirements are not too uncomfortable and the pay is suitable, one can become a subordinate. I understand, somebody has to be the boss and somebody has to be the worker.

My thought here is the description of what a “subordinate” is? Since peasants and kings, someone has been subservient to another. Whether the power is by strength or wealth, someone must submit to another. And those who submit become subordinate to whatever task or requirement demanded.

As we continue to watch the separation between those who become motivated and educated and inspired to move beyond the subordinate level, I wonder about those who don’t. There are many historical examples of this separation of rich and poor. All you have to do today is look at the educational results and the employment situation.  

1.    Then there is the description of subordinate position.  A subordinate is a person who is treated or regarded as of lesser importance than someone else.

2.    Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation. Historically, slavery was institutionally recognized by many societies; in more recent times slavery has been outlawed in most societies but continues through the practices of debt bondage, indentured servitude, serfdom, domestic servants kept in captivity, certain adoptions in which children are forced to work as slaves, child soldiers, and forced marriage

So have we learned anything?

A subordinate clause, also called a dependent clause, will begin with a subordinate conjunction or a relative pronoun and will contain both a subject and a verb. This combination of words will not form a complete sentence. It will instead make a reader want additional information to finish the thought.