Jan 14, 2006

Life at a Manufacturing plant

Well, Friday was our last day at the plant. We pack up and move on Monday and Tuesday to start our new jobs back in Cincinnati in the home offices.

Speaking from a job perspective, it was a 2 years I will never forget. The work at a plant is very immediate, urgent, and crosses all functions and roles - you need to be effective with people above you (plant manager) and below you (techs who just started 2 months ago unloading bottles).

The plant culture is dominated by a "us. vs the world" attitude- and "the world" can mean other P&G plants and even Cincinnati itself. Because of this environment - and the fact that the plant is in Iowa - means that most people at the plant not only are close at work, but close socially as well. A group goes out for "drinks" each Friday (and sometimes Saturday), which makes the work easier (because connections are made those nights that won't happen during the working houre). You rarely see this in Cincinnati - you usually never have a group from the same function go out and hang out outside of work - people have their own friends and go their own ways at 5:00 on Friday. That's one thing I will miss about the plant.

The work can be extremely fulfilling and frustrating at the same time. I feel there are times when I've aged 10 ears due to the work, and times when I feel 10 years younger (when talking/partying with people who were born after "Bette Davis Eyes" came out in 1981.) It's a different kind of work. I will miss it immensely when I go back.

(I won't miss the god-awful recycling rules in Iowa. Jees).

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