General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Maybe I miss it, but seems to me that one of the big elephants in the room is Booz-Allen. [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)People who haven't held "lower level" jobs don't realize how much power in a business the "lower level" employees really have.
If you go into a courtroom, remember the court clerk may be the most powerful person in the room.
Many judges rely on their clerks to keep their calendar and organize their cases. Be nice to the clerks in the courtrooms.
In many offices, the secretaries organize the boss's calendar and appointments, take and convey messages, type memos (and sometimes edit them depending on the boss) and ride herd over the customers or clients or whatever.
Want to have your samples thrown in the trash? Insult the secretary.
"Lower level employees" run the world. I am not at all surprised that Snowden had all this access.
In many offices, along with the secretaries, the computer systems manager is the person with the most access to the widest scope of information -- if he/she wants to access it. Usually the computer systems manager is not that interested in what is in the documents on the computers that he or she fixes, manages, coordinates, etc. But if one systems manager is and if the person has a small auxiliary drive, I hate to think of what they could find out about the business or carry out of the business.
And of course the millionaire "bosses" have no idea how dependent they are on the "lower level employees" they hire for low wages and fire without cause.
The bosses are sometimes just rich fools with business degrees. Well compensated but not always the brightest stars in the business. That is not always the case. There are lots of brilliant, creative managers. But don't assume "lower level" employees are fools. And never insult or abuse a lower level employee. Smile and be kind to your waitress even if she does seem to be a simpleton or spills something. You never know. She could be a boss some day.
Message from one who has lived a long time and had a lot of different jobs.