From the descriptions given by OldSkool... I'd say that the association of those people with TWI defense attorneys is right on the mark. Now, I understand the term "cult experts" as used here are indicative of the poster's impressions. My hunch is that those people were human resources consultants. Clearly, TWI had much more of a legal problem with labor law compliance than what was alleged in the lawsuit by the Allens.
Rather than indicative of a cult, per se, that kind of problem with managing human resources is very common in American corporate life... including in government agencies. Perhaps ESPECIALLY in government agencies. Because every organization that functions because of the labor of workers is under stress (pressure) to get as much effort/productivity out of the individual(s) for the least possible amount of wages/salary they have to pay.
I worked in a large state government agency longer than anywhere else in my working career.
Where most organizations rely on its workers simply not understanding (and therefore unable to assert) their rights as employees, TWI took it a step further by having the sacrifice narrative, appealing to a noble goal. Does anyone remember how that ties in to Dale Carnegie's book (How to Win Friends and Influence People)?
Or are the twi followers he is referring to ar his children?
No kids to my knowledge.
My hunch is that those people were human resources consultants. Clearly, TWI had much more of a legal problem with labor law compliance than what was alleged in the lawsuit by the Allens.
Very likely, it's been close to ten years. On the other hand it is a rare occasion that anyone actually gets full disclosure from Rosie and the BOD. They are REALLY freaks when it comes to everything being confidential. When something confidential does have to be announced it is usually only what they deem people need to know.
I know of a Region Coordinator (currently in Texas now) who has been known to tell people that broach the subject of retirement and savings with him, that he and his wife plan to live with believers when they retire.
Right. Why should believers treat him any better than TWI headquarters treated Mrs. Weirwille?
I worked on Staff from 1996 to 2001. I started off making $678 a month for 50+ hours of work. We started working 50;and then because the Grounds section worked 55, the rest of HQ had to up their hours. It was painstakingly odd to work an additional 3 hours per night after already working 8-5 and eating supper.
Then LCM told us we all need to take a 10% pay cut because they had to cover some payroll taxes. Nobody EVER asked to be an exception or you would get reamed big time. It was a strain making $678 per month.
Then a few years later the 10% paycut was revisited, and we were told they were re-evaluating everyone's salary and to submit a new request for your salary. I was living in dire straights and used my credit card to make up the difference. There was a lot of fear in the credit card debt. Anywhoo, I asked for a little less than $200 more. I was told "No." "This is what you are getting. They didn't even replace the 10% I lost.
I don't remember any cult experts or human resources experts talking to anyone at HQ. I never heard about it either. However, I do remember our hours were reduced to 46 after the Allen case was filed. I also remember much earlier than that was the personal scheduling stopped.
It was the most screwed up place I ever worked. It was supposed to be a godly place, but there was a lot of disrespect going on.
OldSkool, do we know each other? I worked in Word Processing from 1996 to 1999, and then in Printing Services from 1999 to 2001.
BTW: Rozilla is leading the whole organization to it's end. I believe it will only be a matter of time. There are a few EXTREME diehards who stay because they don't realize there are other places to go.
OldSkool, do we know each other? I worked in Word Processing from 1996 to 1999, and then in Printing Services from 1999 to 2001.
BTW: Rozilla is leading the whole organization to it's end. I believe it will only be a matter of time. There are a few EXTREME diehards who stay because they don't realize there are other places to go.
Yes. Check you private conversations.
As for Rozilla she is working hard that it is preserved in some form. She has really made it more church-like than ever. Read a Way Mag, listen to a STS - there's nothing related to research happening and there's nothing to offend anyone. They are without the power they claim to manifest.
If I remember correctly, the 401k option was only recently made available to staff (with the restructuring of pay scales and doing away with the 'need-basis' baloney). . . because time is what makes interest work for the investor, this leaves those in their 50s in between a rock and a hard place. It's interesting that this never really came up before, because retirement for those in power simply meant going emeritus and living off the limited coffers of the organization. Others were left without a hope and prayer. VERY self-serving.
As evidenced by some recent W-2s, the situation is still very dismal.
"BTW: Rozilla is leading the whole organization to it's end. I believe it will only be a matter of time. There are a few EXTREME diehards who stay because they don't realize there are other places to go. "
Yes. Though maybe a place for another thread, does anybody have predictions on how it will finally close? Financial? Another lawsuit? Spirit of Flatulence?
From these stories it is amazing to me that anyone at all ever works there.
It sounds like anyone would be better off being a convenience store clerk, a pizza tosser, slinging beers at the local pub or doing anything at all rather than putting up with all that nonsense.
In my case, the irony of ironies, was that our limb leader recommended my husband and I apply for jobs at HQ to get a "spiritual boost." He thought we needed that. I knew I needed some sort of change, and in those days, HQ was thought to be the "spiritual center" of the org. That was 1984.
1984, mmm...isn't there a frightening novel by that title?
For more on that "spiritual boost" I got working at HQ, you can read my memoir here on the front page, An Affinity for Windows.
If I remember correctly, the 401k option was only recently made available to staff (with the restructuring of pay scales and doing away with the 'need-basis' baloney). . . because time is what makes interest work for the investor, this leaves those in their 50s in between a rock and a hard place. It's interesting that this never really came up before, because retirement for those in power simply meant going emeritus and living off the limited coffers of the organization. Others were left without a hope and prayer. VERY self-serving.
As evidenced by some recent W-2s, the situation is still very dismal.
I wasn't there for the restructuring of the pay scales. I left HQ in 2001, and was still living a a "need" basis (ha!). We had 401K available to us right before I left. It was rather lame.
I remember J*n R*yn*lds practically crying when he spoke about it to the Staff. It was almost as if he was so deeply moved that TWI moved to better people's lives. And I remember J*hn R*pp saying he talked to his brother about it, and his brother confirmed to him it was a good program. Maybe his brother was being nice? ROFLMAO!
I do remember they only matched funds for people who worked there at least 7 or 8 years. What a joke. I work for County government, and they've always matched our funds. How much time you serve in the county determines how much the county contributed if you leave. It is 50% for 5 years of service, 65% for 7 years of service, and 100% for 10 or more years of service.
I remember J*n R*yn*lds practically crying when he spoke about it to the Staff. It was almost as if he was so deeply moved that TWI moved to better people's lives.
I would say he was happy he could finally have something like this.
And I remember J*hn R*pp saying he talked to his brother about it, and his brother confirmed to him it was a good program. Maybe his brother was being nice? ROFLMAO!
I have ZERO respect for him. He's the biggest butt kissing, yes man I ever met. Once you get past the humor there isn't much there, very shallow. All he lakcs is a pair of pom-poms to cheer whatever Rozilla dictates and he would be the perfect cheerleader.
Ya, the 401k they offer is a joke. It was setup to benefit long term Staff as a priority.
I worked on staff '80-'81 in the A/V department. My memories might be a little biased as the A/V department seemed to be somewhat favored. We usually weren't questioned about where we were or what we were doing unless we were somehow screwing up some other department's work. Like Grounds because we were digging trenches next to the Weirwille home for cables... But that's another story. Anyway, every year there's a new crop of staffers all enthused and blessed to be on staff and by Christmas, many of them would be angling to find a way home. Their enthusiasm would be proportional to the crappiness of their job and the amount of contact they had with honest old-timers. There were lots of secrets that got whispered to the newfers once they gained the trust of the old-timers. Enough of that. Here's a list of the good and bad things about working on staff back then:
Good things:
1. A chance to work with some of the nicest and most talented people in their fields. There were some amazing people on staff and most of them were fairly approachable.
2. A chance to enjoy a beer or two in New Bremen with said nice and talented people.
3. A work environment without a lot of distractions.
4. The feeling (at the time) that you were actually doing something that mattered.
Bad things:
1. Micromanagement. Joe Coulter, head of A/V, was one of the worst. He was also quite talented and a nice guy at some strange level that I've not quite figured out even now..
2. Awful food. I pretty much never ate the noon meal. Between the food and getting called out for bad table manners, I always found something else to do. I can't even stand to feed millet to my bird I hate it so much...
3. Very strange office politics and intrigues. There were pecking orders for everything and they weren't described in the new staffer's handbook. Virtually every action that a staff member might take could lead to some unintended consequences. Power had more to do with seniority and nepotism than competence. HQ was, by far, the worst place I ever worked in that regard.
4. Being poor. I've never been a big spender, but I've always had money to fix my car or go out for dinner. Al of a sudden these sort of things became issues.
5. Having to watch others suffer. This might sound strange, but it did affect me. Watching VPW ream people unmercifully. Seeing the crap that the apprentice corps had to go through. Seeing staffers being assigned to endless and mindless miserable jobs.
6. Ohio and Ohio weather. Didn't much like Ohio and hated the weather.
Surprisingly, I didn't mind the hours and workload. I was young and it was something to do. It's not like there was a lot else to do.
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Rocky
From the descriptions given by OldSkool... I'd say that the association of those people with TWI defense attorneys is right on the mark. Now, I understand the term "cult experts" as used here are indicative of the poster's impressions. My hunch is that those people were human resources consultants. Clearly, TWI had much more of a legal problem with labor law compliance than what was alleged in the lawsuit by the Allens.
Rather than indicative of a cult, per se, that kind of problem with managing human resources is very common in American corporate life... including in government agencies. Perhaps ESPECIALLY in government agencies. Because every organization that functions because of the labor of workers is under stress (pressure) to get as much effort/productivity out of the individual(s) for the least possible amount of wages/salary they have to pay.
I worked in a large state government agency longer than anywhere else in my working career.
Where most organizations rely on its workers simply not understanding (and therefore unable to assert) their rights as employees, TWI took it a step further by having the sacrifice narrative, appealing to a noble goal. Does anyone remember how that ties in to Dale Carnegie's book (How to Win Friends and Influence People)?
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OldSkool
No kids to my knowledge.
Very likely, it's been close to ten years. On the other hand it is a rare occasion that anyone actually gets full disclosure from Rosie and the BOD. They are REALLY freaks when it comes to everything being confidential. When something confidential does have to be announced it is usually only what they deem people need to know.
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Jim
Right. Why should believers treat him any better than TWI headquarters treated Mrs. Weirwille?
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Nottawayfer
I worked on Staff from 1996 to 2001. I started off making $678 a month for 50+ hours of work. We started working 50;and then because the Grounds section worked 55, the rest of HQ had to up their hours. It was painstakingly odd to work an additional 3 hours per night after already working 8-5 and eating supper.
Then LCM told us we all need to take a 10% pay cut because they had to cover some payroll taxes. Nobody EVER asked to be an exception or you would get reamed big time. It was a strain making $678 per month.
Then a few years later the 10% paycut was revisited, and we were told they were re-evaluating everyone's salary and to submit a new request for your salary. I was living in dire straights and used my credit card to make up the difference. There was a lot of fear in the credit card debt. Anywhoo, I asked for a little less than $200 more. I was told "No." "This is what you are getting. They didn't even replace the 10% I lost.
I don't remember any cult experts or human resources experts talking to anyone at HQ. I never heard about it either. However, I do remember our hours were reduced to 46 after the Allen case was filed. I also remember much earlier than that was the personal scheduling stopped.
It was the most screwed up place I ever worked. It was supposed to be a godly place, but there was a lot of disrespect going on.
OldSkool, do we know each other? I worked in Word Processing from 1996 to 1999, and then in Printing Services from 1999 to 2001.
BTW: Rozilla is leading the whole organization to it's end. I believe it will only be a matter of time. There are a few EXTREME diehards who stay because they don't realize there are other places to go.
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OldSkool
Yes. Check you private conversations.
As for Rozilla she is working hard that it is preserved in some form. She has really made it more church-like than ever. Read a Way Mag, listen to a STS - there's nothing related to research happening and there's nothing to offend anyone. They are without the power they claim to manifest.
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yourmom
If I remember correctly, the 401k option was only recently made available to staff (with the restructuring of pay scales and doing away with the 'need-basis' baloney). . . because time is what makes interest work for the investor, this leaves those in their 50s in between a rock and a hard place. It's interesting that this never really came up before, because retirement for those in power simply meant going emeritus and living off the limited coffers of the organization. Others were left without a hope and prayer. VERY self-serving.
As evidenced by some recent W-2s, the situation is still very dismal.
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yourmom
(From Nottawayfer:)
"BTW: Rozilla is leading the whole organization to it's end. I believe it will only be a matter of time. There are a few EXTREME diehards who stay because they don't realize there are other places to go. "
Yes. Though maybe a place for another thread, does anybody have predictions on how it will finally close? Financial? Another lawsuit? Spirit of Flatulence?
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penworks
In my case, the irony of ironies, was that our limb leader recommended my husband and I apply for jobs at HQ to get a "spiritual boost." He thought we needed that. I knew I needed some sort of change, and in those days, HQ was thought to be the "spiritual center" of the org. That was 1984.
1984, mmm...isn't there a frightening novel by that title?
For more on that "spiritual boost" I got working at HQ, you can read my memoir here on the front page, An Affinity for Windows.
Enjoy!
Charlene
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Nottawayfer
I wasn't there for the restructuring of the pay scales. I left HQ in 2001, and was still living a a "need" basis (ha!). We had 401K available to us right before I left. It was rather lame.
I remember J*n R*yn*lds practically crying when he spoke about it to the Staff. It was almost as if he was so deeply moved that TWI moved to better people's lives. And I remember J*hn R*pp saying he talked to his brother about it, and his brother confirmed to him it was a good program. Maybe his brother was being nice? ROFLMAO!
I do remember they only matched funds for people who worked there at least 7 or 8 years. What a joke. I work for County government, and they've always matched our funds. How much time you serve in the county determines how much the county contributed if you leave. It is 50% for 5 years of service, 65% for 7 years of service, and 100% for 10 or more years of service.
I wok
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OldSkool
I would say he was happy he could finally have something like this.
I have ZERO respect for him. He's the biggest butt kissing, yes man I ever met. Once you get past the humor there isn't much there, very shallow. All he lakcs is a pair of pom-poms to cheer whatever Rozilla dictates and he would be the perfect cheerleader.
Ya, the 401k they offer is a joke. It was setup to benefit long term Staff as a priority.
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Jim
I worked on staff '80-'81 in the A/V department. My memories might be a little biased as the A/V department seemed to be somewhat favored. We usually weren't questioned about where we were or what we were doing unless we were somehow screwing up some other department's work. Like Grounds because we were digging trenches next to the Weirwille home for cables... But that's another story. Anyway, every year there's a new crop of staffers all enthused and blessed to be on staff and by Christmas, many of them would be angling to find a way home. Their enthusiasm would be proportional to the crappiness of their job and the amount of contact they had with honest old-timers. There were lots of secrets that got whispered to the newfers once they gained the trust of the old-timers. Enough of that. Here's a list of the good and bad things about working on staff back then:
Good things:
1. A chance to work with some of the nicest and most talented people in their fields. There were some amazing people on staff and most of them were fairly approachable.
2. A chance to enjoy a beer or two in New Bremen with said nice and talented people.
3. A work environment without a lot of distractions.
4. The feeling (at the time) that you were actually doing something that mattered.
Bad things:
1. Micromanagement. Joe Coulter, head of A/V, was one of the worst. He was also quite talented and a nice guy at some strange level that I've not quite figured out even now..
2. Awful food. I pretty much never ate the noon meal. Between the food and getting called out for bad table manners, I always found something else to do. I can't even stand to feed millet to my bird I hate it so much...
3. Very strange office politics and intrigues. There were pecking orders for everything and they weren't described in the new staffer's handbook. Virtually every action that a staff member might take could lead to some unintended consequences. Power had more to do with seniority and nepotism than competence. HQ was, by far, the worst place I ever worked in that regard.
4. Being poor. I've never been a big spender, but I've always had money to fix my car or go out for dinner. Al of a sudden these sort of things became issues.
5. Having to watch others suffer. This might sound strange, but it did affect me. Watching VPW ream people unmercifully. Seeing the crap that the apprentice corps had to go through. Seeing staffers being assigned to endless and mindless miserable jobs.
6. Ohio and Ohio weather. Didn't much like Ohio and hated the weather.
Surprisingly, I didn't mind the hours and workload. I was young and it was something to do. It's not like there was a lot else to do.
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penworks
Upside: A box in which all answers were found.
Downside: A box in which all answers were found.
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