>> No micromanagement was just how I liked to work; give me the overview of
> what's needed & how you normally do things, then set me loose on it. .

> That's the way I am, or was.
> I'll spend the first couple of days going over the basics, once that is
> learned I give more detailed information and turn them loose a bit by bit
> then go over their work to make sure they knew what they were doing.
> At the end of each day, or the start of the next, I would go over what
> they had done, any questions (I was always available to answer any), etc.
> And each morning would go over anything they needed to know such a a
>special event, etc.  After they were there for a while this was usually just a
> heads up note.
> After about two weeks or so they should know the basics, make their own
> decisions and be "on their own".  After a while they could figure out how
> best to cover their territory and what worked best for them.
> I am firm believer in teaching what a person needs to know, then get out
> of their way.  Parking was not a life or death or national security issue
>and people learn from their mistakes.  Even after 15 years there I would still
> goof up from time to time.

The way I see it -- if you hired the guy, presumably you have vetted him/her  for the job already, & no need to keep close tabs on them (unless you were  forced to hire the owner's nephew, then what would you gain by catching them in failures anyway?)

>> I provide reports of anything of note that are rightful for the owner to
>know, &/or could be used for training purposes.  Keeping my boss updated is my
> role everywhere.  They fdresserveto know where their money is going.
> That is part of why a Daily Activity Report (DAR) was kept by the hour.
> Plus there were legal reasons in case the client would ever ask what we were
> doing.

Of course; respect & common sense "CYA" self-preservation.

> Things like "monitoring lobby" was a catch all for a lot of things.  In
> addition to keeping an eye on who came and went, it was also answering any
> questions, greeting people, idle chit chat, etc.
> There were few places we kept a record of who came and went and the
> times.  Generally it was if the building was closed and they had an access
> key/card they came and went as they pleased.

Of course, with an access card their comings & goings can be easily logged  digitally & most would be aware of this, providing the same level of deterrence as a human attendant, but cheaper.

> I enjoyed working traffic control for large twice yearly career fairs.
> The vendors appreciated being able to unload whatever, being told where
> to park, etc.  I was there till either the last vendor arrived or 15 minutes
> after the start of the event.
> Then I would go to the room and wander around the tables and get all
> sorts of freebies they were handing out.

I love 'swag' at Expos & suchlike events. At one I go to regularly -- a Small  Business Expo, they usually have tote bags at the greeting table, to hold your  loot you get from inside. I fill with brochures of interest, pens,  highlighters, candy, et al.

> Pens were a big deal.  I would get only one from each table.  Then I

All my pens are obtained this way now.

> The trooper asked, "I guess you want me to move?" I said yes sir and he
> did.  Ah, the power!  Telling a state trooper to move.  :)

Chalk a point up for the civilian, eh?. 

> One year a table had USB plugs and got one.  The following event there
> were more tables with them.   I eventually got about 10 of them, that I still
> use.

plugs? Flash-drives? Under 1Gb each?

> The vendors were glad to get rid of whatever since it made less to take
> back.  And it was a thank you for being helpful.  Take one, take one was
> often said to me at different tables with different things.

This is how it is at flea market/bazaar type sales -- I ensure to do a go-round
 
an hour before closing, to get steals -- I could've had a ginormous 600lb line  printer for $10(asking price was $200), if I'd had away to get it home &  anywhere to put it.

> If working a non-lunch shift (having to remain on post) we took our lunch
> when we wanted and were paid for it.

Normally how I prefer to work. My f9irst adult job was in fast food & we could  take our breaks whenever it didn't interfere with serving customers & were  subject to recall on the floor by a coworker if needed.

I was a smoker, so took 5 minute smoke breaks whenever, even when working  alone(instead of 4 people being on), but this never slowed down serving  customers, & my boss knew it, so I did as I pleased, & got paid for the full 12 hour shifts. (opening to closing 6 days a week)

Once I met some girls & missed an entire day, showing up just before closing   the next day -- my boss worked it all, but told me to cash out the register &  that I'd be getting paid in full for both days.  Which told me all I needed to  know about whether he noticed what I do for him. I've never missed a day since, there, or elsewhere.

> In parking we got a 30 minute lunch, unpaid, whether we took it or not.
> If something happened we couldn't take a lunch, or had to work a little
> over for some reason, we merely added that extra time to our lunches later
> on.

Yup; I've always done the same. I ensure that whatever I do or don't do,. I can explain in such a way to come out smelling like roses. But, of course --  they're paying for this!

> We got no pay for over time in parking. It was a straight 37.5 hours a
> week.

Essentially you were treated as being on salary. . .

> If for some reason we didn't take a lunch we merely added that time to
> lunch over the following days.

Quire fair & reasonable.  & if the boss notices & whines, you just "work to  rule" & take your mandated 30 minutes, eh, & he learns to leave you alone &  trust you to get the job done, eh?

> One time there was a power line down and had to secure an area until the
> electric company could repair the line and re-open the area.  That was a 10
> hour day, which gave me a three hours (all total) lunch which I took in
> 30-45 minute increments over a few

& why not?  Some jobs, we'd just leave early, to use up our owed time, if the 
job was covered by as coworker, of course, or the work wasd one the same as if  being there.

> The reason was added to the time sheet and recorded on the daily.
>> on the clock, I don't care much what I'm doing. While others are still
> training for one position, in 8-12 weeks, I'm prepared to be put anywhere in
> the company & do the job right, with no notice.)

Exactly how I've always been.   If my payroll clock is ticking, I'm working, & 
I'm giving better value than I'm being paid for.

> People should be trained for anything that might come up, or at least
> have a book on how to handle something.

I make a point of knowing what to do in every area. With my current employer,  I've had to run the entire international medical call centre by myself twice.

>> Here the courts have ruled that tickets given by private parking spaces are
> not valid.
> At Marshall all spaces were public.

In privately owned parking lots, I meant. Like Encorp has the contract with  Richmond City to operate their lots on city property.

Without a specific bylaw, their tickets are only unenforceable requests (8but  they can refuse you entry to all their lots if you don't pay)

I advise people who got them fair & square, to negotiate a flat fee to close  out their file & regain parking privileges, if they feel they need them.  (parking is at a premium in Vancouver downtown; if you arrive early enough, you can park all day for $8, otherwise you're looking at $8+ per hour!)

My boss' company was in a building that included a private lot.  The landlord  eventually went pay public parking there, but my boss, as a tenant, kept his  space as included in the lease.  Eventually, after 9/11 & theresulting slowdown in international travel, he sold his Mercedes sports car & used buses, to prove he wasn't taking any undue returns from our labours. I think he negotiated a  discount on his lease to give up the parking space to the pat parking deal  ($400/month for other tenants, almost dubler for outside users; a 1-BR apt was  running around the same as the outside users wee paying to use one slot!)

> There was no private or reserved spaces.  The "reserved" spaces were for
> the president and few others big shots.  But even then the president didn't
> have one space, just whichever space was available in that area.  But being
> creatures of habit, they were us

You expect the president & other higher ups to have priority in parking  choices. . Usually they're marked, if set aside when the building was first  built & the lot initially, or later re-, paved.

>> I enthusiastically supported this whole approach, as I'm all about fairness.
> Yep.  Gonna do it for one its done for all or its not done at all.

Yup. We're all considered equal under the law (in reality, we're all different,
& some are "more equal than others," but at least when considering the laws 
&/or Constitution (just Big Daddy Laws, really.); thank goodness & God for 
that, I say! Arbitrary creation of laws & penalties("Off with his 'ead!" by  individuals was never a good thing for all.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-6