Job Discussion Forums

[arabantics]

Redeyes:
I would not sign on with this place. We have had a couple of shocking developments in staffing lately with coordinators being moved out of their positions in favour of managment's friends. Please PM me if you have some time for more info. This place used to be OK to work but now its awful. This 773 person has not been around long enough to know what they are talking about. Your first year in a place is always OK.

[veiledsentiments]

As I recall on the last UAEU thread, you were the one negative poster while quite a few other current employees were rather at odds with you.

Redeyes (and other readers) should search that thread up in order to get a balanced view.

VS

[arabantics]

Read the threads more closely VS. You'll find plenty of negative comments from others. Thank you for contributing yet another one of your highly useless posts.

[Iamherebecause]

[redeyes]

Thanks everyone -- I like getting advice from both sides -- the praisers and the critics. It's all useful to me, and I appreciate it.

Thanks again, for all the comments.


RE

PS Eha, did you get my PM?

[773]

[veiledsentiments]

[eha]

But it's still not a bad place to work, nonetheless.

Depends if you're one of those damaged in the fray, or one of those whose survival in a workplace is influenced by workplace 'values', or lack of them.
Some people seem to think that 'gossip' refers to kaffeeklatch chit-chat a la 'Desperate Housewives'. Well, some of it is based on the exchange of garbage about other people's personal lives--- which I think must be what people mean when they say: 'You find the same thing everywhere". But what I've never come across before, is the absolute absence of any standards of human decency in the things people choose to believe and spread around about each other: stuff that they KNOW (or if they don't, they're too naive to be let loose in this part of the world) --- that they know will DESTROY the life of their target, if it gets to the wrong ears. And the way garbage like this becomes reified if it's repeated often enough-- with appalling consequences for the target, who may not even know that s/he's been singled out for scapegoat duty. The complete absence of trust is both a cause and a consequence of this kind of institutional psychology.

It actually IS that bad; many of the war-wounded don't post on here, simply because they've been so badly damaged--- they just want to forget the vile experiences they've been put through. One poster just said that there used to be some stirrers on the women's campus in Maqam, al Ain, but they left years ago. What's wrong about this is the suggestion that the vicious abuse that goes on there is the work of a few individuals. It isn't; the whole atmosphere of the place is sick -- there's too much that has to be repressed. People who 'like it there' are either unaware of the damage that's being done, or they're colluding with it--- there's a lot of it about. There are many possible explanations, but too complex for this forum --- too complex for the Management too; that's why it continues.

[arabantics]

Eha you are so right! I was recently on the receiving end of a particularly malicious piece of gossip on the Maqam campus which I traced back to someone who knew it was completely untrue but had nothing better to do then to start a rumor! I have also seen management start untrue rumors and circulate them with dire consequences for the individual.
Staff morale couldn't be in any worse shape after recent events and appointments in Communications. The couple of idiots who post on this forum about it being a great place to work are living in their own little bubbles and would be stoned in the staffroom for voicing such drivel.

[Ricoz]

could you guys please clarify what you're talking about, because i have an offer and i'm supposed to start this August but after reading this i'm a bit worried. I want to know what kind of roumors goes on on this campus?? e.g. sexual? financial? what do you mean it destroys people's lives??

[773]

[Iamherebecause]

[773]

[Gnocchiman]

It's June 6th. At UAEU all of us have been finished with our teaching duties for at least a week. Most of us are finished with all our invigilating duties as well. We just got an announcement that another pay rise is on the way. Next week at this time many of us will be sipping cocktails in exotic locals or will be breaking bread with family and friends in our home towns. We're expected back 27 August.

My advice to all: Enjoy the holiday. Talk to your family members and childhood friends who are hopefully still employed. Ask them about their work environments, their salaries, their savings, their working hours, their holiday time. Then, sit back and get some perspective.

Arabantics-and those of you who feel the same, if you still feel UAEU isn't the place for you, then leave. Please. Leave. In all seriousness it isn't good for you to be working in a place you find so toxic. It truly makes me sad to see people wasting years of their lives like this. It's obvious that the issues you brought up are real to you and are affecting the quality of your life. This can't be good for your health, your sanity, your career and the quality of your students' education. I don't think there hasn't been one person on this board that hasn't been in your position at one time or another. We all know that when you get out of a situation as negative as the one you're finding at UAEU and move on, life can be good again.

Finally I want to admit that I live in a bubble. But so do you my friend. In fact, we all do. If life has taught me anything, it's that we have the power to choose what and who we surround ourselves with in our bubbles. For me, working at UAEU has made it extremly easy to surround myself with positive forces.

I wish all of you the safest, most enjoyable holiday!

[veiledsentiments]

Have a great summer gnocchi!! Come back refreshed and ready for... Ramadhan...

VS