S11.E09: Destructive Criticism

[Mindthinkr]

Jeff and company visit a lot of their flips. We begin to see fractures in the Office relationships. 

[Mindthinkr]

I understand that it’s Jeff’s job to want things to look their best but sometimes I feel as though he approaches it like a bulldozer. I can’t imagine being Lea Black, trying to hide her outdoor kitchen, only to have it discovered by Jeff. Then he bullied her into taking out the brand new double oven to be replaced with a single one. I sometimes think he feels if he didn’t design it, then it’s not good enough. My budget would have to say hell no. It’s there and I can live with it. Also when he went to Randall and Lala Kent’s new place. That poor guy was cringing over the adding up costs. Does Jeff do a background check on all of his clients finances? He always pushes them to spend spend spend. Hmm...perhaps he gets a cut of it kicked back from the manufacturer or retailer. Ok, glass tile is slightly different but didn’t the mirrors behind the bar go out of style in the 80’s? 

[laprin]

All season I have been impressed with how much better Jeff handled personnel matters. This episode he reverted back to all of his old ways. Berating and belittling staff in front of peers is a lawsuit waiting to happen.  It's a good thing his employees probably signed waivers with Bravo. 

And because I can't help but say it again, I can't stand Gage's smug face.  Do you notice how much joy he gets when Jeff is yelling at others? It's like he enjoys seeing them get chewed out because at least it's not him.  There does not seem to be an ounce of genuine empathy in his entire body. Jeff is more kind than Gage. 

[biakbiak]

3 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Then he bullied her into taking out the brand new double oven to be replaced with a single one.

Good because not only was that thing a monstrosity you would basically have to be on your knees to get anything in or out of the bottom oven it was completely impractical and apparently she hadn’t even wanted it.

As if the Randall/Lala being clients wasn’t a set up by Bravo. Though it was kind of funny that they didn’t acknowledge that she is also on Bravo. I think they even mentioned RHOM when Lea was first on.

[Madding crowd]

The staff are in some kind of pattern where they are so happy to have someone else in the spotlight, they go along with it. Jeff is nasty to his employees and nasty to his clients. Like most bullies, he knows who will take his crap and who won’t. Gage enjoys it because at the moment it isn’t him getting yelled at. 

What was the weird snippet of Megan crying on the plane? Was she scared because of turbulence? It seemed strange that ut was followed by her getting yelled at for attending to her daughter. Unlike Jeff, her daughter isn’t locked up in a nursery and things happen. 

[biakbiak]

10 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

What was the weird snippet of Megan crying on the plane? Was she scared because of turbulence?

Probably it’s been established that she doesn’t like flying. They lied to her about how they were getting to the Hamptons so she wouldn’t freak out and have a panic attack before they could get on the helicopter.

[jennylauren123]

Didn't someone, I think it was Jenni, say that they saw a tornado when they were flying? I thought it was that combined with the fear that Megan already has about flying.

I can decide whether Gage smiles because he enjoys that someone besides him is the target of Jeff's wrath or because he's just so uncomfortable. I've been known to smile and or laugh when I just can bear what's happening around me. It's awful because it's so inappropriate. I think it's nerves (for me).

[biakbiak]

10 minutes ago, jennylauren123 said:

Didn't someone, I think it was Jenni, say that they saw a tornado when they were flying? I

It was Meghan and they were in a car.

[shirazplease]

I hate that I have something in common with Gage.  When I leave the house, I also say "Bye puppies and kitties!"  Every. Single. Time.

[DFWGina]

I would think that Jeff's company would have some old phones (after upgrades) that they keep on hand to be used as loaner phones when their employees have issues with broken or forgotten phones.

[ninjago]

4 hours ago, laprin said:

This episode he reverted back to all of his old ways. Berating and belittling staff in front of peers is a lawsuit waiting to happen.  It's a good thing his employees probably signed waivers with Bravo. 

I haven't followed his falling out with Jenni, but I saw him on WWHL saying that he would probably never forgive her for filing a harassment claim against him.  I just.....he is absolutely a harasser.  Does he not even understand how people interact professionally?  The way he talks to Jenni is absolutely hostile and worthy of a claim.

[shoovenbooty]

I have to confess, I didn't know who Lala Kent was and had to look her up. All I kept thinking during the episode was, "Why is that 20-something girl dating a guy old enough to be her father?" $$$ She sure was eager to spend his money on every suggestion Jeff made.

I agree that Gage probably smiles while Jeff is berating someone, because he's extremely uncomfortable. He is always looking away while smiling, not smiling at Jeff or the other person. Like another poster said, some people do that in uncomfortable situations, including me. For example, I laughed when my dad told me he had cancer and it was terminal, then immediately went from laughing to crying. I think it's the brain's weird way of dealing with a difficult situation.

No Monroe again this episode ?

[Coffeewinewater]

On 11/14/2018 at 1:05 PM, shirazplease said:

I hate that I have something in common with Gage.  When I leave the house, I also say "Bye puppies and kitties!"  Every. Single. Time.

I do the same thing. ❤

Edited November 20, 2018 by Coffeewinewater

[TVbitch]

Did not see Meghan quitting coming. No forshadowing there. 

I'm torn about Gage. In the beginning of the episode when Jenni forgot her phone, he had what looked like a smug shit-eating grin on his face, and I thought what a dick. He has had the same grin in other instances, and it seemed to me like he totally gets off on the painful drama. But then when just Jeff and Gage were at the bar alone, Gage was making some valid points about what the employees gained by working with Jeff. When Jeff was saying he was going to confront Meghan in front of everyone, Gage suddenly got the same evil grin, but this time the camera was close up enough that I saw it was clearly an anxiety response. His eyes were rolling upwards and he was swallowing really hard, so now I am thinking maybe that grin is his way or dealing with socially intense situations. 

[Juniebaby]

When Megan was saying she wasn’t sure if she was going to NC and Jeff/Gage were saying how beneficial it is for her business, she replied but it’s 16 hour days.  They couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t want to work with them 16 hours?    While they have a nanny and don’t mind leaving their child, maybe she can’t afford or doesn’t have anyone to stay with her daughter.  While I’m on a roll here, I also hate bosses who expect you to work as hard/long as they do or expect you to stay late like they do.  I have a life and it’s not my business it’s yours

[DrivingSideways]

It was only a few weeks ago that I was thinking, wow Meghan always seems to avoid the wrath of Jeff.  But tonight just showed that no matter how loyal or great of an employee you have been to Jeff, he has to diminish you at some point to prove he's in charge.  He's an extremely toxic person, very creepy.  This show makes me sad.

I can see Gage's shit eating grins to be a nerves response, but I also judge him a lot for being complicit with Jeff's bullying ways.  Even if you have the worst employee, you can handle it without reverting to mind games, mean girl scenes and belittling.  Gage is actually worse than Jeff because at least Jeff will yell at you to your face.  Gage just titters in the background.  It will be epic when Jeff finally turns on him and takes credit for every success Gage has ever had.  No doubt that day is coming.

Getting close to Jeff seems to be like making a deal with the devil.  Or being on Trump's cabinet.  Eventually you WILL be dismissed.

[meep.meep]

Good for Megan.  She's probably got everything she was likely to get out of a relationship with Jeff Lewis Designs.  Move on and up!  Bet Vanina is doing great.    And all the other quitters over the years.

In a way, it's like living the life I can never have watching Jeff berate his employees for what he thinks is stupid (not having a phone, wanting to talk to your daughter during a crisis).  It sure would be fun just to give my employees a piece of my mind.  However, then they would sue me and I'd be in training for the rest of my life.  So maybe it's good that most of us are trained not to behave that way.  

[Quita]

It may just be me, but was anyone else stunned at the unprofessionalism in this episode. I mean, I know it's Jeff Lewis, but come on. First, there's Megan and the issues with her daughter. She should've just explained to Jeff in the car that there was some issue with her daughter, ask for 5 minutes to figure it out and then be able to focus on the Chaz Dean meeting. (Maybe she did tell him, who knows). I just couldn't imagine blurting out my personal issues during a meeting with a client. And Jeff shouldn't reprimand Megan in front of Chaz. Pull her into the hall, tell her to get it straightened out and come back in when you're able to fully participate. I know Chaz and Jeff are friends, but he's still a client and this shouldn't go on in front of him. Isn't that basic common sense?

Why does Jeff consult with Lea Black about how to motivate his employees, in front of his employees? Is she an HR specialist? Jenni seemed irritated and I can't blame her. Also, in the previews for next week,

Spoiler

it looks like they're all in the car with Lea, and Jeff goes in on Jenni and I think I heard Lea join in. Why does that cackling hen need to jump on the bashing bandwagon?

I hope I'm wrong about what I heard. I. can't. stand. her. Hate that she's on his show so often and hate that she's on his SiriusXM show.

Edited November 15, 2018 by Quita
Wasn't done expressing my Lea hate

[Quilty]

Leah Black is like nails on a chalkboard annoying. 

[HunterHunted]

7 hours ago, DFWGina said:

I would think that Jeff's company would have some old phones (after upgrades) that they keep on hand to be used as loaner phones when their employees have issues with broken or forgotten phones.

This infuriated me. If a phone is that essential for working effectively at Jeff Lewis Design, then Jeff really should be providing his employees with a phone. This is so typically Jeff. He'll sit there and berate his employees, but never acknowledge how much he's actively screwing up through his ridiculous entitlement. What if an employee has a phone, but has a limitation on minutes or it includes data caps? Or if an employee has a basic ass flip phone? He can't make them upgrade to a phone or a phone plan that is conducive to working at Jeff Lewis Design. That's a clear indication that he really should be providing his employees with phones.

[biakbiak]

There was an entire plot point in the early seasons about the employees having to do expense reports for mileage and other expenses, I believe Chris spending so much time doing his in Jeff’s office led to Jeff installing the cameras that led to his firing and his divorce from Jenny, so there is a good chance that he does allow them to expense their cell phone bills to the companies which a lot of people prefer than having to carry two phones.

[ninjago]

5 hours ago, DrivingSideways said:

I can see Gage's shit eating grins to be a nerves response, but I also judge him a lot for being complicit with Jeff's bullying ways. 

Just the fact that he is in a relationship with Jeff, went to great lengths to start a family with Jeff, means he is okay with how Jeff treats people, including himself.  

[laprin]

14 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

This infuriated me. If a phone is that essential for working effectively at Jeff Lewis Design, then Jeff really should be providing his employees with a phone. This is so typically Jeff. He'll sit there and berate his employees, but never acknowledge how much he's actively screwing up through his ridiculous entitlement. What if an employee has a phone, but has a limitation on minutes or it includes data caps? Or if an employee has a basic ass flip phone? He can't make them upgrade to a phone or a phone plan that is conducive to working at Jeff Lewis Design. That's a clear indication that he really should be providing his employees with phones.

Most companies, including mine, reimburse employees for the monthly cost of the data plan.  In this case, as an employee, I am giving my employer limited access to my phone to conduct company business.  I have also worked for companies that provided the phone. I enjoyed the convenience of never seeing a bill, but it also meant that if I wanted to download apps or pay for other things using apply pay on my phone, I needed to get approval from IT.  Also, my company would have every right to tell me I can't make personal calls.  Most employees would prefer to be reimbursed, which I'm pretty sure Jeff does with his employees. I am also sure he has made it clear, as I do with our employees, that a phone is a requirement for the job, no different from a valid drivers license if driving is expected.  Now, that does not mean I agree with how Jeff handled it. Employees should never be embarrassed/berated in front of their peers.  He should have had a private conversation and then at a later date send a company email that reiterates policy to everyone. 

[HunterHunted]

3 hours ago, laprin said:

Most companies, including mine, reimburse employees for the monthly cost of the data plan.  In this case, as an employee, I am giving my employer limited access to my phone to conduct company business.  I have also worked for companies that provided the phone. I enjoyed the convenience of never seeing a bill, but it also meant that if I wanted to download apps or pay for other things using apply pay on my phone, I needed to get approval from IT.  Also, my company would have every right to tell me I can't make personal calls.  Most employees would prefer to be reimbursed, which I'm pretty sure Jeff does with his employees. I am also sure he has made it clear, as I do with our employees, that a phone is a requirement for the job, no different from a valid drivers license if driving is expected.  Now, that does not mean I agree with how Jeff handled it. Employees should never be embarrassed/berated in front of their peers. He should have had a private conversation and then at a later date send a company email that reiterates policy to everyone. 

I've worked for government agencies for the past decade, which has clearly colored my view on this matter. If you use your personal phone for work, it opens it up for public records disclosure, which is why you want to limit use of your personal phone. Secondly, while many employers follow the federal guidelines on mileage reimbursement, others have absolutely no idea that they should also have policies for recompensing employees for phone use. Finally because it's always evergreen, Jeff is pathologically unprofessional. It's not a surprise that he'd chastise an employee in front of others about not having their phone. Additionally even if he compensates the employee for the use of their phone, there are going to be situations where the employee just won't have a phone available for whatever reason. In those situations, he needs to have some alternate mechanism for communication. It could be a tablet or a laptop. Employees could take pictures and communicate via Skype, FaceTime, or email. 

[readheaded]

20 hours ago, laprin said:

Most companies, including mine, reimburse employees for the monthly cost of the data plan.  In this case, as an employee, I am giving my employer limited access to my phone to conduct company business.  I have also worked for companies that provided the phone. I enjoyed the convenience of never seeing a bill, but it also meant that if I wanted to download apps or pay for other things using apply pay on my phone, I needed to get approval from IT.  Also, my company would have every right to tell me I can't make personal calls.  Most employees would prefer to be reimbursed, which I'm pretty sure Jeff does with his employees. I am also sure he has made it clear, as I do with our employees, that a phone is a requirement for the job, no different from a valid drivers license if driving is expected.  Now, that does not mean I agree with how Jeff handled it. Employees should never be embarrassed/berated in front of their peers.  He should have had a private conversation and then at a later date send a company email that reiterates policy to everyone. 

I'm starting to think that an unintended consequence of Jeff's behavior toward his employees is that now, the people he hires DGAF, which means Jeff's lost the power in his berating and bullying.  The guy who didn't have his phone (whose name I can't remember at the moment) didn't really seem to care about Jeff's reaction and kind of mocked Jeff with his facial expressions during Jeff's tirade about it.  

[meep.meep]

I think their reactions might be really different if they didn't have a TV camera in their face.  

[lookeyloo]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

I think their reactions might be really different if they didn't have a TV camera in their face.  

Yes, and, they might have done this "scene" more than once, for the cameras, to get it right for the producers.

[laprin]

At this point, I have to wonder why anyone would work for Jeff who wasn’t trying to get an acting gig. It’s no secret how he treats employees. 

[maggiemae]

Point is she forgot her phone.

And the kid needed one for his job.

We never saw how Jeff compensated them for their phones.

[Fostersmom]

On 11/14/2018 at 8:57 PM, HunterHunted said:

This infuriated me. If a phone is that essential for working effectively at Jeff Lewis Design, then Jeff really should be providing his employees with a phone. This is so typically Jeff. He'll sit there and berate his employees, but never acknowledge how much he's actively screwing up through his ridiculous entitlement. What if an employee has a phone, but has a limitation on minutes or it includes data caps? Or if an employee has a basic ass flip phone? He can't make them upgrade to a phone or a phone plan that is conducive to working at Jeff Lewis Design. That's a clear indication that he really should be providing his employees with phones.

 

10 hours ago, maggiemae said:

Point is she forgot her phone.

And the kid needed one for his job.

We never saw how Jeff compensated them for their phones.

I'm apparently Jeff in the phone situations. I'm the office manager at a small mobility device company. We install ramps, stair lifts, that kind of stuff. We aren't big, just 12 people in 2 offices, and our installers drive all over the place to get to the installations. They are expected to have working phones to take pictures of their installs and look up documents, and be able to get directions to the jobs. In my office, most of the guys have a GPS, and one was using his phone. Just this week alone, one installer had his phone stolen or lost at a McDonald's on Tuesday, and I found out another was using his phone as a GPS, but then didn't have data to look up documents on the job. The one who lost his phone was with another installer, so they instantly updated anyone who needed to know. He told me the next morning, he was reachable on his wife's phone, and I literally just got a text that he had his new phone and it's all good now. The other is just a complete dumbass when it comes to everything and we've been over the phone issue in the past. He knows he needs to be able to look things up while he's on the job. Come to find he and his wife are sharing 2 MB of data and he's eating it all up using the phone as a GPS. A, a GPS is relatively cheap to buy if he doesn't have one, and b) he's worked for us for 9 months and why am I just finding this out now? I only found out since the lost phone installer was with the dumbass on Wednesday afternoon to check out a job for Thursday and they couldn't see the documents since one had no phone and the other was out of data. I was trying to find out what happened Thursday morning and lost phone told me what had happened. This pissed me off even more since dumbass could have easily called me, since he does have a phone that he can make calls on, and asked what the layout was. Instead, he called someone else who was driving, who then told him to call me, and he just chose to ignore that direction, and then told our boss he couldn't do the job on Thursday at all and boss called me Wednesday and told me to schedule something else. Then the whole truth came out later Thursday. To say I was worse than Jeff is an understatement. For one thing, he's been working well more than 40 hours a week for months, so he's been raking in the over time. So he could have bought a $50 GPS by now with the overtime he's made off of just one week's pay or opened his damn mouth and told someone he needs one. I found out from a 3rd installer dumbass  is apparently thinking if he fucks around enough we're going to buy him and pay for a hotspot. That's sure as hell not happening. I'm actually going to get a GPS for all 4 of our work vehicles, that we will own, so no one will have to transfer theirs into ours and no more excuses. I was going to order them off Amazon, but I think I'm going to get them on Black Friday sales. Either way, if I get anymore excuses out of dumbass in regards to ANYTHING phone related, I'm going to make Jeff look like a kitten. 

Jeff said Jenny is constantly forgetting something and she does seem to be just phoning it in at this point. She's not prepared, just looks to be clueless, and more interested in chiming in with random thoughts. For someone not involved, she has a lot of thoughts on how things should be ran. She likes to hang out in the office, get a nice lunch, go on these little trips, get paid, but what is she exactly doing? Cuz it doesn't look like much of anything. And she also needs to realize she's not exactly vital to the workings anymore. She also knows how Jeff is and didn't have an issue when he was raging at others, so to get all butt hurt and decide to sue, yeah, not buying it. 

[ninjago]

On 11/14/2018 at 7:57 PM, HunterHunted said:

If a phone is that essential for working effectively at Jeff Lewis Design, then Jeff really should be providing his employees with a phone.

I am of the belief that if equipment is required for a job, that equipment should be provided by the employer or it should be a requirement to be hired (ie Domino's delivery people need there own car).  Phones, computers, data plans, etc. are the cost of doing business and should not be costs put back on employees. 

Edited November 17, 2018 by ninjago

[SuprSuprElevated]

1 hour ago, ninjago said:

I am of the belief that if equipment is required for a job, that equipment should be provided by the employer or it should be a requirement to be hired (ie Domino's delivery people need there own car).  Phones, computers, data plans, etc. are the cost of doing business and should not be costs put back on employees. 

I'm willing to wager that if the phone itself isn't provided, that there is an allowance ($$) given in consideration for its use.  If it's lost or not repairable locally, wouldn't one have to wait for the insurance replacement to come through the mail?  That's how it was for me, and I'm thinking I've heard similar stories from iPhone users.  Unless someone is willing to go the burner phone route, not sure what they're expected to do.  Phones are going to get lost/broken.

[HunterHunted]

@Fostersmom how you run your business is up to you. You've said that you've been over the phone issue with the one employee in the past. I also have no idea what state you're in. However because of assumptions that were made (he'd have his own GPS, he'd have a personal data plan sufficient to accommodate your business operations, that his overtime pay would be sufficient to pay for his increased data costs and not be used for some other pressing household need, and that he'd be aware of how to deduct his cellphone costs as a business expense) the business actually suffers over something that you legally have no control over because the employee didn't have those resources available. I'd argue that's not a de minimis expense that can be expected to be born by employees.* This is why a lot of companies provide employees with mobile devices, have flat reimbursement rates, or build in business expense reporting and reimbursement mechanisms.

Jeff actually has or had built in a business expense reporting, recording, and reimbursement system into his business, which is why he fired Jenni's ex-husband, Chris, because the system as well as his other productivity measurement mechanisms caught that Chris was not working when he said he was. Some aspect of the system seems to have also picked up on the fact that Paul was lying too. Given that, it's not a stretch to think Jeff might  and should have a burner or other corporate cell phone available for employees who may not have a cell phone available for a couple of days. Additionally it's not unreasonable to assume that Jeff Lewis Design might have policies to deal with this. 

I think the issue with Jenni is that they are both producers of the show. Jenni has mostly moved on from working with Jeff on a day to day basis, but the higher ups at Bravo and Authentic Entertainment believe that Jenni is essential to the alchemy of the show in order to soften Jeff up. The baby is great, but she's just a baby and there's only so much you can show with her. Gage has always been rather polarizing; a not insubstantial part of the audience, myself included, finds him to be strangely blank and cold, except around Monroe. Zoila is retired. His grandmother passed away. This leaves Jenni as the refuge from his abrasiveness. So yeah, Jenni is screwing up at "work", but she's doing just fine at her real job, which is making sure that Jeff doesn't come off as so unbelievably awful that he drives viewers away. So some of Jeff's unloading on Jenni is about her not really being involved with the business, but I suspect more of it is about being told in no uncertain terms that he's too caustic and off putting to sustain the show without her. In the beginning, it was Ryan and Jenni who provided that tempering influence. When Ryan left, it was Jenni and Jeff's affection for Zoila and his grandmother. Zoila and his grandmother are gone, which leaves only Jenni. 

I believe Jeff said the blow up happened because he was trying to transition Jenni into more of a "friend of" role. I can believe that Jeff might have tried to pull this during preproduction or as filming began. I can also believe that Bravo and Authentic Entertainment might have told him that he's an asshole, his boyfriend is a gay robot who makes a titanium Terminator endoskeleton seem human in comparison, and Jenni or someone like her was absolutely necessary to continue to make the show watchable. It's not a stretch to think that Jeff might tear into Jenni because he's frustrated by that. He's manipulative, vindictive, and immature. And he's always been this way.

*Admittedly my experience with employment law basically begins and ends at doing a tiny bit of discovery work on one of the FedEx independent contractor lawsuits.

Edited November 18, 2018 by HunterHunted

[Happy Camper]

My employer provides us with a phone as we need to have access to email as well as data/gps and voice/test communication at all times during work hours. We are also "on call" for a week per month.

I choose to maintain and pay for my own "personal" phone so that I can maintain a healthy work/life balance. My family and friends use my personal phone number/email etc. I am able to shut off my "work" phone during off work hours. I don't want to receive work related calls when I'm out for dinner or on vacation, or spending quality time with my family and friends. If there is a serious situation happening at work, I can choose to keep my "work" phone on and close by to deal with emergencies.

My employer would not expect employees to use their own personal phones for business and not reimburse them for expenses incurred. It's just easier for them to provide the phones and pay the monthly fees.

[SanDiegoInExile]

On 11/14/2018 at 5:57 PM, HunterHunted said:

This infuriated me. If a phone is that essential for working effectively at Jeff Lewis Design, then Jeff really should be providing his employees with a phone. This is so typically Jeff. He'll sit there and berate his employees, but never acknowledge how much he's actively screwing up through his ridiculous entitlement. What if an employee has a phone, but has a limitation on minutes or it includes data caps? Or if an employee has a basic ass flip phone? He can't make them upgrade to a phone or a phone plan that is conducive to working at Jeff Lewis Design. That's a clear indication that he really should be providing his employees with phones.

It wouldn't surprise me that all the *employees* work on a contract basis.  They are paid a flat amount and each person has to pay for everything, from taxes to supplies to car expenses.  That's how many small professional businesses work these day.

[Guest]

Which one of these is not like the others:

 

[TV Diva Queen]

On 11/17/2018 at 11:22 AM, Fostersmom said:

 

I'm apparently Jeff in the phone situations. I'm the office manager at a small mobility device company. We install ramps, stair lifts, that kind of stuff. We aren't big, just 12 people in 2 offices, and our installers drive all over the place to get to the installations. They are expected to have working phones to take pictures of their installs and look up documents, and be able to get directions to the jobs. In my office, most of the guys have a GPS, and one was using his phone. Just this week alone, one installer had his phone stolen or lost at a McDonald's on Tuesday, and I found out another was using his phone as a GPS, but then didn't have data to look up documents on the job. The one who lost his phone was with another installer, so they instantly updated anyone who needed to know. He told me the next morning, he was reachable on his wife's phone, and I literally just got a text that he had his new phone and it's all good now. The other is just a complete dumbass when it comes to everything and we've been over the phone issue in the past. He knows he needs to be able to look things up while he's on the job. Come to find he and his wife are sharing 2 MB of data and he's eating it all up using the phone as a GPS. A, a GPS is relatively cheap to buy if he doesn't have one, and b) he's worked for us for 9 months and why am I just finding this out now? I only found out since the lost phone installer was with the dumbass on Wednesday afternoon to check out a job for Thursday and they couldn't see the documents since one had no phone and the other was out of data. I was trying to find out what happened Thursday morning and lost phone told me what had happened. This pissed me off even more since dumbass could have easily called me, since he does have a phone that he can make calls on, and asked what the layout was. Instead, he called someone else who was driving, who then told him to call me, and he just chose to ignore that direction, and then told our boss he couldn't do the job on Thursday at all and boss called me Wednesday and told me to schedule something else. Then the whole truth came out later Thursday. To say I was worse than Jeff is an understatement. For one thing, he's been working well more than 40 hours a week for months, so he's been raking in the over time. So he could have bought a $50 GPS by now with the overtime he's made off of just one week's pay or opened his damn mouth and told someone he needs one. I found out from a 3rd installer dumbass  is apparently thinking if he fucks around enough we're going to buy him and pay for a hotspot. That's sure as hell not happening. I'm actually going to get a GPS for all 4 of our work vehicles, that we will own, so no one will have to transfer theirs into ours and no more excuses. I was going to order them off Amazon, but I think I'm going to get them on Black Friday sales. Either way, if I get anymore excuses out of dumbass in regards to ANYTHING phone related, I'm going to make Jeff look like a kitten. 

Jeff said Jenny is constantly forgetting something and she does seem to be just phoning it in at this point. She's not prepared, just looks to be clueless, and more interested in chiming in with random thoughts. For someone not involved, she has a lot of thoughts on how things should be ran. She likes to hang out in the office, get a nice lunch, go on these little trips, get paid, but what is she exactly doing? Cuz it doesn't look like much of anything. And she also needs to realize she's not exactly vital to the workings anymore. She also knows how Jeff is and didn't have an issue when he was raging at others, so to get all butt hurt and decide to sue, yeah, not buying it. 

I'm on dumbass's side.  

[lookeyloo]

Seems to me if a phone/GPS, etc. is required for the job, the employer (Jeff Lewis Designs?) should provide them, or provide a reasonable allowance towards data usage or some kind of compensation.  

[esco1822]

On 11/17/2018 at 12:22 PM, Fostersmom said:

Jeff said Jenny is constantly forgetting something and she does seem to be just phoning it in at this point. She's not prepared, just looks to be clueless, and more interested in chiming in with random thoughts. For someone not involved, she has a lot of thoughts on how things should be ran. She likes to hang out in the office, get a nice lunch, go on these little trips, get paid, but what is she exactly doing? Cuz it doesn't look like much of anything. And she also needs to realize she's not exactly vital to the workings anymore. She also knows how Jeff is and didn't have an issue when he was raging at others, so to get all butt hurt and decide to sue, yeah, not buying it. 

It's been widely established that Jenni no longer works for Jeff, she works for Bravo so she shows up when she's told she's going to be filming, which includes pretending to actually be Jeff's assistant. She may not be vital to the workings of the office anymore but the powers that be obviously think she's vital to the workings of the show or they would not have kept up this ruse for the last few years. Also, she isn't suing Jeff (though he did once sue her). According to Jeff, Jenni reported him to the production company for verbal abuse, victimization and wrongful termination. According to her, that never happened. I agree with the poster upthread that said Jenni humanizes Jeff though that role is now being filled more by Monroe. I think she's just non-essential in Jeff's life now, in every way. Maybe reporting it to the production company (if that actually happened) is going a little far but really, who can say he hasn't verbally abused her? The evidence of that has been built season after season. This particular episode plants the seeds for the finale and honestly, I don't know what is real in this Flipping Out world anymore and what is staged for publicity. 

Edited November 20, 2018 by esco1822
Found out more info from Jenni's side