What if you had been working on a large, complex project at work that fundamentally changes How Things Are Done? And what if your boss supported you 100%, and your peers were helping you out by trying all the new stuff and helping you make it better? What if the "worker bees" of the department were going out of their way to learn all the new stuff and doing a damn good job with it? And what if the team decided they were ready to implement a portion of the new process? What if you sent a message to the head of your department that contained the plan to go forward, along with a timetable and details, a week ahead of the proposed launch date? And what if that person decided to completely ignore your email, not telling you YES or NO or anything at all? What if your boss manages to get this squeezed into a meeting agenda at the last minute anyway, even though your email requesting to have it discussed in the meeting was completely ignored? What if, after you briefly describe what you are proposing, and someone who hasn't even tried it brings up an objection that isn't really a problem but they don't know that because they haven't tried it? And what if the elite workers who participated in the trial runs said it really isn't a problem? And what if the head of your department uses this objection as an opportunity to bash your vendors' software, kneecapping you and crapping all over the whole project team in the process? What if you held two training sessions for the other elite workers and only a handful bothered to show up (which would not be a big surprise given the obvious lack of support from the Big Chief)? How would you be feeling about your day, your project, your job, and your chances of success?
In possibly unrelated news, my day sucked so much that I poured myself a drink the minute I walked in the door tonight, twelve hours after I left this morning. Good thing these beautiful flowers from PDM are on my desk at work to soothe me and remind me of what is really important:
15 comments:
You have two what look to be at least 19" flat screens and a wood veneer desk top? Just what are you complaining about?
As to the merits of the day, knee-cap the boss, subtly of course.
What if? Well... I'd say you shouldn't worry about it. The odds of all that happening in that particular sequence are fairly slim...
;)
dave - this is the nicest desk I've ever had in my working career. Too bad I have that weird soffit in the middle of my wall taking up space. I've only had the multiple monitors for a week. Ironically, I got them because of a complex project that I might or might not be working on, that might or might not have had a setback today.
ll - long odds are not the same as impossible...
If all that had happened, I'd expect you to be feeling pretty much the way I do every day at my job. Sadly, my workspace is not as inviting as yours, although I do have my wonderful sock monkey calendar on the wall. I also have a department full of co-workers to commiserate with, since we are all completely miserable.
As far as how to respond to such a hypothetical situation, I usually fall back on the tactic you employed, i.e. self-medication. There's also quitting, which I flirt with on a daily basis. And lastly, stage a coup. We're working on that one now.
I would say The Peter Principle was at work in your office when the department manager got promoted to his/her current position.
I would say wait until the economy rebounds a little bit, quit, and perhaps start my own business doing what I wanted to do in the first place. Or hire a hit-man. Either way.
Ugh. Sorry.
I've come to the conclusion that working basically sucks.
What if the poor person this happened to went totally postal and kicked everyone's ass? They'd be justified.
Sorry, Fermi. Nice flowers, you're lucky to have PDM.
Thanks for all the commiseration. My job usually isn't that bad. I like what I do and where I do it. But it was awfully hard to get up and go to work this morning. I felt so deflated.
Today wasn't any better, although it was for different reasons - short staffed + busy, and add to that some technical difficulties. My day started with seeing the blue screen of death (on both monitors!) when I walked into my office. It got worse from there.
Thought you would be used to being unappreciated by now... I guess you thought the career change would make a difference :) We are just worker bees -- I was told just today that what I have been doing DOES NOT MATTER. Why have I been doing it then? Must be some big psychological experiment :)~
They came right out and TOLD you that? Damn, that's cold. At my workplace, I just INFERRED that the top level people didn't give a damn based on their actions.
I guess I have to agree with the self medication, at least for a day. But I guess the bottom line is, we are all bottom feeders when it comes to the big bosses.
A day like that, back in my "working life days" would have warranted a stop at the local pub for probably more than one cup of medicine!
Isn't it strange though that many of those at the upper echelons of the work world often don't have much of a clue as to what the peons do that generally keep the company functioning? Once in a blue moon, you might luck out and get someone as a big boss/supervisor, etc., who knows what's what and actually gives a darn but all too often, they really don't know, really don't care either how much the others struggle and slave.
Hope things improve for you -and soon!
Fermi: What if you had been working on a large, complex project at work that fundamentally changes How Things Are Done? And what if...
MW: I would definitely be looking for another place to work. I suspect there are people like that everywhere, but, if I were you, I certainly wouldn't provide my expertise to self-serving, backstabbing losers like that any more.
As for LL's comment: LOL!! ;-D
This isn't something that is worth leaving the job for. It is disappointing, and yes - annoying. I have taken a "wait and see" attitude this week. So far, things are unfolding in just the way I thought. So tomorrow I will email my boss about pushing back the start date for the new stuff.
And in the meantime, I reshuffled my priorities and am tending to other things first. We'll see what happens.
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