The truth's beginning to emerge.
Not that it comes even close to the Other Place (with Micrmngr Boss Bitch), but I've noticed some issues lately, now that I've been there for almost four weeks.
As much as I really do like and respect my immediate supervisor, she's not in the office very often. She has two very young kids, so there are many late mornings or early afternoons to tend to them for various reasons. She doesn't come in on Mondays (works from home), and then goes to a branch office on Tuesdays. I have absolutely no problem with any of that, except that she isn't very available to ask questions or pick her brain about things. Even when she is in the office, she's not the greatest communicator about work matters. She talks very fast, tends to be very busy, and provides only partial information, as I will discover after the fact. I've had to pretty much figure things out on my own, or with the help of others in different offices (or the other marketing coordinator in our office, but she hasn't been around much, either -- more on that in a bit).
There is one particular thing I'm about to pull my hair out about. It's something that has been a thorn in my side for the last three jobs I've had -- which has been since email has become an everyday tool. I personally love email. I make a point to keep them short and to the point and I will itemize or outline questions or information I'm trying to relay so it's easy for the recipient. You can theoretically communicate the exact same thing to several pertinent people at the same time, you have written documentation of what you've written for PYA (protecting your ass!), and I tend to keep a file of emails relating to each particular project (proposal) so the communications that have taken place are right at my fingertips, which I find necessary because the information can flow at warp speed, and change in a blink of an eye. What I find so incredibly frustrating is that PEOPLE DON'T READ. I have to assume that they do -- that when we later discuss proposal elements that they are in the know based on what I sent them via email! But I swear that nine times out of ten, they haven't read my email, or they skimmed it and didn't pay much attention.
"This is what I need from you: 1), 2), 3)." Or "I've placed these completed files called ACME RESUMES on the F drive for you to print."
And so what do I get? "Uhm, Tonya, I printed those ACME files and they weren't the right ones -- they were for an older project." Of course I immediately think I'm the one who screwed up and suffer a panic attack. But no -- turns out she didn't check the F drive because she hadn't read that far! Or the phone call, "Tonya? Where are you at with this proposal?" "I'm moving forward, but I really do need that information I requested from you before I can wrap up this section." "What information?" "Didn't you receive my email?" (Thinking I'd screwed up and sent it to the wrong person! Panic attack again!) But no. "Oh, I missed that one. Let's see..." And then skims it out loud over the phone on my time that I could be productive instead, and even then skips over Item #2. I mean JEEZ. Most of these folks are college graduates. Have they not learned how to read along the way? Or comprehend? Or pay attention? I think about what a time-waster it is. Read the damned email, comprehend it, and respond to it! All of it! (And like I mentioned, I do not make novels out of my emails. I want/need them to be read and I make it absolutely as simple as I possibly can!) How many mistakes and miscommunications and how much wasted time occurs on a regular basis -- throughout the world because of this? I don't believe these past three companies I've worked for are unique. Of course they're engineering firms, a common denominator. But even some of the marketing and admin people fall short on this. Yes, we're busy. But I make a point to read my emails -- thoroughly! (Even if they're novels...) It's information that I know I'll need to know.
OK. Breathe, Tonya.
The other marketing coordinator in our office has a lot of personal problems. She's also a talker. She'll come to my cube and park for an hour or so and talk about her personal problems. Me being me...I'm an empathetic listener. If I'm truly under the gun, I have no problem saying so, but if I'm not, well. I listen. I'll call her "Jan". She has a special-needs 4-1/2 year-old adopted son who apparently has some very severe behavioral (among other) issues. She took all of last week off in order to tend to some psychological testing, special diet arrangements, medical appointments, and orientation for yet another childcare provider (the 10th in 8 months!) I can totally imagine how stressful and frustrating this is, and she's no spring chicken to be dealing with this kind of angst. But apparently our boss (Ms. Tongue Stud) really gave her a hard time about taking the week off to tend to these matters, and told her that she'd had a talk with HR and that the consensus was that "you need to make sure that these issues get completely resolved during the week you're off." Well, that about sent "Jan" over the edge. Or else....what? She loses her job? The issues with her son aren't a "light-switch-tidily-wrap-it-up" type of thing. And Ms. Tongue Stud takes plenty of time off to take her young daughters to Circ Du Soleil and music lessons and what-have-you. And no, we don't earn overtime in our jobs, but we work it, and the philosophy is that it balances out because you can take time off when need be. Jan has over 30 hours of OT, in addition to plenty of sick leave and vacation. And what about that Family Leave law? And yet she's given a hard time? Well, she had to vent today, and I certainly heard about it. It was disheartening to hear about. She made statements such as, "It's hard to sit in these job interviews [like mine...] and hear all this bullshit spouted about family values and work-life balance and to know the truth -- that it applies to some people, but not all."
Sigh.
I'm keeping an open mind, though. Some folks tend to have a dark cloud over their heads at all times, and I suspect Jan is one of those folks. It may be as a result of truly unfortunate circumstances, bad choices along the way, who knows? But I also know that it's human nature for others to grow weary of it, regardless what the reasons are. And business is cold-hearted, regardless what kind of propaganda they spout. The bottom line requires cold-heartedness.
I really need to make a point to buy a lottery ticket every week.
