It is the end of a very grueling work week. I'm currently listening to some light-and-breezy Dave Brubeck. I'm just going to pour out my thoughts as they come to me. I apologize in advance if any of this is about you or offends you.
I can't remember the last time I was this tired of work. I have been so frustrated by my job lately and my cries of help go unanswered. I'm not like this... I don't usually yell at people when I'm at the office. I don't usually make stupid mistakes. But when the pressure is on and they keep piling then it's very hard to control.
We have made a running joke out of the fact that we suck at communication. It's true. It doesn't matter what tools we get to help in this process we just don't communicate, as a company. Here are some helpful hints:
1. When I'm done with your project and I hand you back the paperwork, don't tell me "Oh, there's something I forgot to tell you..."
2. Tell me as much as you can up front. I'd rather have too much information than not enough.
3. Stay focused. When we get to talking about your grandmother's hat size -- we're clearly off the tracks and have veered into la-la land.
4. Work should end somewhere around 5:30. Don't bring me two hours worth of work at 5:20.
5. Control your client's expectations. Don't deliver a promise to them and then expect me to deliver it.
6. Don't confuse fast with easy. I work fast so that I can focus on things I actually walked in thinking I could get done today. Silly me.
7. I know there are things you don't want to tell me but don't hem-and-haw waiting to break the bad news to me. Rip off that band-aid and let the healing begin. That's why they pay me the big bucks.
8. I pull off miracles every day of my working life yet I probably don't get the votes when it comes to 'employee of the year'. See that this changes next year.
9. Don't stand there with your purse in hand, jacket on, keys rattling and ask me if I need help with anything. It's so obvious that you want to go and I'll be in the office for the next few hours. Just go home.
10. The president of the company will always buy that last-minute first-class fare to California (an $1800 tab) and then complain that we're using too many pencils. He has nothing else to think about while driving his incredibly expensive car or breaking the laptop he has no business buying. As long as he signs the checks and they don't bounce, I don't care if he walks around naked down the hallways.
11. Y'know... sometimes I just need to think. If I'm looking at the ceiling and mumbling to myself then don't ask me "are you busy?" or "can I ask you a question?" -- you didn't really give me a chance to say 'no', did you?
12. Women: If you're bent over so I can see either your bra or underwear -- I'm gonna look. If I'm comfortable enough with you, I'm probably going to say something. Deal with it.
13. She got a new computer because she's hot and you're ugly. Okay? Is that what you want to hear?
14. The computers are slow. Enough with the passive aggressive comments in my general direction.
As you can tell, it's been a really frustrating week. All I'm doing is making myself madder. I was hoping this would vent some anger but it's pretty much going in the wrong direction.
Learn from this.
I can't remember the last time I was this tired of work. I have been so frustrated by my job lately and my cries of help go unanswered. I'm not like this... I don't usually yell at people when I'm at the office. I don't usually make stupid mistakes. But when the pressure is on and they keep piling then it's very hard to control.
We have made a running joke out of the fact that we suck at communication. It's true. It doesn't matter what tools we get to help in this process we just don't communicate, as a company. Here are some helpful hints:
1. When I'm done with your project and I hand you back the paperwork, don't tell me "Oh, there's something I forgot to tell you..."
2. Tell me as much as you can up front. I'd rather have too much information than not enough.
3. Stay focused. When we get to talking about your grandmother's hat size -- we're clearly off the tracks and have veered into la-la land.
4. Work should end somewhere around 5:30. Don't bring me two hours worth of work at 5:20.
5. Control your client's expectations. Don't deliver a promise to them and then expect me to deliver it.
6. Don't confuse fast with easy. I work fast so that I can focus on things I actually walked in thinking I could get done today. Silly me.
7. I know there are things you don't want to tell me but don't hem-and-haw waiting to break the bad news to me. Rip off that band-aid and let the healing begin. That's why they pay me the big bucks.
8. I pull off miracles every day of my working life yet I probably don't get the votes when it comes to 'employee of the year'. See that this changes next year.
9. Don't stand there with your purse in hand, jacket on, keys rattling and ask me if I need help with anything. It's so obvious that you want to go and I'll be in the office for the next few hours. Just go home.
10. The president of the company will always buy that last-minute first-class fare to California (an $1800 tab) and then complain that we're using too many pencils. He has nothing else to think about while driving his incredibly expensive car or breaking the laptop he has no business buying. As long as he signs the checks and they don't bounce, I don't care if he walks around naked down the hallways.
11. Y'know... sometimes I just need to think. If I'm looking at the ceiling and mumbling to myself then don't ask me "are you busy?" or "can I ask you a question?" -- you didn't really give me a chance to say 'no', did you?
12. Women: If you're bent over so I can see either your bra or underwear -- I'm gonna look. If I'm comfortable enough with you, I'm probably going to say something. Deal with it.
13. She got a new computer because she's hot and you're ugly. Okay? Is that what you want to hear?
14. The computers are slow. Enough with the passive aggressive comments in my general direction.
As you can tell, it's been a really frustrating week. All I'm doing is making myself madder. I was hoping this would vent some anger but it's pretty much going in the wrong direction.
Learn from this.