Just a Typical Work Day

With coffee in hand, I come into a dark office floor.  The darker it is when I arrive, the happier I am. It means I can get through my email in peace as I drink my coffee and look at the news online.   Lights on in the office means someone is here to “damage my calm” to use a Jayne phrase (see Firefly series for the reference).

Today – no one was here, and I logged into the network and sipped my dark roast while I started going through email in peace.

Kinda.

Everything is having problems. Nothing got done overnight.  And the questions – ah, the questions – I should have known they would not read the responses and act accordingly.  On an email where my cohort in production support said “yeah, you’ll have to do your testing in XYZ environment”, I get an email from my team saying “So which environment should we do our testing in?”  Uhm…..seriously?!?

And that – that should have been my hint about my day – when I had to point out that the email already gave them the info – then reiterate it.

After going through emails, I went to my usual Tuesday meeting.  It’s a big one with the CIO and other areas that owe work to the system.  My piece is small compared to their pieces, so I usually sit, listen, and give my 2 min update if needed.  Today was special though – today we all got yelled at – and I called out as one of the ones “not delivering”.

Before I make the snarky comment that sums up my response to these situations, I should mention that I think it is a sign of shitty leadership and management if you do not address the specific issues with those employees having them – directly.  Speaking in vague generalities and using the concept that if one is a problem, you all are – is just cowardly and stupid.  Address the fucking issues directly.  Yelling at everyone results in the people who are working their asses off to deliver to stop working their asses off.  And the problem children will think its everyone else and continue to be the problem.

So back to my snarky approach – why didn’t it bug me? Because my ego prevents me from listening to it in situations like that.   I silently roll my eyes and ignore it.

After the meeting, I went back to my desk….but….

Every.Ten.Minutes – I had someone at my desk this morning.  We use Skype. We use email.  And while they would use both – they would then have to run down and confirm what they read or wrote to me.  In some cases, the email wouldn’t even have arrived in my inbox before they were there.

UGH!

I hit a point where I stopped taking out my earbuds when they were talking to me.  I was too annoyed.  Let me listen to my music and do my own work.  Good lord!  I had 33 project plans to update with information from three different sources.  Then I had a master status plan to update for a 2pm meeting.  I wanted to ask my “children” if they could all entertain themselves.  Mom needs to get some work done.

But no such luck.  It was only thanks to lunch that I got anything done.

The dark floor I was greeted with this morning – the dark floor that gives me reassurance that the day will be off to a good start.  I guess it would have only been that way had it stayed dark all day.

And the fun part of this alll? Tomorrow, I get to do this all over again.

yep – that summarizes me today.

What do you think?

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