Confrontation coming on�

2003-08-08

Ahh, the weirdness abounds.

I had the most blatant example of someone blaming me for their faults that I've ever seen.

I don't hesitate to say it, I'm not as good a person as I want to be. On a much smaller scale, I'm not the employee I want to be.

I always strive to give my employer a good deal. I come in a bit early. I stay a bit late. I don't take breaks. I really try to be worth my pay. That's the deal, no matter who/how/what you work for. Both of the parties have to be satisfied with the deal.

I honestly do my best. My job, in the most basic terms, is making the work of the other people in the company I work for easier. But, for crying out loud, how can I be expected to do something I was never asked to do?

One of the bosses I work for said something that made me uncomfortable in the first week I worked on my own.

She, my only woman boss, said, "You should pick up the mail in the mail box and put it in my 'In Box.'

I, already insecure, said 'Yes. I do that whenever there's mail.'

She said she'd 'Had trouble' getting her mail.' Even before I started. I was puzzled. I was bored enough at that point that I was delivering the mail the instant the mail cart was three feet away from the delivery point.

After a single week of training, I was totally afraid I was doing everything wrong.

At the beginning of my fourth week, the same manager told me I should bring her her phone messages right away, as she 'Hadn't been getting some of her messages for several hours.'

Again, I looked at her, I'm sure with the stupidest expression on my face.

I don't trust myself that much. If I get a phone message I give it to the person right away. I would never remember to do it an hour from now.

Today, she got a message. Right before I went to lunch. She was still in her office, but she was on the phone. I put the message in the slot before I went to lunch. When I came back, it was still there.

At least I thought it was. But. . . I would have to look at the message to see if was the same one I had taken.

As a courtesy, I put the blank side of the message paper out. So that everyone walking by can't read the message. I wouldn't want everyone walking by to read my phone messages.

Until today, I never worried about phone messages. How freakin' inatentive do you have to be to not see the signs hangin' right outside your door?

She, after the message had been hanging outside her door for a couple of hours,looked at the clip, snatched up the message, glared at me, and walked to the other manager's door.

I watched. How could I not? She waved and gesticulated. I felt bad. What should I be doing that I hadn't been doing?

She came back out and passed beside me. I said, "Should I tell you when someone has called and I've left a message? Because I left a message a while ago and I'm not sure you got it."

She said, "You should leave messages right away!" Then, "Tell me if I have a message."

I don't actually care what she wants me to do. I'll do it. It's not hard. Just, for crying out loud, don't expect me to do something you haven't told me to do.

Oooh. I feel a confrontation coming on.

I like this company, for the most part. But not enough

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