Strange Notations From a Laborious Life

“Now is the winter of our discontent”. So wrote Shakespeare. Or whoever it was claiming to be Shakespeare. But that is another conspiracy theory for another time.
I could say that “now is the spring of our discontent” at Australia Post.
Everyone seems to be backbiting at each other, or at the very least unhappy with their lives at good old CMC.
On Wednesday, the first three people I met were either swearing, crying or generally upset at the circumstances pervading the place. It has made for a sombre situation and as I sit here in the morning light with the sun flowing over my atrociously overgrown backyard, I feel the dread beginning to overtake me like a drowning man being carried away in a watery maelstrom at the thought of having to drag myself in again for one final assault on the mail for this week.
A friend of mine who regularly reads my blog sent me a message recently suggesting that I should forget writing about AP as we know they are evil and concentrate on the positives and I tried it for a week. Consequently I haven’t been able to think of much to write about!
I think being able to vent a little about things that are annoying is a great way to soothe the nerves and return myself to a even strain and go to work today and get through without insulting anyone.
Our new manager is driving us crazy! He is forever on the floor, talking to people, checking things out, no doubt keeping an eye out on procedures and looking for ways that we can be more constructive and efficient.
He has already looked to make his mark by banning coffee from the floor, a totally pointless decision in my opinion, and procuring a new area for smokers out the back, away from any prying eyes who may peruse the front steps as they drive past or any shocked visitors who may never have seen anyone having a quick fag a out the front of their workplace before.
At some point all this attention gets a little too intrusive and one wishes that he would find some paprework to do and buzz off and leave us to get on with it.
I suppose at the very least he is a new broom and if he cleans up some of the detrius of the last two fools we had as facility managers then perhaps sometime in the near future we may be able to proclaim that he has done some good. We shall wait and see.
The staff attitude survey results have recently come in and they are the worst in the history of such surveys which should tell the brass something about the capacity of the managers they have been employing in Canberra for the last few years. The ACT results were so bad that they actually dragged down the overall figures for NSW!
It does seem that they never learn their lessons though. Our regional manager who is based at CMC when asked about what shifts could be expected to be employed at the long awaited parcel centre told our union rep that if people wanted a job they should be prepared to work later. Management seems to have learnt nothing about looking after their staff’s needs in an industry where manpower and boots on the ground is still very important.
No cutting of slack for those who have worked for AP for over 20 years, are interested in working at the parcel centre but don’t want to start at 4.30pm. The management will hang themselves given enough rope.
So things are pretty much running as usual at CMC. The usual backbiting and finger pointing from those who like to do such things, complaining about others lack of work ethic when their own is usually below par. The boredom and monotony, the constant looking at the clock, hoping it has progressed a little farther along it’s never ending journey than it had the last time you dared to look which you suddenly realise wasn’t that long ago.
A little less than two months to go to Christmas. Then for me it’s gravy for a while, 5 weeks holiday and I’m looking to tack a little more long service leave onto that. Then it will be all sails set for New Zealand for a while and then some relaxing home time, walking in the Fadden Hills or riding my bike everyday. I may not go back to CMC! I don’t think I shall have such luck. Till next time.