There are times in everyone’s life I’m sure when you step back from your given position, gaze on the world at large through the prism of your own personal reality and wonder “what the hell is going on?!”
I had a moment such as this last night as the minutes ground down at my place of work and scurrilous rumour, like a rat in a sinking ship hustled through the halls, biting and infecting those it came across, the resultant infection creeping across the work floor like a virus mutating across the land.
The “floor dwellers” at my place of employment are conveniently kept in the dark about most of the large scale plans mooted for our workplace. I kid you not, trying to get real time information from the great minds upstairs is like trying to extract nuclear codes from the KGB!
I’m not sure what their problem is or the real reason for the secrecy but it totally unnecessary. Playing with our future’s and not deeming to tell us about it until it is too late hardly endears you to anyone at the best of times let alone when uncertainty abounds and trust in your fellow man is in short supply.
Is it part of a culture that has embedded itself in management technique over the years that is hard to expunge? Is it a sensitivity to probable criticism and a thin skin which is the problem? Do they feel that giving directions from on high enables them to look down on and ignore those they perceive as inferior? I don’t know. But it certainly affects morale and the interaction between the two working arms of the centre becomes icy and distrustful in such circumstances.
The power of the union has risen in the last five years at our station much to the annoyance of the management and they can’t figure out why. As our union rep says, “they created me!”, and he ain’t half wrong!
Someone suggested to me last night that the management resembles Maxwell Smart’s “Control” operation and I replied that it is more like “Kaos”, Control’s arch nemesis and a very appropriate term for them.
My comrade went one further and said he thought replacing the sign out the front with one that read “Fort Courage”, home of of course to TV’s “F Troop” was more apt. I couldn’t agree more!
I won’t go into details of the events which have left us flabbergasted but it is enough to say that there are huge changes coming to our work station and blind Freddy could tell that the powers that be were in over their heads when it came to establishing the new arrangements.
For five years they have been telling us the new system is but weeks away from being established, much to our disbelief most of the time and it has become a case of the “boy who cried wolf’. We hardly believe them anymore.
Finally it looked like it would happen. We were told “two weeks” and the new world will be upon us. Staff had been earmarked to attend the new facility, work was being done which would enable it happen, physically and logistically. All systems were “go”, apparently, despite the obvious stupidity in opening the new place in November, right in the teeth of our busiest period.
Then last night, after a meeting with the union, we found out all bets are off. The rumour is that the new place won’t open until January at least, a sensible decision but one even the lowliest cleaner could see was right although it seemed to escape the mental clutches of those who matter. It also seems, after viewing the new facility, many of those who had volunteered are seeking redress, wanting to pull out of the new venture and stay where they are and I don’t blame them given the half witted, unprofessional conduct of those authorized to solicit these changes.
Now this is all only rumour and I will no doubt have it confirmed or denied when I attend work today but it is obvious that something has gone down and the cart has gone off the rails for some reason. I can only shake my head and wonder how much worse it can get.
We all joke about our workplace at times and proclaim that the powers that be don’t know what they are doing even though we may be the ones who are wrong. But I must say it appears that these guys really don’t know what they are doing!
I realize they are only taking orders from a higher power too and the responsibility for this type of fiasco must rest with the executive who plainly don’t understand the logistical problems of implementing such a plan in a mid size city like Canberra and won’t be dissuaded from their goal, imaginative and flexible thinking seemingly out of their reach. But, the people we interact with are hardly endearing themselves to us through their own conduct and I really do wonder how all this fuddle will end up. It truly is a mess.
Of course I must hope that anyone reading this today who is linked to me through my place of employment will keep it to themselves as the social media policy is very clear. “Don’t crap on your employer!” And fair enough too. But sometimes when stupidity reigns the opportunity to vent is just too good to pass up. I’m sure those in the know will keep my grumbling to themselves and I thank them.
And so the journey continues and I can’t tell you where it will end up. The “floor dwellers” have the tiger by the tail and can only go where it takes us. Let’s hope we don’t end up on the scrap heap!
Have a nice day.
I had a moment such as this last night as the minutes ground down at my place of work and scurrilous rumour, like a rat in a sinking ship hustled through the halls, biting and infecting those it came across, the resultant infection creeping across the work floor like a virus mutating across the land.
The “floor dwellers” at my place of employment are conveniently kept in the dark about most of the large scale plans mooted for our workplace. I kid you not, trying to get real time information from the great minds upstairs is like trying to extract nuclear codes from the KGB!
I’m not sure what their problem is or the real reason for the secrecy but it totally unnecessary. Playing with our future’s and not deeming to tell us about it until it is too late hardly endears you to anyone at the best of times let alone when uncertainty abounds and trust in your fellow man is in short supply.
Is it part of a culture that has embedded itself in management technique over the years that is hard to expunge? Is it a sensitivity to probable criticism and a thin skin which is the problem? Do they feel that giving directions from on high enables them to look down on and ignore those they perceive as inferior? I don’t know. But it certainly affects morale and the interaction between the two working arms of the centre becomes icy and distrustful in such circumstances.
The power of the union has risen in the last five years at our station much to the annoyance of the management and they can’t figure out why. As our union rep says, “they created me!”, and he ain’t half wrong!
Someone suggested to me last night that the management resembles Maxwell Smart’s “Control” operation and I replied that it is more like “Kaos”, Control’s arch nemesis and a very appropriate term for them.
My comrade went one further and said he thought replacing the sign out the front with one that read “Fort Courage”, home of of course to TV’s “F Troop” was more apt. I couldn’t agree more!
I won’t go into details of the events which have left us flabbergasted but it is enough to say that there are huge changes coming to our work station and blind Freddy could tell that the powers that be were in over their heads when it came to establishing the new arrangements.
For five years they have been telling us the new system is but weeks away from being established, much to our disbelief most of the time and it has become a case of the “boy who cried wolf’. We hardly believe them anymore.
Finally it looked like it would happen. We were told “two weeks” and the new world will be upon us. Staff had been earmarked to attend the new facility, work was being done which would enable it happen, physically and logistically. All systems were “go”, apparently, despite the obvious stupidity in opening the new place in November, right in the teeth of our busiest period.
Then last night, after a meeting with the union, we found out all bets are off. The rumour is that the new place won’t open until January at least, a sensible decision but one even the lowliest cleaner could see was right although it seemed to escape the mental clutches of those who matter. It also seems, after viewing the new facility, many of those who had volunteered are seeking redress, wanting to pull out of the new venture and stay where they are and I don’t blame them given the half witted, unprofessional conduct of those authorized to solicit these changes.
Now this is all only rumour and I will no doubt have it confirmed or denied when I attend work today but it is obvious that something has gone down and the cart has gone off the rails for some reason. I can only shake my head and wonder how much worse it can get.
We all joke about our workplace at times and proclaim that the powers that be don’t know what they are doing even though we may be the ones who are wrong. But I must say it appears that these guys really don’t know what they are doing!
I realize they are only taking orders from a higher power too and the responsibility for this type of fiasco must rest with the executive who plainly don’t understand the logistical problems of implementing such a plan in a mid size city like Canberra and won’t be dissuaded from their goal, imaginative and flexible thinking seemingly out of their reach. But, the people we interact with are hardly endearing themselves to us through their own conduct and I really do wonder how all this fuddle will end up. It truly is a mess.
Of course I must hope that anyone reading this today who is linked to me through my place of employment will keep it to themselves as the social media policy is very clear. “Don’t crap on your employer!” And fair enough too. But sometimes when stupidity reigns the opportunity to vent is just too good to pass up. I’m sure those in the know will keep my grumbling to themselves and I thank them.
And so the journey continues and I can’t tell you where it will end up. The “floor dwellers” have the tiger by the tail and can only go where it takes us. Let’s hope we don’t end up on the scrap heap!
Have a nice day.
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 