I'VE MOVED!!!!

Just an update that I've moved due to some people saying I needed to get this blog back alive so with the help of...yep, you guessed it my coworkers I now have a dedicated website to Meet My CoWorkers.

You can access it here: www.meetmycoworkers.com and I have some GREAT stories to write about in the coming days/weeks/months - so be on the look-out because I've been taking notes the past few months I've been away from this blog.

Thank you all again for your notes of encouragement and can't wait to see what you think about the new website and future blogs.

TGIF no more!

"Thank GOD its Friday!" - no more. Nope not for me. I'm done with it. Its overrated. Why look forward all week for one day?

Don't stop reading please allow me to explain.

If we take that same energy on the Friday morning and applied it to a Tuesday afternoon do you think the office morale would be better or worse?

I feel it would be better and again please don't stop reading. Let me explain.

Okay here is the scenario: you stroll into the office on Friday morning with one though in your mind, "Its FRIDAY!". That at the end of the day you get two luxury days off to relax or work around the house or whatever it may be. During that Friday morning you are still able to get through the routine and get work done even though its the end of the week. Why? Why are we able to get the same amount of work done on a Friday then on a Monday yet have a better attitude towards it because you'll be off for the weekend?

I have come to conclusion that it is not the matter of getting the weekend away from the cubicle it is the fact of looking forward to something. During the week we all look forward to Friday, "oh Friday can't come soon enough." Admit it, you know you say it or think it throughout the week.

If we can come up with tiny plans throughout the evenings of our work week and make them into adventures then maybe, just maybe, we can have that 'glow' we usually do on Friday.

Okay, quit laughing. I'm serious. Some of the things I've tried is making a movie night outing where I'll rent two movies, get some popcorn, and turn off all the lights. Make it feel like a movie theatre. Yes, I KNOW its not but the point is I'm not trying to spend a lot of money. The way to get that "Friday Feeling" as I like to call it is to during the movie night day look around online for movies that just came on DVD to rent for that night and read the reviews. Get excited about it - or at least try.

Its the little things like this that will allow us to have some type of happiness during the week away from work.

What do you readers suggest - what do you do?

Sick Days

We all have them. We all need them.

Yet for one reason or another we don't use them correctly, well at least my coworkers don't.

*picture this*

Its the middle of November and the air is a little chilly. Beautiful outside but you can see the smokers outside puffing away quickly so they can get back into the heat. Warm coffee in the morning at the desk and hot coco in the afternoon to wrap up the day. A good day when winter rolls around. People are talking about turkey day and the new year in the next few months.

COUGH!

SNEEZE!

HACK!

There it is. You knew it was coming with the title of sick days.

Seriously, you are sick people take the day off and get some rest and come back tomorrow. Yet, what do people REALLY use the sick days for? Do I need to go into detail?

Fine, I will. Now picture this - its mid-May and the summer sunshine is coming through. The grass still has the wet dew and the birds are singing. You wake up and walk out the front door to the partly cloudy morning. You think, "it would be a nice day to take off and relax - I'll use a sick day."

We're all guilty. I know I am. Yet, I always make sure to keep a few days in the back pocket just in caseI get that winter bug that always seems to come around when we least expect it.

So, for the sake of your coworkers keep a few days and don't get us all sick.

Spreadsheet of Doom

As when I introduced my boss to everyone prior I felt the need to write again about him. Although I could have entitled this "Part 2" - I felt the need to only speak on one aspect of what he does and not his entirety as before.


I titled this the "Spreadsheet of Doom" for a particular reason. My boss being the great guy he is (said with sarcasm and insert laugh track here) has put together an Excel spreadsheet for his personal musings.

While I know many bosses do this for the purposes to track vacations and sick days and make sure that not everyone is taking off during labor day week. This is where my boss differs and to be honest its very quite funny.


Instead of putting it in a simple calendar to shows whose off work he will just put down each persons name and the date they are off.


Okay - nothing wrong with that but lets dig a little deeper shall we?


He also puts in there if there are any individuals that are tardy. Yes, I said TARDY. Tardy as in late a few minutes. Not hours. MINUTES. I'm not talking 30 minutes here people. I'm talking 5-
7 minutes.


He will actually add these 'tardies' up and count that against any employee.


Okay, remember how I said its pretty funny earlier? Well, right about now your thinking, "Its really not that funny and to be honest its a little mean."


Being the omnipotent boss he is as he does this terrific spreadsheet - we make sure to do one for him. In the last 8 months he has been sick 3 days, vacation a total of 16 days, and tardy around the time frame of 1500 hours which is actually 25 days. Almost a full month.

So, lets add that up shall we? 16 + 3 + 25 = 44. That's 44 days people. That's like not working a FULL month AND then some.

There is your funny part. How do you like that?

Apparently he misheard the ever-so-famous quote we all hear growing up, "Do as I Do" rather in this case, "Do as I say"

The "Kiss-up"

I still don't get why exactly there has to be a brown noser in every job I've been at. Seriously people - STOP IT!

I'm tired of it.

Actually, in all seriousness I'd like to do some sort of physco-analysis of these type of people to see what exactly is wrong with them.

Did their parents not give them enough praise?
Do they base their happiness off the praise they get from a boss?
Do they really feel they are making a difference kissing up to their superior?

Either way I think it would be interesting to get to the point in that coworkers life where they 'sub-'consensually said they would be a kiss-up. You all know the types so please don't act like I'm all alone here.

The ones that blow small situations out of the water so they can look like the mighty hero to the boss. While, the whole time everyone in the office looks at them and snickers (no not the candy - the laugh). Then afterwards all gather around another coworkers cubicle to "discuss" what they heard so-and-so said to the boss.

I get along with my boss - for the most part. I mean he is extremely forgetful and doesn't follow through on things. He's hardly a good manager...well, okay I 'tolerate' him and we get by - if that's safe to say.

Nonetheless, I don't go yapping to him to about a small problem that might arise about a misunderstanding between our company and client. He doesn't need to deal with that. Better yet I really don't need to waste my time talking with him about it only to hear those four famous words, "Take care of it."

Oh, such wisdom.

Okay, cut the sarcasm but you get the point. Why run to him when you know in all realty he could care and it just shows how little you have to do in your job? My thinking just developed to the perspective of the possibility these 'type' of individuals that do in fact suck up have no sense of job security of they feel they do but they do not hence the kissing up.

What are you thoughts about this?

Operations

In business I've found there are several types of categories. There's the office personnel, the management, sales staff, and then theirs the operations.

Operations are usually stuck in the warehouse doing their "thing". They move the boxes, use the forklift, and then there's the music. The music is the best part I've found.

Looking at the computer screen for more than 3 hours straight can be depressing and can hurt your eyes. Answering emails and phone calls can ruin your day without a proper walk about break.

This is the operations spot. Walking down to the warehouse and listening to the music of choice (usually either old rock and roll or today's pop music) for the day. Its a nice break from the reports and projects we all work on.

However, have any of you blog readers ever done this either to relax or go back there for a smoke to find out that their really is no common ground between operations and those that work in the office? I can speak with them about everything BUT work. They don't know the other (office) people and they certainly are not aware the head boss. They only see him maybe 4 times a week and its usually mocked up to keep up "morale". So, going to the warehouse and letting out your frustrations about the boss goes with out warrant.

Try this next time if you haven't already seen this. Go to warehouse and talk to the guys (and/or girls now) about their family and misc things but ask about the boss and you will hear nothing but the kindest about them.

Feel free to post up your thoughts and your scenarios.

Sales!

In a business driven by sales and the common knowledge that a salesperson could actually make some nice money in any given time one would think someone in that type of position would be eager to sell.

Yeah, me too.

Meet My Coworkers introduces the sales staff.

Usually salespeople are energetic and have the type A personality. Personally I like it. They always have some interesting story to talk about. The way they can develop their latest sales meeting with a client and the ups and downs. The imagery they use to describe how their pitch is - is well, short of amazing. Yet, of course I speak only on those talented salespeople.

Then there are the ones where they let the "no" sway their mood. Its as if they had just lost their puppy and can't stand to pick up the phone to save his live. Yeah, its THAT depressing. I'm still not sure why these type of people have the positions they have, but hey who am I?

Now, before people start commenting on that a sales position is tough. Yes, I understand - I get that. What I don't get is how a few no's (i mean a FEW) can switch someone in that position into a downward spiral of misery. I personally don't even want to say "hi" to those people because I end up hearing, "oh, lets hope so - I'm still waiting on hearing back from (insert client name) but its not looking good."

AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh...I DON'T CARE!!!

I am the type of individual that will listen to your pains. I will listen to your struggles, your trials and even your tribulations. What I will not listen to is your whiny attitude that brings down the morale of the rest of the people I work with. I don't put up stuff with that because its contagious more than the flu.

Instead of ignoring these type of people I've tried to put my smile and cheer them up but...no, it doesn't work. So, PLEASE if you have any personal opinions on how to 'help' these people or even help me COPE with them - LET ME KNOW!