At Work

That order I didn't do came in yesterday.


I've worked on it for two days and I still don't have it out.

I have come to the place with all the pressure that is being put on us to do so much in so little time-- and what makes it stressful is that it's all connected to arbitrary DEADLINES-- to just go to work with the attitude that I will do the best possible job I can do every day. And when the time comes to leave, I'll leave and let those in charge figure out how to make it all work.

I took a look at my new book and noticed that I now have a record number of items in my department--8795. Add five and I'll be up to 8,900 and I have to do it all by myself.

And with people all around me fussing, fussing, fussing about not getting enough help. (W-e-l-l, homeboy.... tough.) Today the person on one side of me in Cards and Party finished her freight and had decided to go to the clearance area and mark down the C&P clearance because there was a note on the time clock that said it all had to be marked down by tomorrow. She hadn't been there long 'til the crafts person called the manager. (This is stuff you can hear over the intercom.) Next step. Manager had the C&P person call him and he told her to help crafts get her freight out.

That did NOT go over. She was working wisely she thought to get done what she would have to have done before she does her order tomorrow and she was pulled away to help someone else who didn't mind fussing about the situation.

I happen to be between them. And I could have used help too. But help is scarce. All we are hearing is, Cut hours...and work faster.

I did say, when I walked into the breakroom today, after reading that notice, "Giving me a raise does NOT make me a magician."

The last incident I had was when I didn't get anything done on that set and they found out that I hadn't the day before it was due.

You've NOT DONE ANYTHING?!!!
NO.

Why didn't you tell us?

I thought-- but did not say, "Because I thought you people who have us turn in all these figures about how much we're getting done daily, might actually LOOK AT THEM and know that I was NOT turning in any percentage of completion."

My biggest grievance was that they were keeping me so late on Wednesdays to get out freight that I was running late for church.

That has worked itself out to a great degree. They finally realized that if the order is so huge I'm not going to get it out even if I stay, then I might as well come in early on Thursday and work on it.

My former managers used to keep a check on all of us. They weren't so involved in their own doings that they never came around to see how things were going. I got used to management that realized what was needed in each department and shifted help around as needed to take care of what was coming in. These new ones we have now are not doing that.

Since I would be able to communicate with the former management-- when they came around-- then they would know right where I stood with everything that I "had on my plate". Now, if I talk to them, I'm the one who has to make the effort to communicate. That's really not that easy because they are pulled in so many directions doing so many things that communication lines are not easy to establish. I miss those opportunities to keep them informed. I feel very much isolated from this new management team.

So, I will just do the work I have to do as diligently as I can do it. And will try to remember to keep them informed about what is going on since they are not coming to me.