I am continually amazed at the absurdity of corporate life. 3 years ago I ventured into the corporate world as an investigative processor. (Trust me, it's not as exciting as it sounds, but it does sound cool.)
In the time I have been here I have seen a company go from good to rough to down right sad. We have been sold once since I've been here and it was the 3rd or 4th sale in the history of the company.
Our upper management is in chaos and one manager has since resigned after almost 20 years with the company. She didn't like where the company was heading and how they were getting there. (At least that I was told from others that had spoken to her directly.)
My team currently has no supervisor and we are currently reporting to a manager that doesn't respond to email very often and is difficult to get a hold of.
There are rumors everywhere about all sorts of things. In the midst of this there has been little to no communication and what we have found out was due to processors actively asking what was going on instead of management being proactive and keeping us updated with the changes that are going on around us.
How on earth does any corporation intend to function like this long term?
When I first started here I was excited and did what I could to make sure that "the powers that be" knew that I was a strong and dedicated employee. Sure, the honeymoon period has ended. But what this company has taught me is to keep my head down, not draw attention to myself and just let the chips fall where they may. Any attempt to bring to light issues that could easily be fixed are ignored. No good deed goes unpunished here.
I do not like the worker I have become. I still do my job well. I still complete my assignments in a timely manner. But I no longer feel excitement for the company I work for. I no longer feel proud of the work I do. My pay is minimal. My benefits are decent. I am grateful for the vacation time I get (despite the frustration I'm currently going through trying to get time off approved for May, simply because my manager is afraid of what the future might hold and is scared that I won't be here should she need me. She hasn't said this, but all the evidence points towards this. But seriously, I've given 6 months notice for my request, 12/26/2012 to be exact.). I do not like the uncertainty that dwells within me because I see and hear things but don't know what, if any of it, pertains to me and my team. I once aspired to be a supervisor. I have since learned how they are treated. Once you go salary you get screwed. This company, and I'm assuming most, expect salaried employees to be available at all times, to work insane hours, and be at the company's beck and call 24/7. It would take a pretty hefty paycheck for me to buy into all that.
When will corporations start realizing that their employees, the ones that keep the company running in it's core, if it weren't for the grunt work we do, there would be no corporation, are people, humans, with lives and families and responsibilities outside of the work place?
When will corporations realize that we are adults and not children? It amazes me how much micro-managing goes on around here. The internet is so "locked-down" that at times it's difficult to do my job. Most sites are blocked.
On one hand I understand why social media sites are blocked. On the other I don't. Call me a bastard, but it's a few bad apples that make it rough for everyone else. The solution? Fire the bad apples. I am a multi-tasking wiz. I love it. I switch between reading, writing email, checking on my social sites and still can manage to get all my work done in a timely manner and in top quality. This ability keeps me sane. When things started to be blocked at work, I went "nuts". I became depressed. My contact to the outside world was cut off completely and these 8-10 hour work days turned into hell, a slow moving traffic jam.
I have advocated for over a year now to allow us to work from home. What my team does can easily be done anywhere. There is no solid reason to require us to sit in a box for 8-10 hours a day. Working from home would make me a happy employee. Working from home would allow me to better manage my home and work those bizarre hours when the desire hits me to get a few files done. Like when I wake up at 3am wide awake. I could get a good chunk of work done before anyone else wakes up. Ahh, but the argument then becomes how will the company know that I'm doing my job. Well, obviously they'd know by the work I presented to them. If I failed to meet my deadlines, if I failed to complete my files in a timely manner and with high quality, then fire me. There are consequences. I get that. But don't assume that I won't get my work done because of some bad apple that came along once upon a time. There are still those of us out there with work ethics and we should be treated as such. In this corporate world we are treated as though we are guilty.
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