OddThomas DipStick

All these years I thought I had no official qualifications whatsoever and it turns out that I've had a Diploma in Taking Stick all along ... well, blow me!

For the sharp ones amongst you, yes, I am alluding to the recent change in employment that seems to have brought with it everything I expected and more, hence the expectant expletive in the previous post.

Most of you will probably be unaware that I have been resisting promotion within the company for coming up to two years now. I can hear you all screaming now: "Why?! Are you crazy?!?!"

Maybe.

However, let me put it to you this way: would you take on a job that had no spec or outline of duties, with no idea if there is a pay increase and with a boss who has blatantly lied to you in the past, put your name on official company documents without either asking or telling you and hasn't paid your expenses for the past six months?

Hmmm, I guess the control freaks amongst you would see this as an opportunity, but the more conservative of us tend to be wary of these things, if only because of bad experiences in the past. Even four sessions with a life coach couldn't convince me that I should take the job*.

After giving a final and decisive "No, thank you!" after Xmas, it came as a bit of a surprise when, on my first day back from the Egypt diving trip, The Boss took me into a quick ten minute meeting and opened it with: "So, about this job. Do you want it?"

Being completely chilled out from the diving, I somewhat blind-sided myself by saying yes.

Dipstick.

Afterwards, I figured that I might as well go ahead with it as he obviously wasn't going to give in until I accepted. So, right up until last Tuesday, we were working on how to structure the company and how best to present these changes to the rest of the team. This resulted in a long, half-day meeting at a nearby hotel where we played SWOT games (unfortunately not SWAT games, which would have been a LOT more fun), and displayed awesome** drawing skills as we interpreted the company as an animal.

Since then, I have discovered three things:
  1. My hours are currently on board a work-rocket with the intention of heading into orbit, hence the rather late hour of this posting

  2. The first unspoken role of a Director is to be a general target for all of the aggression and frustration vented by the staff

  3. I still really, really hate business politics but I'm good at diplomatic e-mails ... once I've had some time to cool down!
Okay, not all of the work I am doing is related to the new job role as I have found myself in the position of having to continue as Web Developer, Systems Developer, Web Designer and Programmer, on projects that have incredibly short deadlines and nobody else in the team currently has the skills to handle.

And I still don't know if there is a payrise coming...


* Despite unprompted denials from my boss and the life coach that there was no ulterior motive, it was apparent by the third session that there was a definite push for me to take the job.
** Awesome for a 2-year-old, that is!


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