The best icon for this entry would be fuming guy, but with a big smile. I'm miffed this morning, but I've got it by the tail....
I was out sick yesterday. (no spend day!! woohoo!!!) In hindsight, I see why my life was bizzare since about Thursday. I was coming down with a flaming sinus infection and my body was sending out all the signs. I just failed to notice them.
In betwen the much needed hours of sleep, I continued to catch up on my reading. Am currently reading "Work Would be Great if it Werent for the People." (650.012?? in the dewey decimal system) Oh how timely. ...grrrrr.....The author talks about developing your evil twin in the workplace and gives advice on when to let them do the talking. At first, it was creepy and seemed unethical. However, she does give sound advice on how office politics are played. Quite honestly, in the situation I find myself, being nice will get me nowhere but squashed under uneeded(sp?) layers of bureacracy. Evil Twin engaged, captain.
I dont plan on doing anything devious/illegal/immoral. I'm just going to point out the obvious to people who have the positional authority to make changes.
Work this morning finds me on a slow burn. However this time its productive. I have my wits about me and am channeling it rather than popping a gasket and getting nowhere.
The drama continues, but I'm armed with more info and a desire to speak up to those who need to hear what I have to say. Learned this morning that the plan is to bring another person in above me as a manager and probalby at a higher pay scale. She would coordinate and assist in some of the projects I am working on. I would be delegating work to her on several of these projects because I am the one who is doing the actual work. Wouldnt that make me the supervisor? And having her in at a pay scale higher than me would be, um, wrong??? Oh, I am going to enjoy this.
BUT THIS IS THE BEST PART!!!!!
A large part of what motivates me to speak so freely to those in income brackets higher than mine is that I went over our finances on Sunday?? night. I found that while I do need to contiue working for several years, we are doing much, much better than I was aware of. I no longer feel quite like I have to cower and beg for my job on a daily basis. Oh how refreshing!!! (this site is creating a monster lol) I think I've already started walking with a swagger. Power to the peasants.
I have to add that in spite of all of this, I feel quite calm. I'm not just flapping in the breeze anymore. I have options and will exercise them. If this woman is hired anyway, I still have options. Will exercise those too. But in the end, I will keep my job and I will continue to do well in it and will continue to report to the guy at the top or someone quite close. What a refreshing change!! Finally, I feel like I'm doing things on my terms.....I'm going to be on clouds for the rest of the day.
I'm so glad to have found this site and am again grateful for everyone who contributes. Thanks so much to all of you!!!
putting it all together - look out
June 7th, 2005 at 05:58 pm
June 7th, 2005 at 09:55 pm 1118177745
June 7th, 2005 at 10:34 pm 1118180086
The one thing I took from the book is that you cant always be nice. I've been in the work force for nearly 20 years and I'm nowhere near where I had hoped to be. Part of its that I dont play the politics and have been at the short end of the stick as a result. The other part is that I really just want to earn enough and leave it all behind. I'm just not the sort to swim with the sharks for a long time. Not much of a water baby period.
I hope you enjoy it...
June 8th, 2005 at 12:18 am 1118186291
I was just talking about this idea the other day with DH. When I was a teacher, I made a lot of waves at noe school and a few enemies. Several other people (older men) in my department (I was a math teacher) were quite unhappy giving me higher level classes to teach, despite my degrees (B.S. in math, Masters in Ed.), etc etc. Anyway, my point is that in retrospect, if I'd played along at their game, paid my dues so to speak, they still wouldn't have given me those classes!! So sometimes you have to do what you have to do, because playing the nice little woman just doesn't cut it. I wish things were based on merit and not chromosomes, but that wasn't the case at that school.
Thanks for letting me vent.
June 8th, 2005 at 02:37 am 1118194674
Women already make only 70% of what men do.
Oh, I wont get started. This is such a sore spot. I could go on and on for pages. But it sounds like you've been there too. The women I work with call it the pp principal. You need to have one to be heard. Otherwise you have to speak twice as loud and say it three times to get your point across. And then you run the risk of being seen as a shrew.
No wonder the Cinderalla myth exists.