Work Disclaimer
Thursday, September 08, 2005
I may have to discontinue blogging at work. Today, my boss came into my office to discuss two things: (1) I needed a white shirt on hand in case any clients stop by. I have no problem with this suggestion. In fact, I have an "emergency suit and tie" at the office already. I do feel stupid, though, as this implied that my recent attire (a dark wine-colored dress shirt) that I wore yesterday was too casual for client contact. My boss did say, however, that casual is generally okay. Criticism accepted.
(2) I need to cut down on personal calls. I didn't realize this was a problem, but according to my boss, a support staff complained. My money is on the receptionist, who fiance Kim believes was getting annoyed whenever she called. Regardless, this, too, I will keep in check.
The problem is adjusting. In my old job, personal calls were unfettered. You had your own direct line, and the office was large, so no one even noticed whether you were on the phone. That is not the case here. Adjusting is key. I will adjust.
I just have difficulty accepting criticism. I know that I need to change this too. When I am being told that I need to change something, I just don't know how to respond. I nod and say "absolutely", and I mean it. But I also feel like I give off a blank stare to the talker.
Now, since I knew that this office keeps tab on email and voicemail (and now frequency of personal calls), I will change my online behaviors. I will try to stop any non-work related WWW activity. I think I might have ADD, because I am most comfortable when I am jumping around doing a lot of things. This inevitably leads to an openned web page that really just sits in the background while I grind away at whatever task is actually at hand. While I do not know how much of this is being watched, I MUST stop it. I am not in a position where I can dictate my style of work. I have to play ball.
With that in mind, if anyone from my office is reading this via a list of sites I visited, I ask for your understanding. Everything is getting done. I just have an odd style of doing it. But, as I've said, this will change and I will adjust.
Oh, and no poker content. Sorry.
posted by Jordan @ 9:05 AM,
8 Comments:
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At 10:01 AM,
GaryC said...
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J,
You are right, some times we all have to suck it up and listen to "the man." Been there, done that.
If my work ever says anything about my blogging, I may have to find a new job.
G -
At 10:19 AM,
Joaquin "The Rooster" Ochoa said...
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I think you should stay away from the Dwarfs Blog...that guy can kill up to two hours of work time if you go through a post
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At 10:37 AM,
said...
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Most of the time I post to my blog via email. I have a generic email setup and my send posts to that address once it gets there wordpress takes over and does the rest.
As far as personal calls that sucks I call the wife a few times throughout the day. That would annoy me to death if someone said to stop that.
My feeling is your receptionist (aka nurse) probably wishes their husband/boyfriend called them as much and paid attention to them. And no direct number to your office whats up with that??? Thats is so 80's must be a law office thing. My theory is recommend to the boss that you can save costs by ditching the receptionist. Make your own coffee err I mean copies, file your own stuff and outsource your billing, and allow direct phonecalls. You would be a hero!
I guess its a pet peave of mine when people start to micro manage. ie monitor phonecalls, watch web use, watch when you arrive/leave work. My theory is if your work is getting done and done correctly here should be no issue. And nobody is complaining. -
At 10:40 AM,
GaryC said...
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While you're at it, switch from FedEx to UPS and save the company millions of dollars!
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At 11:30 AM,
Jordan said...
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I'm with Kip's general proposition that if the work gets done, micro-managing is not important. However, I do understand the need for a receptionist, as she services the whole floor, which consists of my office of 5 attorneys and a bunch of solo practitioners. It's probably cheaper to have one line for our firm specifically with extensions for individuals. Plus, in a small firm, micro-managing can really help the bottom line. I just think that my style of work is not conducive to it inherently. But adapting is everything.
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At 1:22 PM,
D said...
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I wonder if the receptionist is "servicing" your boss and she told him about the calls during their afternoon meating(meeting). Damn micromanagers. Adapt, Adjust, and if all else fails raid the supply closet before you leave.
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At 11:33 AM,
TripJax said...
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Tough adjusting to new jobs sometimes. Imagine how hard it was for me to go from a very physical job - OpsMgr for Minor League baseball team - where half the time I was wearing shorts and t-shirt, to a suit and tie 5 days a week. It was quite a shock to my mind and suntan.
Hope things work out though. As for blogging, you should check this out...
http://buzz.blogger.com/bloggerforword.html
You can post to your blog directly from Microsoft Word without having to be online. I know that doesn't help for reading blogs and leaving comments, but at least you can satisfy a portion of the online bug. -
At 12:04 PM,
GaryC said...
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Yeah, this not blogging at work thing has definitely put a wrench in my day to day. You're going to have to find an alternative, if just to satisfy your readers.
G
