The week that was
So what have I been doing the past week?
Well.
I wish I could say I spent the week in a posh hotel while soaking up the sun on a tropical beach. Unfortunately, I am not that blessed.
Every so often, I am exposed to the ugly side of my job. Either through my colleagues, my own stupidity or through demanding clients who consider the making of unreasonable and selfish demands an exclusive privilege. Yep, the dark side of humanity occasionally reveals itself in an unflattering light.
Behaviours that are best suited for the sandpit at the playground are exhibited among responsible adults in positions of power.
I spent the whole of last week reworking a number of proposals that were rejected by a client a few days before the deadline. I can excuse myself by stating that the late rejection was completely inappropriate since the client was kept fully abreast of what was happening, and had agreed to the creative approach and strategy in advance. It does however seem that someone saw this project as an opportunity to make a name for themselves. In the process of doing so, vital communication was not shared and decisions were made with complete disregard for the chain of command.
Needless to say, there was a lot of screaming and yelling, back and forth accusations, passing the buck and threats. Don’t the threats just beat all?
All of which culminated in me spending many hours at the office and not getting much sleep for three nights in a row. Two of the three nights in question were actually spent sleeping at the office. I know every nook and cranny of the office in much the same way as a death-row inmate would know his prison cell.
Have you ever tried to sleep or fallen asleep in an office chair? Manufacturers may boast about how ergonomical and comfortable they are, but they certainly aren’t meant to be slept in. It may take many visits to the chiropractor to realign my spine and the outline of a paperclip may permanently be etched into my right cheek.
I will know the outcome of all my hard work later today when the client comes back with a final decision. Whatever the outcome may be, I know I did the best I could under the circumstances. I do not have the stomach to play political games nor do I have the energy to resort to prima donna-like antics.
Whilst the ugly side of work is expected to rear its head at times, I have made my choices long ago. I chose not to give it voice or credence in my life.
Now can somebody tell me how I can regain all those hours of personal time? I am leaning towards time travel, my time machine is at the garage having a new gyroscope fitted.
