I've changed my name.
Only on this blog.
But unfortunately my current position with the federal government means that I will need to be as anonymous as I can be for the moment.
If you really feel the need to reach me, and don't already know my email address(es), give me a shout at katcall42 at hotmail dot com - just put something about The Tudor Rose in the subject line so that I don't delete it as spam.
On a completely random note, blogger seems to think I'm German. All the instructions about HTML and formatting have suddenly switched to German.
Much love to you all.
Only on this blog.
But unfortunately my current position with the federal government means that I will need to be as anonymous as I can be for the moment.
If you really feel the need to reach me, and don't already know my email address(es), give me a shout at katcall42 at hotmail dot com - just put something about The Tudor Rose in the subject line so that I don't delete it as spam.
On a completely random note, blogger seems to think I'm German. All the instructions about HTML and formatting have suddenly switched to German.
Much love to you all.
So I started the new job.
It's been a week and a day, and the only way to describe it is... badly managed, disorganized, negative, and hopefully I will be out of there soon.
I arrived on day one only to be told the person I was meant to meet wouldn't be there until at least an hour after I'd arrived. And all the managers were in Ottawa for the week, so no one had any idea what to do with me.
So for the first hour I sat on the couch in the reception area and read. And then HR came and made me fill out paperwork. And more paperwork. And then I took their respectful workplace online training course. And then I did more paperwork. And then I started scanning.
Day two I shadowed another worker. Day three I started working on callouts and that's all I've been doing since. 7.5 hours a day on the phone.
They haven't told me when I'm actually going to get formal training (I'm supposed to get a week, apparently). I don't even know who my direct supervisor is right now. The people I've been shadowing have only been there 2 or 3 months themselves. It's like a giant revolving door, with people always moving onwards or upwards. One of the people who interviewed me has only been there since January. They're short staffed, but they can't keep anyone. A guy made a joke that he doesn't bother learning anyone's names until they've been there for 6 months. He wasn't entirely joking.
People are overwhelmingly negative about their coworkers, the situation, life in general. I'm trying not to let it get to me, but it is starting to. And that's after only one week.
I've run into some people from a past life (ie: from high school) there, as well, which isn't helping the emotional/self-esteem issues. I didn't like them, they didn't like me... it's like they've all come back to haunt me.
On the bright side, one of the other people doing the same job as me started today. She's Quebecois. I've been tempted to talk to her in French so that half the other people in the office won't understand us - she seems quite nice. We talked about BOOKS, for God's sake. Dumas. French literature! I haven't seen anyone else in the office read anything more than a newspaper. Obviously I don't know what they do when they're not at work, but still...
I still have my fingers crossed that they send me out to Vancouver for training. Yeah, it's 8 hours a day in training, but my evenings will be my own...
Anywho. I am volunteering again this year at everyone's favouritest Hallowe'en event (it's my one token volunteer thing... which reminds me, that one perk of the federal government is that they give me one paid "volunteer" day each calendar year... maybe I'll take it off on the Friday of Spook... ) Looking forward to it, although I feel a bit old. They do seem to get younger each year.
First choir concert is coming up on the 4th of October, as well. Details are at www.richardeatonsingers.com, should you require and or desire them.
It's been a week and a day, and the only way to describe it is... badly managed, disorganized, negative, and hopefully I will be out of there soon.
I arrived on day one only to be told the person I was meant to meet wouldn't be there until at least an hour after I'd arrived. And all the managers were in Ottawa for the week, so no one had any idea what to do with me.
So for the first hour I sat on the couch in the reception area and read. And then HR came and made me fill out paperwork. And more paperwork. And then I took their respectful workplace online training course. And then I did more paperwork. And then I started scanning.
Day two I shadowed another worker. Day three I started working on callouts and that's all I've been doing since. 7.5 hours a day on the phone.
They haven't told me when I'm actually going to get formal training (I'm supposed to get a week, apparently). I don't even know who my direct supervisor is right now. The people I've been shadowing have only been there 2 or 3 months themselves. It's like a giant revolving door, with people always moving onwards or upwards. One of the people who interviewed me has only been there since January. They're short staffed, but they can't keep anyone. A guy made a joke that he doesn't bother learning anyone's names until they've been there for 6 months. He wasn't entirely joking.
People are overwhelmingly negative about their coworkers, the situation, life in general. I'm trying not to let it get to me, but it is starting to. And that's after only one week.
I've run into some people from a past life (ie: from high school) there, as well, which isn't helping the emotional/self-esteem issues. I didn't like them, they didn't like me... it's like they've all come back to haunt me.
On the bright side, one of the other people doing the same job as me started today. She's Quebecois. I've been tempted to talk to her in French so that half the other people in the office won't understand us - she seems quite nice. We talked about BOOKS, for God's sake. Dumas. French literature! I haven't seen anyone else in the office read anything more than a newspaper. Obviously I don't know what they do when they're not at work, but still...
I still have my fingers crossed that they send me out to Vancouver for training. Yeah, it's 8 hours a day in training, but my evenings will be my own...
Anywho. I am volunteering again this year at everyone's favouritest Hallowe'en event (it's my one token volunteer thing... which reminds me, that one perk of the federal government is that they give me one paid "volunteer" day each calendar year... maybe I'll take it off on the Friday of Spook... ) Looking forward to it, although I feel a bit old. They do seem to get younger each year.
First choir concert is coming up on the 4th of October, as well. Details are at www.richardeatonsingers.com, should you require and or desire them.
My contract at the uni is up as of this Saturday. I've gotten all sorts of verbal reassurances that it would be no problem to extend my contract and that they're putting in the effort to make the position permanent and full time, but nothing has been put on paper. No posting for the full time position. No paper to sign to extend my contract. Nothing but verbal reassurances. I trust my boss. I believe she would have done something for me at the last minute. I probably could have stayed at the uni.
But today I was offered a position with the federal government. Indeterminate (ie: permanent). It's good money, too. About $15,000 more than I make at the uni. It means I'll be able to quit The Body Shop.
The problem? I don't want the job. I don't want to go back to an environment where my coffee breaks are monitored, and where, if I take 30 mins and 15 seconds for my lunch, I'm frowned at. I don't want to deal with bitchy people who've been waiting for hours in lineups. While the department mildly interests me, it's not what I want to do.
Nevertheless, I took it. As a certain blogger with a flower moniker once pointed out to me, you don't live to work - you work to live. And unfortunately this is one of those cases. Better to have a job I'm not entirely thrilled with than not be able to pay my rent in a couple of months.
Not to say that if a permanent position at the uni opened up, I wouldn't apply for it and jump at it. Hell, there are some interesting positions with the municipal government that I might apply for (I have to decide about one within the next 24 hours - posting closes tomorrow). In taking an indeterminate position, I'm not screwing myself out of a future that might be happier. I'm just temporarily putting material welfare over spiritual.
I hope I'm not making a massive mistake.
But today I was offered a position with the federal government. Indeterminate (ie: permanent). It's good money, too. About $15,000 more than I make at the uni. It means I'll be able to quit The Body Shop.
The problem? I don't want the job. I don't want to go back to an environment where my coffee breaks are monitored, and where, if I take 30 mins and 15 seconds for my lunch, I'm frowned at. I don't want to deal with bitchy people who've been waiting for hours in lineups. While the department mildly interests me, it's not what I want to do.
Nevertheless, I took it. As a certain blogger with a flower moniker once pointed out to me, you don't live to work - you work to live. And unfortunately this is one of those cases. Better to have a job I'm not entirely thrilled with than not be able to pay my rent in a couple of months.
Not to say that if a permanent position at the uni opened up, I wouldn't apply for it and jump at it. Hell, there are some interesting positions with the municipal government that I might apply for (I have to decide about one within the next 24 hours - posting closes tomorrow). In taking an indeterminate position, I'm not screwing myself out of a future that might be happier. I'm just temporarily putting material welfare over spiritual.
I hope I'm not making a massive mistake.
