Monday, April 02, 2007

This is not ranting, it’s just wondering…

Coach Susan rather sensibly asked, Wait a minute...How did we get from "my boss, letting me know that I have options with this company. Specifically, if I wanted to talk to him about switching to part time work, you know, so I could get some balance etc. etc., well. We’d work something out. If I wanted to talk about it, he was listening. If not, forget he ever called. It’s just a thought, just so you know, in case." to "He made it clear that he doesn’t believe I could possibly work around a (pre)school schedule reliably enough to suit them."?

Frankly…I’m a little baffled, too. I’m wondering if, between his call Monday and our chat on Wednesday, he regretted having made the offer and decided to change the rules in a way that he knew would make me say, “Never mind! I’ll just be going now…”

It’s one of many ‘what the @*^&@’ theories rattling around in my head.

Maybe I misread his call entirely and it was really supposed to be one of those ‘veiled threat’ things I hear so much about. I’m saying this as if I mean to help you, but what I mean is, Shape up or ship out!

Maybe he really does think that the three to four full day schedule is exactly what the doctor ordered. He’s not a jerk, he really truly isn’t, but he can be rather…intense. His idea of a “light” work week is anything less than sixty hours, so it may well be that the idea of a twenty hour or less workweek is…well, that’s…I mean…Your earth ways are strange to me…explain this, how you say, ‘part time’…

There is also a personality type to consider. I operate very well with a ‘flexible’ (meaning, it may be midnight before I get back to whatever it was I wanted to be doing) schedule, and it doesn’t bother me when others do the same. I developed this ability over the course of having many home-based businesses through the years. I’ve learned to trust in my own ability to get things done.

But I can readily understand why another person faced with an employee doing the ‘eh, I’ll get it done, don’t you worry’ thing might feel…a little less than convinced.

There are also about half a dozen interns starting in the coming weeks – possibly between Monday and Wednesday it was realized just how many bodies were coming on board and parties of the first part asked parties of the second part why they should continue paying someone who commands a pretty good rate when they have two, three interns ready to pay us to do the same thing?

I don’t know. I really don’t know. I was very, very surprised. Caught utterly flat-footed, in fact. Actually rendered speechless, which those of you who know me “in person” can attest, is a very rare occurrence.

And one which I know a lot of you wish would happen far more often. {kiss-kiss, darlings, love you too!}

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, dear. Sounds like there's not much time to get some real distance and perspective on it, either. Don't you hate the "trust that all will become clear" part?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing! It didn't sound like a threat when you first told us about it. Strange...

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...
You could confront him in a very nice way (in writing, of course - just for the effect) and ask him why he said one thing one day and then said something completely different the next. You're an excellent writer, so you could ask directly without asking directly (no burnt bridges) ;o) That way, you get it in black and white, not just someone saying "blah blah blah" while you're blindsided and thinking "what the F***!?"
Just a thought. :o)

21stCenturyMom said...

I would certainly write an email that just documents what happened with the idea that you are making sure you understood the terms. Something like "This email is to clarify the conversations we had on March x and March y regarding part time employment. On March x I understood you to say that I could work part time, etc and so forth. On March y you offered me a 3 or 4 day work week etc. and so forth. Since these are very different offers I would appreciate a clarification of the terms you are offering me." Copy HR. If it looks like you are feeling jerked around they might make you a nice exit offer. You never know.

Exit you must. This job has worked well for you when things are going pretty smoothly at the Den but when the going gets tough the job makes you crazy. Financially it seems like it is only a minor plus but the price you pay hardly seems like it fits the reward. That's my 2 cents, anyhow.

Amy Lane said...

I've had one or two of those 'veiled threat' things that don't sound like threats but really are...it took me a LOT of whaddafu? moments before I was able to recognize those before the hammer actually dropped...yours didn't sound like that at all...I would be baffled too...

Very Herodotus said...

Does your boss have kids? A stay-at-home wife maybe?

Sometimes people are just clueless, like my unmarried no-child-having boss who doesn't understand how he himself can accrue 300 hours of sick time and yet my sick time is in the negative right now. I can't get sick until June at the earliest.

I don't know about you, but once I get my kids fed supper, bathed, and in the bed, I'm done. There's nothing creative or insightful coming out of my brain after 9pm. So, the whole "I'll get back to it at midnight" thing is alien to me, but if you can do it then your boss should be very very glad that he's getting that kind of commitment from you!

Unknown said...

Somehow, I think you'll find yourself much happier without the job than with it.

In the interim: it still sucks.