Indispensible
Thanks to my father (and mother) I was raised with a work ethic that forces me to do the best job I can at whatever I am doing. This week I'm feeling the downside of that ethic.
Busting my butt to become indispensible at a job has served me well in the past. It literally saved me from being fired at my first job. It's postponed layoffs, allowed promotions, and made me a favorite of bosses which makes it a lot easier to ask for favors when needed.
I also subscribe to the "bus wreck" style of project management. In other words, document what you are doing so that if you were to get hit by a bus on your way to work tomorrow your co-workers could pick up the pieces and move on.
Except now I'm in a job where I'm the only one in the office who does my job. If something drastic were to happen my boss could step in, but she's very busy off being a boss and so doesn't come in and take over when I'm out for a day sick. The receptionist will fill in for me as best she can, but her training and skills don't perfectly match her to the job at hand.
Yesterday I woke up not feeling so good. If 100% is "I am absolutely perfect in every way possible" and anything 50% or below is "I am incapable of going to work today, no matter how much I might want to" yesterday was about a 70%. I COULD have made it into work if I had to, but then I'm taking the gamble as to if I will stay at 70% or slip down closer to that 50% mark. Yesterday was a negotiable day - there were things to do, but none of them were time-sensitive and could all wait a day. Today was a non-negotiable day. Important things were happening today that needed me there. It was worth sacrificing yesterday to guarantee I would be there today.
And if that doesn't suck enough, there's also the balance between getting better and having to get back to work. As in every day I'm home sick work is piling up on my desk. It's an exponential equation. So, is that day recuperating at home worth the extra work that will be awaiting me when I get back to work? Am I well enough to tackle whatever may be waiting for me?
Really, life would be so much easier if I just won the lottery.
Busting my butt to become indispensible at a job has served me well in the past. It literally saved me from being fired at my first job. It's postponed layoffs, allowed promotions, and made me a favorite of bosses which makes it a lot easier to ask for favors when needed.
I also subscribe to the "bus wreck" style of project management. In other words, document what you are doing so that if you were to get hit by a bus on your way to work tomorrow your co-workers could pick up the pieces and move on.
Except now I'm in a job where I'm the only one in the office who does my job. If something drastic were to happen my boss could step in, but she's very busy off being a boss and so doesn't come in and take over when I'm out for a day sick. The receptionist will fill in for me as best she can, but her training and skills don't perfectly match her to the job at hand.
Yesterday I woke up not feeling so good. If 100% is "I am absolutely perfect in every way possible" and anything 50% or below is "I am incapable of going to work today, no matter how much I might want to" yesterday was about a 70%. I COULD have made it into work if I had to, but then I'm taking the gamble as to if I will stay at 70% or slip down closer to that 50% mark. Yesterday was a negotiable day - there were things to do, but none of them were time-sensitive and could all wait a day. Today was a non-negotiable day. Important things were happening today that needed me there. It was worth sacrificing yesterday to guarantee I would be there today.
And if that doesn't suck enough, there's also the balance between getting better and having to get back to work. As in every day I'm home sick work is piling up on my desk. It's an exponential equation. So, is that day recuperating at home worth the extra work that will be awaiting me when I get back to work? Am I well enough to tackle whatever may be waiting for me?
Really, life would be so much easier if I just won the lottery.
posted by Swankette at 7:13 PM
1 Comments:
It's good to know there are other people out there who feel this way.
Being the "Swiss Army Knife" (or should I be a good Portlander and say Leatherman?) of the organization has always served me well in the job security and promotion department, but it's hell on little things like vacation time and sick leave. It's fine when there are enough staff that we can cross-train, but in a perennially-strapped organization that never has enough staff ... well, I guess I get to retire a few years early on all the vacation time I accrued but couldn't use.
Where was I going with this? (insert Arkansas drawl) I feel your pain (/drawl), I guess.
I hope you feel better before the weekend starts!
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