Survive the changes at work

She starts in a week and a half. I’m disappointed for my friend who wanted the job, but I need to set that aside because there’s nothing I can do about it. Really… if the right kind of person were in that position, it would be a great thing. Someone who respects the expertise of each of us and gives us the support we need while looking at the big picture and keeping our work in line with the goals of the division. Or something.

• a micro-manager
• someone who believes we are vendors of services and that the customer is always right (instead of us being a part of a team and experts at what we do)
• someone who wants to have a lot of touchy-feely meetings that take time away from getting our work done

Time will tell.

of changes, I’m keeping this goal going. I’ve actually gotten a better deal out of the recent changes. But management has posted a job opening for the manager of my section and that’s pretty scary. There’s one person I hope gets it, but they could have given it to her without going through the posting process, so that’s discouraging. My biggest fear is that they’ll hire a micromanager or someone who is gung ho about making a difference right away by screwing up things that are already working making things *better*.

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

Today was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time at work. I left there feeling like I accomplished a lot. I didn’t have any meetings (though I would have if I were still the supervisor). I made a to-do list with a mix of short tasks and long-term projects. I completed 3 or 4 of the short tasks. Things that have needed doing for months that I just couldn’t get to. Now they’re done. Simple as that.

The changes aren’t over at work. Who will fill the supervisor position is still unknown, but I’m hoping the temporary supervisor will become permanent. I think we work well together, and she would be a good leader.

As of today, I’m not a supervisor anymore. It was voluntary and fully supported by my manager. There’s still some uncertainty about the future because management hasn’t committed to a replacement, but I hope the temporary replacement becomes the permanent replacement. For now, I need to wrap up some loose ends, so I can get back to having fun with my job. It’s a great relief.

I’m going to go up to work today (Saturday) to organize all the papers on my desk, go through my e-mails and make a comprehensive to do list. I need to update the status on all my projects, too. Next week is going to be rough because we are interviewing people for a position, and that takes up a lot of time.

Other people seem to be able to take days off, be away from the office to take training, take vacations… I want that life again. I can’t even get everything done when I work every day.

I’m working with people on a resolution, but it’s not something that can happen overnight. For now, I’m depressed and stressed and doing the best I can. I guess that’s surviving, at least.

There are ups and downs, but I’m sure it’s like that everywhere.