Clark update

So Clark confronted Step-on-me about her lack of being straight-forward with his promotion. He recently had a discussion with another staff member about their promotion (which happened in a week) and he said it sounded like a case of poor management and that our office might have to be looked into. Yay! So, Clark, after receiving a half-year run-around with upper-management--and who also received the highest raise possible this year for excellent work went to talk to Step-on-me about his promotion.

the following is an edited email by Clark:

Apparantly, Clark received raving reviews on his annual and everyone loved working with him. But, now that his promotion has come up, there is suddenly a problem. Apparantly, Carol said that Debby complained to Carol about him being rude about the literature organizers (WHAT?) and Marge (accounting) complained to Carol that he didn't get her an answer on some mailing question back a month or two ago soon enough and he was somehow being difficult. So, Carol is all of a sudden concerned that he is "rude" to people and doesn't get along with them!

Clark told Step-on-me that he found it all very suspicious that this is all coming up out of the blue, when he is due for his raise. Step-on-me said she felt that way too and that she was aware of both of those instances and that they were being difficult and we were all stressed out etc, and that it wasn't a cause to not give Clark the promotion. However, Step-on-me said that she's talked to Clark about being friendly before and this came up when Clark was a temp and when he took on this job. (totally UNTRUE!)

Clark then told Step-on-me that she never once told him that and that all of the response from people on his reviews were glowing---there wasn't one single NEGATIVE comment spoken about him but now all of a sudden he can be "gruff" and "rude!" Clark has never been accused of this before! If anything, he has been told that he is too nice and friendly.

Then in the next second, Step-on-me tells Clark that yes he's very friendly and she understands that he has never heard this before. Step-on-me said she is talking to Carol again to get some timeline about how Clark's raise is going to work. Step-on-me then told Clark that she doesn't want to lose him and that he's a great coordinator but that they need to work on friendliness (actually, apparantly, the entire marketing department needs to work on it--we are all apparently viewed as rude and unhelfpul by the rest of ICE.)

Since we're the marketing department, we're supposed to be extra nice and happy--even if someone is being an ASS to us. Go figure! Anyway, we're all pretty much dusting off our resumes this month.

I think the next time that any of the ICE staff is rude to us, we'll start complaining to Carol. Apparantly that's what people do here.

(edited to protect the innocent)

Poor Clark the Coworker

This would be Clark, the intelligent, pleasant, and quaint Coworker--not to be mistaken with the earlier stated 'stupid coworkers.'

Clark was hired at ICE as a temporary--a fill-in for the masses of missing staff in the marketing department. Colormist instantly went on a rant as soon as Clark was hired--filling Clark in on all the ins and outs. Colormist has no ability to censor her speak or practice discretion--mainly because she doesn't believe in it. Inevitably Colormist scared Clark by informing him that the previous person in his position was fired after only a few days of work.

Clark, with his MBA, work diligently and was eventually slated to take the management position of the marketing department. He discontinues doing larger complicated creative pieces for the department and begins working on invoices, databases, tracking sales numbers, and all sorts of un-fun stuff.

Clark went into a meeting in the spring (as all staff of the marketing department did) during the reconstruction of their department and learned that he was going to get a raise as well as a new title. Clark was ecstatic and adjusted his living accordingly. He was getting married the following year, so he wanted to have enough money for the wedding, honeymoon, and chose a more expensive benefits plan.

Months pass, and Clark begins to get curious about his raise and new title. He consults with Step-on-me, who informs him that they just need to file some paperwork and it shouldn't take long.

Months pass again. Clark is worrying about his funds for the wedding and benefits. He wouldn't have signed up for the benefits had he have known that it would have taken this long. He speaks to supervisor Step-on-me again and learns that they never said it would happen soon--in fact, it might not happen until next summer.

Later, Clark learns of a massive reconstruction going on at work. Everyone is getting new titles so that the office titles mesh better with the rest of the world. Nearly 6 months have passed since he began the new position. He hasn't received a raise, nor a title change. And now he learns that he might not be getting either because they're delaying his raise until after the reconstruction.

Is this even LEGAL???

Lack of Imagination (Stupid Coworkers)

A conversation between a friend and myself about work--just to prove that I'm NOT insane.


Colormist-at work says:
ARGH!!! Why are my coworker so hell-bent on driving me INSANE

Te'al'zien says:
What are they doing to you as you sneakily change subjects.

Colormist-at work says:
I didn't think it was that sneaky. I found it rather glaringly obvious.

Colormist-at work says:
Anyway, they acclaim me for my cleverness and say how much they like something.

Te'al'zien says:
Heh heh.

Colormist-at work says:
Then the following day, they say, "Oh, this doesn't work well."

Te'al'zien says:
Ah. That kind of insanity.

Colormist-at work says:
idiots! The whole lot of 'em!

Te'al'zien says:
That's not nice to say.

Colormist-at work says:
Ah, but if you only realized...

Colormist-at work says:
Okay, picture this. There's a guy standing infront of a book shelf holding nothing. The nothing he's holding is all white, shaped like a book, and has a dotted outline.

Colormist-at work says:
The tag reads, "Buy what you're missing at ICE's Winter Book Sale"

Te'al'zien says:
Allright...

Colormist-at work says:
You're following me, right?

Te'al'zien says:
Yes.

Te'al'zien says:
It's out of context but I'm sure you'll fill in that part soon enough.

Colormist-at work says:
So, you're going to buy the book that's missing from your collection at ICE's Winter Book Sale.

Te'al'zien says:
Ah! I get it. Continue.

Colormist-at work says:
It's a brochure design I'm working on.

Colormist-at work says:
I would have lost my coworkers at "Okay, picture this."

Colormist-at work says:
They have no ability to picture anything.

Colormist-at work says:
They didn't understand the big white hole on the page with the dotted outline.

Colormist-at work says:
They actually asked. "Where's the book that's supposed to go here"

Colormist-at work says:
WTF?!?!

Te'al'zien says:
Actually, it is a nice idea. It took me a second to get it because I literally was picturing a guy buying a blank book.

Colormist-at work says:
Thank you.

Colormist-at work says:
I can't believe they actually thought I'd spend the time to make a white hole with dotted outlines and integrate it in with the picture, then just fill in the missing book later.

Te'al'zien says:
?? Oh, that's....

Te'al'zien says:
Allright, NOW I understand your frustration.

Te'al'zien says:
Jessie agrees, though my ability to explain isn't AS good.

Te'al'zien says:
She says it's a cute idea though.

Colormist-at work says:
Thank you Jessie.

Te'al'zien says:
Because she likes clever advertisments much better than blatant ones.

Colormist-at work says:
I thought it was downright clever as well.

Te'al'zien says:
She also says that it's not as if we don't give you enough compliments already though. ~_^

Colormist-at work says:
^_^


end of transmission.

Stupid Coworkers

Stupid Coworkers at Stupid Meetings

Yet another stupid meeting about an institute. I really really really hate it when they try to tell me how to design the brochure for the institute. Yes! That's an excellent idea! Let's put all 25 of the speakers on the cover complete with their names and business--even though NOONE will recognize their faces, yet alone their names. It's a spanktacular idea! Honest. I'll get started on it right now!

Idiots.

This meeting continued for 1.5 hours. Granted, all my pages of notes were chock-ful-a character design sketches, sketches of my coworkers, charactures of the CEO, and two small sketches of the brochure layout. I could have had the entire brochure designed in the amount of time it took them to discuss who was going to keep in contact with who about the sponsors of the institute.

meh.

Stupid Supervisors

Corrupted by the darkside or Stupid Supervisors

Also beginning to have reservations about my supervisor Step-on-me. When Step-on-me first arrived at ICE she was fantastic. Always fighting for our designs, pushing the envelope, defending the little guy--it was wonderful. However, here recently I think she's become corrupted by the darkside. Her judgment is clouded. She gives into the opposition just because she doesn't want to fight.

Recent Supervisory Rules:

1. Work EXTRA Hard--but don't stress out.
2. No overtime.
3. No talking in the office.
4. All talking must be done in the breakroom.
5. No food in the reception area.
6. We must keep our door open (even though we're freezing because the door's open)
7. We have to be friendlier and more sociable (note how this contradicts #3 & #4)
8. Being a receptionist and understanding how a multi-line phone functions will help us to comprehend the complexities of ICE customers.
9. We have to make specific folders invisible so that uppermanagement can't spy on our work output
10. Adjust the Cover sheet for all drafts so that it no longer says what version the draft is in, when it's due to be mailed, or when it supposed to be printed (all too stressful for people reviewing the drafts)
11. Important items MUST be in black--regardless of the color being used in the background when creating printed advertisements.


She complains about us talking--er, being 'Chatty-Cathys'. That phrase just makes me want to grind my teeth and slam the door in her face. She insists we take breaks outside of our office (meaning, anytime we want to have a 30-second discussion it must occur in another location aside from at our desks), however we can't have them in the reception area of the building. We also not supposed to have drinks (of water) or food up at the reception area. We have to keep our door open, regardless of how cold it is in the hallway because it looks 'unfriendly' if we don't have it open.

My fingers are FREEZING.

And my gawd, if she tries to redistribute the work one more time because we're getting too stressed out, I swear I'm going to have a mental breakdown. You DO NOT give someone a project that's half-done and expect all the loose-ends to be tied nice & neat. Things are going to slip through unnoticed and we're going to get in trouble.

Just for the record, all of us in the marketing department are more than capable of multitasking while talking. We do it ALL THE TIME. Just because we're having FUN while working and ACTUALLY ENJOYING our FREAKING JOBS.

::insert series of explicits here::

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I so have to take a mental health day on monday.