Office

I was thinking today about times gone past. Some of the times I hated to see go past, and some just could not go fast enough. Unfortunately I was thinking about my time working in offices and the worst office I ever worked in.

In all the places I had ever worked in, I was always able to get along with everybody. I’m really a non-confrontational type person and it takes a lot to get me mad. I ended up in one office where there were two co-workers there who took and instant disliking to me the day I walked in. I never understood that since I had always been nice to them. I had never liked playing the office politics and I have to admit they were masters at it.

In this office besides all the routine stuff we had to do, there were seven major programs we had to oversee. By the end of the first year there, I had five of these major program to do by myself. In an office with seven people this was just not right. I would talk to my boss about it, but he would use the old line the rest weren’t experienced enough. Hell they had been there longer than I had. Anyway I never could get this boss to spell out what each persons job responsibilities were. To give you an example about this boss, we would put our reports in his in box for his signature. He would let them sit there for weeks. His boss would start asking where the reports were and my boss would turn around and jump on me for not making sure he got his work done.

Now every office I ever worked at was not perfect, but this one was beyond anything I had ever experienced. To have co-workers and your boss gunning for you is not a good situation. Keep in mind I had never had these problems at any other place I had worked at. I figured my number had just come up. That sooner or later, you’ll get to a place that no matter what you do, you can’t get people to like you or have a good working situation. At this time I was in the military and didn’t have the option of telling everyone to screw off. I was stuck here and there was nothing I could do about it.

Oddly enough, before I finally left, this was the longest I had stayed in one office. The people who strove to make my office time miserable had left and new people and bosses came in. However, this was during the end of my stay there. Although things had gotten better, it was still very intense.

When I finally left this place and gotten to my new office, I had extremely good people I worked with. I remember my first weeks there my boss kept telling me to relax. My boss at the new place made the entire atmosphere of work enjoyable and a place where everyone got along with each other. I’ve gone through the whole gambit of bosses and co-workers. Some are still good friends and others I wouldn’t give the time of day to. I guess I just never understood why some people would want to make a place you spend 10-12-14 hours a day at, one where people hated to go to. I always chalked it up to some people just like to stir up trouble, other just don’t know how to get along and still others just don’t know what a good working environment is.

I always liked to think I made a good working environment for people around me, but just as in every story, other people have different views. Obviously I told one or two things that went on during that time and these were pretty tame looking back on all that happened. All I know is, I never tried to make anyone’s work time miserable. I look back upon that time now and think, if I could get through that, then I can get through most anything. That’s the great thing about life. Everything is static and never remains the same. So even with bad situations, I always look at it, as things will get better.

I guess hope is the word.