Being from California, a democratic equal employment opportunity state – when I moved to (THE “DURTY” SOUTH) Georgia, I found myself not only living under a different “rule of thumb” but also living in the midst of a completely different culture than what I was used to.
Recently my employers went through a week long process of trying to figure out if they were going to keep me employed due to some attendance issues that stem from my health problems. Also during that time 2 employees switched departments while another one committed “job abandonment”. There were only 4 of us in the department to begin with, so I’m sure that your math skills aren’t too shabby…. Yeah, that just left me to work the department! Amazingly, my position lacks respect company wide as it is mostly considered that “all I do” is answer the phones and browse the internet. I will be blunt: My job title is new to the company, is unestablished, and does not come with a job description so my job duties are left up to management’s discretion. This leaves a lot of room for disrespect as those in my position are delegated multiple task all while expecting to know everything about our company right down to the finest detail but not being financially compensated for the work that we do. I can say that I decided to turn this negative into a positive not just for myself but my fellow employees as well, I was able to teach my company about sharing our department successes through email and I summarized a monthly financial report that led other departments to follow suit. I was able to show the value of the position in the company and helped us gain the respect of our peers. Eventually, due to the lack of support that we receive a massive email was sent as an outcry and of course I responded and interacted with those who wished to stay in contact and some who didn’t. This was a bittersweet interaction as people accused me of being the one who if not ignited the fire, fanned the flames to keep it going. I actually received an apology email from one coworker when I informed her that the tone of her emails came from an overworked individual who needed a vacation in which she replied that it was true and had one planned for the next week! Essentially, I took it upon myself to be a pioneer for others who would be in my role so that they felt that it was worthwhile to sit in the same seat as me. Honestly, I really love my job and as a writer by nature I didn’t think that it was possible but tis’ true!
When this state of “employment limbo” took place, not only was I dealing with my own poor state of health but my fathers’ as well (though he’s back home in Cali, I still worry since he just had 2 ischemic strokes). I have been working with my company at the same location since this particular one has been open. It was my first job in GA but not my only one as the first year of them opening I had a second job with a telemarketing agency for 6mos during the holiday season since I wasn’t getting enough hours to pay my bills. I have been through 2 restructures with our company and the last one was a huge blow to everyone including me. A whole department was removed while management took a huge hit. I tried to be every ones cheerleader but soon the damage would be evident and there’d be nothing to cheer about as coworkers started dropping like flies either accepting severance packages or serious pay cuts to keep their jobs. Then, I tried to be management’s cheerleader. Deciding to put the shoe on the other foot, I wanted to understand their role in the company and how everything affected them. I even wanted to assist in making their job easier as I often stepped into the role of management though my bills never saw the difference that I was trying to make in others lives. I understand that they feel over worked since now there are only half of them doing what feels like double the work and perhaps their personal lives are really suffering. Maybe that’s why they lacked logic when initially making the decision to even start the process of possibly firing me.
During this time I lost the ability to empathize with their plight as I also realize that we all must own our decisions that we make. I became a cheerleader for myself for the first time ever. Knowing that I love my job and my work ethic didn’t falter during this time as I was still attending work while still feeling under the weather, NOT because I needed the hours but because I knew that they needed me! As much as people may still believe that those who sit in my seat “do nothing” NO ONE wants to do my job UNLESS they want to sit down! Like I stated previously, I am a writer by nature…. During this time I fell in love with words all over again, and one thing that I remembered is an argument that I had with a coworker the first year that I worked for the company as well it being my first working year in GA. In which he exasperatively explained to me “Man, this is an at-will state, and I can work at my own will just as they can fire me at theirs!”
EB N' FLOW 