Just Because It's There...

doesn't mean you have to avail yourself of it.

Like most people, I have a sweet tooth.  So, I have a small candy bowl place for my convenience at my desk.  When I say convenience, I mean at the back of my desk where it is easy to reach for me.  If someone wants to partake of its contents, they seriously have to make an effort.  Which means generally tripping over me.

I don't mind the occasional, 'Ooo, do you mind?' I'm willing to share.

I DO mind the person who walks into my cubicle, climbs over my warm, working body and grabs a handful of whatever is in the bowl.  Leaving without a greet, glance or anything.

Were they raised by mutants?

I once worked in an office where the candy bowl was communal and once a week everyone contributed $3-5 and their preferred candy.  All was good in the universe.  But if the bowl is private, placed in an obviously difficult place, ask before you snatch.  It's only polite.

We are All Adults... Maybe

Didn't your mother teach you, when you take the last of anything you tell someone?

In the office environment, you tell the person who orders office supplies when you take the last of something.
Seriously?  How are they supposed to know.  By their super-dooper, psychic spidey sense attuned to the supply cabinet.

Or possibly the emergency office supply dog that will come bounding down the cubicle aisle like Lassie did to raise the alarm.

The admin goes to the supply cabinet once-a-week to do inventory.  If there is a run on an item and the last one is taken.  Courtesy should prevail.  Let. The. Admin. Know!

The Admin can only work so many miracles.  Reading minds is not among them.

Everybody is Important...

in their own mind.  

As an Admin there is a hierarchy of people in my life.  Numero Uno?  My boss.  When he says he is free, he is free.  When he says piss off to a persistent client, I translate it to a more palatable 'He is busy, we'll get back to you with a more convenient time.'

Everyone has something that is earth shatteringly important.  One of the few things that trumps my boss is his boss. And that is understandable.  

But a consultant we've done business with, who only wants to pitch a new venture is at the bottom of the heap.  Especially when he's been told that my boss's plate is over flowing with high priority things.  

Will they never learn?

Shark vs. the Guppy

There are some days this admin feels like a guppy surrounded by a bunch of sharks.  Small, without a lot of merit.

Those days tend to be few an far between. Why, faithful reader, do you ask?  It's simple.  As I dart in and out of the different sharks swimming along their various paths, I realize a have a mobility and an ability to change direction in a blink of an eye. Staying out of the way of the serrated teeth that might look at me as an appetizer.

And if I get really annoyed, I'll give the shark a firm punch on the nose. Sending them off to sulk in the depths of the sea to think about what they might have done.

A good admin, swims among the sharks with finesse and savvy, biting back when necessary.

Intern Survival 101

A new semester of school has started.  For our K-12 students, parents across the country are shouting "Huzzah!" as they no longer have to find things for their offspring to do as the parental units are working.

Alas for the collegiate student, for some classes are starting and for some internships are starting.  To the newly Interned, Admin Gal as a few choice words of advice for your survival in the corporate arena.

1. The Admin is not there to do your job for you. - Just because you think the Admin is a flashback to the halcyon days of Mad Men, think again. We have our own responsibilities, deadlines and projects.
2. Be on-time to everything meeting, this will get you noticed in a good way. - If a meeting gets held up because you can't remember that your lunch hour is only an hour, then you will find yourself out of an internship and sitting on your parents sofa without an income.  They, your parents, will not be pleased.
3. DO NOT be late on any deadlines. -  You can not talk you way into a better grade in the corporate arena.  Missed deadlines mean lost revenue.  Don't make the corporate world sacrifice you to their deities.
4. If you screw up, under no circumstances blame the Admin.  - The Admin has been watching you and documenting your performance.  They will have the documentation needed to bury you.  Be responsible, admit your mistake and learn from the experience.
5. Make nice with the Admin. - Making their life easier will go a long way to making your corporate experience better.  When you get back to the academic environment, you'll have a greater appreciation for your department Admin who deals with hundreds of students with little appreciation on their part.

If you, the Intern, can abide by these simple guidelines, Admin Gal can guarantee you that at least the day to day part of your internship will go smoothly. She can't guarantee how much you learn.

Good luck Interns.

Supply Management

Admin Gal doesn't mean to complain -- actually she does.  In her office, she has had a vast influx of new consultants from far off lands who apparently do not understand that office supplies are not to be hoarded, taken home or used frivolously.

Seriously, how many pens can one person use in a month?  Or pads of paper?  Or correction tape?

The sad reality is that the office supplies are dwindling faster than they ought too.  Admin Gal's trust has been sorely abused.  She is going to have to lock the supply cabinet and be put out as every Tom, Harry and Sanjay comes to her desk to beg for a pen or pencil.  I do not want this.  But if this is the only way I can manage the office supplies, so be it.

Crime Alert

This morning, Admin Gal walked into her cubicle to find that her gel mouse wrist rest had been murdered.

The murder weapon lay in plain sight on the floor.  A blue tack.

Method of Death?  A hundred holes poked into the loyal defenseless wrist rest.

Time of Death? Sometime around midnight.

Suspects?  Obviously someone who does not understand Admin Gal's wrath.

The wrist rest was fine when Admin Gal left the office at 5pm on the dot last night.  There are only a few people it can be.  Words will be had.

Funeral services for the loyal wrist rest to be announced

The Art of the Smile

Some days a simple smile can go a long way in the office environment.  I'm not talking a flirty or suggestive smile. I'm talking about a genuine happy to see you, I'm glad you are here smile.

The smile is something so simple, yet so powerfully profound.  When the office environment is tough, someone is having a really bad day, a smile can make all the difference in the world.

Not to be too dramatic, but a smile can save a life.

When you smile at a person, it means you acknowledge them.  You've made an effort to notice them.  In an age where we are inundated by deadlines, buried in assignments, and overwhelmed by responsibilities, being acknowledged can truly make a difference in your day or someone else's.

So, Admin Gal's Challenge to the world at large is to smile at someone today.

Save someone's day, and maybe their life.

404 Not Found

Really? While Admin Gal may have mad skill on the computer, she has to wonder if she were to run a diagnostic on certain peoples brains what would happen.

Perhaps the error - 404 Not Found?

Let me break it down.

1. The browser is the portal by which you view the internet, or access your email.  
2. Selecting 'Yes' will delete the directory with all your documents in it.  If that is not what you meant to do, don't do it!
3. Spilling any liquid on your laptop is not a good idea.  No amount of paper towels will save the day.
4. No, I will not expense shots during a business lunch.
5. Screaming 'COME BACK' at your monitor will never bring back a document, spreadsheet or any other lost file after a fatal error.
6. The blue screen of doom is never good. Only asking nicely will get you the number to the help desk.

If you can remember these basic items, I will refrain from packing up your office and sending it to Malaysia.