Printer Responsibility!

As Admin Gal passes the only color copier/printer on her floor, she is APPALLED at the lack of discretion used by her fellow employees.  There are print jobs going to the printer that should be done in black and white, church bulletins, pictures of jewelry lusted after, house listings, copies of pictures of peoples children, etc - there are some things I don't want to know about you.  All of this during working hours.  None of this should be occurring at all.

When a resource is limited, people should keep in mind that it is just that - LIMITED!  It shouldn't be burdened by personal jobs, thereby inhibiting others from getting actual work done.

Not to mention the cost of making color copies or print to a color printer.  Even though this is not coming out of the offenders actual pocket, SOMEBODY is paying for it.

So Admin Gal admonishes people to think twice before you print to a color printer.  Is it necessary?  Will it bog down some one else's job?  Think of someone else besides them self.

BTW, effective immediately Admin Gal will start recycling all non-job related print jobs she sees.  AND a code that only she know will go on the printer, so you will now have to come to her for your print jobs.  Try explaining little Joey's cute picture now!

Volunteerism

Admin Gal recently got to 'volunteer' at an event that her corporation was sponsoring.  On a whole, the time was rewarding and fun, aside from the heat and 'glow' that everyone was wearing.
All in all, Admin Gal fully supports corporate events that helps the community and the social causes that the company lives in.  The question arises, is there a line that can be crossed between social awareness volunteerism and brand promotion?  And wherein does that line be come work and not voluntering?
Here are the main points that crossed my mind as I thought about this issue:

1. While most volunteer events and experiences involve work, should the work required really be so closely tied to your actual job responsibility that you feel are working for free?  And should you be?
2. If your company is organizing the event, encourages 'Volunteers' to man every conceivable booth, gate, and other event staffing need, shouldn't they be paying employees for the time instead of taking advantage of a 'service opportunity'?
3. The guise of 'volunteerism' should not be code for promote, promote, promote the company while giving it a glaze of social relevance.

Admin Gal is aware that most corporations have parts of their companies that are devoted to the concept of 'doing good for the community'.  But at some point, what the employee does during this time really does have to benefit the community, not the corporate coffers.

What Defines You?

Everyone has a job to do.  That is a simple truth.  You can be a baker, butcher or a candle-stick maker. In the corporate world, a receptionist, a manager, or an executive.  Or anything in between.

What you do is not as important as how you do it.  Do you have a passion for your job or are you just watching the clock  to pick up he paycheck at the end of the pay period?

If you are the later, you are doing yourself and the people you work for and with a HUGE disservice.  My question to you is why do you bother?

I enjoy the challenge of being an Admin.  Without my particular skill set my current organization would suffer.  My job is to be the glue to hold my organization together.  I am a liason between management and the floor.  Keeping a pulse on the morale is an important part of what I do.  I am defined by my demeanor of professionalism that I maintain during stressful times.  By the genuine caring of the good people with whom I work with.

So, back to my original question. What defines you?

My actions in life define me.

Politics at Work

Politics & Religion should always be discussed with great sensitivity and tolerance.  There is nothing that is a bigger hot button topic.

But I have a bit of a pet peeve.  It's one thing when the company you work for encourages you to 'do your civic duty and get out there to vote'. It's another when they direct you specifically to do certain actions regarding bills in process. Up to and including form letters and scripts to Congress people and Senators.  These letters do not offer a choice of opinion, but a specific view point that supports the political views of the company.

I get it.  I can make a difference.  The point is 'I' can make the difference.  I have the backing of the Constitution & the Bill of Rights to vote my conscience.  Not be a political lackey for the company I work for.


For a minimum of 2,080 hours out of a year, thats 8,760 hours, I give my employer my full attention.  Often it is much more than that.  That time does not give them the right to influence my political view point.


I'm willing to have a civil discussion about politics and religion with people I trust to respond in kind.  But I won't allow my self to be used to further the political agenda of a corporation.

Just Another Cog On The Gear

I’ve been pondering the replacebility of the average employee in the workplace. We’d all like to think that we are irreplaceable. The sad truth is that in the eyes of corporate America, we are all replaceable. Especially in today’s market.

One of the few truths in life is someone will always be better or worse than you. Your job will rarely reflect that particular fact.

Instead, today’s employment landscape tends to be a savannah of averages. Who can provide the most at the least cost and potential negative impact on the company.
Where are the standouts? The people who excel?

While my duties might seem simple on paper: answer phones, maintain calendars, arrange meetings, file. Those simple actions are not the sum of my work life. I do so much more.

I am an expeditor of schedules, a wrangler of people, a soother of egos. I diffuse difficult situations before they get to management attention. I manage information, then condense it into useful packets. I manage costs and budgets. All of this is difficult to quantify and are outside of my job description.

Yet, I am seldom rewarded for my reaching outside of my parameters. So, what motivates me?

I do. I’m motivated to make my environment better.  I take pride in making my job fulfilling.  It gets me a reputation for being exceptional at my job.

I'm more than a cog on a gear.

Timeliness is Next to...

If a contractor says they are going to be doing work at 1:30 pm, knowing full well that the people they need to see are leaving at 2 pm.

DO NOT Show up 15 minutes past the deadline thinking that all will be well. It won't be.  You will have a very cranky, non-cooperative  individual on your hands.  Whose time has been wasted.

Just because as a corporation we choose to pay extreme amounts of money to be told how to manage ourselves, a little courtesy goes a long way.  Makes the sting of cutting those very large checks less painful.  So, respecting the various calendars, appointments and just the individuals time is a sign of respect.  When a consultant stops extending those common courtesies, well contracts can be broken.

If you set a time, stick to it.  It makes a better impression and the world a brighter place.

On the Cheap

Nothing seems to be safe anymore in today’s employment climate. Gone is security of generations gone by. Very few people can stick with one company for their entire career. If they manage to do that, they have to reinvent themselves to stay ahead of the latest management model that leans toward automation, downsizing or out-sourcing.

I realize that there are many processes that can be outsourced, off-shored, and just plain automated. When all these cost cutting measures are taking place, what happens to the actual employee, who helped build the company? The general morale? The principles that built the company? More importantly the corporate history?

While the government gives lip-service to keeping jobs in the country, more and more companies are sending department functions overseas. Why? ‘Because it can be done cheaper elsewhere’. Sure, there are binding contracts that impose penalties if things are not done to the SLA's (service level agreements) of the corporation, but what happens to the customer service interface? There are no guarantees that expectations will be met.

To be frank the customer wants to interface with employees they feel confident will fulfill their needs. Not third-party vendors that have no clue as to why the company even exists.

As employees ride these waves of uncertainty in the workplace, they go through cycles of anger and fear. Rightfully so. Whether they have been with the company 3 months or 30 years, their livelihood is threatened. So the affected portions of the company are shunted off to the side, cut off from the rest of their corporate brethren. The isolation takes its toll on morale and perception.
While the management who has to manage the outsourcing process must be sensitive to the needs of the employees, the rest of the company is oblivious and often makes matters worse.

I don’t have a crystal ball that tells the future, but I do know that when a company treats their employee as well as it treats its customers there is a renaissance in business and vitality.

When a corporation treats its employees as so much dross, they will soon follow their greatest assets, the employee, into oblivion.