What should you do when your days are numbered?

I've been working in the Administration field for quite some time now. You know, answering phones, filing, scheduling, typing, data entry, the whole sha'bang.

Well you would think my name was John Connor when I tell you that I could see the future. *war music here* I could see an office without me and my administrative staff. An office where every hard document will become digital; where all file cabinets will become a thing of the past; where professionals will have no choice but to answer their own freakin' phone.

Are you in the midst of or have previously assisted in making your work place more efficient, technologically advanced? Are you welcoming in the very software, which for some reason you feel will take your job in the near future? Has the Terminator come for your livelihood?

If all roads are clearing to a not so certain future for you, don't try to fake yourself out of it. Exhibit positivity. Prepare as if you knew the date of your Judgment Day. If you have time saved up, find fun ways of using it, slowly but surely. Save, Save, and save money some more. And if drawing from unemployment is a part of your future, pray to your higher power that you're not in a state which is swimming in debt. Yes, your contributions are owed to you. However, the extention of unemployment benefits beyond your contributions aren't guaranteed.

Whether you are in this boat or not, what I can guarantee is that someone you know, is in this boat. A small business can be run from an iPhone these days. Be prepared for the worst, in the best way possible. Maybe you could fight off our judgment day by going to school for another certification, degree, license, etc.

If you actually believe that the workforce in this country is getting any better, "Don't believe the hype!"

Guru Rant: Stuck Up Strangers

photo courtesy of unfocusedmike

Okay OHW readers, I have a dilemma I need help with. Before I ask the question, let me lay out the goings on of this morning for you.

I arrive to work early, and park. Just as I am about to get out of the car, another car pulls in. She saw me when I first pulled in, yet she did not wait for me to get out before she slid in next to me. Instead, I had to wait for her to park her car before I could open my door and get out of mine!

Anyway, she gets out and walks by without saying anything, which was fine with me, because Im not a morning person. Don't care for early AM conversations. I thought she might at least say hello, or good morning though, just because we were getting out of our cars at the same time, right next to each other...She's about three-five steps ahead of me, and reaches our office building door. She buzzes in and does not hold the door open for me.

Im thinking, "Wow! This woman knows Im right behind her." So, we are standing waiting for the elevator, and the doors nearest me open first, so I get in first. I press my floor and she says, "Two please." I hesitate to press "2" because Im thinking, "I know this woman is not ordering me like Im the elevator operator!!!"

But I go ahead and hit her floor. As she's getting off, she says, "Have a nice day."

I'm too dumbfounded and PISSED to say anything back. Dumbfounded because her greeting surprised the hell out of me, and pissed because she didn't ask me to press the button, she commanded me to do so. As I mentioned, I didnt respond.

She gets off the elevator, turns around and mumbles something. I think it was, "Bye".

Question for you: Was I wrong to offer this chick the cold shoulder and not wish her a good morning in return?

Morning Alter-Egos

Contributed by NikCee

You’re either one or the other.

You’re either one of those happy-go-lucky morning people that sing their hellos and skip as they walk. Or you’re one of those that would prefer giving a hip-hop inspired head nod to those you come in contact with. I’m the latter. I don’t mean to be that evil bitch first thing in the morning, but I am. I mean…after double digits, I’m fine. I’m awake, I’m ready to hear my desk phone ring and not curse it, I’m ready to answer questions, I’m ready to tackle random, meaningless small talk.

Before then? Forget about it.

They say it takes caffeine 30 minutes to begin working in your system. On my way in to work—note: I drive to work alone; I do not carpool, so it’s just the radio and me. I have my travel mug of coffee and the occasional snack. Once I arrive, I’m still enjoying my alone time, so if I’m pulling in with someone else, I do what I call the “fake search”. In order to let that person get out of their car and get to the garage elevator, I pretend to search for something in my purse or in the backseat. OR I pretend that I have to make a phone call.

I’d much rather not even ride the elevators with people in the morning because you have to participate in that obligatory morning small talk. Don't even dare not give paragraph-worthy answers, because then it’s perceived that something’s wrong. NO! Nothing’s wrong—I just don’t WANT to TALK this early in the morning. I smile, nod and give short answers, if possible. Then I usually have to explain that I’m not a morning person. That of course, opens up a whole new can of worms. Then, they have to bring up some random person in their life that also doesn’t “do mornings”. All the while, you’re looking at this person like, “do you realize you’re STILL talking?” It just generates even MORE conversation. Pass.

Once I manage to make it inside the building and to my desk—throwing head nods all the way, ducking & dodging that loud morning person I might run into, I have a right to want to get in and get settled, right? I like to take off my coat, put my purse down, log into my computer, check emails (work & non-work), check blogs, etc. I don’t want anybody addressing me with work-related matters with my purse still in hand or coat still on my back. If I’m in nice and early, I tiptoe into my cube to avoid having that awkward morning mash-up with the early bird of the office. It’s all fine & dandy until she has to make a fax, then she’s up in my territory and can hear me clicking away on my keyboard. And so it begins.

To avoid this, I've tried to gauge which time I should arrive to work. If I try coming extra early, I find that I get a good head start on the day, get into a good groove of things, ALONE, but then when everyone gets in, the whole “good morning” charade interrupts my productivity (or lack thereof). If I come in a little later, I arrive WITH them and my morning gets off to a slow start. Do I roll with the old adage, “if you can’t beat em, join em”? Nope! I let them do their thing and STFU in my cubicle until about 11 am.

Some office people can’t deal with silence or just the sound of keyboards. They have to talk, whether it’s to their computer or equipment or if it’s something random and irrelevant that they say to you over the cubicle wall (Thank goodness I don’t work in one of those cubicle-less offices—I DO need my privacy and would rather not look at some of these people). I won’t even get started on LOUD co-workers. Or the ones that enter the office loudly exclaiming, “It’s so quiet in here!” That’s a whole ‘nother blog entry.

It’s all smiles & giggles at 4 or 5 pm, when it’s quittin' time for me. Ironically, that’s when those annoying morning people are quietly dragging. It’s a complete role reversal. It’s pretty funny, too. My energy completely picks up. The nap I was daydreaming about doesn’t even matter anymore. Oh well, at least I have that short amount of time to NOT deal with office melodramas and get myself together…just do it all over again the next day.

Good Morning! (NOT)