She said no

Interesting. As I dropped something off in Kristy’s office on Thursday, she asked me to sit and talk about my work situation. Ut-oh…here it comes. She was so nice about it and said again how much she appreciated my work, that she felt like I was doing such good work for her, and that she didn’t want to lose me as an employee. Thank you! But, she had done a lot of thinking, and she knew herself, and she knew that she just had to have that coverage of 40 hours a week. She paused, and I wondered if she weren’t waiting for me to back down, to have my bluff called…but I hadn’t been bluffing, so I thanked her again and told her that I completely understood and that she had to do what was going to be best for her and her company.
I am out.
Odd.

However…I then asked her if she’d had a chance to talk to Nikki yet that morning. Nikki is another secretary here in the office who actually used to work for Krsity. Kristy had shared Nikki’s duties with another attorney, but when Kristy’s use of Nikki started creeping more towards 75% rather than 50%, Sharon got upset. Nikki also had a young daughter that couldn’t be left home alone after school, so Nikki needed some flexibility to go home early on Fridays to be with her daughter too, so after some heated negotiations, Nikki worked solely for Sharon and Kristy went looking for her own help. Apparently, there was a secretary that she hired randomly and out of the blue that all of the other secretaries questioned. They couldn’t believe that Kristy had hired this girl because it was very apparent that they were not going to gel after the first week of that honeymoon phase. Kristy may have been a bit desperate and hired out of a knee-jerk need. The girl didn’t last, and I don’t know that I’ve ever even heard her name mentioned again. Kristy found me, and personality wise as well as because of my skills, the other secretaries approved of the choice, but then they found out about my pregnancy and my wedding business needs, and the secretaries questioned Kristy’s choice again. Hmm. Still…it’s worked out to this point, so I guess the choice was a good one. Now the funny things that have come to light are that Nikki’s is not getting enough hours of work from Sharon and Nikki is bored, even during the only 32 hours that she does work each week. Nikki’s daughter has also grown up to the point that she can handle hanging out at home alone for a couple of hours on Fridays until Nikki were to get off at the end of a regular work day, but with Sharon’s empty schedule, Nikki still goes home early. Juxtapose that with Kristy’s more than 40 hours a week schedule for me, when I need more time away, and there was an obvious option…Nikki suggested a boss swap.

I could work fewer hours for Sharon, 30 a week, but still keep my insurance. I could get all of her work done and still have time to work on wedding things, as well as to take Friday’s off and not have to worry about transcribing through the weekend. Nikki could bump up her hours and no longer be bored. Kristy could have a full-time 40-hours-a-week secretary that she already knows and likes and who knows her files and working procedures. It seems like it would be the perfect situation for all of us. Well…except maybe for Sharon. Apparently, she is a bit touchy lately, and being prickly, especially in light of her previous confrontations with Kristy meant that Nikki wasn’t sure who could/should/would approach Sharon with the idea and be able to keep their head from being bitten off. She didn’t know how Sharon would respond or if she wouldn’t just snap and not only tell me to take a hike, but fire Nikki for having had the idea in the first place. It would also create a lot of tension in the office between herself and Kristy when Kristy ended up hiring Nikki back regardless of Sharon’s outburst. And, everyone admits that they have no idea where that would leave yours truly. Out. Regardless…I’d be out.

Sharon was out of Town on Thursday when we talked, and wasn’t due back until Monday or Tuesday. Well, it’s Monday, and Sharon is in the office. I’m not sure if there’s been a discussion yet or not. No one is talking to me, and Kristy has barricaded herself in her office under mounds of files in prep for depositions and hearings this week. Jon has tried to sooth my nervousness by saying that no matter what happens, we had already made peace with every outcome. If Sharon doesn’t want me, then that doesn’t change our responses, and I would come home and work on wedding stuff until I found another job. True. If she did want me, great, then they would handle things graciously and I would move to a new desk and situation soon enough. If not, then I could hand stuff over to Nikki without really having to train anyone, and I would be able to jump into the work we need done even faster than anticipated. True. I know that. I know that there’s no real reason to be nervous…but I’m a girl and I’m a worrier, and I’m feeling tension in the office that may not even exist really, and it all makes my shoulders clench. Bah. I can’t wait for someone to confront Sharon and get it over with! I feel like a kid that broke the rules and got sent to their room until her parents could figure out her punishment. Come on mom…I just want to know how long I’m grounded for this time! Drop that hammer already!

~ by bylorena on September 29, 2008.