Validation & Goodbyes
This was a good week.
The Call Center I'm supervising is actually producing what was asked of us, and almost by the stated 6-week deadline. Of course, the Call Center is not the heart of the project, but nothing can begin until we collect the necessary background information - and past Call Center performances did not lead to any great expectations.
In fact, there was so much hand-wringing and predictions of disaster when we started in October that I started out feeling just a tad overwhelmed. The sample population was nearly double that of past surveys, but the deadlines were not increased and we discovered that the data provided to us was sketchier than in the past.
But somehow I didn't feel daunted by the unknowns ahead. I was even looking forward to trying some of the ideas I had developed from the previous project last January. I also think it's sometimes a blessing to be mostly unaware of past procedures and any resulting disasters.
Besides, starting with such low expectations could only make any success look better.
Anyway, on Friday, at the end of the 7th week, I was finally told that we're close to 80% completion of the required calls. I knew we were doing well, but have not been given any specifics until now. (I'm not part of any information loop.) We've been so productive that the office that handles the 2nd phase of the project, assuming the worst from the Call Center, is overwhelmed.
This has never happened before. There seems to be general amazement, since there was no real drama or chaos in the Call Center, just steady progress. I get the impression that chaos and upset have been the measures of progress in the past.
It may be petty of me, but this all makes me smile - and proud of the "temps" I was lucky enough to have found.
And therein lies the other side of the coin. There is a degree of sadness trembling beneath the surface. We will soon begin the process of scaling down into the end phase, and that means saying goodbye to the temps I've been working with. Matt, Mariana, Jessie, Susan, Tamaina - names that are never uttered by management. People who have become more than just temporary, replaceable employees to me. I not only appreciate the work they have done, but will miss being around them.
It does bother me is that there is almost no acknowledgment of the part these people played in the Call Center's success, but I know what they have accomplished and never let an opportunity pass to point that out. I have also come to know some of their history and respect their efforts to make their lives make sense.
The selection was random, based solely on resumes (no interviews were allowed). Three of the first ones - Mike, Yolanda, and Eva - didn't work out, but I respected their reasons and openness for not being able to continue (rather than just disappearing). The replacements fit in seamlessly and by week 3, we were humming along as though we had been at it for months.
It's sort of like watching my children go off on their own.
A couple of them - Matt & Mariana - I could easily call friends, and will miss them the most. The others - Susan, Jessie, and Tamaina - are people I have enjoyed working with, and would love the opportunity to know them better. I will miss seeing all of them each morning, and wish I could be a fly on the wall to watch how they work things out. And they have all responded to me with respect and even affection. I think they have appreciated the way I responded to and treated them.
Of course, it's not all over yet - there is still stuff to take care of, but the end is in sight. However, the successes of the moment have not gone unnoticed, and I think the chance intertwining of our lives has left each of us changed in the process, and better for it.
It all feels like validation to me - for all of us - and even the prospect of goodbyes carries with it an element of happiness for the experience.
The Call Center I'm supervising is actually producing what was asked of us, and almost by the stated 6-week deadline. Of course, the Call Center is not the heart of the project, but nothing can begin until we collect the necessary background information - and past Call Center performances did not lead to any great expectations.
In fact, there was so much hand-wringing and predictions of disaster when we started in October that I started out feeling just a tad overwhelmed. The sample population was nearly double that of past surveys, but the deadlines were not increased and we discovered that the data provided to us was sketchier than in the past.
But somehow I didn't feel daunted by the unknowns ahead. I was even looking forward to trying some of the ideas I had developed from the previous project last January. I also think it's sometimes a blessing to be mostly unaware of past procedures and any resulting disasters.
Besides, starting with such low expectations could only make any success look better.
Anyway, on Friday, at the end of the 7th week, I was finally told that we're close to 80% completion of the required calls. I knew we were doing well, but have not been given any specifics until now. (I'm not part of any information loop.) We've been so productive that the office that handles the 2nd phase of the project, assuming the worst from the Call Center, is overwhelmed.
This has never happened before. There seems to be general amazement, since there was no real drama or chaos in the Call Center, just steady progress. I get the impression that chaos and upset have been the measures of progress in the past.
It may be petty of me, but this all makes me smile - and proud of the "temps" I was lucky enough to have found.
And therein lies the other side of the coin. There is a degree of sadness trembling beneath the surface. We will soon begin the process of scaling down into the end phase, and that means saying goodbye to the temps I've been working with. Matt, Mariana, Jessie, Susan, Tamaina - names that are never uttered by management. People who have become more than just temporary, replaceable employees to me. I not only appreciate the work they have done, but will miss being around them.
It does bother me is that there is almost no acknowledgment of the part these people played in the Call Center's success, but I know what they have accomplished and never let an opportunity pass to point that out. I have also come to know some of their history and respect their efforts to make their lives make sense.
The selection was random, based solely on resumes (no interviews were allowed). Three of the first ones - Mike, Yolanda, and Eva - didn't work out, but I respected their reasons and openness for not being able to continue (rather than just disappearing). The replacements fit in seamlessly and by week 3, we were humming along as though we had been at it for months.
It's sort of like watching my children go off on their own.
A couple of them - Matt & Mariana - I could easily call friends, and will miss them the most. The others - Susan, Jessie, and Tamaina - are people I have enjoyed working with, and would love the opportunity to know them better. I will miss seeing all of them each morning, and wish I could be a fly on the wall to watch how they work things out. And they have all responded to me with respect and even affection. I think they have appreciated the way I responded to and treated them.
Of course, it's not all over yet - there is still stuff to take care of, but the end is in sight. However, the successes of the moment have not gone unnoticed, and I think the chance intertwining of our lives has left each of us changed in the process, and better for it.
It all feels like validation to me - for all of us - and even the prospect of goodbyes carries with it an element of happiness for the experience.