My apologies for the language, I'll wash my fingers (with soap) just as soon as I'm done here.
I just got back from a meeting regarding my company's fundraising efforts for Relay for Life, and I have to tell you, I'm feeling more than a little discouraged and disheartened.
My company has it set up in such a way that our "teams" are competing against each other, and I understand why they're doing it this way, competition is a great motivator for a lot of people, I get that, but what many of them don't seem to understand is that we're all in it to do a good thing for a good cause, and the fucking pizza lunch that we may or may not get depending on which "team" raises the most money in any given month doesn't and shouldn't make a lick of difference. I'm not trying to sell tickets so that the other 16 people on my team can enjoy a pizza lunch, I didn't ask Russell, and Angie, and Aaron for their help so that I could plug my arteries with just a little more pepperoni than I normally would. I haven't harassed each and every one of my friends to buy a ticket because of my profound love of cheese. I'm doing it because it's a good thing to do, and right now, I'm pissed.
The meeting was mostly about what everyone is doing, and how they're doing, and how they'll be rewarded for a job well done, it was basic and really a waste of time I could have spent doing my job, but whatever. Some people had talked about how they had concerts in the works, and we all talked about the difficulties and obstacles that are present in trying to come up with a space large enough to accommodate different activities that doesn't charge an arm and a leg, and then somebody mentioned the Relay for Laughs show, and only at that point did I speak up. I started to tell everyone that I had sold 44 tickets, and that there were only 36 more available, and that I would be happy to sell some of them, mind you all of these people had received a couple of emails from me on the subject, but I hadn't spoken in person to at least 75% of them, and not a single one of them had actually purchased a ticket, so why not? Why not take 10 seconds out of this very important meeting to try to help raise money for the fucking cause in question? I didn't get 10 words into my 30 word sales pitch before Janna pops up, from across the conference table, with a very loud "Shut up about the tickets Heather, we don't want to hear any more about the tickets" which hurt a little, but not nearly so much as the response from my right. Julie, a supervisor who is one of the 4 people who is supposed to be overseeing this whole process and encouraging all of us in our efforts smiled and looked at Janna, and simply said "Thank you Janna".
You know what, I've been working my ass off, I've been talking to new friends and old, co-workers, strangers, and the occasional drunk guy at a bar, and through all of these efforts I've raised $220 for a great cause that will also be a tax deduction for this company. I know that some of these people, (Julie and Janna especially, since they're both coordinators and smokers) have heard it what probably seems like a million times, and I get that they don't want to hear it again, but buck up girls, and get with the program, I'm doing what needs to be done, under the guidelines that were set, and maybe I'm a little over-zealous, maybe I'm even (more than) a little annoying, but don't rain on my float when it's in your fucking parade.
My company has it set up in such a way that our "teams" are competing against each other, and I understand why they're doing it this way, competition is a great motivator for a lot of people, I get that, but what many of them don't seem to understand is that we're all in it to do a good thing for a good cause, and the fucking pizza lunch that we may or may not get depending on which "team" raises the most money in any given month doesn't and shouldn't make a lick of difference. I'm not trying to sell tickets so that the other 16 people on my team can enjoy a pizza lunch, I didn't ask Russell, and Angie, and Aaron for their help so that I could plug my arteries with just a little more pepperoni than I normally would. I haven't harassed each and every one of my friends to buy a ticket because of my profound love of cheese. I'm doing it because it's a good thing to do, and right now, I'm pissed.
The meeting was mostly about what everyone is doing, and how they're doing, and how they'll be rewarded for a job well done, it was basic and really a waste of time I could have spent doing my job, but whatever. Some people had talked about how they had concerts in the works, and we all talked about the difficulties and obstacles that are present in trying to come up with a space large enough to accommodate different activities that doesn't charge an arm and a leg, and then somebody mentioned the Relay for Laughs show, and only at that point did I speak up. I started to tell everyone that I had sold 44 tickets, and that there were only 36 more available, and that I would be happy to sell some of them, mind you all of these people had received a couple of emails from me on the subject, but I hadn't spoken in person to at least 75% of them, and not a single one of them had actually purchased a ticket, so why not? Why not take 10 seconds out of this very important meeting to try to help raise money for the fucking cause in question? I didn't get 10 words into my 30 word sales pitch before Janna pops up, from across the conference table, with a very loud "Shut up about the tickets Heather, we don't want to hear any more about the tickets" which hurt a little, but not nearly so much as the response from my right. Julie, a supervisor who is one of the 4 people who is supposed to be overseeing this whole process and encouraging all of us in our efforts smiled and looked at Janna, and simply said "Thank you Janna".
You know what, I've been working my ass off, I've been talking to new friends and old, co-workers, strangers, and the occasional drunk guy at a bar, and through all of these efforts I've raised $220 for a great cause that will also be a tax deduction for this company. I know that some of these people, (Julie and Janna especially, since they're both coordinators and smokers) have heard it what probably seems like a million times, and I get that they don't want to hear it again, but buck up girls, and get with the program, I'm doing what needs to be done, under the guidelines that were set, and maybe I'm a little over-zealous, maybe I'm even (more than) a little annoying, but don't rain on my float when it's in your fucking parade.