Rant Attack! - Saltmine
You assume to much.
Who told you to do that?
I want it back the way it was!
Ack! Rant time!
Few things first:
1.) I’ve worked at my current job for two and a half years. I really like my job. I’m an administrative assistant at a professional liability (and other types of) insurance brokers company.
2.) I say “yells” but I really mean “fuss”. I usually use the word fuss because it’s not really yelling, but I’m ticked right now, so YELL it is! Oh, and in today’s show, kids, “yells” here also means “be completely condescended to.”
3.) Yeah, the word “fuss”. I’m a kind hearted soul. I figure, when I finally get REALLY PISSED, I’m well and righteously pissed because I gave you every mental chance in the world for me to see your point of view or to take into account your situation. And you blew right through all that. That’s it. No mercy. My friend Michael gets to that end much quicker, but we are alike at the point of, “Okay. You have no mercy now. May you be judged.” Then I have to go off and pray and get rid of the black tar resentment in my heart, but that’s another personal issue. You still have no mercy!
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“Assuming makes…”
Don’t attack me when I assume that someone else did their job. Don’t attack me when I use my fairly experienced judgment to make a cognitive step to a reasonable conclusion. Don’t label it assuming and quote that damn “assuming makes an ass out of you and me” phrase.
Guess what? I assume you are going to show up for work today. I assume that the other drivers on the road are going drive somewhat safety. I assume that a certain group of our clients miscalculate their amount due, so therefore I will check their limited math skills carefully. I assume that the Professional Liability file will have less info on Additional Insureds than the General Liability file, because, guess what? Most of the time PL file don’t have AIs anyway, and usually not have addresses for the names they DO have.
Not that the General Liability program isn’t the red-headed stepchild program, anyway. I assume that no one will do certs for PL and GL files, so I do them to make sure they are done. Because, ya know what? I’m the one who does them regularly. Not that KT doesn’t do them, but I do the majority.
The human mind can only do so much. It has redundant circuits and hardwired shortcuts in the system. If we didn’t “assume”, we would be constantly lost, starting from scratch everything we try to think or do something. Don’t yell at me for having normal memory brain function! Your brain makes shortcuts too!
I’m not complaining about the work. The work is fine. I love my job. But, man! Don’t throw that stupid line out at me when you do the same damn “assuming” thing that you do!
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“Who told you to do that?”
I don’t know, it was two bloody years ago! If I was doing something wrong, I would have been told to stop. Know how I know that? Because certain co-workers delight in showing me what I screw up on. Okay, reasonable note - I’m ASSUMING that people are taking delight, but I’m really being silly/vengeful. Still! With certain people just yelling at me for stuff that I learned to do two years ago when I first started, gee, why didn’t YOU tell me THEN that it was wrong. Because I do things by the last directions received. If YOU didn’t tell me something I was doing was wrong, and NOW you are being condescending, sorry, that was YOUR fault, because I was trained that way and you didn’t correct it. How am I supposed to know something is wrong if you don’t bloody TELL ME?
Example, silly one, but still an example.
A few months ago I was told by my supervisor that I couldn’t wear my Reebok walkers for work. Okay, fine. No problem. But, she had to convince the person above her to not have to write me up for it. WTF!
As I told my supervisor… I have worn those shoes to work everyday for TWO YEARS! And some random person decided to be the fashion police one day and narc on my footwear??? Guess what, Fashion Police Officer, could I point out for you all the OTHER broken office attire rules? Hmm!!!
My supervisor did agree it was stupid, but that she had to tell me, yadda yadda. My sup is cool. One of the reasons why she is cool is that she recognizes the bullsh#t and readily admits when it IS bullsh#t.
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“Why can’t we have assistants like we did before?”
I don’t know, but a better question is:
Why are you torturing US for a policy that was:
1.) formed before 7 of the 9 team members (or administration assistant pool, if you will) were even here!
2.) was the OWNER AND PRESIDENT’S idea?
I’m sorry there is so many fingers in your damn file. We are doing the best we can. Per el presidente, all the team is to know all the work, all the programs, and all the salespersons bitch points and specific, personal, anal procedures. Guess what? That’s a HELL of a lot of information to just retain, let alone DO constantly. Not to say the name of my company, but the acronym is also rendered “Changes Every Minute.” So, all those millions of procedures for the few dozen insurance programs and the entire sales team may be changed at ANY time.
Again, okay, fine. Changes all the time. We get that. I get that. HOWEVER, when I miss a point, don’t jump down my throat because I forgot this new new new procedure. I don’t need the memo about the damn TPS report cover again.
I JUST got an email that a specific sales person wants all the follow ups done in fax, not email. Why? Who knows. I’ll do so, that’s what they want, okay. However, if I miss it, don’t have a domestic bovine about it, okay?
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My main thing, as it always is, is people’s attitudes about stuff. Chill. Relax. Life and work is what it is, we do our best, we move on. Its not going to matter in a year or two. Most stuff won’t matter in a month. Good grief. How about a little grace? A little understanding that YOU, too, make mistakes when things get changed AGAIN!
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Addendum:
BTW, it’s REALLY UNPROFESSIONAL to be a supervisor and complain and make comments about one of their employee's work and personality TO an employee of the same level. You have a problem with an employee, go to that employee. Don’t broadcast your opinions to all who are under you. You wouldn’t pass around everybody’s annual review, would you?? Or would you...!