Manager Assessment: Poor

So, yesterday on a long out-of-the-office drive, I was able to assess the number of hours I dedicate to each particular piece of my job. It comes as no surprise that I'm working (or should be working) more than the 35 hours a week [nonprofit] allotment. But what is surprising, as well as something I have to actually do something about, is that the coordinator in my department--who is an hourly employee--has the workload of a i'm-busting-my-ass-to-get-up-the-career-ladder corporate schlep.

Now: we know that A) she is not busting her ass, as there's nowhere for her to move up to unless I were to vacate my position (which she's made fairly clear she's not ready for/interested in); B) she is not lazy, poor at time management or unorganized; and C) she IS an hourly employee working a 35-hour a week job!! May I quote?: Our department does not pay overtime.

I see my options as very limited. I either take away work from her (which I then become responsible for doing myself) or I advocate for her to get PAID for the hours she's working and/or be given a promotion and a RAISE. The latter is difficult because I worked in her position for 2 years and managed the same level of workload without asking for just compensation. I just liked working that hard, okay???? So, the precedent has already been set that the work will be done. Now, if that doesn't prove that the one person you need to watch for in this world is yourself, I don't know what does. As for the former option, that one sucks my ass.

So, yes. I'm giving myself a capital P for poor in this managerial assessment. Mostly for not recognizing that I was being a slave-driver (!!!!!) to my most beloved staffperson; but also preemptively, for not being able to advocate effectively on behalf of my staff. Look, I can't even get my boss to give me a permanent place to sit. What makes you think I'm going to get someone else a raise???

SICKO :(

well, i saw michael moore's "sicko" last night (the first moore film i have watched, by the way). it definitely made me feel sick! sure, i don't work in the insurance industry, but i certainly work close enough to it to make me feel like a big fat loser after seeing the movie.

the biggest point i thought he made was that america steals everything from other countries, so why don't we just "steal" the idea of universal healthcare and run with it??? as someone who's generally a realist/pessimist anyway, my first response is that it's too late for america. we suck and no one is ever going to fix that. we (the "concerned" citizens) should all throw up our hands and move to canada (or britain, or france...whatever floats your boat). it's the same way i felt after the last presidential election, and the same way i'll probably feel after the next presidential election. america is truly corrupt! a true revolution would need to be started...buy WHY??? there are already other countries that we could just go live in. well, i guess, if you're not a nationalist or something.

when it comes to fight or flight, i'm definitely a flee-er. but even people that really "fight" for democracy or freedom or whatever people fight for these days have to occasionally recognize that they're fighting a losing battle. isn't that what our so-called forefathers did? they left britain because of religious persecution and founded their own country. and--believe me--they were no less persecuted than we are today. we're just more used to it (?) than they were. or we're not as idealistic???

sure, it's not as glorious to "move to canada" as it was to pioneer a new world. but, there's no more world left. we've got to accept the options we have. stay here and be persecuted by the government, insurance companies, the healthcare system, etc. etc. OR move to a better system.

the red sox do play in canada, right?