I Love My Job

 I love my job. I've been there almost 24 years (half my life) and I actually look forward to going to work every day. This wasn't always the case. While I've always liked my job and the company I work for, I haven't always liked my boss. I had two different bosses prior to my current one and it's such a difference. 

My first boss (let's call her Butt Leach) hired me as an entry level secretary. It was clear early on that she was incompetent and didn't deserve the job she had . . . Notice I didn't say the job she was doing, because she never actually did her job. When I took a temporary break from the company, I made it clear that the main reason was because of her. She sucked. 

When I came back to the company after my temporary break, I started working for boss number two (let's call her Fart Face). She was better; however, Butt Leach is her best friend. So, she wasn't the best. The problems with her didn't really start though until she was out on leave a few times. She was a Director at that time and I was her assistant. When she went on leave (3 different times for multiple months), I did her job. I didn't make decisions--her boss did (Big Boss). So, I worked directly with the Big Boss. He gave me the opportunity to advise him and give my two cents on topics. (This was great because it led directly to promotions.) The problem came when Fart Face came back to work. At first, she would be so thankful that I did everything and she didn't come back to chaos. After a month or so, she'd start questioning why I did certain things. I would explain that Big Boss made that decision or this decision. After another month or so, she would just be pissed and attack me, telling me I did everything wrong in her absence and she had to "fix" things. I believe she acted this way because she realized that her secretary was doing the job of the director and doing it better than she did. She was worried that I was gunning for her job. As if.

Like I said, working directly with Big Boss led to promotions. But let me back up. During this time, Butt Leach's job was eliminated. She was a manager of the clerical staff. So, instead of laying her off, they promoted her to a representative in the department. A couple of years later, there was an opening for another representative position. I applied for it, based upon all my experience with the company and the department. I didn't get the job and boy was I pissed. They hired someone from outside (whom I actually love, BTW). It so happens that I got a horrible review that year as well. It was a bunch of hearsay and lies. . .most of the lies came from Butt Leach. I had to dispute it. In spite of these things, I did get a promotion that year, just not the one I wanted. That's ok--I got it the next year, and got two more within the next three years.

The last few years in that department though were hell. I'm kind of an expert in one area of that department and was doing everything myself. They finally hired another rep (we'll call her Snooty Bitch) to do the same thing and I started training her. She was an attorney who wasn't practicing as an attorney and had moved over from another department. She thought she knew more than I did and refused my training. She wanted Fart Face to train her. The problem was, she walked all over Fart Face and convinced her that everything I had been doing was wrong. At this point, I was truly done. I was actively looking for another job; I went to the head of the other department (Ideal Boss) and begged her to hire me for the next opening . There was no way I could stay there much longer, even though I loved the job and the company. Fart Face, Butt Leach, and Snooty Bitch were making my life hell. I seriously couldn’t stand it.

And then, changes were made. Big Boss retired, Ideal Boss was promoted to that position and they were hiring for her old position. I applied for it just for shits and giggles. No, I didn't get it--they hired from outside again (we'll call him Dorothy). I didn't expect to get that job, but I made it known I didn't want to stay where I was. I got moved over to Dorothy's department. The first two years were not pretty. He didn't understand why I was so defensive about everything and I didn't understand that I could trust him. It finally became clear though that he was trustworthy. He backed up everything he said and he didn't make false promises. He also didn't accuse, blame, or take credit where it wasn't his. He also finally understood the hell that I had gone through. It's been almost seven years since Dorothy started and I have changed so much with his guidance.

I just had my annual review and it was fantastic . . . One of the best year's I've ever had. All of this while undergoing so many changes in my personal life, including my divorce. I don't know how my life would have been at this point if I hadn't had Dorothy's guidance through the whole thing. All of this just to say, I love my job.

Until next time, much peace and love.