Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Grumpy funeral girl

Today I was unable to play well with others, dead or alive, so I came home. New FD was somewhat shocked when I just out of the blue said "I don't feel well, I'm going home". It's a little out of character for me, the just leaving part. I will call him at the end of today to see what tomorrow's schedule looks like and I may stay home tomorrow too. Steve called after reading my somewhat whiney email just to let me know he supports whatever I choose to do, even if it's to quit and stay home for awhile again. He's the best. I love working with the families, but I think I said the manager quit while I was on vacation, and the owner is the biggest putz ever. He's not been too bad with me, but his affect on my coworkers has now trickled down and it's bugging me. He's nothing compared to a boss I once had who'd line up prescription drugs on his desk and we'd never know which Jim would be coming into the cleanroom, it just depended on what pill cocktail he'd mixed for himself. Now he was a boss, let me tell you. Maybe I shouldn't tell you, it's totally beside the point. Okay, I'll tell you, maybe it'll help me keep my current situation in perspective. Jim was an ass. I worked for him during a time when I was perhaps at my worst as for as people skills, so if you worked in our group you had him putting pressure on me, which then meant I put pressure on others. Most days he or I made someone cry. I was a jerk. He was a big jerk. So, we worked in a cleanroom, which means we wore bunnysuits (not the Playboy kind either, but the Intel kind, although I didn't work there, it's the most easily recognizable semiconductor company). Well, Jim was a smoker and sometimes when he got really worked up, he'd be yelling and carrying on, arms swinging, employees hiding (really), and sometimes his face mask (cloth, like nylon or something like that, but lint-free) would turn yellow from the nicotine on his breath and he'd be breathing so hard that the mask would go in his mouth when he talked. He'd spit it out and keep right on yelling and cussing and it'd get soaking wet. Disgusting. He was so mean. Once I was physically afraid of him, only once, when he wasn't even mad and we weren't even in the cleanroom, but he stepped right in my space and said quietly into my face, "If I catch you with that gum in the fab, I'll fire you on the spot." Normally, I'd know he was full of it, cuz I knew he wouldn't fire me, but that day. I stepped back and didn't say anything, cuz I couldn't, he saw the fear in my eyes, and that made me mad, more than his stupidity. I've known some mean men and in that split second he knew it and I hated him because then he knew more about me than I'd ever wanted him to know. But here's the weird part and this makes little sense. He was also the best boss I ever had. Financially, he did wonders for my income, almost tripling my wage in the five or six years that I worked for him. And I learned about myself because of him, what I was capable of becoming, so I took steps to not become him. I'm not proud of how I treated coworkers during that time and I can blame it on the stress he put on me all i want, but it's revisionist history to do so. This has become a little therapy post for me. It's a good reminder that the current situation isn't horrible and that although there is a lot that isn't right, there's alot that is. Did I mention that in the month since my vacation and the manager's departure, three other people have quit? The owner is a putz and many people in our local industry don't like him, but he gave me a job when i had no funeral or office experience. Not that that means I have any loyalty to his company, I don't. But i also recognize that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

4 comments:

Sayre said...

If we never had it bad, how would we know when we had it good? Or at least better? Sounds like your old boss taught you some good lessons about yourself. Enough to know whether or not you can/want to continue dealing with this new one.

Patience said...

That guy definitely has a problem. It's his problem but he's making it yours! Stand up to him! Tell him to go put on his big boy underwear, and then he can come back and talk to you! (Well, of course that'd probably really make him mad but it might be worth it!)

Margaret said...

Thank you for reminding me why I don't work for anyone anymore. Well, I do, but they are customers. A little different for I can tell any one of them to go jump off a cliff and still have a job. And a free day/spot to fill in with another new customer.

-Margie
(Dr. John sent me this way)

Catch said...

I worked in an office for 12 years.....it was my Fathers trucking company. As long as my Dad was running it I was ok...but when Dad passed away and big brother was running it...I was in trouble. I worked for him for 10 years...he was an asshole for quite a few of those years. One day..I just walked out, then I gave notice and I quit. No skills, single Mother...all that jazz. I didnt care. I did some caregiving on the side. Now I have a caregiver business of my own..I have about 8 -10 girls who work for me. I try to always treat them with respect..as I would want to be treated. You live and learn Noel.When my brother would be mean to me, I would go home and just cry and cry...no job is worth that.