When the boss is always right.

About a year ago WA my work colleague came to me and said that she was being moved from her office and would be sharing the office with me. She also said that the boss had discussed it with her a month earlier and that everyone knew about the move. Five days later two strong me came in and moved her desk and computer into the office with me. The boss not once came and spoke to me about it which made it clear to me that he was not prepared to give me a say in the matter.

The boss wants us to have a family atmosphere type of business so I also think that because of this he should have spoken to me even if it was just to explain that new staff members were joining us or whatever his reason was for making this decision.

I immediately made an effort to get along with WA although I have a long standing grudge against her. When I had a nervous breakdown I mentioned a harrowing meeting with the boss one day and she said “listen GB, I am not interested”. I never burden people with my problems and like I said I just mentioned the meeting I did not go into a word for word account of what had happened.

Yesterday I get to work and immediately with my lunch and keys still in my hands the boss, WA and another colleague all three wanted help and my attention immediately.

The boss gets priority and he gives me a task to do and I help the other colleague. I put my cell phone, keys and lunch away and WA immediately starts telling me about her son’s medical problem. She just assumes that it is a convenient time for me and she just assumes that I am interested in hearing about her son.

This also happened about six months ago and when I gave her a short remark to show her - now is not convenient - she went crying to the boss who called me into his office and said if I did not watch how I talked to fellow staff members that I would get a written warning.

So while WA is talking to me I am ignoring her and I am checking which orders need to go out on the first trip of deliveries and the boss comes charging into the office and says “GB, you can have your private chat on your own time, I told you the task I gave you is top priority and I want it done immediately”.

WA has always been someone who loves chatting more than working and it was his choice to put her in an office with me. WA does not give me a chance to get a word in and I have asked her before not to engage me in a conversation when I arrive at work we can have a chat later on in the day when she is on lunch. I work right through never taking lunch.

Yesterday WA chatted and interrupted every person at work with her personal discussions about her problems not only on the health of her son but also her financial problems and then the day ended. She had been away from work for two days and she made no attempt yesterday to catch up on any of her work.

She left the office every ten minutes to either go buy snacks or to take a break. I gobbled my sandwich in between phone calls etc and when I came home last night I was exhausted because I am not sleeping right through during the night.

If only homework was this easy when I was at school!

When I was at school there wasn’t anything like computers. When I had to do a project I had two weeks in which I had to go to the library every afternoon, to copy by hand, as much information as possible about the topic and because it was 50c per A4 copy. I would only make a few copies of the pictures I needed and then I would go home and excitedly compose my project. Sadly my masterpieces would be considered dull in comparison with what can be done today.

The reason I have gone down this path of memories is of course my office mate WA. Her teenage daughter, SA needed some information for a school project. WA flatly refused to look up the information her daughter needed.

After school SA goes to the house of a friend. The friend’s mother keeps an eye on them until WA gets home in the evenings. The friend’s mother obviously started to get annoyed with the fact that every time a project had to be done not only did she have to assist her own child with the project but SA too. So this time the friend’s mother confronted WA and told her that the project was due the following day and wasn’t SA going to do anything?

WA made a feeble excuse and went to the manager at our work and asked him if he would look up the information. The manager who was quite busy at the time because of the backlog caused by WA’s frequent absences from work also thought it was a bit of a cheek and never looked up the information.

So what do you think WA did the next morning? She tells SA to stay at home and not go to school. When WA came to work she told us all how urgent it was that the project be done and it is all the manager's fault. Neither WA nor her daughter did it though. Eventually the poor girl had to go back to school and got 0% for that particular project.

Not only does WA have a computer at home but she also has one at work. She was able to find Facebook but not the information her child needed ...

Set fire to the rain - Adele

Today I am expected to act in a certain way and everyone will be watching me to see my reaction.

It is stressful and when I am under stress I usually get a song stuck in my mind. I heard this song on the radio earlier this week and now I can't get it out of my mind.

Hoping that this day will fly by and bring us one day closer to the weekend :)

Addiction to Pills.

About a year ago someone at work had a minor injury. We always have Disprins on hand but because this guy was in pain we got in stronger pain killers so that he could take medication and continue work without taking extra sick leave.

My office mate WA, who has a bit of a problem with medication, could not keep her hands off these white little beauties and one morning when I came to work I was told she was admitted to hospital during the early morning hours and was in a serious condition. Everyone at work suspected that she had overdosed.

WA rummages through the medicines and collects about five different tablets in the sticky palm of her hand and then swallows them all in one gulp.

A few weeks ago WA tells me that her son takes a fist full of vitamin tablets and she doesn’t mind because they are good for him. (He obviously sees this from his mom.) I was shocked and I informed her that vitamins should be taken as advised otherwise they could also be dangerous but she just laughed me off.

One month ago, we were all working in the office and I hear thud on WA’s desk, I look over and WA’s face is flat on the desk and she is snoring out loud. The temp helping me was horrified and urged me to do something because WA was obviously not well. I didn’t panic – it was not the first time I had seen WA react this way. Eventually the boss came into the office and ordered WA to go and sleep it off at home. WA sat up and said she was not sleeping and then drove home. I was shocked to think that anyone would consider allowing someone, who could not keep their eyes open, to drive.

Today WA demanded pain killers again. There weren’t any – simply because she had already taken them all. Annoyed WA ordered the temp to run to the corner shop to buy some tablets for her. WA walked out the office and when she returned 2 minutes later she grabbed the money from the temp and said “never mind, I’ll go myself”. The temp said she was busy with something and would have gone as soon as she had finished. I knew that, the problem is that WA needed it really urgently because she is addicted for sure!