Work Related

As *some* of you know, Norma really isn't my name but there is a lady on my floor at work that thinks it is.

The first time it happened, I thought I just heard her wrong or perhaps she was talking to someone else in close proximity. Subsequent "Norma" occurrences have given me reason to believe that she does indeed think my name is Norma.

I have nothing against the name Norma, so I decided that I'll be Norma for her. I've decided to not correct her. This means that I can do all kinds of horrible things around her and, should she rat me out, I'll walk away unscathed.

Maybe I'll use the last of the copy machine paper and not refill it, right in front of her. Or maybe I'll leave dirty dishes in the sink even though there's a sign there that reads, "Your mother doesn't work here, please clean up after yourself." Then when she tells someone that "that Norma girl, you know the exquisitely beautiful brunette on our floor did 'x' or 'x' " , my reputation will remain squeaky clean.

Yes, I do believe that being Norma will be a whole lot of fun.

I've had people ask me "what ever happened to..." about two of my posts, making me feel a little bad that I just left it hanging...

The first wrap up is about the snake at work.

Unfortunately I'll be unable to wrap this one up with a nice pretty bow because I'm still feeling off balance in regard to this guy. I had another run in with him yesterday. I met with one of my clients and they told me that they had met with him yesterday, adding that "he was really helpful in explaining how their web should be laid out." They also showed me his communication plan which clearly showed that he was AGAIN creating jobs for me and timeframes without consulting me.

I only took one note in this meeting: Talk to [snake] about his discussion with [the client].

I drafted an email to him reminding him of our responsibilities, told him that he was yet again painting me into a corner (but I phrased it very professionally), and asked him to please suggest something to keep this from continuing to happen. I sent the email to my manager to review prior to sending to him because I wanted to make sure that there wasn't a hint of emotions or unprofessionalism in the email. He said it was perfect.

While waiting for my manager's response, I received an email from the snake. He was replying to a request I had for him to review some introductory text that was going on one of my sites. You see, this is HIS job. He's an editor and he's in charge of helping departments with their communication pieces. In his reply, he thanked me for 'spearheading' the web site project. He added that "we" have a lot of work ahead of us on "x" site and "x" site.

I could feel my face go red and I was certain that my head would explode that very minute.

His email did provide a good segue into the email I had already written. So, I just copied and pasted my original email and placed it in a reply to him. I added a sentence to my original email reminding him that there was no need to thank me for 'spearheading' the web initiative because it was my job to do it.

His reply was very quick and very long. Me thinks he protesteth too loudly. I especially loved this sentence, "I totally said [blah blah blah]...."

Who, besides a 12 year old says "I TOTALLY" anything? Oh, I guess it would be the same person who writes "kewl!". He infuriates me. I was so angry yesterday that I almost told him if he wants my job so badly, he could have it. I'm not that nice though. I have the best job on the planet and I'd never hand it over to such a jackass.

So, I'm afraid this is and probably will be an ongoing struggle. I am trying very hard to figure out what the lesson is that I am supposed to learn from this. I want to figure it out quickly so I can send the teacher down the road.

The second wrap up is in regard to the challenge laid before me at work.

I'm happy to say that I can proudly wear the lotus flower (thanks Muzikdude for the idea) because I did pull it off. In fact, I pulled it off ahead of schedule. I learned Lotus Notes, I learned the tracking system that was created in Lotus Notes, and I created a 42 page training piece (including animated graphics and the trainer's script) which will later become a self study using a voiceover and streaming video. And, if that isn't enough I also converted an 88 page manual to web-based.

I did all of this in one week.

I've always heard that snakes don't have lips, but that was proved wrong yesterday because I got PLENTY of lip service from the snake I wrote about a couple of days ago.

Although I had planned to handle this myself, Iki from the After Hours Pub gave me lots of compelling reasons why I shouldn't (thanks for taking the time to write me that long email Iki!) I took her advice to heart and made an appointment with my manager for first thing yesterday morning. That meeting went well and I felt very supported. He cautioned me to be sure to take the high road on this and don't get into the "reply all" pissing match. I assured him that pissing matches weren't my style because I'm too old to play those games. I just want to do my job and make my customers happy. I refuse to get in pissing matches with some dork.

And a dork he is. The meeting was at 11 a.m. At 11:15, I sent him an email from my cell phone asking him if he planned to show up. He replied that he thought the meeting was at 11:30 "and where is it at again?" OK, there was no excuse for this, because I sent him a meeting request last week. An OUTLOOK meeting request with all of that information. He showed up at 11:20.

I created a one page talking points memo and gave him a copy. I wanted it documented what we talked about and no excuses for him forgetting. Here's a print screen of the memo. As you can see, there's lots of highlighting and red circles and red squares, which will be explained in a moment.


The memo starts out with explaining why the issues we're having are a problem, I mainly focused on customer dissatisfaction and customer distrust. The next section was examples of specific issues. I highlighted the offensive sentences and wrote WHY they were offensive in the text boxes bordered in red.

The last part of the memo was a list of my functions and a list of his functions.

I gave him the copy of the memo and explained that I wanted to have written talking points so I'd stay on track. I told him that I think he's a really fun and energetic person and I needed something to follow so I didn't get caught up in his energy. That's the honest truth. I left out the part where I just wanted documentation for future violations.

He was agreeing with everything I said, with a whole lot of energy and "yeah, I 'totally' should have done that" and lots of "kewl" and "SWEET!" thrown in. Side note: on close inspection (we were sitting close to a window), I'd say this guy is over 45... so those words need to be obliterated from his vocabulary.

I suspected that I was getting lip service because it was all too easy. He was WAY too agreeable. I knew I was getting lip service when we were done with the meeting and he asked me to show him what I'd done with the last web request he sent me. I didn't create it the way he ordered it; not because I was being stubborn, it was because he didn't know what he was doing AND the web folks refused to do it his way. He got hot under the collar and kept saying, "that's NOT how I wanted it". I started getting hot under the collar myself and kept reminding him that it doesn't matter what HE wanted. It only matters what the client wants and that I met with the client before I turned in the specs.

He then made such a fit about it and how the executives were expecting it his way that I said I would try to compromise, but reminded him that this is EXACTLY WHY HE NEEDS TO KEEP HIS HANDS OUT OF MY BUSINESS. (all in caps because, although it doesn't happen very often, I was steaming mad and wasn't even trying to hide it.) He told me that if it goes over deadline than that's fine. I mentioned that my name is attached to that deadline and I refuse to tarnish my perfect reputation (I seriously have never missed a deadline and I have several nights of working until 2 or 3 in the morning to prove it.) He tried to tell me that he'd make that part OK.

Sorry buddy, but I don't trust you.

By the end of the conversation, I couldn't even swallow. You know how you can get so angry and you need to swallow but you know if you do it'll look like this huge gulp of fear? I refused to let him even think I was afraid. So, instead I almost drowned on my own spit. Heh.

Later my manager asked how it went. I told him that I was too angry to talk about it and I was going to see where things go after this. He seemed to want to get involved, but respected my need to try to handle it. I really am going to see where this goes. I'm going to wipe the slate clean after this last web job is finished and hope that he's learned a lesson.

He's crossed that line that few people cross with me, so the next infraction will not be pleasant for him.

Because I seem to be working with a snake. Snakes belong in zoo's right?

My beloved partner in crime left our department for a better job for himself (THE NERVE!) and was replaced with someone who at first seemed like a really fun guy. I thought we'd really have a good time working together because he has a lot of energy at work like me. It was all fun an games until he started messing in my turf. We've had one meeting about roles, just to make sure we were on the same page. It seemed that we were. My role, all around web Goddess (design, maintenance, technical support); his role, edit content, help with communications plans, help to traffic communications. I'm online chick, he's words guy. Easy enough, right?

Two weeks ago he took one of my designs and "completely overhauled it" with our client and sent an email to me, the client and their uncles with his "new" design. He didn't include my design in the email to use as a comparison.

A: His idea of a complete overhaul and mine are two different things
B: He had no business meeting alone with the client about my design. He should have had the client meet with me, and he could have come if he wanted to. His role has NOTHING to do with this.

After I calmed down, I hit 'reply all' and sent a brief email asking him if he'd point out what was different between the two designs, because all I could see was changes in a couple of the links (which I only had up as examples.)

He again replied to everyone and wrote (in capital letters) YOU'RE KIDDING, RIGHT? (yeah, he really did) then further went on to write that his design met corporate standards, making it sound like mine didn't. That made me feel that I looked like an incompetent fool.

I chose not to hit 'reply all' at this point because now it was sounding like a pissing match. I don't do that. I replied, explaining to him that we used to work with different teams, so his idea of "standard" and mine were two different things. Neither was wrong. I further explained that he had no business doing what he did, how it made me look, and reminded him of our roles. He backed down at that point and said that he knew it was wrong but he was talking to the client about something else and it just kind of "evolved".

I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, until he did it again last week. Different client. I was CRAZY busy with that project I wrote about last week, and I got an email from him saying that "they" had five sites that I needed to build for them by 3/31, then proceeded to tell me what goes on the sites. He then said, "should we (he and the client) go directly to web services, to get this done?"

I replied that no, again, this is MY job and I'll work with the client. I added that what he's come up with is a little more complicated than he's making it out to be and 3/31 is a tight deadline but I'd try. In reality, I'll make SURE it gets done even if I get no sleep but he doesn't need to know that. There is no way I'll miss a deadline, even if it's one that he created. Again he sent me more email pushing my buttons.

I set up a meeting with him for this Thursday so we could set things straight. I refuse to let this guy get under my skin. He's clearly overstepping his boundaries and he's being a jackass about it. He's not going to see the "risible" side of this girl on Thursday.

I was starting to wonder if it was just me taking things personally. Was I being a primadonna? Was I feeling threatened? I certainly hoped not, but I was willing to look at that possibility until....

Yesterday I met with the web team about some new standards. The snake's name came up and two people on the team said to watch out for him because he has a habit of making promises to the clients that can't be kept by the web team and then getting the clients mad at the web folks. Not once, not twice, but constantly. This is his M.O. They spilled the beans before I even had a chance to say what he'd done to me. So, I left that meeting feeling a lot more empowered to be assertive about this on Thursday.

If he continues to do this, I will go to my manager and see about severing our relationship. He doesn't report up through the same division as I do. He's just dedicated to our division. I've built up a really good reputation with my clients and I refuse to have a snake in the grass ruin it. I'm fighting mad and he's going to see a side of me that not too many people have the 'opportunity' to see.

What a lucky snake....

:snark: OH yeah, I might also add in this meeting that 40 something men really shouldn't write "kewl!" in work email. It makes them look really stupid. :/snark:

About three weeks ago I was asked to create a class to teach people how to use a new tracking system created in Lotus Notes. Lotus Notes is not on my computer, I have never used Lotus Notes, and I have never set my eyes on this new tracking system. The only reason I agreed to it is because a) I thought I'd have a month to get this together; b) I'm smart and what I've seen of Louts Notes, it looks easy so I know I'll pick it up quickly; and c) it was my new manager that asked me to do it.

......All are very compelling reasons, especially reason c.

Last week, I was told that Lotus Notes should be on my computer "any day now", and I had until March 31st to complete the training modules. I was feeling a bit of pressure because the training modules need to include a) an overview of Lotus Notes (a program I have never used); b) how to use the tracking system (a system I've never seen); and c) several mock-up scenarios to input on the system (scenarios I've never been involved with).

Today, I still do not have Lotus Notes on my computer so have yet to use that program, let alone see the actual tracking system. Oh, and I was told that training had to be completed by 3/31. That means that not only do I have to create the training, but all of the people have to be trained. By 3/31.

Oh yeah, there's also an 88 page Word document to be converted to a web based manual so it's ready to go when the system goes live on 4/1.

If I can pull this off, I'm going to make myself a cape and some sort of groovy emblem to wear on my chest. Of course, I'll have to do that after 3/31 because I won't have time to even sleep before then.

No worries, I'll still make time to blog. I do have my priorities, you know...