New Job, Same as the Old Job

Six months into my new job and I have to say…not much has changed.

That fact was drilled home to me the other day when I was heading for home on a Friday afternoon after a tough week. It was the same week we switched over to a new system (with little to no instruction) and we were all frazzled, to say the least.

So, I decided to say goodbye to a co-worker and wish her a good weekend. However, as I approached her office, and without a word coming out of my mouth, she threw her arms in the air and snapped, “I can’t talk now. I’m busy!”

Kinda rude, don’t you think? I wasn’t looking for a long conversation. I had my coat on and it was obvious I was leaving for the day. So why the rather nasty reaction? Why not say something like, “Hey, can’t talk now. Have a good weekend. See ya Monday.” You know, a polite response.

I know it wasn’t my fault. Usually, I say something stupid and get reamed out for it. But in this instance, I hadn’t said a word. I understand she was stressed, but why take it out on me at that particular moment? She is not the only one who is over-worked and stressed out on the job. But most of us manage to be respectful of others even when we are under pressure.

I did not respond in kind, nor have I mentioned the incident to anyone in the office. I'll forgive and forget and chalk it up to her having a bad day.

Except...this is the second time this particular person has snapped at me when I was only wishing her a good day. OK, she’s high strung. But now I wonder if she isn’t bat-shit crazy. Best to keep my distance from her.

I know I said I would stay away from office friendships, but since when is basic courtesy a bad thing? Won’t make that mistake again.

The whole instance made me a bit sad. This is pretty much how I was treated at my former place of employment. Yes, there were times when I snapped under pressure, but I always apologized for it later. And if I didn’t there was always somebody else who called me out on my bad behavior and I did my rightful mea culpa. More times than not, I was the victim of somebody else’s rudeness than the perpetrator.

There are other aspects of this new job that make me realize the workplace is generally hostile to low-level employees. The higher-ups get to sit in their Ivory Towers and make decisions without consulting the people who are actually going to carry out those new projects. When those new projects are launched, we are given bare-boned instructions, so when something goes wrong we get blamed. Hey, why weren’t we given more time and instruction so that mistakes won’t be made? Alas, bosses have the upper hand in this employment market and we have little say. Our job is to simply take whatever is thrown at us and not complain.

Let me ask you: When was the last time you felt confident enough to stand up for yourself in the workplace? I’m even afraid to ask questions about technical things, lest I be viewed as an easily replaced dinosaur.

It’s futile to argue anyway. It’s budget season now, so surely meetings are taking place about our futures without us knowing anything about it or getting a chance to defend ourselves.

I understand that certain matters (layoffs, the sale of divisions, etc.) require confidentiality. But there is something fundamentally disturbing about other people discussing our professional futures without any input from us—the people most impacted by those decisions.

So, this is what I worked so hard for? To get back to a workplace as rude and disdainful as my former office?