Our budget went through, but the pay raise in it didn't - James put in for 2% and really thought we'd get it.
Monday: Donna came over to me as soon as I got in and said please will you ship as much as possible today - the customers are desperate for all the items that should have gone out last week, and they're calling me up and crying at me. I said I'll do as many as I can.
AJ called us together for the morning meeting and said he'd decided over the weekend to implement a "security" policy. He was on the shop floor Friday morning and saw people walking around he didn't recognize, so in future we all have to wear our name badges when we all go down to the shop floor. When James pointed out we all don't have name badges, he said Fiona was to order some and to use visitors badges in the meantime.
I tried not to get involved in it as I had all the shipping to do, but I don't want to have to write out a new badge every time I need to go out on the shop floor - so I got a couple plastic wallets the visitor's badge goes in and wrote out 'ME' on each of the pieces of paper that go in them. I kept one for myself, put the rest on Amy's desk, and said there you all are - reusable ones.
Tuesday: AJ told me customers were complaining about not getting deliveries last week, and why hadn't I shipped all the things piling up in the Packing area yet? I said I was shipping things as fast as I could, but he said why didn't they go last week? they were ready last week. I said because I was working on the budget database for James instead, so he backed off and said well, just get them out as fast as possible then.
Steve from Stores asked me why was I wearing a visitor's badge with 'ME' written on it, so I told him about AJ seeing people he didn't recognize walking about downstairs last Friday morning. He said oh yes, that's right! It was one of the Welders with his mask off.
Wednesday: AJ came around to tell us all that there won't be any annual reviews for any staff this year, and to disregard any rumors to the contrary. Nobody'd heard any rumors, so Donna rang Carly as soon as he'd gone back in his office, to ask her if she'd heard anything. She told us all Carly'd just been about to call her as Head Office staff were told this morning shop floor workers will all get annual reviews and pay raises this year, but office staff won't. She also said everyone in Head Office is complaining so it might change, and she'd let us all know if Carly heard anything new or got a review.
I know James put in for everyone to get a 2% raise, because that's what he got AJ to agree to - actually he put in for 3.7% as he knew it would be put down to 2%. So it looks like it didn't get through and we're not going to get it this year after all. I know 2% of nothing much is still nothing much, but at least nothing much with an extra 2% on top would be a little better than just the bare nothing much I've been getting so far.
The big printer wasn't working after the lunchbreak again. Walked over, pulled Mike's mobile charger, told this was his last warning and I'd tell LeeAnn what he was doing if he did it just once more, and plugged the printer back in.
I guess I'll have to tell her if he does it again next week, he's been doing it every week since January and I've told him I'll tell her - but I don't really want to. I just know I'll feel guilty when she hurts him. But then again - if I don't tell her, she might start blaming me. She's been reasonably polite about it so far, for LeeAnn, but it's only a matter of time before she realizes it's happening every Wednesday.
Thursday: The name badges Fiona ordered came in this morning - she sent them straight back, canceled the order, and raised another one with another supplier. They'd been made up by somebody typing out our names in black on red tape, and then sticking the tape on a black plastic disk. There were only six disks in the bag as well - for 'Donna', 'Leon', 'blank', 'James', 'Mirandda' and 'Annie' - and one loose piece of tape with 'Foina' on that had come off in transit. Mike and I figured out we were meant to share the 'Mirandda' one.
I don't know who Mirandda is or what it said on the badge she got, but I'm betting she's not best pleased with it. The replacements from the other supplier should be here next week.
AJ came around again after the lunchbreak to tell us all the shop floor workers will be getting annual reviews, but there'll be none for office staff this year. Donna said well that's that - at least we won't get him giving us a stupid annual review. Fiona said yes, but the downside is we won't get him giving us a minimal pay review either.
I went back in my office to finish up the last of the overdue shipping paperwork for tomorrow, and James followed me in. He said look, I know I can tell you because you worked on the budget with me - you know I put in for a 3.7% raise for everyone in the offices so we'd get 2%? well I heard it went through. I said maybe it got canceled later, but James said no, I've checked and it's still on there - the money's actually in there, and it'll have to be allocated before the next quarter's reports. I said so what happens to the money if it's there and doesn't get given out to us all? and James said either Head Office'll take it back because we haven't spent it, or AJ'll claim it as his bonus for getting us to work harder with no raise. He said I can't say anything to anybody else as it's budget work and it's confidential - and you can't say anything to anybody either, because you're not supposed to have seen the budget at all. I said but I worked on it, and he said yes, but you should have worked on it without looking at it.
AJ makes enough without getting my 2% of nothing much, and I guess I'm a little resentful - I wanted that 2%.
Friday: AJ said at the morning meeting he'd not seen any more unauthorized people downstairs, but nobody should become complacent and relax their guard as we all still had to preserve site security. He asked Fiona why we didn't have our name badges yet, and she said they should be coming towards the end of next week. I don't know why he's so worried about site security, it's not as if any competitor would be interested enough in anything we all did to sneak in and spy on us - unless they wanted to drop dead laughing when they realized how minimal a threat we all are.
Just before AJ went to the afternoon meeting at Head Office he came around to remind everybody we all didn't need to come in Monday as it's a Bank Holiday. We all knew already, but it was nice of him to remind us.
We all needed something to look forward to this afternoon, because Andy was giving the shop floor their annual reviews. He got through them pretty quick as he just called a meeting for each section in turn, told them they'd all done well last year and he'd had no complaints, then gave them all a 2% raise.
Guru Bob rang me at four to say he'll be coming over at nine next Thursday to give me my annual review, and he's arranged to do it jointly with AJ. I said I thought there weren't going to be any reviews for office staff this year, but he said I know I'm running late, there's no need to rub it in. James was out in the main office talking with the others, so I dragged him off to one side as discreetly as I could and said you know that little problem we had where we can't say anything about you know not doing things he should be? well he forgot to tell Guru Bob, so he's coming over next Thursday to see me about the year - you know, the last year. Fiona said why are you two grinning like that? and James said we're looking forward to the Bank Holiday.
I'm looking forward to the Bank Holiday vacation too, but I'm looking forward to next Thursday as well.
read 01/04/23-27 or read 01/05/07-11 