Still no headed paper, invoice notes or shipping documents - but at least there's some relief in sight.
Monday: AJ called us together for the morning meeting and said he'd decided over the weekend to implement a "Focussing" policy, to examine and focus on improving our internal relationships. He started off trying to explain what he meant by this, but we all didn't get it as Donna's phone began to ring. It rang for ten calls and then cut off, then LeeAnn's phone started off instead. Donna'd set her phone to divert to LeeAnn's if she doesn't answer it, so that was understandable. LeeAnn's phone cut off after ten rings as well, then James' began to ring. The call diverted to mine after that, then from mine to Amy's, and finally from Amy's back to Donna's - and was all ready to start the circuit again but the caller must've finally given up at that point and hung up.
AJ had said I wonder who's calling when Donna's phone started, but when Amy got up to answer it he said sit back down - they can call back after the meeting. He did get distracted by it though, and every time one phone cut out and another started up he'd twitch. Eventually he said who is that calling? but we all couldn't tell unless someone answered it and his waste-of-time meeting was obviously much too important to interrupt to allow one of us to pick up a phone call.
We all have the automated phone system and I still don't understand why AJ won't let us use it, so I said why don't I just activate the voicemail system so it automatically goes to voicemail after five rings? but he said no, we can't have the phone answered by a machine - it's bad for our corporate image. So it's better for our corporate image if it's just not answered at all, then.
He said OK, he's decided to suspend the "Focussing" policy until next week in favor of a "prompt phone answer" policy instead. From now on nobody may forward their phone to anybody else unless they're actually leaving the building, nobody may answer anyone else's phone for them unless the person has told everyone they're leaving the building, and we all have to answer our phone by the fifth ring - without fail.
He stalked off to his office, and Amy said I wonder if it was a customer? Donna said don't worry - if it was a customer, they'll ring back. Just then her phone begain to ring again and she picked it up, to find it was her daughter Carly. My phone rang too then, and I managed to get to pick it up within the five rings - which was lucky, as it was AJ who said he was just testing to see if I would or not. I said OK and he hung up, so I went back out quick and said watch out, everyone - AJ's testing. That's when LeeAnn's phone rang.
The stupid thing about it is we all don't need the divert function anyways - the office is small enough we all can see if someone isn't there, and we've all gotten into the habit of picking up each other's calls and taking messages if we all can see they're busy. AJ's the furthest away and we all can hear his phone ringing too, even with his door closed.
Tuesday: AJ made another test phone call this morning to Donna (who'd gone down to the filing room) so Amy answered it - and AJ came out and ripped in to her for it. He went off and shut himself in his office sulking while James and I calmed Amy down and LeeAnn said what she'd have said to AJ if he'd tried that on her. I said if you say only half of that to him he'll sack you and she said just let him try it.
He wouldn't try it on with her of course - he only bullies Amy because she sits and takes it. OK, we all sit and take it, but Amy's the only one he doesn't feel uncomfortable about bullying as the rest of us don't start apologizing like she does, and we all tend to look him in the eye as well so he gets red-faced and gives up.
Wednesday: The big printer wasn't working after the lunchbreak again. Walked over, pulled Mike's mobile charger, threatened him with LeeAnn, and plugged the printer back in.
Donna was left a message by Fiona to call up Head Office Purchasing (who're supposed to be coordinating the print run for all the stuff with the new corporate colors), and find out what's happening. She called them up today and told us all what they'd said. It's not good.
We all should get some more envelopes this week, and the phone message pads and the visitors passes are still on schedule for Friday. It's not envelopes that's wanted - they've sent enough of them. It's the headed paper for letters and the multi-part invoices and shipping documents to go in the envelopes we're all desperately waiting for. The headed paper has been rescheduled yet again, and will finally be started Monday next - so we all might get some towards the end of next week. The multi-part documents are on hold again until the middle of next week - because several CEOs have demanded give-away note blocks for a marketing campaign and they've been scheduled in to be done instead of the invoices and shipping notes we're all waiting for. We all should see the first multi-part documents towards the beginning of the week after next, instead of the end of next week.
Thursday: AJ wasn't around today, and we all listened to his phone ringing near all the time. Nobody picked it up - he told us not to answer anyone else's phone for them unless they said they'd be out of the building and he'd gotten annoyed at Amy when she answered that test call he made to Donna's phone, so we all did what he told us. Of course he does't bother to tell us all he's going out - but that's not our fault, is it?
Friday: AJ said at the morning meeting nobody is to use plain paper now Head Office Purchasing have promised us headed paper in the new corporate colors. Donna said but they've only said 'towards the end of next week' and AJ said don't worry about that - he'll call them up himself and get them moving so we'll get headed paper towards the beginning of next week.
He then complained because several Head Office people had asked him why hadn't he answered his phone yesterday - we all could have at least taken messages for him and it just showed up our casual and unprofessional attitude to business that we'd all let his phone ring and ring without picking it up and taking a message. James said we're not allowed to pick up other people's calls - you said so yourself, and AJ said well, yes, but that only applies to calls from people who want to speak to individuals, not to calls from people who want to leave messages. He made it back in to his office before any of us had worked that one out.
He came back in to check up on us all just before he went to the afternoon meeting at Head Office, and told us all he'd just spoken to Head Office Purchasing himself. He's told them how urgent it is we all get some headed paper as top priority, and they've promised him they'll deliver some towards the end of next week.
Fiona's back on Monday, then we all have just one week to go when we're all in - and then AJ's out for two whole weeks of uninterrupted non-interference. We're all counting down to it.
read 01/09/11 or read September to December 2001 