Good move

I just completed my sixth week at my new job. I wake up every day glad that I made the move, even with the extra hours. I used to wake up every day hating my job and I lived for my Fridays off from the job I hated. The big question is what took me so long to quit?

I did a little remote work for the old job this week and sent some information and suggestions to my old boss in an e-mail. I heard back from him the next day with the following reply:

"Thank you, Mary. I miss our visits in your office."

I was a little surprised at that. I don't think I'm reading too much into it when I'm thinking he has realized that he doesn't have someone there any longer to act as a sounding board and to give him a different perspective and offer suggestions. He used to appreciate that about me but I'm slightly shocked to hear that from him now. I didn't always say exactly what I wanted to say about things (I picked my battles) but most of the time I tried to temper his knee-jerk reactions to situations with a little rational thought. He doesn't have that type of person in the office any longer, and amazingly he has enough introspectiveness to see that.

I should be taking pleasure in this but I makes me feel a little sad. I always said my problems with the office were not with the bosses and attorneys but revolved solely around two staff members that made it difficult for everyone else. I certainly would get angry with him on occasion but if it was necessary I could talk to him about it and he would listen. Gotta give him credit for that.

Okay, let's see what else. I had a compliment at the new job this week when a task was turned over to me. The reason it was a big deal is that it was a pet project of one of the long-term staff and she hadn't handed it over to my predecessor because she didn't think it would be done correctly if at all. She sent it my direction this week and told me that it meant that she had faith in my work and my ability to follow through. That made me feel good. Now let's hope I don't screw it up!

I've heard bits and pieces of my predecessor's time on the job and I guess I shouldn't feel too smug because my dogs could do a better job. Actually I have assumed tasks from two people but one of them was a sweetheart and did good work so most of the negative I've heard involves just the one. She was also an accountant but didn't have, what one co-worker called, a good work ethic. Her work was not finished timely and she wasn't concerned about mistakes. But the real reason she was terminated was that it was suspected (and probably proven -- I don't know the details) that she was stealing from the cash deposits. After I started and took over her position, I had to clear out her old voice mail cache and there were numerous calls from collection agencies. I continued to get calls from them on my phone for about four weeks after starting, but as I told them she was no longer employed here, they began to thin out.

And just to give you a visual of her time on the job, I found that my "executive" desk chair was broken shortly after I started. I've been using a spare secretary chair (no arms) in the meantime until it is fixed, but everyone told me the good chair is broken because she kept reclining in it. The chair wasn't really built for reclining, which is why it's broken, but the job isn't really built for reclining either. I think her nose was less to the grindstone and more to the personal business she had going on.

I'm pretty lucky because if I'd followed someone super competent, I'd be like that Dilbert cartoon recently when the ghost of a former employee's competency followed the new employee around and made him look bad.

Enough for now. I'm getting sleepy but I'm determined to stay up past 9:00 tonight. Tomorrow should be just a good day to catch up around here (laundry, cleaning) and enjoy a slower pace.