Today I had a "class" with my clients. I needed them to connect together the concepts that if they want money, they not only need a job, they need to keep the job, and not following the rules is a quick way to lose the job. And they don't want to lose the job because then they won't have money. Therefore, don't break work rules.

One kid got really excited and blurted out, "Yeah, it's just like what Ludicrous said in that one song, 'if you don't want to play take your broke ass home'". I paused for a second and realized that yes, it IS just like what Ludicrous said.

And who said rap music is a bad thing?

I know I talk (really it's more like complain) about my job quite a bit. It's to the point where some must be thinking, if you hate it so much, then quit or do something about it. Ha! I have a plan that I'm going to lay out over the next couple of days.

Step 1. Pick a quit date. I pick JULY 2009. I know, that's a bit down the road. But I have my reasons. And at least it gives me a concrete date that I can count down!

Reason 1. I want to make sure I'm not doing a "grass is greener on the other side" thing. Right now, I'm not actually doing the job I was hired to do. Starting in April or May, I should be doing the job I was actually hired to do, so maybe I'll be more satisfied then. Also, (e:Drew) wisely pointed out to me that I often hate my job for the first 6 months to a year. And then I hate leaving it when all is said and done.

Reason 2. I am not just quitting this job. I am going to leave the social service field. I am making plans and thinking on a new career path. I want to use the time to take a few classes and prepare a bit before I make the switch.

Reason 3. Finances. I have a few monetary goals to hit before I jump ship. Including paying for the classes to become a commissioned lay pastor.

Reason 4. I want to pop out a baby around July 2009 and it just makes sense to me to make a career shift at the same time.

It annoys me that my supervisor keeps asking me if I'm "comfortable" with a plan of action document that I wrote over 3 months ago and submitted for his review AND have already started implementing. What the hell does he mean by "comfortable"? And why, 3 months later, has he yet to review it? And it seems a little late to be asking me if I'm comfortable with it when I'm already knee deep into it.

It annoys me that he treats me like his personal administrative assistant. I'm not his administrative assistant. I'd actually like to be an administrative or executive assistant. But currently, that's not my job title or an accurate description of my job. I suppose if he respected me enough to read the documents he's always asking me to create, I'd be a little more easygoing on this point.

It annoys me that I was told at the initial interview that this program for which I'd work was for all intensive purposes approved, when in reality, its' 6 months later and it's still not approved. Lesson learned, I will never work for a social service program again that doesn't have its approval and financing at the time of the interview. Oh, wait...I'm thinking I should just wash my hands of non-profits all together.

It annoys me that it was highly stressed to me at the interview that this job required an individual who can be successfull working autonomously and independently make decisions and follow through(terrific, that's my strong point). In reality, my position requires a person with a strong personality who is good at team work and doesn't mind running their projects and work by 20 other people to see what they think until they run around in bloody circles. Not my weakness, but certainly ain't my strength.

So a person comes to work with the plan to check e-mail and voicemail from the previous work day and shoot off to a morning meeting in Hamburg. Voicemail, e-mail and estrip checked, the person gets up and starts leaving the building to drive to the meeting. The person runs into their supervisor who lives in Hamburg. "Hm", the person says, "Mr. Supervisor, why did you drive here to work only to turn around to go back to the meeting in Hamburg". Mr. Supervisor pulled a face that said, Meeting? What meeting? That face was quickly folllowed by a face of dawning realization. Then Mr. Supervisor finally said, "<ahem, clear throat> The meeting was cancelled....oh, no, I need to call everyone else to make sure they know".

Is it just in social services where these things happen? Would people at the prestigious Roswell schedule meetings then capriciously cancel them without telling anyone? I mean, am I complaining about something that happens everywhere....I guess scheduling and canceling meetings is just a pet peeve of mine I like to rant about it.

Supervisor can hardly look me in the eye today. Didn't say hello or greet me. That makes me nervous. Maybe I should think of a reason to go talk to him about the program so I can reassure myself that the program will be moving forward and I'll still have a job.

It seems I've become a bit of a joke around the office. Everyone likes to make fun of my headphones that I wear at my desk so I can quietly listen to my music.

It makes me annoyed. I wouldn't feel compelled to wear my headphones constantly if they hadn't moved me from my office into a cubicle.

I listen to my music on headphones because....

I'm pretty sure that no one else wants to rock out with me to the christian praise music that I listen to (I do listen to more than that btw).
I don't want to listen to the music that the people play in the offices behind me....80s cheesemetal and some jazzy bluesy clarinet crap
I don't want to listen to one of the women in an office behind me cackle-laugh all day long.
I don't want to isten to the same woman bitch about her supervisor and co-workers loudly all day long to any one who will listen.
I don't want to listen to the guy in adjoined cubicle harangue and berate his fiancee like a child.
I also don't want to listen to the same guy talk about sports ad nauseum on the phone.

So say what you want...but I'm a lot happier with my head phones on.

(e:changeisgood)'s mention of office parties was an unpleasant walk down the memory lane of my previous job. My previous job was in and of itself stressfull. I oversaw a lot of staff and clients and I was on call 24-7. To add to the joy of working there, we had mandatory office parties.

When I was a mere program manager, I was simply mandated to attend the office parties and mandated to pressure, twist arm, and make threats of various natures to get my staff to attend. I had to tell my staff who worked two jobs, went to school and had spouses and children that they must attend the party. Management is throwing a party for the staff, and darn't,they will show up with gratitude and appreciate it!

When I became program director, it got even better. I was mandated to mandate my program managers to attend and to pressure/bully their staff in attending. I also had to cook for the events and buy gifts for the chinese auction. Ok, so I hate the name Chinese auction, that alone pissed me off. I tried to get people to call it a ticket auction, but it never caught on...and I have to cook? What?

I'm a great cook. I love to cook. But I get stressed out cooking for work events. You know that people are judging your food, judging you and no one wants to be left with a bowlful of whatever they brought as indication that their food sucked. For one event, I made my sticky caramel rolls...usually very yummy. In my haste, I did something wrong half way through. I stomped my feet, pouted and started over. Then when I was rolling out the dough, I couldn't get it to roll out right...Drew walked into the kitchen to find me pounding the ball of dough on the counter with tears streaming down my face in complete frustration. I did manage to finish them, but they turned out crappy and no one ate them. So from then on, I refused to cook for events.

I've spent a joyful week in orientation for work.
Not particularly informative or interesting to someone who has already worked in this field a bit and could probably teach the orientation class. But my ears perked when I heard the following during my incident reporting training...

The state office of mental retardation and developmental disabilities (OMR/DD) does not require social services agencies to report client on client abuse unless it is of a sexual nature.

Let me give you some background. Most states require mental retardation (MR) social service agencies to report a number of different situations to the state to ensure that social services agencies aren't allowing for/causing the abuse/mistreatment of individuals. These situations include: injuries, hospitalizations, abuse and neglect allegations, criminal victimization. Anything bad.

These regulations are a reaction to the big state hospitals of the past that were a world unto themselves with very little accountability where very horrible, awful things happened to the mentally retarded people who lived in them.

One of the awful things that happened in the institutions is clients would hurt one another. Some clients had severe behaviors and hurt people because they didn't know any other way to express themselves. Some clients were predators and bullies. Some clients severely injured and even killed other clients. Staff to client ratios were sometimes 1 staff to 30 clients so staff had little ability to provide the necessary oversight.

So back to present day. An MR agency does not have to report if one of their clients physically beats the shit out of another client whether because of a behavior or because the client is a mean nasty person who likes to hit people (the resulting injury if severe enough might be reported, but not the abuse). The optimistic part of me wants to believe that an agency with integrity will take steps to reduce and prevent these incidents. But the cynical part of me knows that social service agencies have thin financial margins (I have a whole other rant about how the non-profit social services sector should move into the for-profit sector, but that's for another day) that sometimes influence their thinking, so it bothers me that there is no state oversight in this area. I don't care if it's a slight shove or slap or a beating, an individual has the right to live free from such harm and the state should make sure of it.
Ok, rant finished.

Less than six months ago, I had a job that was beating me into the ground. On call for staff and client emergences 24-7. Oh, yes, love the 2am run to the hospital when a client falls and breaks some bone. 60 hour weeks. Start my day with no clear ending point to the day. A hyperactive a supervisor who bounded into my office ten times a day with another 5 jobs all to be done ASAP. Took my frustration out on the husband when I got home.

I would have danced the happy dance (ask (e:drew) about the happy dance, I really do have one) if you had told me that in the future I would have a 9am to 5pm job with nothing substantial to do all day!

I AM SO BORED!!!! HELP ME!!!!

I need suggestions on how to pass the time, but still look like I"m doing something productive to those spying eyes that I know are watching me.....

Any suggestions?

I work for an agency that serves people with developmental disabilities (aka mental retardation for those unfamiliar with PC terms). I'm involved in starting a brand spanking new program that's going to have its own location. Elmwood ave in the Elmwood village area has been bantied around as a great location. I concur for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it cuts my commute down to a short walk to work =)
I made the mistake of discussing this topic with friend of a friend who is an absolutely zealous city planner type and worked for a local neighborhood assocation years ago.
He heatedly declares to me that there are 400 different social service organizatons operating in Elmwood, Allentown and Lafayette and that's ENOUGH (I doubt the veracity of the number). No more social services need apply to reside in the area. So I quiz him as to the negative impact of the social services on the neighborhood to which his thoughtful reply is that it deprives suburb communities of social services. Okay, but what is the negative impact on the communities named. He can't name any, so stutters out, I'm a liberal type, I know these services help people, I want to seek the root causes for these problems, but I don't want all those organizations in my community.
What I heard was, I'm a liberal, but I don't want to have to see or interact with homeless people, alcoholics or retards. I want all the priveleges of suburban living (i.e. exclusivity) in the city. Arrgghh...he's the liberal that exemplifies why I don't identify as a liberal anymore!
So...what do you think, will one more social service agency in Elmwood be the beginning of the end?