What I Like About my Job

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Pretty much all I do is complain about my job. My job is not so bad; it's the mid-level managers and corporate's insistence on a rigid implementation of numbers-based systems on a human institution---which is destined to aggravate the human spirit no matter how many pep rallies and pep talks and pep whatevers they pay associates to attend.

If management were to leave me alone, my job would, for the most part, be ideal. Here is what I've decided I like about my job:

A nice combination of working behind a counter (to keep distance between customers and myself) and the freedom of being able to walk around if I feel the need.

Two coworkers who accept me as "weird" and leave it at that, and who also listen to me talk without laughing at me...and one coworker who actually became my friend.

A supervisor who s management as much as I do, who likes to talk about economics while stocking shelves, and who lets me pretty much do what I want as long as a worklist is done every week.

A coworker whose grandson happens to be autistic, so she understands my uniqueness and acts as a sort of advocate/buffer between management and other not-so-understanding coworkers/customers who like to be jerks.

Customers who consistently approach management to tell them how helpful and knowledgeable and honest I am, and how they appreciate me NOT asking them if they want to sign up for a credit card. (That last bit got me a write-up, though...go figure.)

How every Saturday I get to teach a class on paint and painting techniques for three hours instead of helping the mad rush of Weekend Warriors (Do-It-Yourselfers) find the answers to questions that indicate they probably should hire someone to do the project for them or risk by still doing it themselves.

The location is close to home, so my not having a driver's license isn't that big of a deal. It is also close to Blockbuster, Target, and Radioshack so I get most of my shopping done with minimal help from my parents.

Of course, it is a rare day when management leaves me alone. I think, though, that they know I keep documentation of EVERYTHING I do, including photocopies of approved schedule changes, always having someone verify that I clocked in/out on time, minutes of every meeting, written documentation of every conversation between management and myself, and a group of coworkers who have taken me "under their wing" so to speak.

So they have never tried to do anything to get me fired---just to quit, and I am as stubborn as they come so that isn't happening for another 5 months. I may be paranoid, but paranoid is good in this corporate ure.

What do you like about your job, if anything?

Last edited by dexkaden on 21 Mar 2006, 9:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I like the fact that my team has several members and several different tasks, and we've managed to balance the work so that everyone does the things they are best at, like the most, or (in the worst case) suck the least.

I like my coworkers. When I first joined the team there was one guy who was very difficult to work with but he retired so now we're all happy.

I like the fact that I don't work with the public. It's a large company and I still have to deal with hundreds of people, but the local all know me already and therefore my quirks are generally not a problem.

I like the fact that my managers have always been very "hands off". They tell us what needs to be done and when, but then get out of the way and let us do it our way.

I really like the fact that my manager is on *my* side when senior management start doing things that are disruptive in the workplace. The company used to have managers that were all "yes men" but that's changed a lot in the last few years.

Best of all, my job description is just flexible enough to allow me room to do expirimental things. For example, I wasn't hired to write software but my boss let me do it anyway when I found tasks that could be automated. The programs I've written have saved the company at least $30k in direct expenses, close to $100k per year in labour costs, and in one case is direcly attributed to the saving of a life.

I got to set my own hours to be more condusive to me. I love that.
I have a great boss, seriously, he is a cool guy and really knows the company inside and out and is a very positive person to work for.
I have a lot of freedom at my job.
They pay me very well. (I like that part quite a bit, lol)