Okay, in this one I'll take the point of view of a highly anal-retentive manager.
Uranus wrote:
I awoke this morning at precisely 5:45 A.M. I have found that to be the most productive time at which to begin my day. I ate a healthy breakfast of Grape Nuts, a banana, and a glass of orange juice. I left my house at 6:30 A.M. to begin the morning commute to work.
At 7:00, I entered the office. Not surprisingly, no one else had yet arrived. Some people do not value a good day's work adequately. I sat at my desk and began reviewing everyone's assigned tasks and schedules for the day. It was much like yesterday's; consistency is the kernel of high-quality work. I checked my e-mail; someone had sent an informal proposal to improve the work environment here. That is all well and good; I accept the limitations of my managerial expertise; but the company has established procedures and regulations that must be followed. If she would like to make these suggestions, she should start by getting the appropriate forms and filling them out. I would gladly give them consideration if she did. I will let her know of the specific policy defining suggestions for workplace improvement.
Now the first person has arrived. It's Wally. He's a good man: always on time, always at the meetings, always productive. I am going to leave my desk for no more than one minute to say hello to him. It is important to reward employee's model behavior.
Now the others are trickling in. This last one is George. He's been at least ten minutes late for work three times in the last three weeks; that is unacceptable here. I must have a talk with him about corporate tardiness policy. I have heard the watercooler gossip that people appreciate George's plucky attitude and originality, but likeability has nothing to do with productivity. We are here to work, not have a social hour.
[...]
Most of my day passes like this. It's work. I can't say I enjoy it, but at least it's not fun. It is not easy for me to admit this, but I am intensely fearful of spending time on "leisure." The concept baffles me. The pinnacle of humanity's accomplishments required years of tireless effort to produce. They weren't the resulting of "just letting go" or "enjoying oneself."
05 Oct 2005, 6:26 pm
)?
