Two of my favorite TV shows are on at the same time - Greys Anatomy and The Office. So every Thursday I go into the den and program the TV to record The Office. After I finished hitting record, I started thinking about the show and wondering what it is that makes it so appealing to watch.
Each character is so unique, but it's the combination of the characters, being forced to interact together for most of their waking hours, that is so interesting (and humorous) to me.
I have been at my current job for over 25 years. So I KNOW what it's like working with all types, day after day. Our company started out very small - there were 4 of us to start, and we grew like crazy. And it was like a big family. If someone was getting married, we were all there, planning a party. If someone had a death in the family, we were all there at the wake. It was like this for many years. It was a very cohesive group. We went through all of the life cycles together - there were the early years of the weddings, then the births, then the graduation, and now, unfortunately, we're in the years of the funerals of the parents.
We had steady growth at the company for many years, and then we went through a period of very rapid growth. We were hiring anyone. Food was being stolen from the kitchen. Toilet paper was disappearing from the bathrooms! We didn't know everyone anymore, which was weird. And then we got smaller again, but a lot of that cohesiveness was gone.
In spite of that, many employees who had left the company would stay in touch and remark that they loved working at our company cause it was like family. Well, I thought, families kind of go through their cycles too. And people change and people say things that make us angry and maybe work is like that now. We've got the lazy one, the one who always acts like she's gonna do something she's supposed to do and then never does. There's the bossy one. And the one who ignores us whenever we need information. And the spiteful one - beware if you get this person angry, cause then you'll never get what you want. Although there are a few left who will always help out when needed, it seems we've lost most of that. Which makes me sad. We used to operate like a well oiled machine. Now we're a bunch of parts that never quite come together.
I love it in The Office when they are all summoned to a meeting. The boss is up there trying to be so enthusiastic and the rest of the group is sitting there, collectively thinking "oh brother." Maybe this is what happens when the company has been around for too long. If I could pick any kind of employment situation right now, I would choose to work for a company that is just getting started. And I would choose co-workers who would be there for the greater cause. Because those were my favorite times in the life of our company.
3 comments:
I like The Office too, but Grey's comes first! :) I hear you on the real office. Sounds kind of like mine.
I can relate to this -- back when the station operated in quonset huts in the 1970s and before, you had to walk through any one part to get to another, so everyone knew everyone else (it was a smaller staff then, too.) Then we moved to a building where we were spread out over three floors, we merged with radio and ended up with 85 employees, silo-areas where groups were tight and didn't let others in. Now, we're so spread out that unless you know someone is sick they could be out for weeks. And no matter how hard folks try to be cohesive, it just isn't. Yeah, small is nice -- and with dedication to the cause. Nicely said.
Hi! I've been browsing through your blog, which I stumbled upon by browsing through others, etc...by somebody who left a comment on mine:) It's funny how much time one can spend doing this! Anyway, I've enjoyed my visit here and just wanted to let you know! Take care, Jan
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