Irritable Boss Here

Those of you in Gen X, Y, Z and Zero or whatever you* call yourselves, consider this a little advice note from your boss. I recently, due to no fault or ambition of my own, doubled the number of subordinates who I supervise. It has not been a joy-filled experience. And as much as I hate to think of it in this challenging economy, a few young stars in their own firmament may be getting a career change opportunity in the next few months.

I don't like thinking that way. I like to let people do their jobs out of my way (and I like to keep out of theirs). My primary responsibilities and yours are not the same and I'd like to trust you to just DO yours without my intervention.

Do you know the primary cause of employees not rising to their responsibilities? No, not incompetence (although that plays a role). Absenteeism.

Yes, you may get 26 days of leave a year**, half vacation, half sick, but that doesn't mean at the end of the year your balances should be 0. With vacation, maybe, but you really should have some brains and try to husband your sick leave. Also, bosses get very suspicious of leave taken on Mondays and Fridays. So here's the advice:

1. Regarding vacation leave: request it, don't demand it. If all your peers will be on vacation, don't assume you'll get that week off as well. Unless you want your employer to think: "Hmmm. We really can manage without all of them. Why don't we try that, since budgets are getting slashed."
2. Regarding sick leave: it gets annoying when you always get sick on a day that makes a weekend a long weekend. Soon you'll be asked for a doctor's note, even when you just need to stay home a day or two to recover from a cold that doesn't require a prescipriton.
3. If you do have leave, don't let assignments be late and completed after you return. Finish them before the two weeks in the Bahamas.
4. If you have children or pets or a chronically ill spouse, while it's reasonable to request leave to care for ill children, pets, or spouse, it also behooves you to befriend a few neighbors. Really. Suck up a bit. Do you want to be beholden to your cranky neighbor lady or your not-cranky-but-really-really-tired boss who just wishes someone wouldn't always leave her with finishing up subordinates' jobs.

I have no expecttation that anyone will take this advice. But really, if you have a new boss, and need to keep your job, these might be suggestions to follow.

*Assume you are a GS-5 to GS-11 and you report to me. Yes, I know you don't, really. But trust me when I tell you, what I'm about to say might actually benefit you. Might keep you employed. Might keep you from eviction or foreclosure or just being that totally annoying crying drunk at the bar who is so totally not getting laid except by a serial killer.

**Assuming a first, second, or third year employee. After that, you get more leave than that if you work for the feds. If you've made it until your fourth year, you haven't annoyed the living shit out of me with leave abuse, so you clearly figured it out. But even so, think about what I'm writing here.

I Don't Know How I Did It

My plans do not include stopping blogging, except I seem to have stopped blogging. I plead parenthood, being fully employed, being mildly ill, and being fucking exhausted.* I also, with a smidgeon of pride, plead successful working parenthood. TG is in orchestra, honors orchestra, a sports team, taking instrumental music lessons, taking four honors classes (excepting phys ed, social studies, and science, which at this grade are the same for everyone) and also running a cute 11-year old business plus doing a variety of workout, activities, and other tween-type stuff with her friends.

I have to schlep TG to sports practice, honors orchestra rehearsal, instrumental music lessons, sports games, and things like the library, the YMCA, birthday parties, school events, parties, etc.

DG is taking a foreign language, art classes, and will be starting skating classes (which she has been begging for for several months). She also has been doing ballet, but we will be dropping that since the milieu doesn't suit the inventor of Rhino Head.

In addition to the kid-related activities (KRAs), I've been working double-time: I've been taking over about 1/3 or the responsibilities of a temporarily disabled colleague, including doubling the number of employees I supervise (Oh, joy!) and taking on a bunch of computer stuff. I'm not a power monger. People who want office power creep me out: it's really easier if you just let people do their jobs. Ok, people who don't do their jobs, well, they suck. And yes, if you frequently call in sick on Mondays and Fridays, yes, you aren't carrying your weight.

But actually, the people reporting to me, mostly do their jobs without interference. Nonetheless, a 100% increase in staff I supervise has made me a bit overworked. Not overwhelmed, but veering in that direction.

Add to that some annoying and non-midlife related symptoms that have me meeting with a specialist tomorrow leave me not-exactly keeping up with anything other than kids and work and teaching Sunday school. Knitting group? Living without me, without any hitches. Reading group? Abandoned. Clean house? A distant, fond memory that has no real bearing on the present day.

I'll clearly have to do some cleaning before Foilmormor, NSLOS, and LOS come down for my upcoming 50th. I'm also saving desperately to buy a home within the next year and for a trip to Europe to be there for Francesca's 50th.

I live in hope that I'll have time to write again. When? Who the heck knows.
*Being fucking exhausted ("BFE") is basically a synonym for being employed + being a parent of one or more under eighteen-year olds. Having two under eighteen-year olds means I am not just being fucking exhausted, I'm ABSOLUTELY fucking exhausted.