78 posts tagged “work”

Sometimes, the last thing I want to say is "No."

We're having a Sample Sale at work tomorrow morning. Before I started working here, the proceeds from the sale went right back to the company and paid for miscellaneous department expenses. (It was a good way to make sure we, as a department, remained within budget.)

Anyway, the next time we had a Sample Sale, I asked the department head if we could donate a portion of the proceeds to the American Heart Association in sponsorship of our team at the Orlando Heart Walk. That was in 2007, and since then, we've agreed that at least one sale's proceeds would go towards what has become our department philanthropic event. And so 15% of what we collect at every sale goes towards a charity; the remaining 85% covers department expenses.

Earlier this year, our department head approached me, suggesting we support Coventant House with our first Sample Sale. I spearheaded a jeans drive to coincide with the sale, and we raised $1000 in cash (the most we've ever raised) and an additional $3000 worth of clothing. The initial plan was to have a sale each quarter, but this has been an exceptionally busy year for us (a poor economy means more work for me as an analyst) and we didn't get around to a second sale until now.

When the flyer went out, I noted that a portion of the proceeds would sponsor our company's team at the Orlando Heart Walk. Afterwards, I received an e-mail asking if we could also donate some money to the Pink Dragonboat Racing Team, which would benefit breast cancer research. (Never mind that the company as a whole donates several hundred thousand dollars to various breast cancer foundations each year.) I responded with a non-committal, "Not this time, but maybe next time if we have another sale before the race."

Just now, one of the directors was approached by one of the maintenance crew who knows a family with a handicapped child in need of an operation, and the family does not have insurance, nor a way to pay for the operation. Heart-wrenching, no? I ultimately sent him to the department head who said we couldn't help because this isn't a registered charitable organization (or an employee in need) and we, as a company, don't randomly hand out money to people. (There is an employee fund, though, to which we've contributed in the past.) The director had already referred him to St. Vincent de Paul, an organization that specializes in cases like that.

As awful as this is going to sound, I think it's incredibly ballsy to approach someone for money like that, even if it is for someone in need. There are sob stories everywhere I turn. A good friend was just unexpectedly laid off earlier this week and has been nursing horrible dental pain for several months, a coworker's self-employed husband has had no clients for the past 3 months (and they're starting to default on loans), another good friend (who is a single mom) has taken her son to the hospital more times in the last three months than I have been in my entire life and has had her hours at work slashed by more than half, and the stories go on. Everyone's life has static, and there aren't a whole lot of people feeling particularly flush these days.

And so, I have to be selfish and heartless and say, "No, I'm sorry, we can't help your cause."

No matter how much I can logically justify my decisions, I still feel really bad.

I wish I could understand what the fuss is about.

No, I'm not talking about the Lakers trouncing the Magic in the NBA Finals (though, can I just say I'm so glad that is finally over?). I'm talking about listening to my coworkers constantly complain about the temperature in the office.

Here's the deal. The temperature outside is about 98 degrees with 70% humidity. So, yes, it's hot. The temperature inside the office is about 73 degrees, which, last I checked, is significantly cooler.

At 73 degrees, I can still comfortably wear a light hoodie, which pisses people off because I'm actually a little cool. When the temperature drops to 70 degrees, I need a thicker jacket and will plug in my little space heater. And if it's below 68 degrees, my body shuts down and I, entering into a mild state of hypothermia, fall asleep. Cold air, you see, does not keep me awake; it puts me to sleep.

So, here I am, sitting comfortably at work and lamenting the fact that I did not wear socks today because my feet are getting a bit cold, and all I hear around me is constant bitching about the air conditioner (which, judging by the draft I feel on the back of my neck, is actually working quite well).

Ugh.

There's a big event happening in a couple of weeks at work. Well, technically not at work, but it's a work event that's taking place in London.

Anyway.

In better days, there wouldn't have been as big of a focus on sales and inventory levels, blah blah blah. It would have been a big party and, hey - we made money, too? Awesome!

But these are tougher days. Leaner days. And every penny counts these days.

Which is where I come in. I'm the one who gets to provide cost data and retail estimations. My function is kind of like that of a computer program: I do as I'm told. Want to know costs and retail pricing on five items? Done. But if you want to know costs and retail pricing on items that don't exist in the system, you're kind of SOL.

Except that I'm somehow supposed to be a mind-reader. I'm supposed to know what people on the other side of the Atlantic are thinking and doing. I'm supposed to divine meaning from the word "blanket" and come up with a cost and retail price for it.

I have a headache now. And I want to go back to bed.

So, every week, I write and publish a department newsletter that is sent to all the Regional Retail Managers and District Managers. Most of the Regionals trickle it down to the venue level (which is the level that really needs to read it, anyway), and every now and then, it trickles up to the Area Vice Presidents or higher. It's a pain in the rear and not always fun, but I have most of it down to a science so that it's not the worst thing in the world.

This afternoon, the department head (my boss's boss) told me that she presented the last few publications to the CEO to show him what we, as a department, are doing to communicate with the field. Now, I have to admit, that gave me some pause. Given the nature of my topics, I have a tendency to get a little "preachy". I mean, how many times can you gently remind people they need to sell product? After a while, it gets old, and you start to think banging your head against the wall sounds infinitely better than writing another article about customer service.

Anyway, he liked it. And I mean genuinely liked it! (This is a man who does not mince words. If he thinks something is crap and/or a waste of time, he'll let you know in no uncertain terms.) He found the headlines compelling, the articles cogent, and the entire publication (all 3 or 4 pages of it) worthwhile. I believe she said his exact words were "a fantastic communication".

So, yeah. Good job, Eileen.

Now get back to work.

Perhaps it's because I've spent the last two weeks on tenter hooks waiting for information on the job statuses of all my friends - and my husband - who work for Disney.

Perhaps it's because I refuse to volunteer my husband or friends for "assignments", especially those that technically go against their company's policies.

Perhaps it's because I don't like to be used and don't want people to "use" my husband or friends.

Perhaps it's because I like to keep my work family at arm's length.

Or, perhaps deep down inside, it's because I'm really just a selfish person.

My work family knows my husband works for Disney. In this town, everyone knows someone employed by The Mouse. When a single company is home to roughly 60,000 employees, you can't help but know someone on the inside.

My husband's parents get requests for Chris to help them book vacations. I've heard him on the phone with people countless times, offering assistance but in no way giving anything more. It's a nuisance, really, because while there are certain perks that come with his employment with Disney, misuse can be viewed as grounds for termination. In better days, I would never ask him to defy company policies. Why in the world would anyone think I would do so now?

One of my coworkers asked me today about acquiring theme park passes for her family. My knee jerk reaction was an immediate, "No, absolutely not!" She went on to explain that she would be willing to pay up to half the gate price for them, and my head immediately began throbbing.

"Maybe some of your friends who are out of work could use the extra money?" she suggested.

I about lost it. My friends had been laid off - their sources of income eliminated - and she saw it instead as an opportunity to fleece them? But I took a deep breath and explained, in no uncertain terms, that I was not about to ask my friends - who have never volunteered any passes - to do a favor for someone they don't know, someone I barely know on a personal level myself. I suggested she ask someone else in the department.

Another coworker whose spouse works for The Mouse agreed to help, so in the end, everything worked out for all the involved parties.

But I can't help but be incredibly miffed at the whole thing.

I have a headache. I think I'm going to go home.

I've been quiet on Vox lately but have kept my general resolution of writing a little bit every day. Sadly, I have nothing to report on the creative front, but my family blog is a little more up to date now and I've revamped the department newsletter at work.

Orlando is abuzz with the news of Disney's latest layoffs. There are roughly 60,000 Cast Members in Central Florida, a number that is seemingly dwindling by the day. Tuesday brought news of layoffs in departments where some of my husband's friends work, and yesterday brought news of friends cut from various areas. It appears no one is safe: merchandise designers, park operations managers, and even one of the Master Sommeliers have been cut.

It's not so much the Happiest Place on Earth anymore. Those whose departments have already been affected are relieved for themselves but sad to see their colleagues' offices suddenly emptied. And those in departments not yet visited by the Reaper and his scythe trudge through their days in fearful anticipation, dreading a visit from HR or a phone call asking them to show up at the Sun Trust building.

No one knows what's going on, and it seems those who do know aren't sharing with those who need to know.

Every new jobless claims number reported on the news each week is a person - a family - affected. And as I hear more about people laid off, especially those close to me and/or my husband, I can only offer up simultaneous prayers for help and thanksgiving: help to guide us through these fearful times and thanksgiving for my job and all the blessings I have.

Right now, I'm one of the lucky ones. And don't think I don't know it.

If you could trade places with any of your co-workers for a day, whose shoes would you most like to find yourself in?

I wouldn't want to trade places with any of my coworkers. It's not because I don't think their jobs are particularly difficult or that my life is so much better than theirs. Really, it's because I like my boss, I'm good at what I do, and my days are pretty well structured so that I can come into the office, crank out my work, and leave around 5:30 without feeling like I'm abandoning my post. (Taking time off or calling out on a Monday, though, is another story altogether.)

And really, I don't think any of my coworkers would like to trade places for a day with me,either. There's a lot going on at my desk, none of it particularly fun, and, except for the new refrigerator in my cube and my proximity to the break room, my job doesn't exactly come with a lot of perks.

On Friday, we had our Jeans Drive at work tied in with a Sample Sale. The Sample Sale is an opportunity to clear the product development offices of sample merchandise while making a little money for the department on the side. My second year here, our department head agreed to donate 15% of the proceeds to charity. This time, we agreed on Covenant House.

If you're not familiar with Covenant House, you're not alone. A lot of people don't know about this organization. Until recently, I'd never heard of it. It began in New York in the 1970s and is now in several cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and myriad others. The organization helps kids get off the street - kids who may have run away, been kicked out of their homes, lost both their parents, aged out of foster care, or any other reason. They help anyone under the age of 21, and their goal is to either reunite these kids with their families or help them learn to become self-sufficient. In the process, they clothe and feed these kids, and offer them a place to sleep.

The Orlando house has 48 beds but houses upwards of 60 kids a night. It's a very lean operation, and they rely heavily on the community to help pay for services and other needs. The kids who are under 18 go to local high schools, and the kids who have children of their own are offered help in caring for their children. It's sparse and very basic, but it's a warm place to sleep (cool in the summer), a place to get a hot meal, and a place off the street.

I spearheaded a Jeans Drive at work when I learned that this was the charity of choice for this Sample Sale. I scoured the site, looking for ideas and suggestions on ways to help the charity, and found the Jeans Drive suggestion. As it is, these kids (mostly teens, really) are practically adults and come to the center with little more than the clothing on their backs - and that's usually threadbare. They're in need of everything: casual clothing, professional attire (for interviews and the like), formal dresses (for the girls still in high school who want to attend dances and such), baby and toddler clothing (for their small children), baby bottles, maternity wear (for the girls on the street who are also expecting), towels, blankets, bed sheets, etc. When I read the list of things they need, I immediately started clearing out my wardrobe of things I haven't worn in three years and am not likely to wear again, and I boxed up the bottles my sister handed down to me when I had The Boy - bottles he never used but are perfectly useful, nonetheless. When people asked me what kind of jeans to bring, I told them to bring all sizes: infants, toddlers, kids, men's, and ladies'. In all, we collected 148 pairs of jeans. I completely filled my car with boxes Friday afternoon: 12 boxes in all. Moreover, we also had a check for $1,000 - much more than I imagined we would collect!

When we arrived at the center, we waited in the reception area for a few minutes while the Director of Community Relations was notified of our arrival. The center was incredibly busy; we later learned it was dinnertime and, naturally, mealtimes are the busiest times of day. I saw girls pushing strollers or holding the hands of children not much older than my own little boy, and it took everything in me to not cry. Finally, we met with Maria, the Director of Community Relations and my contact these past few weeks.

I told Maria that we brought more than just adult-sized jeans, that I there were some toddler and infant sizes in there, too, as well as some maternity jeans. I also explained that I included some formal and semi-formal dresses for the girls who were still in high school (Prom season is, after all, upon us), and some business suits for the older girls looking to get out into the workplace. I let her know there were a few baby bottles in the boxes, too, and a few other miscellaneous necessities, and she almost looked like she was about to cry. "So many people forget about our girls," she said. "A lot of people take their maternity wear and baby items to women's shelters, and that's great, but they forget that we need them here, too."

Looking around the facility, I realized exactly how blessed I have been my whole life - and how good my son has it, too. I've never needed to rely on the generosity of strangers to get by; I never wondered when or where I might get my next meal; I've never doubted that I was good enough and could accomplish anything I dreamed. I've never been wealthy in the material sense, but I've also never needed anything. I've always had marketable skills and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go to college for my undergraduate degree (courtesy of Mom & Dad) and return to school for an MBA (courtesy of my employer at the time) without needing to take out gigantic student loans. I've always had a roof over my head, more than enough clothes to wear, and more than enough food to eat. I have a bed to sleep on every night and more than enough blankets to keep me warm when it's cold. I truly live in a world of plenty - so much that I often complain about how much stuff I have cluttering my world.

It's a very humbling experience, knowing how much you have and seeing others struggling to get by with so little. And to witness it in your own backyard is even more heartwrenching.

The filtered water dispenser at work isn't functioning properly. More specifically, cold water doesn't come out of it. Hot water does, though.

The sign taped to the dispenser lets us all know that the vendor has been contacted and that there is another filtered water dispenser downstairs.

I, of course, am too lazy to go downstairs. I literally work next to the break room. Why on earth would I want to drag my sorry butt all the way down the stairs and back up for a measley eight ounces of water? And to do this five times a day? I don't think so.

But there's an ice machine in the break room. And there is hot water coming out of the dispenser. And ice melts and becomes cold water.

One of the ladies in the office (I've seen her around but don't know her name) saw me getting water out of the dispenser. "Oh, good!" she exclaimed, rushing over to it. "It's working!"

"Uh, no," I said, "I'm using the hot water over some ice."

"Does that work?" she asked incredulously. (I could also write that as "incredulously asked" because the question seemed so ridiculous to me.)

I simply shrugged. "The ice cools it off so it's not hot anymore."

She paused, looking skeptical. "I think I'll just go downstairs."

Now, I'm not one of those super smart science types (like our fine Mr. Betz), but I think I understand some of the basic properties of water and ice.

And judging by the limited amount of ice in the dispenser, I'm hopeful that I'm not alone.

Every few months, my department hosts a Sample Sale, which is really an opportunity to get rid of sample merchandise cluttering our offices. A couple of years ago, we began donating a portion of the money we collected from the sale to a local charity. Proceeds from the last sale we had went towards a family we adopted around the holidays.

We're having another Sample Sale in February, and I had been wracking my brain trying to think of a worthy local charity. The problem, of course, is that I'm not very familiar with local charities. So, I farmed this out to others in the organization.

Well, our department head had the opportunity to witness Covenant House at work and suggested we adopt them as our cause this time. If you're not familiar with Covenant House, they're an organization dedicated to helping homeless and displaced youth and work to get these kids off the street. She sent me a link to their website, and after just a few minutes of clicking through it, I started to cry.

We don't collect a lot of money from our sales and wouldn't be donating much money, just a couple hundred dollars or so - hardly enough to warrant a big mention. But I noticed on their site that one thing all these kids need is clothing. Apparently, kids come to Covenant House with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and oftentimes, those are even threadbare. So, I asked if we could piggy back a Jeans Drive to our Sample Sale: Drop off a pair of jeans and get a free T-Shirt. It's different, it's not something we've already done, and it's in keeping with our department's focus (clothing).

I got the go-ahead from our department head and am so excited about this Jeans Drive, I can hardly stand it. I'm hoping to collect at least 50 pairs of jeans, though it would be nice to bring more.

Look for an update on this in a few weeks. If it works well, I hope we can make this an annual thing!