Weeks Eighteen and Nineteen...

 .....have blended together since heading back to work.

I think I was back for 4 hours before I remembered why I was looking forward to major surgery and being out.

Today was a zero stars day.

I am surrounded by people who would rather be miserable than fix tiny annoyances that have become the status quo. 

Cases that just need to be shifted one inch so equipment can properly fit underneath them.

Delivery issues that sit unresolved for seven months because no one feels like making a phone call to get a community mailbox installed.

Lights that don't work.

The list is endless.

I don't accept the status quo if it doesn't work for me. The idea that it's always been done that way doesn't fly with me.  There is usually a better way to do things, particularly when it creates inconvenience or safety hazard for others. Needless to say, I've been back for 8 days and I've not been quiet about it.

Management decided to do a huge floor move with all of our workspaces.  It's a massive move that can only be done by the maintenance craft of which we have two employees, one of whom is on vacation for ten days. So of course, they started it the day before he left. Now, half the office is moved, and half is not. Since this was a layout we had 5 years ago, I know there's only one way our corner can be configured to not create a safety hazard. And since no one listens to the 20-year veteran employee, it was horribly done.  It was then tweaked on Monday afternoon, better, but still inadequate. So, I approached the boss, told him what works, he agreed, and when I returned Tuesday after noon it was in fact changed, but incorrectly. 

Still a fire hazard, still a safety issue, I was told to give them some time to work it out. For two days I've organized and loaded all my mail outside in the parking lot. Thankfully it's been beautiful out, but still... the parking lot. Today, since I am still not feeling up to par from the surgery, and my knee's giving me trouble again, I pulled a hamper over to the case for ten minutes to load buckets and trays into so I didn't have to walk them across the room. And that was the moment that a random supervisor, who doesn't supervise me directly, decided to come over...

You need to move this out of here, it's a fire hazard.

Are you serious?

Yes. (Face starts turning angry red)

You know I've said that this floor move of your management team has been a fire hazard for three days now. I've talked to the boss multiple times. He said to work anyway and give them time to fix it.

Well it has to move.

You're kidding, right?

No.

And as he walked away with voices raised, he made no effort to slide the hamper back the three feet he wanted. None.  Instead, he went and told on me to our boss, who knows this has been an issue for days and knows I've been working around it. And as I'm finally leaving to deliver, he catches me at the truck to find out what happened. So I give him the run down... this project that was their decision was not executed properly, and everyone knows/acknowledges this. Despite the fact that I've had to literally work outside 90% of the last two days to be safe, the ten minutes I chose to load my hamper close to my space, he chose to come over and harass me over a problem that YOUR management team caused. 

The boss just smirked, so I told him I was headed out since I was so mad, I wanted to go home and then he'd have two routes to cover, as oh by the way, I had volunteered to do extra today and was carrying a third of another route as well. 

No one said a word to me when I got back. 

The workspaces have been shifted within one foot of what I had asked.

I am no longer trapped if there is a fire.

The other case has been shifted to accommodate the equipment under it so it doesn't impact my space.

Yesterday a different supervisor told me that I needed to think about what worked best for the whole office, despite the fact that what I asked for worked for everyone for years, and the fact that I am literally the advocate for everyone in the office, hardly ever advocating for myself.

Maybe this accused selfish girl needs to actually take some time for herself. 

*sigh*

Only 7 more Christmases....