Thursday, September 20, 2007

Oh thank god you're back

Since June, I've been back working at an optical shop I used to work at a few years ago. It's felt a lot like coming home. I love where I work and I'm good at what I do. Part of what makes it so nice is who I work with. My boss and I just get along. We have similar personalities and similar habits. We think alike and are at the point where things are done efficiently.

Until he leaves town and I get a temporary replacement.

He visited his son out in Colorado for a week and in his stead, I worked with a guy from our optical lab. Very nice, very polite, worked hard...but it wasn't the same. Things were boogered up, customers were getting told wrong information, and I didn't know what he was doing with certain orders. I couldn't follow his thought process. It drove me bonkers. Then on top, I think he questioned what I knew about my job. He was always offering to do things for me, things I've been doing for 6 years and am pretty comfortable with. I tried to get my point across politely but he wasn't listening. It got frustrating.

Today, my boss returned. I was so overjoyed when I came into work and the counter was clear. There weren't stacks of jobs with question marks all over them. The piles of things I normally leave for myself were still there (he knows to leave them alone), the other piles of things he takes care of were done and the routine was reestablished. I can't stress how great it is to be able to work with someone who A) knows what the hell they're doing, B) understands that you know what the hell you're doing, and C) is a good friend. Makes it nice to come to work everyday.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Doesn't it just?

I imagine that is EXACTLY how he felt while you were off being married and all...

That's probably why you get along so much better now. You both value each other that much more.

Nice when it works that way.

Sizzle said...

that's a pretty awesome work environment, for sure.

there's a girl where i work who just bugs the crap out of me and i can't really pinpoint why. but now i am thinking, yeah, she and i just don't click. we do things differently. doesn't she know she should do them MY way?

heh. jk.

Rio Vista Boy said...

Um, I don't have a j-o-b or a work environment any more, but there are a couple cats that I have a working relationship with but whenever the housekeeper comes over and disturbs our routine, the cats get stressed and I feel awkward and in the way and something eventually gets broken. Oh wait, that's not the same thing at all, but the housekeeper just left and it was all that came to mind...