B*((0X

 

It is that boring time of year. Cash is short after Christmas, it is cold (but not wet at last) and you feel like hibernating.

So if you are expecting excitement this week sorry.

Though one thing did happen last week. For the first time in my life I went on strike!

My mother was treated horrifically at work when she was the age I am now. She is not a fighter so she just rolled over and let it happen. 

That's not me judging her. She is from a different generation. One that came from a time where if you worked hard your workplace looked after you. The world changed and caught her out.

Nowadays if you don't fight for yourself nobody will be there to do it for you. As a result I am a member of any union that will take me. 3 at the latest count.

But even so last week was my first strike.

I don't live near work and so didn't picket or anything. I am not sure I would have gone on the pickets anyway.

Instead I withdrew my labour and stayed at home and taught myself punch needle. Turns out I hate punch needle, but you never know until you try! I managed to stick with it to finish it on the day as who even knows when I would have time to finish it normally.

Still I went for fox as son loves them, so I could give it to him as a gift. And he seemed pleased. Though he is probably humouring me (I am happy to be humoured).

It was strange going back to work the next day. It wasn't mentioned and everything carried on as if nothing had happened. All very odd!

Work is beyond horrible now. My boss is off with stress and now both of my peers have moved to other jobs. Nobody even has the courtesy to keep me in loop about if and when my boss is coming back.

One if the main reasons I took the job was because I wanted to work with my boss. So it really matters if he is not coming back.

So I am on my own. I can't do my bosses job or my peers because our jobs are so specialised. I am having to try to get things done with bosses new boss. As he is new to role he has no history on what my team have achieved and our stresses. Plus he is trying to find his feet in his new role.

Half of my team are on short term contract and because of all of this I can't get sign off. Because my team are stressed by this they have started to snipe at each other so I am constantly dealing with conflict.

I have also lost trust with one of my team because of some of their actions. Holding 'evidence' to throw at me if they don't get their own way. In case you think it is because I am horrible. Its because they disagree with my rapid delivery approach. If they try to use evidence the world will be bemused. My approach is a classic rapid development. Thus I am not concerned about this. I just find it odd they would tell me this. Feels like attempted blackmail. It will not work, but it has eroded any trust I have in them.

Even more oddly they claim to like me being their boss. Go figure.

And on top of all of this I am trying to get something implemented in 3 months when a realistic timescale is 12 months. AND if I don't achieve this we are not covered legally and the responsibility for failure sits wholly on my shoulders.

I am now dreading what each day will bring and for good reason. Because I have nobody above my level others have a bigger voice and any potential support is being prioritised elsewhere.

I keep setting meetings with bosses boss but they get cancelled at last minute (I do believe for real reasons). Then when I do have meetings I have to explain things to somebody with no history and so everything is taking so long.

Basically B*((*X.  I can't just resign because what the organisation does is important. If I leave nobody else can hit the critical deadlines. 

Something is going to give soon.