Tuesday, May 01, 2007
I'm back to work
I haven't mentioned this before today because I didn't want to jinx things -- but I rejoined the workforce today.
I won't mention where I'm working (I'm just a humble contractor) in part because its employees like to comb the internet for discussions about said corporation -- but mostly because by mentioning its name, I feel that I may appear to claim some kind of cachet or expertise that I don't feel I have. I'll just mention that it is well-known in the computer industry, and the largest employer in Oregon.
Almost eight years ago I worked for this company in the exact same building, and it took a month for me to get an account on the corporate intranet. I've returned since to work as a contractor for the same corporation several times, and never had that problem since. Nor did I today.
However when the team lead brought me to my cubicle (my first real desk in six years! I can put a picture of Yvette there, and display my antiquated cubicle toys!), it lacked a computer. That made it hard for me to do my work.
The group administrative assistant researched this omission, found that the request was marked "pending", and gave me a phone number to call to "escalate" the matter. So I called the phone number. The phone at that number rang at least ten times, never rolling over to voice mail. It did the exact same thing the other five times I called it today.
Words fail me at this point. The first day of any new job is never productive, but I've never felt as unproductive the first day as I did today. My lead was able to loan me a laptop that allowed me to access the internet, but not the corporate intranet, so I was able to start studying the public information about the product I'm supposed to support. This work-around will suffice for tomorrow, but I worry about the day after: will the mills of the corporate process eventually grind out the tools I need for my job?
Geoff
Technocrati tags: workplace
I won't mention where I'm working (I'm just a humble contractor) in part because its employees like to comb the internet for discussions about said corporation -- but mostly because by mentioning its name, I feel that I may appear to claim some kind of cachet or expertise that I don't feel I have. I'll just mention that it is well-known in the computer industry, and the largest employer in Oregon.
Almost eight years ago I worked for this company in the exact same building, and it took a month for me to get an account on the corporate intranet. I've returned since to work as a contractor for the same corporation several times, and never had that problem since. Nor did I today.
However when the team lead brought me to my cubicle (my first real desk in six years! I can put a picture of Yvette there, and display my antiquated cubicle toys!), it lacked a computer. That made it hard for me to do my work.
The group administrative assistant researched this omission, found that the request was marked "pending", and gave me a phone number to call to "escalate" the matter. So I called the phone number. The phone at that number rang at least ten times, never rolling over to voice mail. It did the exact same thing the other five times I called it today.
Words fail me at this point. The first day of any new job is never productive, but I've never felt as unproductive the first day as I did today. My lead was able to loan me a laptop that allowed me to access the internet, but not the corporate intranet, so I was able to start studying the public information about the product I'm supposed to support. This work-around will suffice for tomorrow, but I worry about the day after: will the mills of the corporate process eventually grind out the tools I need for my job?
Geoff
Technocrati tags: workplace
Labels: personal, portland tech
