For all my promises to not complain about work anymore, I am revoking that promise this morning to just say
WHAT
THE
FUCK?!?!
Long story short, I spent Friday raising hell about a change in payment procedures that will directly (and negatively) impact my department. I clearly maintained that I’m hardly an opponent of change; however, I don’t wish to damage long-standing relationships with my vendors and writers, who are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lag time between the time services are rendered and the time they are compensated (a separate issue, but I needed to blow some steam off). I said I was “less than thrilled” with the new procedure, because I ask the printer for enough favors as it is and do not want to put them in the position of having to tell me that they can’t print the paper because they haven’t received the money.
The problem is that I am no longer permitted to hand-deliver checks to my vendors and writers — which you would think they would like because I save them the fucking postage. At least when I have the checks in-hand, we all know that the paper can be printed, and if I don’t have the money in-hand, I know to go up to Accounting and fight for it. Now I am going to have to start calling and begging to know the status of my checks, and if they’re not received, I’m going to be getting even more vendor calls than I already do. Joy. And this isn’t the friendliest bunch of people to deal with (the Accounting staff), so I would like to avoid them when possible.
That’s my whole problem with the Accounting department — I know money is tight, but they aren’t the most cooperative bunch when it comes to letting us know if/when checks are cut/mailed. All I want to know is that my people and vendors are getting paid, because if they’re not, they have every right to go on strike until we catch up with their invoices. And it has been suggested too many times by too many people for me to not bring it to the McManagement’s attention.
I have to say that I am impressed with my boss. She took my side immediately and strategized with me how to get my money on/before the date it needs to be at the printer. (Read: If Accounting needs to mail the checks, then they’re going to have to cut my checks a week earlier than planned, so as to accommodate putting them in the mail and having them arrive at the print shop, the post office and the address-quality company before I transmit the paper.) She’s a devious one, I’ll tell ya, but I’m glad I’m the one benefiting from it!!! 🙂
The “less than thrilled” phrase came back to bite me in the ass, in the form of a terse e-mail from the CFO, copied to tons of people, including H.R. (excuse me, but is this a performance issue? As far as I (and my boss) could tell, I brought up a valid concern about my department. Not to mention, but I run a tight ship and am always under budget — it’s not like I am requesting money to go on a shopping spree — I’m asking them to pay people for services that have already been provided, for cripes’ sake. *scream*
OK, time to get the blood pressure down a little bit.
So much for “taking it easy” during my recovery.
Shan (our dear new mommy) wants to open a daycare. I hope she gets the small-business loan that she’s seeking — I will be glad to defect and help her with the administrative side of it (lord knows I won’t want to be the one watching the kiddies!). Shan is back on her kick that I need to have a kid, but Shawn said that I need to wait another five or six years till I’m ready, ’cause I sho’ ain’t mommy material now! 🙂
But back to Accounting, one staffer wrote me an e-mail that said — and I quote — “Do too the new procedures. …” Imagine how much I wanted to copyedit that note and send it back!!!