It's not my fault you're running late!

The BBQ Pit
1

To start this off, I’m intentionally leaving a few things vague on the off chance that someone involved in this reads the boards (I don’t think it’s bloody likely, but it’s always best to err on the side of caution). Do ask if something seems unclear.

On to the rant…

I work for a company that does advertising and publishing. We do two publications each month. It’s a very small company–just me and one other person–so there’s plenty of work to go around.

Today, the other person–who is very much my boss–delivered the proofs for the pages that I had done to the people who commission the publication we are currently working on. Therefore, she is with this person, and I am here working on things (I have break right now).

The person she is showing the proofs is also the person who sends us the articles. And she’s been running way late and disorganized this month, to the point of driving me batty. And now, she’s sending multiple emails saying “_____ not on proof.”

::deep breath::

I KNOW that this articles haven’t been placed yet, because YOU SENT THEM ALL FREAKING YESTERDAY! I’ve been the only one here, and I can’t work eight hours a day; I have class. I do what I can while I’m here, and doing over three articles an hour with layout and proofing and placing ads and getting everything essentially ready to go to the goddamned printers. If you want me to do a shit job proofing, great, fine, I can do three an hour, but if you want me to do my job well, stop your bitching.

Also, it doesn’t help that you send articles days in advance of the pictures that go with them with no mention of there being pictures with it! If I get a short article with no pictures, I’m going to place it as soon as I can; this gets a little farked up when I find out that there’re supposed to be three pictures with the article.

Look, I talked to you yesterday, and you admitted you’re running behind. That’s fine, and I’ll still have it all done by deadline. But bloody fuck, woman, I can’t have them ALL done the day BEFORE deadline! And if you can’t proof them. . .that’s fine. I’m an English major. I know grammar, I know style, and I know how to use a red pen. I can correct one or two articles. It’s not a big deal.

Oh! And boss! If you’re not going to be here, leave the notes where I can FIND them! A note I can’t see does me no good at all. I taped yours to the answering machine. You buried mine in the ad folder. Which do you think is more effective?

::sighs:: Back to the mills. I hate deadline weeks.

2

The “rule of three…P’s”

“Piss Poor Planning on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on my part”

MP,

Lou

3

Bosses can be like that. It doesn’t always mean they’re pricks.

Of course, sometimes it does…

Best thing to do is, er, unfortunately, get used to it. Most of the working world operates just like that.

And hey, congrats on having a gig when a lot of people don’t!!

B.

4

Welcome to my fucking world.

5

If this bothers you, you are in the wrong line of work. Publishing and printing have alwyays been this way and the advent af digital publishing has made it worse, not better. Customers expect everything yesterday. You have to learn to love the pressure or you will just go nuts.

6

Well, the main thing is, don’t tense up.

7

The problem with that is, in the eyes of the client, the piss poor planning was on your part because you weren’t already prepared for their ‘little changes’.

You’re not actually implying that the client could make a mistake, now are you?

8

Angel, Angel, Angel, I’m afraid your youth is showing. Don’t you realize you’re supposed to be telepathic, especially with your religious tradition (mine doesn’t technically allow for it). You see, you were supposed to realize that not only did that short little article come with three pictures, you were supposed to know the dimensions and preferred placement of the pictures. I’m sure the client selected that option in the e-mail program he used to send it. (This was tongue-in-cheek, of course!)

The sad thing is, after over 20 years of working for a living, I’ve come to realize it’s not going to change. Some progress can be made, if you’re willing to stand firm and, in my case, mention one’s habit of playing with fencing swords, but every inch of it will take effort. Even so, you won’t win all the battles, which is why I will be calling a hotel in Germany this morning to beg for a hotel room so one of our staff can go to an exhibition which has sold out the town.

Man do I sympathize!
CJ
(“Ein Zimmer, bitte? Nur ein, klein Zimmer, vieleicht in die Dachstube?”)