Monday, November 23, 2015

My new job

So I've had a job since 10/21/2015 but I was really leery of getting fired soon after getting it, like what happened with my last office job, so I've held off on saying anything about it. It's an 'Asset Preservation Assistant', and basically I'm helping keep homes that get foreclosed on to stay in good shape until they can get sold. We're given work by banks and people representing the banks, and then we take that work and find a crew that can do what needs doing in a time frame that the client will accept. Sometimes we go over the allowed time, and sometimes we get it done early. It really just depends on location and crew.
I feel like I'm basically a maintenance dispatcher, if that makes sense. And interestingly, I really like my job. I like talking with the crews, and making nice with our clients. I like finding work for crews that need it and editing their photos to be what our client asked for. I even moderately like my coworkers.
My problems are generally when management step in. There's been many a case where I got lectured for something I didn't do, or something that I originally did right, and then they changed what they wanted me doing and now it was 'wrong' until they look closer and decide, oh no, do it again the way you originally did it. That's rather frustrating. Also frustrating is that we're STILL cleaning up the mess of trying to give some work to an Indian Company, and they were shit at it. We nearly lost my client over it, and we DID have a knock-down fight via email where we refused to work with a client representative anymore because of all the miscommunication.
Often I feel like I'm not speaking the right language because they don't understand what I'm trying to say has happened, or is going on. I think I'm perfectly clear most of the time, but then there's issues of clarity, or me writing notes that are too long, of me not explaining enough, etc. Some of this is because I'm too eloquent, don't have the right vocabulary or I take too long getting to the point. Other times I'm told I'm too direct like 'Gimme what I want' instead of 'This is what we need, can you provide it please'.
These things are all true. I do like to write long paragraphs detailing the intricate situation. I also like to be short and sweet with my emails, when I can. It does come across as callous, and I am working on all of these things. Sometimes they catch me out doing something wrong. Most often, I was taught wrong, or wasn't taught at all and had to feel my way because my supervisor is the most popular lady in the office, it feels like.
I'm not afraid to admit when I do something wrong, like when I invoiced for less than we actually charge earlier today. My excuse in this case was: It wasn't written what we charge the client, I asked two supervisors, waited ten minutes, got no responses, so I went ahead with what I found as a viable price. I was wrong by $5. I regret not waiting longer, especially since my supervisor got back to me literally the second after I pressed Submit.
So I started training on one client, then they pulled me off of it and gave me another client. Then just when I started to get used to that client, they gave me this brand new one, and said 'Here, use the outsourcing to India to help you get the 100+ work orders you have for this client taken care of.' That was SUCH a bad idea. THEN, as soon as I had half a handle on this client, they gave me ANOTHER one on TOP of this one. And my supervisor isn't nearly as helpful as I could wish. Or as accessible. She has pulled me aside and told me to come to her with EVERY question I have, because I can't be asking other people that might give you the wrong answer. Yet often she's missing from the office, too busy to listen, or never gets back to me. It's a work in progress, we'll say.

The reason I was worried I would get fired quickly is two-fold. First, I have a bit of trauma from being fired after two weeks with no other comment besides 'you aren't a good fit'. Second, I wasn't their first choice at all. By that, I mean I was told I would hear back from them on Friday if I got the job, and I didn't hear back until the next Wednesday, asking if I would like the job, and have training the next morning. I missed 3 days of training, so I think it's pretty clear that someone didn't work out. The next week or maybe the week after that, one of the ladies that got the job 'on time' and had all the training offered,...... well, she couldn't kick it. She was stressed out, she couldn't remember how to make a daily task (I have no issues with it), and she made so many mistakes that it took weeks to clean up after her. One morning she came in, couldn't get the daily task uploaded, freaked out, went to the supervisor, and came back to pack her stuff. She said she felt relieved, and then she left. ......And then they dumped her client on me.
Yes, yes they did. I hardly knew the client, and they dumped it on me. I scrambled for two weeks to understand the client, and finally got things going smoothly last week, until the whole blow-up with miscommunication I mentioned earlier. It was not fun. So anyway, they promised me another new person for my team, and they did hire someone. But not for my team. My team is my supervisor....and me. That's it. The person they hired? That's for a position as Team Trainer. He's giving us 'homework' and shares my office. Apparently he worked for them for three years, and just now came back as the Trainer for them. It annoys me that I have to write a 'report' for him and take 'tests' for him. I wouldn't mind, but they just dumped another client on me, and they're depending on me to help with a third client as well, so I'm already swamped.
I like being useful though. And I like having someone in the office, though I feel kinda embarrassed and constricted because I like to play music while I work, but it's usually techno or rock or something and I don't think I project that image at all to my co-workers.

On a new note: It's been GREAT for my sleeping. I am *always* tired nowadays, and my insomnia is nearly gone. I get so tired I get dizzy though. And I'm sleeping about 8 hours a night. So it's impressive that it tires me out that much. At first it gave me headaches and made my butt hurt a lot, but I did get used to that stuff really quickly, like they said I would. I also had to take a 15 minute break, and only took about 5 minutes to eat, so I started walking up and down some stairs outside to work out the kinks in my legs during my lunch. But now I use my break to take Hubby to work and come back with the car because his new location is like 5-10 minutes from my job. I felt really bad dropping him off 6+ hours early for work, so I was relieved when this became the new norm.

Aaaaand it's nearing my bedtime and I still need a shower, so I'm going to sign off. Good night!

1 comment:

college kid said...

I think you're doing a great job, sweetie. I love you!