h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Finally got a person to help me at work. We've divided the customers and although she's not totally happy about how I divided it (I keep the major customer which is 70% of the work, she gets the smaller customer and the other tiny customers, which we will probably handle together) she will have to lump it.

So far, though, it's working out very well - although our boss (who is located in Turkey) seems to want to start "organising" us. Fat chance. I'm in charge of this - and if they don't like that they can rotate me out to another job and get someone else to do it (nobody will)

But anyway. I digress.

What it has meant is that I'm not working stupid stupid hours any more.


I actually leave the office before 6pm. Which means I'm home before 7pm (the journey is an hour).
If only the office were closer (we moved recently, the actual offices are lovely, but the journey is just too long, it's 70km each way - horribly expensive and not do-able in under 90 minutes by public transport at nearly the same cost - although to be fair that's not including insurance, depreciation on the car etc)

Still. There may be news on that front soon, too, although I'm not holding my breath.

Sounds good, Sho! Hope your assistant works out well. I've learned to dread people "helping me" at work, because it usually means I end up with ten times as much to do between my own work, training them, and re-doing everything they do wrong. They keep sending us duds!

Glad your hours are a bit more sane, at least!

Hey, any step forward and work distribution is a gain. Congrats at ya, Missus!

Congratulations

70kms is too far on a daily basis - I hate doing 40kms each way on a Sunday for the bazaraki. Even on the motorway, when there's no cars at 6.00am, it's a drag.

You need to move Sho.

Failing that, ring the boss in Turkey and get him to move the office closer to you. You're irreplaceable after all - I'm sure he'll understand.

I hope it works out well for you, Sho

What you need is a teleport mechanism to avoid all that messing about in the hyperspace of comuter land.

That's great news. Although try not to spend an hour crying the first day, like I did.

Excellent!

RF

Good luck. Hope you'll fare better than my sister... she was once hired to organize the library of the Sultan of O., and was given a local assistant who flat-out refused to take orders from a woman...

Woohoo! (Although that's still a long time travelling for which you don't get paid)

Yarreau - I've had men working before who have chafed at having a women in charge. But I'm no shy fainting girly, especially when there is a job to be done - and anyone who met me while in green knows that I can shout accross a parade ground with the best of them when necessary

I'm working on a solution for the travelling which will involve a lot of persuasion (good job I'm in sales ) and backing from some of the senior guys (but I think I have that) plus knowledge of studies showing how much more effective working from home can be when the employee really wants it.

But baby steps: first, assistance. Got that. Next: whatever comes up, really

I'd offer some of the commute, but the detour is a bit off of my maps ...

Good luck with your plans, Sho! I've heard that a lot of large companies actually encourage working from home.

That is good news that you'll have some help with the workload now. It would be nice if they'd let you "telecommute". I've been thinking of looking for a job like that myself- if I could skip the looking very presentable and commuting, that would free up at least an extra two hours a day and I could put in the 11-12 hour days my employer seems to expect and still get home before bedtime. Your employer should surely be able to see how much the increase in morale and the reduced travel time would affect productivity. (Plus I'd give anything not to have to deal with other people in the office...)

K drives about that far each way for work, too, and it's a real drag having it take him 2 hours to get home every night. And that's in good weather... last winter when we had over 2 feet of snow, it took him four hours to get home that night.

"I've had men working before who have chafed at having a women in charge. But I'm no shy fainting girly, especially when there is a job to be done"

Neither is my sister. She had him cured of his attitude soon enough!

I wasn't there, but I can imagine how well resisting orders from your sister worked for him...

I'm also assuming that your solution involves working from home. Right?

I did a 70 km trek for a few months. Actually I quite enjoyed it. It depends what sort of countryside you're driving through.

As for the accounts you've passed on to the other girl. Just let her get on with it. As long as she keeps to the basic framework, so that you can each see what the other is doing at any given time, within that framework she should do as she thinks best and have responsiblity for her doings. The main thing is that the Company presents a united front to all customers, whether it's in the way you answer the phone, or agreeing on standard answers to frequent questions.

All the best with it all.