Office space

I guess I've been a bit depressed, and overwhelmed by work, and struggling to find something other than work to write about. (spanking? bondage? a good beating? I'm barely able to fantasize these days.)

Work felt more positive later in the week, but there's was still too much to do and I'm still taking it home with me. I met with my boss on Thursday. She wants me to be "on her side." (I feel that I AM on her side, but I get negative -- not about HER, but about the boss above her and the fact that they've laid people off and now want us to take up the slack). She says it's okay to say "no" to things that are not in my job description, but if I want to move up I should say "yes" more often. I say I'm willing to say "yes," but I don't want to always be saying "yes" with nothing to show for it. But this is the game they play. Okay, okay, I'm getting the message -- I'll go along for a while. I DO want to move up.

Then we discussed offices. In my opinion, there's no reason I shouldn't get an office. I've been in a cubicle since I started a year-and-a-half ago. They've let two people go recently, so there are two vacant offices, with doors and windows.

The top boss has this notion, apparently, that someone in my position should not have an office but "should" be in a cubicle. Let me explain that I've traveled to events for the company, given speeches and conducted a workshop; I represent the company when people come visit -- I'm pretty much doing the job of the person who "should" get an office.

Have I "earned" it? In my opinion, that's a dumb question. I've worked for over twenty years in the industry. Maybe I've "earned" it, maybe not, but I've been in larger companies where managing and executive editors sat in cubicles just because that's all that was available. But in my office, there ARE offices available, it's likely I WILL be promoted within the next year (to the job I'm pretty much doing now.)

So it's ridiculous to have to go through this. Later in the day, my boss comes back and says she's pushing to have me be allowed to move, at least temporarily, into an office. She's going to move into the larger office that was vacated and I'll probably get her office. Yay!

F'ing nonsensical office protocol. They would argue that they're not trying to keep people down, that they respect my work, yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm not even asking for a raise! (yet).