by Rebecca on 2009-03-06
Itʼs Friday afternoon, and Iʼm trapped at work without anything to do. I am blogging at work. And I could be doing this at home instead of in my cubicle, but thatʼs just not how things go. Even if thereʼs not an ounce of work to do, we are all expected to be here in our cubes, ready to go. I donʼt think thereʼs been a single work day of 2009 where I have had something to do all day. Pretty much all of February was dead time, with me whiling away my time surfing the internet, taking long walks, or chatting with friends. Yes, this is what taxpayer dollars are paying for me to do at work.
The most frustrating thing is that I constantly am asking for more work to do, and only once in a while will I get it. If anyone accuses me in a performance review of not being a self-starter or of showing little initiative, I might have to show them the dozens of emails that Iʼve sent to higher-ups saying, “Iʼve finished what you asked me to do. Whatʼs next?” or say, “Tell me one time when youʼve actually given me an assignment and I failed to complete it in a timely manner or according to your specifications.ʼ We also learned last week that our team is hiring a new staff person, due to an anticipated increase in workload. Iʼm suspicious that this will result in even less work for me to do. (My team reviews grant applications for businesses wanting to upgrade the skills of their workers. Given the current economy, we are seeing fewer applications than ever before, since businesses are cutting back and laying off everywhere.)
Iʼm reminded that last week, I received my annual statement of retirement benefits from the state retirement system. It lists how much money Iʼve contributed to retirement, what my estimated pension will be upon retirement based on my current salary, and my retirement date. Yes, my retirement date is the most depressing figure of all: June 2032. I have only 23 more years of this …
And now that Iʼve got your attention, I need some new reading materials. What are some of your favorite websites to check out for passing the time? Recommendations, please.