samedi, mars 15, 2008
a lemonade to cool you in some leafy glade
The idea is probably familiar as an concept, but once you see it in practice it seems pretty unfair. That is, that employees of the government / civil service really do not get many perks that you come to take for granted working in the private sector. Little things like coffee in the office - you won't find that around Ottawa (but holy, a ton of coffee shops). Or water coolers. Employee lunches are not frequent. And even for team-building activities like a half-day outing or an afternoon pizza gathering, employees often have to pay for themselves! Sometimes they even have to use their own vacation time to attend these events. It's a bit stupid taken to that extreme.
Although I worked recently at a Crown corporation, this past week has been my first exposure to true government working conditions. The Crown corp at least had an employee cafeteria and a water cooler in my department. My new workplace does not have a cafeteria or coffee supplies - but I was excited when I noticed a water cooler in the kitchen. I tend to drink a lot of water during the day, so this seemed like a bonus. I found a glass, but when I went to fill it, I noticed a sign on the water cooler that said "for members only". Apparently somebody was ambitious enough to organize some kind of water-drinking pool. Alas, I'm resorting to drinking tap water, which isn't a terrible thing, but it's sort of a depressing reminder how little you get as employee perks in this business.
Another thing that I've observed is the 4:00 on-the-dot near emptying out of the office. Granted, everyone seems to start pretty early in the morning (I'm more of a literal nine-to-five girl myself), but it's almost eerie how deathly quiet the place goes so suddenly. I enjoy it 'cause I work better with less cubicle chatter, and it makes me feel like a keener to be the last one to leave.
I don't know if anyone else had this problem, but I was super-sluggish all week. Can I blame it on the loss of that hour last weekend? That's what I'm going with. | ¶ 11:31 p.m.
Although I worked recently at a Crown corporation, this past week has been my first exposure to true government working conditions. The Crown corp at least had an employee cafeteria and a water cooler in my department. My new workplace does not have a cafeteria or coffee supplies - but I was excited when I noticed a water cooler in the kitchen. I tend to drink a lot of water during the day, so this seemed like a bonus. I found a glass, but when I went to fill it, I noticed a sign on the water cooler that said "for members only". Apparently somebody was ambitious enough to organize some kind of water-drinking pool. Alas, I'm resorting to drinking tap water, which isn't a terrible thing, but it's sort of a depressing reminder how little you get as employee perks in this business.
Another thing that I've observed is the 4:00 on-the-dot near emptying out of the office. Granted, everyone seems to start pretty early in the morning (I'm more of a literal nine-to-five girl myself), but it's almost eerie how deathly quiet the place goes so suddenly. I enjoy it 'cause I work better with less cubicle chatter, and it makes me feel like a keener to be the last one to leave.
I don't know if anyone else had this problem, but I was super-sluggish all week. Can I blame it on the loss of that hour last weekend? That's what I'm going with. | ¶ 11:31 p.m.
