04/07/15

Yesterday as I was looking for photos/quips to put in the blog, there was “The Busy Bee” picture that reminded me of a story of misunderstanding and how clueless I can still sometimes be.

When I started at my current job, the department was small and they had just promoted from within so if you had been there and outlasted those around you, “manager” was put on your placard.

The gal that was the manager didn’t like change or customers or me trying to go above and beyond for the customers.  It seemed to infuriate her that I would treat everyone with kindness and do as much as I could for them.  It got to a very contentious point and ownership finally hired a director for our department and her level of involvement diminished.

We were and are a department that communicates via messaging on our computers to pass along vital information while we are taking phone calls.  Sometimes the messaging is just personal between two co-workers.

One of the new people that had started just prior to me  had recommended the director for the position and they would message frequently to communicate policies and changes and what was happening in certain situations.

The manager whom was losing her stature quickly could see the screens pop up from her desk, but could not read them so one day when the co-worker was outside taking a break, the gal manager went over to the co-workers computer and brought up her messages to read.

I let my coworker know that her privacy had been compromised.  She confronted the manager and she admitted to looking through her messages.  The coworker let me know that the manager eventually blamed it on me and called me a nosey B.  (excuse me, but I wasn’t the one poking in someone else’s personal messages).

I of course envisioned myself as the nosey bee – the little bumble bee buzzing around the room.

A couple of days later I was speaking with Wilma on the way home from work and she was asking if there had been any new drama.  I relayed the story of the manager and the coworker and the the comment that it was really my fault for being a nosey B.  Wilma immediately replies that she cannot believe the manager called me a bi@tch!  Seconds pass before I realize, Holy Cow, she probably did call me that!

I go into work the next day and ask my coworker what was actually said and of course Wilma is right. I’m just the Pollyanna who hasn’t considered that anyone would think I was anything but the affable person I consider myself to be.

It is a story that my coworkers still find hilarious and every now and then one of them will call me Bee.  (for them it is not short for Betty either)

Wilma, I got your email with the link for getting the Visa and you were correct.  It was super easy and quick to do.  I can now come and go to Australia for 3 months at a time as many times as I wish for the next year starting today.  I leave three weeks from today!  Mind Blowing.

Love Betty