And it's only Tuesday?

[graculus]

First time ever, today, I had to tell someone I was ending the phone call with them because I was certain the next words out of my mouth were likely to be "and you, go fuck yourself!" and I like having a pay cheque. *sigh*

Thing is, a couple of folks (the person in question being one of them) have been seconded to put a new system in place about how we get our work. This system was meant to make everyone's life easier and they've been working on it (supposedly) for a year. It came into reality about 3 weeks ago and I already want to leave. Twice in that period, today being the second time, I've thought 'I really can't do this' - not about the job I do, which is crazy and stressful but I'm good at it and enjoy the adrenaline rush of it all, but about the stupid system that has been imposed on us. First time around I just thought it was hormones talking, it was that time of the month and I was literally banging my head on the desk (it hurts, don't do it!) but now I'm not so sure...

First off, they didn't test it. They told us what was going to change, most of it sounded okay and some of it sounded good. However, some bright spark decided they didn't need to test it because (get this) Senior Managers Agreed To The Things That Changed. Yes, the people who don't actually have to use the system, agreed to stuff so it didn't need to be tested at all by the people who use it all the time.

Secondly, it's not being implemented consistently. Why? Because as far as I can see, nobody who is involved in it understands it in its totality. Despite it supposedly having taken a year to develop - I can only assume that this is a committee thing, with bits and pieces added by various folks with different agendas, none of which really hang together. So, when I start asking questions about the legal and ethical basis of some of the processes we're being asked to implement, it all goes very quiet. Like 'oh shit, we didn't think of that' quiet.

Still, that's probably not going to help me any with the overall message coming down the pipe which is 'give it time' (to drive me completely crazy?) and 'you folks are so unsupportive' (of people who have made our lives much more difficult). Bad us.

Comments

[rhade-rad.livejournal.com]

Oh boy! Having got into trouble for asking questions about our new processes I know that feeling. Anything we can do to help?

Can you get them to agree to a 3 month review with an external moderator so there can be a free and frank discussion of all the issues?

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Can you get them to agree to a 3 month review with an external moderator so there can be a free and frank discussion of all the issues?

*falls over laughing*

Sorry, couldn't help myself. I get the feeling the people pushing this are too invested in it working and don't want to know the emperor doesn't have any clothes on. Feedback = criticism and they appear to be taking it all very personally. It's just like being in fandom! :P

[rhade-rad.livejournal.com]

Yeah. That's one of the major changes I noticed. Because Planning was legally required to consult the public and discuss its comments from the 1971 Act onwards, planning education focussed on analysing criticism to establish whether there was anything we could learn. Consequently, we always asked questions and tended to go back to first principles ourselves: why are we doing this? what is the objective? etc. Oh and anyone could ask to see our case and project files.

Increasingly we were taken over by managers who weren't planners and hence didn't get the 'let's find all the weaknesses so we can then fix them' approach and tended to get huffy when questioned. *G*

Of course the other option is to ensure your feedback is on record then when it all falls apart ...

[obelix]

So sorry this is happening to you. Unfortunately it's more the rule then the exception, I get the pain you are going through. That's why so many systems never get implemented or get reworked to death and thus end up costing way more then they thought at first Cause They Didn't Listen To The Clients!!!

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately it's more the rule then the exception...

Working for local government for 20 years, I'm pretty much inured to the idea of bad change or changes being brought in badly, but this is the worst example I've had of bad change being brought in badly. At our end of the process it feels like we're being done to and aren't actually part of things, as I'm already in trouble (or so it seems) for our district being the one to kick off most about why particular decisions are made, let alone the process in which they're being made. *sighs*

What's that saying, a camel is a horse designed by committee? Think that's what has happened here, except the folks in the committee never saw a horse in the first place and nobody thought to show them pictures. ;)

[khek.livejournal.com]

When people go quiet because you're questioning the legal and ethical ramifications, that has to be worrisome. Could they get in trouble for some of these changes? Is that likely to make them think about it?

Too bad that someone with some common sense and power with the higher ups can't look over the whole procedure and figure out either that it won't work or how to make it work. Good luck trying to survive until it either works out the kinks or collapses under the problems!

[graculus.livejournal.com]

When people go quiet because you're questioning the legal and ethical ramifications, that has to be worrisome. Could they get in trouble for some of these changes? Is that likely to make them think about it?

I can only hope that silence = thinking about it, because we could seriously get our arses handed to us about some of the things I'm being asked to do, in terms of data protection at a minimum - as we're local government, people have a right to request access to what information we hold on them and there's a potential here for lawsuits, I'd say.

[jawanderer.livejournal.com]

You have my sympathies in the stupidities you're going through. I have never been able to understand the (apparently nearly universal) tendency for people who don't know how things are done to try to change the system without input from the people doing the work. It seems so damned obvious that the most efficient way of improving things is to actually talk to the people involved. The (itty bitty almost-governmental) entity I work for leans in the same direction -- god forbid the big bosses actually *ask* the people who do the work whether a change needs to be made or how the change they're contemplating will affect that work. Apparently, just by being in the "big boss" position, they know everything. Or something. (We've not yet been dumped into the level of stupidity you're dealing with, but I can see it coming.)

Enough on the depressing stuff, yeah?

Grimm, eh? I was on the fence about the show at first, but it seems to be growing on me. I like the fact that it's not simplistic in its morality (ie "monsters" do not necessarily = bad), as so many American shows are. (It is from my side of the globe, yeah? I admit I haven't bothered to check.)

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Yes, enough with the aggravation, hence my other post on stuff that wasn't work.

Also, I have to say how much I'm looking forward to your Henry/Montjoy monster when you finally get it done - just keep writing fic in fandoms I like and you're contributing significantly to my mental health! :)

[jawanderer.livejournal.com]

Oh? I hadn't realized you were interested in that project. Woohoo! :) It's progressing slowly (and gotten far larger than expected), but hopefully I'll be done relatively soon. I'll certainly be saying so on lj when I get there (shouting it to the rooftops, most likely)! :)

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Well, I wasn't stalking following you till you friended me the other day as I hadn't realised you were on lj, but yes, extremely interested and very much looking forward to seeing what you've come up with. :)

[jawanderer.livejournal.com]

I'll be interested in seeing what I come up with too! :)

By the way, if you haven't found the henry_herald lj yet, it's well worth exploring, reading, etc etc. There are some very good writers in the fandom, teensy though it is.

[leethet.livejournal.com]

You don't work for the government by any chance, do you?


I feel your pain. Deep breaths, deep breaths, remember the paycheck and that this too shall pass ...

[graculus.livejournal.com]

You don't work for the government by any chance, do you?

Worse, I'm a manager in government, so not only am I supposed to take the crap myself and like it, I'm also supposed to encourage my team to take it and like it too!

[leethet.livejournal.com]

And the problem so often is that the idiot who came up with the stupid unworkable plan is an "important" idiot, so there's no telling them anything.