Nonsensical Ramble

[suanz]

Ever come across such scenarios....

Scenario 1
Boss : Suanz, could you stay back and do overtime today cos so-and-so has called in sick?
Suanz : Yeah, no problem.
Boss : Are you sure??
Suanz : ....................

Scenario 2
Boss : Suanz, I did not realise that Mon is a PH here in Australia, and you've applied leave on Mon. (Clarification : I'm in Singapore, you see). Our phonelines and emails will be unattended....... 
Suanz : You need me to cancel my leave? That's fine by me.
Boss : Can you... if it's not too much trouble?
Suanz : Yeah, it's ok. I can come to work on Mon. No worries.
Boss : Are you sure?
Suanz : ........................

And many more of such scenarios that I've lost track of.

My point? Why do people, in this case my Boss, keep asking if I'm sure when I've already said yes??
I would not say yes if I did not want to, no???
They're worried that I'd feel obligated and I'd forced myself to agree despite not wanting it??
Then they shouldn't have asked in the first place if they do not want to put me in a spot, isn't it?

Geez..... At times I really don't understand what goes thru their minds....... It's like being treated like a fickle-mindle child incapable of  making up her mind.

*rolls eyes*

Comments

[lawless523.livejournal.com]

My take on it is they feel guilty and like they may be taking advantage of you, especially if you're taking up the slack more often than anyone else.

Not that there's anything wrong with your agreeing to do it; they just may want to make sure you're really okay with it. Maybe, if put in the same situation, the people doing the asking know they wouldn't say yes as often as you do.

[suanz.livejournal.com]

I just dun understand it. I'm a very straight forward person. I dun react very well to these. Annoys me big time.....

I fyou wanna feel guilty, then dun bother asking. I know I'm being critical here but for crying out loud - it's something so minor - overtime and leave??? Not like we're talking about some major life-changing issues.

Having said that, how's things for you? Good? ^^ I thought I read something about dishwasher woes for you. Settled?

[lawless523.livejournal.com]

Mostly. The parts came today and the basement is no longer flooding when the dishwasher is run. (Worn seals were the culprit.) But it turns out that it's leaking a little bit elsewhere and we need the door gasket that my husband didn't order because it wasn't obvious that we needed it.

At least we're not washing dishes by hand anymore. It's surprising how tiring it is. It's hard on my back and hip, which got aggravated yesterday whe I had to stand in line for more than 20 minutes to vote on the school budget, which was defeated handily despite my yes vote. The no vote on the budget is likely to result in cutbacks in the art offerings, which is a shame because my daughter wants to go to art school and was counting on being able to take advanced placement studio (2-D) art and advanced placement 3-D art (ceramics, sculpture, and the like) in order to put together the portfolio she'll need. Now it's uncertain what art classes will be offered, as that's one place where there are likely to be cuts.

[suanz.livejournal.com]

Dang - more repair required then? Tough luck!!!

Dishwashers are not that popular in Singapore yet - I think - unless I'm really out of touch here. We still do it manually. :P

Hope things turn out right for your girl. Maybe the classes offered are the ones she's interested in or will be interested in?? Dun fret too much. Things may work out in the end.

[lawless523.livejournal.com]

At least the big repair is done and we can use the machine.

As it turns out, I have a meeting scheduled with the guidance counselor and the art teacher about what kind of preparation she needs and what to look for in art schools, the request for which predates all this nonsense about the budget. The state is in a fiscal crisis and we have a new governor who said voters should vote down school budgets in every district where the teachers don't agree to a pay freeze. Frankly, imo, that's extortion and outside his jurisdiction; he shouldn't be interfering in local elections. In our district, the teachers, some of whom were going to be laid off irrespective of what happened with the budget, refused a pay freeze. So the kids are stuck between the voters and the teachers, school board, and administration.

There will be cuts in the art program; it's just not clear whether it'll prevent her from taking the courses she wants to. I enjoy expressing outrage anyway (one point of overlap between me and Sanzo); I feel a letter to the editor and to our idiot governor coming on.

[suanz.livejournal.com]

Sounds messy....and draggy too. Good luck with the letter.

Sanzo's An Honest Letter comes to mind. :)
http://split-infinity.org/saiyuki/viewstory.php?sid=467
Check it out if you haven't already.

[lawless523.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link! I liked the letter and the story.

[suanz.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!! :)

[7veilsphaedra.livejournal.com]

It could be tactical. If you start feeling put upon and speak up about it, then they have your past consent in their arsenal. If it troubles you, you can always ask your boss, "What if it wasn't really okay with me? What would you do about it?"

Whatever his answer is, it's the point where you say, "I am a good and valuable employee. I like to be appreciated and respected for working hard when other people in the team have to take off. I like to be given opportunities for advancement, and increases in salary and benefits, because that's how employers show employees they are appreciated and respected."

[suanz.livejournal.com]

Well it's an annoying tactic. After working with me, he should know my no-crap style. Yes is a yes, no is a no. It's not like I said I'm not sure. Duh!!!

Hmm... I'd like to think I'm perfectly allowed to reject such requests when necessary cos I've put in my fair share of effort.

Maybe I'm old school or just plain jaded. I wouldn't bother asking him what if I'm not really ok. I dun want to hear him tell me a LBS (long boring story). LOL!!!

[robotlove.livejournal.com]

That's funny, I thought I'd commented on this entry when I saw it a few days back. Oh well.

I have very little experience in the working world still, but if that's the case then I'd say tell him politely what you said in your second paragraph there, when he next asks you that question and you get irked. At least he'll know then that it's okay for NOW, but may not always be!

[suanz.livejournal.com]

Yeah... maybe I'll do that the next time. It's bound to come up again. It's a viciousssss cycle. LOL!!!