We had a meeting today during lunch. This was our monthly "talk about a lot & don't accomplish much but get free food" meeting. Usually we discuss random issues, and occasionally the boss will tell us that we need to work on getting to work on time. (Which never works, because there are a handful of us that still stroll in 5, 10, or for some folks, 30 minutes late.) Anyway, our meeting today ended on an interesting note.
The boss wrapped up the usual discussion about office technicalities & said "Now I'm gonna do 
some preachin' even though I'm not qualified." Well, I thought she was going to get onto us for unnecessary internet usage (which of course I'm doing right now...even though technically this is my "lunch break"...or maybe that's my justification for it), or excessive personal phone calls, or the usual tardiness lecture. Instead, she passed out copies of a devotional that she had received this morning via e-mail. It's titled "Reckless Words", by Susanne Scheppmann (whoever that is), and it talks about having a positive attitude and speaking kind words to/about others. Our boss proceeded to "preach" to us about not being negative at work, and trying to have a good attitude even when we're having a bad day, etc. Wow! This is something I struggle with at work, because we have a large open sea of cubicles that open up to each other, and I have the pleasure of hearing every single grumble & complaint of my co-workers. It really has had its toll on me over the past several months. I recently decided to just try to ignore it, and that makes it better, but it's still aggravating. Anyway, apparently our supervisor had gotten some, or one, or several, complaints about the negative attitudes and she felt it was important enough to mention in our meeting. While this may not solve the issue, it does help me to know that I have a boss who sympathizes with those of us who are discouraged by the negativity that surrounds us.
some preachin' even though I'm not qualified." Well, I thought she was going to get onto us for unnecessary internet usage (which of course I'm doing right now...even though technically this is my "lunch break"...or maybe that's my justification for it), or excessive personal phone calls, or the usual tardiness lecture. Instead, she passed out copies of a devotional that she had received this morning via e-mail. It's titled "Reckless Words", by Susanne Scheppmann (whoever that is), and it talks about having a positive attitude and speaking kind words to/about others. Our boss proceeded to "preach" to us about not being negative at work, and trying to have a good attitude even when we're having a bad day, etc. Wow! This is something I struggle with at work, because we have a large open sea of cubicles that open up to each other, and I have the pleasure of hearing every single grumble & complaint of my co-workers. It really has had its toll on me over the past several months. I recently decided to just try to ignore it, and that makes it better, but it's still aggravating. Anyway, apparently our supervisor had gotten some, or one, or several, complaints about the negative attitudes and she felt it was important enough to mention in our meeting. While this may not solve the issue, it does help me to know that I have a boss who sympathizes with those of us who are discouraged by the negativity that surrounds us.
Preach on, sista! Do you think she could drop by the Post Office and give the same sermon? Did anybody have negative things to say about the meeting as soon as it was over?
ReplyDeleteWow, that's awesome! Way to go Laura's boss lady!
ReplyDeleteWonderful! The HR side of me loves hearing about good office meetings.
ReplyDeleteinteresting fo sho!
ReplyDelete