Feeling so much better

 I feel about 1000% better. I haven't done specific calculations, but that is my guesstimate. It may even be as high as 3000%.

I worked hard yesterday, staying up way later than usual, to write my resignation letter(s)* and get a few things done, including bringing said resignation letter to my now-ex-workplace and delivering it to my ex-bosses.

*Because of the incident that occurred on my last shift - tuesday night - I felt compelled to let the VP of operations and Head Office know about it. I may post more specific details. Not sure. Since none of my coworkers from there knew I have a blog, nor is it listed on my facebook (for a long time now) I don't fear they will read it, I just am unsure whether or not to post about it. Yet.

There was so much I wanted to say, so much that SHOULD be said, but I kept it to the most recent and important issues, because a 14 page resignation letter would do nothing but make me look like I complain.

I just feel I saw exactly how they could do a lot of things better. My coworkers usually agreed, and complained about doing things in the same, inefficient stupid ways.

YET, when I would suggest something to my ex-bosses, they would leave me a note saying they would 'consider' it, and that would be the end of that.

If I had any issues with something that wasn't supposed to be happening, or people not doing their jobs, I would leave a note to the bosses letting them know about it, presuming they would actually do something about it.

NOPE. WARNING: VENTING ABOUT TO OCCUR!!!

So, during one particular shift I came into work and found this:

- paperwork all over the front desk counter, unsorted, unfiled, unorganized, for no reason other than laziness.
- staff's personal dishes left on the f/d counter, including plates and cutlery, mugs, glasses, and garbage and half eaten chinese food on them.
- the continental breakfast, which is supposed to be re-stocked by the person who puts it all away 11 hours before my shift started, almost empty.
- the counter where the breakfast is put out, covered in crumbs, juice and milk spills, coffee and sugar spills, dirty dishes, and food bits that were obviously from the person who was on shift before me having ordered in chinese food, and serving it to themselves on that counter. (There was also a fortune cookie left there. I did not read it, although I am guessing it might have said "you will put in extra effort today.")
- The sinks, both in the continental area, where guests see it, and in the kitchen, had obviously had crumbs and cereal dumped into them, and then juice and coffee and hot chocolate on top. And not rinsed. It was disgusting. It looked like someone had vomited in the sinks. I was annoyed when I saw the first one, disgusted when I saw the second one. The second one was, of course, a double sink, too.
- The muffin tins that only nightshift uses to make muffins, had not been cleaned, again. This was my first night back after 4 off, and the only other person that works night shifts, thinks that when the muffins leave that ring of dried batter around the top of the ring, and spilled bits, and when she tears them out of their tins and it leaves a 2 inch chunk of muffin on the tin, putting them in the dishwasher, to be moistened, and then stacking them one on top of another, is appropriate cleanliness. (My routine was to soak the pans in a sink of hot water, use a scrubby to get rid of all of the muffin bits & rings, and then put them in the dishwasher to get the grease off - premade batter = more than 14g fat/muffin.) Needless to say, I was pissed to have to wash the soggy chunks and dried rings of batter before I could make muffins that night.
- There was 3 buspans with random bits of grossness in them that should have been cleaned. Very similar to the sinks, but not dry, and add cereal & raisin bits, stir sticks, and sugar and jam packets.
- Add to the buspans, a bunch of dirty dishes. ABout 4 loads worth.
- garbages behind the front desk and in the continental area overflowing with crap. Supposed to be emptied every shift/when half full, respectively.

It has been over a month, and I don't recall if there was anything else, although I am certain there was.

See, if there was one or two of the above, I could handle it, but considering it appears everyone left all of their regular duties from the 3 8-hour shifts previous to mine for me to do, I was pissed off.

I knew if I left a note for my bosses, nothing would happen. I was too angry to just sit back and take it, I had had enough of people leaving stuff for me, just because they knew that I am not one of those people who can just leave it for someone else. Besides, I would only leave it for someone else, if they had done it, and were coming in RIGHT after me, but that NEVER happens here, there's always someone in between. So, not fair.

I wrote every single thing in the communication book, and my feelings about it contiuously happening to me. Everyone who read those pages would easily have been able to say, okay so Person#1 was working the night before, she should have cleaned the muffins tins, Person #2 was working the mornig shift, should have restocked and cleaned the breakfast stuff, and done as many dishes as she could have. Person # 3 should have done this and that...

and so on.

At the end of the notes I made, I added a personal opinion about how it doesn't just boil down to pure laziness, but about respect for your coworkers. I said that they can't leave stuff like that for me to do just because they know I will do it. I mentioned that they should consider how I ALWAYS left everything clean, stocked and organized for them. No dirty dishes, breakfast set up with plenty of coffee made so that they wouldn't have to make any for awhile. Everything overly stocked so that they could not have to check it for awhile. Counters clean. No papers all over. No garbage in the bins, no garbage on the counters... 

There was never any proof that I ate AT ALL during my shifts, my personally-used dishes were always cleaned and put away.

Oh, and I NEVER put away ANY dishes that were dirty.

*I'd like to mention that I understand the kind of mess that was left for me could be excused IF THEY WERE BUSY. The had about 15 people in the hotel the night before, which is EXTREMELY slow, and means that they would have had nothing to do. There was 3 check in's during the shift before me, again, extremely slow, so no excuses AT ALL for any of them.

Anyway, apparently my venting note in the book pissed off my bosses, because the next day there was a note in there saying something about how they were the bosses and they should be the ones to tell everyone what to do. F*cking retarded. I was tempted to call them EVERY SINGLE TIME there was something left for me, or just leave it with a note for the bosses. I get pissed, I don't see action or I get treated like I am just complaining for the sake of it, and then I get vengeful. Very hard for me to deal with that, and it doesn't usually last long anyway, I end up doing everything the same way the next night. I JUST CAN'T DO WHAT THEY DO.

I REALLY wanted to start leaving notes in that book detailing every little thing I did during my shift that should have been done before I got there.

And the bosses who never actually do anything also felt compelled to make us all fill out this retarded survey. "Because everyone around here seems to think that they know how everyone else is supposed to do their job, we want to make sure that everyone DOES know how to do their job." Duh. Train them better, or tell them if other people are complaining about things. If they leave shit, tell them to stop. Effing duh. (Not management material, and that was strongly proved during the incident on my last shift.)

Then after all of the surveys were completed, they photocopied them all for each of us so we could see each other's answers, "blacking" out the names (it was obvious, and easy to still see the names anyway.) and filled in one with their answers. Then they left a note saying they would be getting together with each of us to go over what we'd answered. NEVER FOLLOWED UP.

The most pathetic thing about the survey was the way they felt the need to 'reassure themselves' that they were indeed the bosses, which proved to us all even more that they have no clue what is going on: "Question 16 (yes, there was 16 of these.) Who are the bosses and get to tell everyone what to do?"

Of course everyone answered that they were the bosses. No one meant it. No one respects them. I feel bad for the people who still work there. Not one of the front desk staff want to be there anymore, and it's because the bosses are doing STUPID things. They want us to do things the most inefficient ways possible, JUST shy of not doing them at all.

Some of the employees stick it out because it's an easy job. They get free food - the continental breakfast. Free access to the pool, if it ever gets done, and the gym. Cheap hotel rooms if/when they need them. They get to sit on their butt and do nothing. For most of their day. AND if they don't do something right, no one there cares anymore, because it's so obvious that the bosses do a lot of things worse.

So glad I am done there. So glad I am never going back. I *may* have considered it, before the afore-mentioned-many-times-incident.

Put it this way: Would you want to go back to a job where the boss came in to deal with a problem drunk, treated you like shit, and then after making the problem A LOT WORSE, blamed it on you and said very rudely on his way out the door: "Thanks for that."?

I didn't think so.

</venting>

(Last note about the above. I've sent details of the incident and my concerns for other employees, some of which I KNOW have been treated similarly, to the VP of operations, and head office. The BBB doesn't handle employer/employee disputes, and after looking up info on the labour board's website, it appears that the only grievances you can file with them are monetary based, if the company owes you vacation pay, for example. Would LOVE to send in a grievance somewhere about the conditions of my leaving this job, but don't think there's anywhere else to do it?)

_________________________________________________

Whew. Last time I am going to even bother thinking about that. Have a headache now. (Might also be because I haven't eaten much this morning.)

Onto better news: I'm huge! Well, not really, I guess, but it sure feels like it.

I already have to be very careful how I turn over in bed, 3 weeks ago, I pulled some abdominal muscles turning over the way I used to: basically whipping my body up off the bed and flipping. Not anymore. Now I scooch over, slowly roll or pull myself over, and then scooch to my spot, because at this point I am usually right up against Chris (heat factory) or the edge of the bed (dangerous).

:) I've noticed a definite change in body temperature, too, especially at night. Whew. Still need to wear socks and sometimes slippers during the day at home, but it's been awhile since I've needed my usual fall/winter/spring get up for hanging out in the house: socks, slippers, pants, t-shirt, sweater, blanket*. Yup. All of that. And even then, I am usually still cold. PLUS, this is with the heat set at an unreasonble 20 or 21. (I know, I know...)

Now, I'm pretty comfy in pants, socks, t-shirt*. At night, when I used to need two blankets, I find myself kicking them off and keeping them off for most of the night. And cuddling with the heat factory next to me? Not for more than 5 minutes, before we both get uncomfortable and feel gross!

*Yes, underthings, too.

____

The COOLEST part of being pregnant so far: being able to see the kicks. I never knew about that. Hell, they should put that on the front page of pregnancy books: "You will be able to see the kicks from the outside. WARNING: pregnancy may make you lay and stare at your belly like an idiot for hours each day."

It is so amazing, and if I have something resting up sort of against my belly, like my laptop sometimes, the baby moves the whole thing. I told Chris about it, and then when it happened, told him to stare at my laptop for a few minutes. He laughed his butt off.

The weirdest part (or one of several) has got to be seeing my heart beat through my chest and sometimes belly. I know there's a lot of extra blood in my system, and my heart is pounding harder than it ever has had to, but geez. It's little creepy to me. Sort of.

I laid back to stretch my back about halfway through this post and looked at my belly. Twitch, twitch, twitch, twitch.... weird...

____

Anyway, I need food, so I am going to end this abruptly.

Very, very abruptly.

:)