I’ve been back at my desk for three days now after a week off and it feels like I was never away. Same people with the same problems. A new year but nothing changes.
This year has to be the year I get a new job. This job no longer does it for me and although I moan about them, it’s not the public with their problems that bother me, it’s the structural changes within my organisation that have made my job more difficult and so much less satisfying.
When I first started in this job I could solve problems more or less without reference to anyone else. I had authority to spend money on repairs, authorise moves, resolve anti social behaviour etc, and the back room functions and senior management supported me. Yes I sometimes got it wrong but I learned and got better at my job of helping people.Now it seems my purpose here is not to provide a direct accountable service to our tenants (sorry, customers) but to compile stats for the back room staff and senior management and meet targets that are set for my team without reference to me (although it always says I was consulted). My skills, knowledge and experience built up over 25+ years are ignored.Not valued, worthless in the eyes of my employer.
Over the last 6 years we have lost 15 posts on the front line, the ones who actually deal with the public. At the same time this organisation has increased its establishment from just under 500 staff to just under 900 staff. There was a time when I knew almost everyone who worked for us. Nowadays I go to the extremely plush HQ building (the old HQ of a big IT company) and don’t know anyone.
I remember old hands telling me similar things when I was a youngster starting out and maybe it was ever thus. That doesn’t make it feel any better.
This year the New Year has to be a new start for me.
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