Over the course of my own work experience, I had been in different social situations, by that meaning that my assignments have been structured at times to where co-workers (and myself) work in regular, close proximity to one another to the point where regular conversation is not only available, but seems almost mandatory...if you don't want to appear antisocial to the others, that is. In other scenarios, employees sometimes work side-by-side but mostly are on their own to perform their assignments, with space between them tending to be the rule rather than the exception. It is this latter format that I have been enjoying for more than ten years at my workplace, and I have to say that it has been a blessing to me. I also have noticed over the course of my now-37+ years working there that when people work "too" physically closely together for regular, long stretches that in those areas I pick up on a lot of negativity, dissension, gossiping and generally nasty attitudes coming from a lot of them. There are some positions that, on the surface, may seem to be attractive were it not for this bunching together of workers, making for pressure to conform to others' negative and manipulative behavior patterns. Better to be a freer spirit with one's own clear-cut objectives to get through the working day, that is, if you're able to choose that kind of assignment...
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I was only at the post office for 7 years before I moved to Australia, but I very much felt the same way about working alone there. While I was assigned to the LSM tour 1, I was frequently moved over to either manual flats or small parcels. I was so much more comfortable when I was working over there by myself and not having to interact with anyone. And it's so true about the gossip. At one time the word was going around that I was so cheap that I ate cat food. I admit that I definitely walk to the beat of a different drummer, and I think that just made me an easy target for workfloor gossip. And, quite honestly, it never really bothered me, but at the same time, I was so happy when I was able to move to Australia and marry a man who loved me because of my little peccadilloes, not in spite of them.
ReplyDeleteI was always a big fan of throwing city-scheme with the small parcels, in the same case design as the manual flats, with those cardboard shelves inserted into rolling GPCs. Remember all the checkbook boxes back then...where oh where have they all gone? As for the group behavior, Mario warned us at our own job orientation in 1987 about the negativity and gossip that would be coming at us from some of the "regulars"...he was right on target with that one. Unfortunately, that just kept going on as the years progressed.
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