Wednesday, January 2, 2008

you can try to set me up for failure but it won't work ... i'm just too good

there is this thing that we have to do every day which we cleverly call "doing the money." we have two self-check out machines that people use not only to check out books but also to access their accounts and pay fines. everyday all the bills are taken out of the machines and new change is put back in. then there is a software that is only on the manager's computer and the amounts of money put in and taken out need to be recorded. it is not a terribly difficult thing to do, but there are many steps to remember. its the kind of thing you need to be shown several times and do it several times on your own before you get the hang of it.
so back in my favoritest branch, they had shown me how to do the money several days in a row. of course, i am not supposed to mention the other branch because it upsets my manager. anyway, since library-in-da-hood reopened it has been known that there would be times that i would need to do the money, as i am third in command. we reopened in september. they have had 4 months to teach me how to do the money. have they taught me? no. because they dislike me and i imagine spending 20 minutes a day with me for three days in a row seems just awful to them. when the aclm was here (he was SO nice) he taught me how to do it once. but that was over a month ago and as i said you really have to do it a few times in a row to get the hang of it.
so this saturday was the first time i was supposed to do the money. last week the head clerk was supposed to show me how, but she came into work 20 minutes late and didn't speak to me. this was after our rousing staff meeting about punctuality and the importance of neat chairs. anyway, then my manager was supposed to show me. but instead of actually doing the money and showing me what i needed to learn she just showed me a bunch of stuff on the computer that really had little bearing on what i actually need to learn.
then friday comes, the day before i need to know how to do this, and i of course develop a sore throat. so i stay home. (but i got a dr. note!) when i arrive one-eyed on saturday i do the money all by myself without any real training. how? because i am a smart cookie, that's how.
but then i hear from my lovely assistant that the manager was bad mouthing me for calling in sick and complaining that i, being an incompetant idiot, will never ever be able to do the money properly and i am so horrible. of course my assistant just sat there shocked, unable to believe the manager was openly insulting me.
the manager had four months, FOUR MONTHS, to teach me how to do this. i call in sick on her last opportunity to teach me and she's mad at me? i once read a sign in a body shop that said "your poor planning does not constitute an emergency to me." so true.
so then today i had to do the money again. which i did. because i am a highly competant go-getter. and then my new co-worker friend told me that she too overheard the manager complaining about me and about how i will never be able to perform my job properly. as if it is my fault that she and her little head clerk buddy never got around to teaching me. i guess the two of them were too busy gossiping about empolyees and yelling unneccessarily at patrons.
this place is so ridiculous and petty. but i totally heart the kids now. so i will stay a while.

3 comments:

fifi said...

That's right, nobody "does the money" like our favorite Lady Jew!

And I'd totally confront your manager and ask why she's openly disparaging your name in front of other employees. That sounds like grounds for a complaint to the Library Board, or some cool governing board that actually gives a shit what happens in our nation's book repositories. You're incompetent?! She's incompetent!

Miss Dewey Decimal said...

i don't know if i should confront my manager regarding openly insulting me. i mean, in a normal situation i would. but what's the point?

fifi said...

She should be ashamed of herself for her deplorable behavior in front of other employees & be sorry for insulting you for no reason. But then again, I'm starting to confront mean people for their meanness.