Christmas Party 2008 -The Antidote!
I was examining my posts from a year ago and I noticed that one of them was written the night before we were to have the office Christmas party. "Our troubled office", I stated. I never followed up to report. We had it, and it wasn't pretty. But then, not much was circa late 2007 at the ear, nose, and throat office where I worked and remain.
So what happened one year ago? Anger. Bitterness. Strife. I don't recall any holiday jingles with those words, but they hung heavily. First though, I have to identify a few of the players. You had the Bitchy Front Desk Receptionist, forever growling if you got too close to her, or dared to punch holes in documents yourself (that was her domain). You also had the Instigating Office Manager, who seemed hellbent on not getting along with the BFDR.
And there was the battle. BFDR made herself a plate with all the (mostly catered) goodies for the party. She did this about 15 minutes before anyone else. Her reasoning was that she had to continue to man the phones and be present for anyone who checked in (the office does not close for lunch or holiday parties). IOM was not pleased, and she loudly stated that it was a crass thing for the BFDR to do.
Words were exchanged like schrapnel. It got louder by the minute. The rest of the staff was embarrassed, mainly because the patients could hear this nonsense. That's crass, ladies. But I found myself chuckling despite the venom. While the women fought, the spirited baritone of Burl Ives droned on in the background. Despite his repeated advice, a "holly, jolly Christmas" was not in progress.
The two combatants would not remain at the office much longer. We got a new office manager who is very friendly and outgoing. We went through 2 more receptionists through the year before the current one, who is also very friendly and sharp. Other personnel shifts included about three allergy nurses and other support staff round robin. Turnover was high in '08. There was one rather unpleasant incident recently involving one of the former allergy nurses who returned to get her last paycheck. Apparently, there was some disagreement as to what that $ amount was to be, and there was some shouting. This time, the doctor herself was involved. Again, the patients could hear it. Argh.
But now the crew seems stable and they actually get along. Thus, we had a wonderful little lunch and Secret Santa exchange around the waiting room tree today. Everyone hugged and kissed and thanked. Not at all like the negativity of last year. I thought of this as I watched the staff today. I was relieved. A good cross section of employees, finally. And some fine people as well.
So what happened one year ago? Anger. Bitterness. Strife. I don't recall any holiday jingles with those words, but they hung heavily. First though, I have to identify a few of the players. You had the Bitchy Front Desk Receptionist, forever growling if you got too close to her, or dared to punch holes in documents yourself (that was her domain). You also had the Instigating Office Manager, who seemed hellbent on not getting along with the BFDR.
And there was the battle. BFDR made herself a plate with all the (mostly catered) goodies for the party. She did this about 15 minutes before anyone else. Her reasoning was that she had to continue to man the phones and be present for anyone who checked in (the office does not close for lunch or holiday parties). IOM was not pleased, and she loudly stated that it was a crass thing for the BFDR to do.
Words were exchanged like schrapnel. It got louder by the minute. The rest of the staff was embarrassed, mainly because the patients could hear this nonsense. That's crass, ladies. But I found myself chuckling despite the venom. While the women fought, the spirited baritone of Burl Ives droned on in the background. Despite his repeated advice, a "holly, jolly Christmas" was not in progress.
The two combatants would not remain at the office much longer. We got a new office manager who is very friendly and outgoing. We went through 2 more receptionists through the year before the current one, who is also very friendly and sharp. Other personnel shifts included about three allergy nurses and other support staff round robin. Turnover was high in '08. There was one rather unpleasant incident recently involving one of the former allergy nurses who returned to get her last paycheck. Apparently, there was some disagreement as to what that $ amount was to be, and there was some shouting. This time, the doctor herself was involved. Again, the patients could hear it. Argh.
But now the crew seems stable and they actually get along. Thus, we had a wonderful little lunch and Secret Santa exchange around the waiting room tree today. Everyone hugged and kissed and thanked. Not at all like the negativity of last year. I thought of this as I watched the staff today. I was relieved. A good cross section of employees, finally. And some fine people as well.
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