Hey, it's Hispanic Heritage Month! ¡Hay mucho de lo que estar orgullosa! Plus, I wanted to put my semi-sublime Spanish speaking / writing skills to good use. Okay, back to the title and point of this post: boundary setting at work. Recently, a colleague informed me that he/she has been feeling on edge with the head honcho of our division. The colleague added that there seems to be an absence of boundaries and guidance, which makes the work culture feel a bit unstructured and apprehensive. My colleague is by no means diffident or a milquetoast, but he/she has become somewhat timorous in character these past few days because of the awkward treatment the boss has fashioned onto my colleague. I'll be using compa (friend) and jefe (boss) going forward because I do not want to divulge anyone's identity, especially not that of my colleague. Not that I should worry much about it because I doubt anyone really reads my blog. Cue in a loud, burly sigh 😁(via an onomatopoeia). Besides, I'm not worried about being like 'Geraldo Rivera' and leaking vital information; honestly, I'm just in the mood for a "soapbox" discussion. BAM!!!
Getting back to my colleague, I just feel sorry for my compa because the person is such a hard worker who always arrives to work on campus before the majority of the faculty and staff and is usually the last person to leave. I am usually on campus by 7:30 am, but my compa beats that by a good 10 to 15 minutes - if not more. We are required to work a 40-hour work week: nine hours a day, Monday through Thursday (7:30 am to 5:30 pm), and four hours on Friday (8 am to 12 pm). My compa has been employed here longer than most and works way more than 40 hours, so it pretty much chaps my hide, per se, to know that he/she is being micromanaged and treated like a newbie staff member. I have had my own altercations with the jefe, and some things have improved following said contretemps, but there remains so much work to be done to hone in on and fix the real issues between the jefe and myself - as well as with the jefe and other colleagues. Our jefe is a young and inexperienced manager, and although he means well, his ambition and eagerness to rise to the top casts a dark cloud over his presence, which the jefe is clearly oblivious to and that also escalates the strife. So, when my compa tells me about his/her issues, my heart just goes out to him/her. I know how it feels to get treated in such a mal manner. It doesn't feel good, and it makes a person doubt his/her abilities. My compa admitted to having lost sleep over yesterday's negative meeting with the jefe. That pisses me off because no job or person is worth a person's mental or physical health. All I can do is listen for now. My compa asked for some advice, which I sparingly gave with circumspect at the helm. As a counselor-in-training, I can't help but think of a million things to say or do, but I have to keep things in perspective - for both my friend and myself - and tread lightly. As I have gotten older, I have come to realize that it is best to stay out of certain issues and allow negotiations to take place. Things do tend to work themselves out, we just have to be patient, but we also have the right to set boundaries and be rightfully respected. Soapbox time is over in lieu of lunchbox time . . . back to eating mi comida.
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