More changes at work. The person who has the weird "wraparound" schedule where she works Saturday through Tuesday told me yesterday that she's leaving the job in a few weeks. Welp, that means that, until my boss can find someone else, he will need people to cover, more than the others (and in fact I don't think he'll need anyone for the other days), Sunday. She was there, I think, for 10 hours each of the four days. As a Monday-to-Friday person, whenever I filled in on Sundays (like I did this past Sunday, for example), I needed to fill in just for four.
That probable need to fill in cuts both ways. On the one hand, I have always felt like working there Sundays isn't work at all. There's no one there besides me -- no boss (usually; a couple times I've seen him there), no co-workers, no one. All the work that needs to be done can be done by one person, and unless the software or the scanners jam, it's a breeze. (If they do jam, it's a pain-in-the-ass, because I then will need to get ahold of my boss, who is, well, off the clock, I presume.) And like filing second shift, I have the run of the place. Well, sort of; my main department is in a hallway, so even though there are people traipsing through the whole four hours I'm there, I still act like it's my own office. I crank the radio on to listen to football, and I take my sweet time walking over to it to change the station broadcasting another football Game when that station is on a commercial break. I probably could be more productive, but if there is no one around to critique your work, why pop a blood vessel to prove you're working? Oh, one other thing: I have a bunch of paid time off that I thought I needed to use, but turns out I didn't. Well, if I come in on a Sunday, that's so many hours I'll get back in paid time off that I didn't take time off. Might as well save it for 2021.
On the other hand, I am running into the same situation I did this time last year, in which there was no one to work Sundays and I was asked to substitute right in the middle of football season. I had to miss a couple of Game-watching parties, but all the Vikes Games I could have worked I did, so someone else had to come in to work on Sundays and work those four hours. Things are a little bit different on that front this year. I don't plan on hosting Game watches this year (should talk more about that) so my Saturdays should be free. Also, and I think I've said this before, the pandemic has led the sports networks not to hire as many locals for Games. I missed out on the Packers Game (even though I had a chance the Friday before to get on board if I had jumped on the call and text quicker), and I am slated to miss three others. But I much rather work at U. S. Bank Stadium on Sundays than at work, easy environment at work excepted, and so I still might beg out of filling in on the infinitesimal chance I get called to run for Vikes Games. And if I don't get called in, well ... I miss out on work. I sent an e-mail to the crewers for the network to ask if she can give me some advanced insight into whether there's any chance I could work those three Games. Couldn't hurt to plan ahead of I can.
I think I've filled in enough times in enough places to prove that I am a "company man," so not working on some Sundays shouldn't shoot my reputation to pieces. Hell, I have Friday off and because the second shift Filing person is taking that day off too, I think I am going to send an e-mail to my boss and offer to work, like, five hours that evening. I don't think I can even do that, but I'll try. But I see downsides to both saying I can and I can't cover where and when necessary.
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