Work Is Now The Upside-Down

Something happened for the first time ever yesterday/Wednesday in The Fourth Department at work: I got there just about on schedule.  Yep, I didn't have to stay an extra two hours or one hour or even half an hour.  I got out of there just before 5.  And since I clocked in 15 minutes later than I should have, that basically evens out to an eight-hour day.  Never thought that would happen -- never, ever.  Those first days back there by myself, when I didn't know what I was doing and every new form I had to deal with brought minutes of confusion, pain and resentment, I never thought I would have a day where I felt in control of that job.  But I have to say that just about everything was calm pretty much throughout the day back there.  Moreover, I have to confess that things have slowed down back there for the past several weeks.  There are still many days I have had to stay for a half-hour or an hour to finish up the work.  But it feels as though the extra time is getting shorter.  (Yesterday, having only eight new forms to deal with helped greatly in getting out the door on time.)  Moreover, even when I go over, I don't feel overwhelmed or trapped.  Some days it's a lot of work, but it's nothing I'm unfamiliar with, and so it's nothing I can't handle.

With successfully sanding down the worst aspects of that job, I can appreciate more the other aspects of it.  I am the only person working that position, so if I screw up, the only person likely to care and probably to know is me.  I'm tucked way in the back, so I can sneak in a quick Internet search and probably not get burned.  I am not assigned breaks or lunch, so I can use the bathroom or take my lunch nap whenever I please.  I hate to say it, but ... maybe I like this job.

Now, contrast that to The Main Department.  I went out there a couple times late in the day yesterday, and just like they now do on a regular basis, they did not finish up at 3.  Specifically, I went out there a bit past 3:30, and they were working.  Then, I popped backed out a bit before 4, and they were finishing up, but for me, that would be staying late about 30 minutes.  Now, multiply that by ... shoot, 40 days and that's a hell of a lot of overtime.  The people there must be frustrated they can no longer get out of work on time.  Shoot, man, that's how I felt when back on Saturday.  And I can't imagine being there five days a week, not knowing when the work will stop, getting physically and mentally drained because you're staying late yet again.  The stress and burnout is not something I thought would ever happen in a position where you can just put on some headphones and type on a keyboard without (mostly) being bothered because you are no position of authority.  But when you're short-staffed back there, and the work falls on you, it becomes true.  By the way, all those people stayed an hour after to finish up the work that had to be done despite two new people coming onboard yesterday.  Yes, they were training, but every single keystroke helps, and I think that even mediocre data entry people could do their part in shrinking the workload to the point where everyone can leave when they're supposed to.

So to sum up, one of my jobs has gone from hellish to actually pretty good, and another of my jobs has gone in the exact opposite way.  Am I ... happier to work in The Fourth Department now?  Do I, like, now hate My Main Department?  Right now, I have to say ... yes.  And that upending of calcified conventional wisdom feels so, so wrong.