I was recently accepted to Leadership Newark, a 2-yr fellowship. (YAY!) One dimension of the fellowship is I have to miss one day of work a month to attend training workshops in policy, education, health, and other issues concerning Newark. Did I mention you get to miss work AND they feed you? As the title suggests, there is leadership training involved, but most importantly, you go through this training with various other leaders in Newark from all sectors. For a person such as myself who does recruitment in Newark (unfortunately), it would behoove the organization to have me be a part of this. Whatever. Let's be real, I don't plan to bitch about this job into 2009. My plan was to get the days approved and in the case I was still there in October, not have to use my vacay days so I can cash those out.
So, today I submitted a written request to get the days approved. Surprise, surprise, the request was denied. Apparently it was a stretch of the imagination for my boss to see how this could be invaluable to recruitment, so unlike Landmark. The most interesting part was the emoting from my boss that ensued. She walks in my office, tosses my request on my desk and says, "There is no way I could agree to this. I was going to talk to you about this on Monday, but there is no need. Are you kidding me? I'm not approving this." She looked visibly angry and triumphant.
I nodded thoughtfully, as I watched her gesticulate smugly. She continues, "your recruitment season is about to start and you can't take these days." I knew she would say as much, as I wondered whether she called Xxxxx for inspiration before hopping on her high broom to storm into my office. I pointed to the infinite list of non-recruitment activities she has littered my job description with. AND to the financial aid workshop she made me attend in the middle of the recruiment season last year, and reminded her I had expressed my concerns with all her randomness over a year ago, which fell on deaf ears. I also referenced the reports I create, which no one reads, and accused her of making my position a dumping ground for those undesirable tasks. I even reminded ol' girl (by now in my outside voice), of her inappropriate, yet telling, comment about her unwillingness to redistribute the workload to who it really belongs to because he wont like it very much. I saw red and told her I would have to "digest" what she said about Leadership Newark, but I was no longer going to do non-recruitment tasks, as she has clearly expressed its grave importance. She retreated a bit by now, physically standing not in front of my desk but almost in the hallway, promising she would try to find someone else for all these unpleasant tasks (of course "he" wasnt on the short list).
As a consummate non-confrontationist (yes, i am stopping short of calling myself a b*tch-ass), I never imagined pepper spraying her with a dose of her own bullshit. She sauntered in, scoffing at my request for real personal development and left making promises of change. I suppose she thought I would yes-mam her, not realizing the air was already charged, and lightning struck. She might think she won this one, until I call out sick on those given days (if I am still there).
I lament the eff you mode I have been forced into, crouched behind my desk, baring my teeth whenever I smell her JC Penny shoes in the air. But, I do not want to give myself away, as I want her cunning little brown face to collapse under the sentence, "Since I can't fire my boss, I tender my resignation."
Heehee.
me
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