New Phone System

 

Mid-Week Ramblings | Pizza Parties, Phone System Chaos & Just Getting Through the Week

Today is Wednesday, June 3rd, and honestly, this week has flown by pretty fast — thankfully. We’ve had a lot on our plate lately, so there hasn’t really been much time to slow down.

First and foremost, we’re getting everything ready for Brody’s birthday celebration Thursday evening around 6 p.m. I did a grocery pickup after work yesterday and got most of what we’ll need. We decided on a pizza party this year, which honestly feels easy and fun for everyone involved.

We already have our order figured out: six different three-topping pizzas, boneless wings, and breadsticks. Elizabeth is bringing salad, cake, and maybe cupcakes too, so there should definitely be plenty of food for everybody. I’m really looking forward to it.

Now let’s talk about work for a minute.

Y’all know I mention work stress fairly often, but yesterday was a whole different level. Two weeks ago, they gave us less than a 30-minute training class on a brand-new phone system, and yesterday morning they basically just threw us into it and said, “Good luck.”

I was LOST.

At one point, I texted Mr. C and told him this whole thing was some kind of BS and I wanted to come home. Thankfully, my boss Sherry kept reassuring me that we’d figure it out together, and eventually we did start learning as we went along.

But here’s my salty moment of the day…

Why do companies always release systems before they’re fully functional? Why are we the ones expected to work out all the bugs while still trying to do our actual jobs?

We couldn’t tell when calls were coming in. Emails weren’t working properly. I couldn’t star important transfer numbers. I couldn’t transfer members to supervisors correctly. It was one thing after another.

And every answer was:
“We’re working on getting the bugs fixed.”

Wouldn’t it make more sense to fix them before rollout?

Still, I made it through the day. And honestly, I had to keep reminding myself that if I ever left this job and started somewhere new, I’d still have to learn another system there too. Whether it’s a doctor’s office, a school cafeteria, a convenience store, or anything else — learning new things is part of life.

So I took a breath, asked questions, kept trying, and survived the day.

Another adjustment this week is that because our department didn’t perform well last month, we’ve temporarily lost our “desk activities.” Normally during downtime I might journal, color, or work on small Lego sets at my desk. Starting Monday, all of that stopped.

I’ll be honest though… giving work my full attention for two straight eight-hour days hasn’t been a bad thing. Different? Absolutely. But manageable.

Sometimes you just have to play the game smart, do your job well, and make your money.

That’s life sometimes.

Tonight after work, I’m planning to grab Sonic for supper, pick up a couple bags of ice for the party, and then come home and clean up around my end table and kitchen counters. Most of the birthday party will be outside, but people still come inside to use the bathroom or wander through the kitchen, so I want things looking decent.

And Friday night, we get to wrap up the week by going to Lane’s ballgame at 7 p.m.

So despite the stress, the bugs, the chaos, and the long days… it’s shaping up to be a pretty good week after all.