Yeah, it’s demeaning.
I’ve been at my present job for practically 18 years and I’m on my sixth supervisor in that interval. The primary supervisor I had was the worst of the lot (to this point…), a really anti-WFH and task-driven particular person. The lease on my desktop laptop was operating out about three months earlier than an enormous organizational reform in 2014 the place my place was moved into a totally totally different division (comms adjoining relatively than random common admin providers that didn’t match anyplace else). With about 70 different first line managers, she was demoted to a senior IC.
As one in all her final administration selections regarding me (definitely the final one I bear in mind), she denied my request for a laptop computer relatively than a alternative desktop. Once I requested why, she straight-out stated, with a totally deadpan expression on her face, that “I can’t belief you to do your job if you happen to’re at residence.” I used to be so surprised I simply mumbled one thing like “Okay,” however later when the shock of it had worn off, I used to be fairly indignant and informed my husband and all my associates that she has no extra management of whether or not or not I’m truly working on the workplace, on condition that I had my very own workplace on the time (80 p.c at the least of us did) and principally stored my door shut, and the workplace coverage was fairly agency that not even managers have been supposed stroll in on their reviews with out knocking when the door was closed.
The very first thing my new supervisor did on the primary day that I reported to her was to ask why I didn’t have a laptop computer, and after I informed her that my previous supervisor thought I didn’t want one (with out going into element), the second factor she did was to order a laptop computer for me.
Following the organizational change that moved me to the comms division they began issuing laptops to just about everybody, with a number of exceptions like our graphics designers. The worth distinction between high-end laptops and commonplace enterprise ones was then a lot better than the worth distinction between a high-end graphics desktop and a regular enterprise desktop. Now even the graphics designers have laptops.
For years I might just about ignore my former supervisor’s existence as an HR rep. Fundamental skilled courtesies like greeting her with a small smile after I noticed her in passing on the workplace sufficed. No less than as a really task-oriented particular person she by no means anticipated me to fake to love her, not displaying my energetic dislike was ok.
Then Covid occurred. Granted, for the six years that I had a laptop computer earlier than Covid I didn’t have a devoted residence workplace setup, so I solely bothered to WFH when it was unavoidable for different causes.
The cognitive dissonance I skilled after I needed to take heed to her explaining our new WFH-friendly hybrid insurance policies that have been put in place when the near-total ban on in-office work was lifted was one thing else. She was a professional and did (and nonetheless does) as her place required her to, however I’m fairly satisfied that she nonetheless prefers the previous fashion of working when individuals have been at all times or virtually at all times on the workplace, even when she realizes that that ship has sailed as our places of work are too small to have everybody there on the similar time. Generally when she posts on our intranet discussion board her anti-WFH attitudes present by the cracks simply sufficient to show that she really hasn’t modified her thoughts about it.
CitrusGirl, I actually hope you’ll be able to maintain your laptop computer.
