Vena McGrath, click
here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.
Blogs by Vena McGrath
Saturday 13 September 2008 9/12/2008 10:49:57 PM
Wow, where is this year going? I can't believe how long it is since I last did a blog. I must have been having such a great time ..... shame I don't remember a lot of it :)
Family happenings and work frustrations have all taken their toll of my enthusiasm for sitting at the computer when I'm home. The family situations have been solved and things are moving along happily. The work situation has been sorted by means that didn't particularly make me happy.
In January this year, after returning to work from almost 5 weeks leave, I felt washed out, unmotivated and drained. No one would have thought I had all those weeks away from the office. I guess the fact that I hurt a leg early in the holiday and hobbled around for the rest of it was part of the problem.
I approached the Resource Manager - note there is no mention of 'human' in his title and yet that is what he is supposed to do. His job appears in the last few years to have changed more to a business resource manager and the human part of it is just a sideline he prefers not to have to contend with.
Anyhow, I fronted up and made my case. I had for some time been considering asking for less hours a week as a kind of slowdown into retirement in 2009. So I put forward my reasons for needing a shorter week and asked for 28 hours (4 days) instead of 35 (5 days). I was told NO. I asked him what had come out of the 2 or more surveys I had taken part in over the last couple of years regarding retirement where questions were asked relating to shorter working hours, working from home part-time etc etc. I was told that it was up to each business unit to make their own decisions as to whether they would allow people to work less hours. Obviously my business unit wasn't about to let me cruise.
I was told that as our business unit was relocating midyear or July latest this year, my request would be reconsidered after the move. Well, the move still hasn't happened but will at the end of this month, September.
During July I became unsettled again to the degree that the fact I had been refused less hours weighed on my mind. I decided to do something about it, find a way to gain help somewhere in the NSW Government Dept that I work for. Because of suffering from primary glaucoma I have many days that aren't good ones with my eyesight and I am 'disabled' although no one would be able to see my disability except for me. I have struggled for the last few years to stay on top of my problems and loss of sight but it's finally caught up with me.
I contacted the person running the website for our department that deals with people with disabilities. I explained my position and my need to work less hours for quality of life, both recreational and working. Within a few hours I had a reply from that person and I am eternally grateful to the lady in question. She promised to look into things for me and put me in touch with someone who could help me. And that's what happened.
I had a phone call from a gentleman at our head office who had read my email and he promised to look into the legalities of my working less hours. I explained to him that there were other women in the office who worked 3 days a week because they had children; one of the women's children are now in high school. I told him I felt discriminated against and that I had as much right as a person with a disability to work less hours as someone with children did, and after 13.5 years in the one office, I was disappointed with the lack of interest in my wellbeing.
I didn't hear back from him, but I did hear from the Resource Manager of my business unit a day or so after the call from head office. He contacted me one day when he was out of the office, by phone, requested I do a few things for him and then before hanging up, said "apparently I have to talk to you about working less hours". That was his way of broaching the subject - from afar. We made a time when I would meet with him and the meeting did happen. I presume he received a message from someone in our Head Office that he was to help me, not hinder me. I felt bad about going over his head and yet I knew that facing him was hitting a brick wall that wasn't going to break down, probably even when the move was over.
So we worked it out that I now work 4 days a week instead of 5. He wasn't particularly helpful; showed me a form on the intranet and left me to find it and fill it in (which I did of course after searching for a while). The following week I began my 4 days a week and I am happy to report that the extra day off (Mondays) really helps me make it through the other 4.
I'm not bitter about what happened but I do feel that when people are put into positions such as Resource Managers, they should have the training to be in that position, such as a degree in counseling etc. As I said before, the position this man holds is mostly a business resource one and he deals with the wages workforce industrial relations issues. But what about the rest of us that work in the office? Who do we go to for help? Our needs are of little interest when their are bigger issues involving a group of maybe 100 or more tradesmen.
So for those that think working as a public servant is a dream job, think again. We have a lot less than workers in other organisations do because of the simple fact that we can't be seen to be getting it easy. The line disappeared though between easy and fair practice and duty of care. I think that deep down I am happy that my working life is almost over because I don't see things getting any better or fairer in the future.
Until next time, I step off my whine box and bid you good day :) By the way it's 5.23 pm in Sydney, not the time that is on this blog. After all we are down under :)
