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First and foremost: Now the a/c at the office doesn't work. And yes, one does feel the difference...
So, on to motivation. Unsurprisingly the Ambassador is a true master of this delicate art, even while she's away on distant shores (where, unfortunately, cannibals do not dwell...)
Once a year, Embassy employees (only Austrians, not local staff) can be nominated for a bonus - not a big sum, so it's more being nominated that counts, because it means that you've exceeded expectations and done outstanding work and are being appreciated. Motivation at low cost, cynically speaking.
There are Ambassadors who reflexively nominate their whole staff, because it makes them look even more important. After all, if everybody constantly delivers excellent work far beyond anything one might reasonably expect, the Embassy ust be an important one. Or so they reason.
I'm certainly no friend of this kind of abuse (because, let's be frank, that's what it is), but I think that people should get their bonus if they deserve it. Obviously the Ambassador has a different opinion.
She sent the list of nominees, containing 2 names, without informing me or anybody else. The 2 lucky ones are Jasmin, her personal secretary, and Iris, who has been with us 1 year. They both deserve the bonus, especially Jasmin - I know how much she had to do, and that it was mostly she who saved the Federal President's visit.
The problem is that there are 4 others, who are equally deserving but were not mentioned.
So I discussed the matter with the 1st Secretary (still a pillock, but more about him later), who shared my opinion that everybody ought to get their reward (he, I and the Ambassador are excluded anyway). He also offered to discuss the matter with the Ambassador, who calls him at least once a day (from the regrettably cannibal-free shores).
Today he gave me her answer: No, the other 4 won't be nominated, because claiming a bonus for them as well would tarnish Jasmin and Iris's extraordinary performance.
Not only is this as wrong as it is infuriating, it's also further proof of the woman's utter contempt of consular and administrative work.
There isn't much I can do, except write to the people who are supposed to represent the staff (usually they merely represent themselves), which I've already done. But this feeling of powerlessness is really, really getting on my nerves. I wouldn't mind so much if the matter had actually been discussed, but her way of doing things secretly and then barring any possibility of setting them right, merely because she can, makes me more angry than I can say.
So much for motivation.
And now, to fairness:
I talked to the 1st Secretary yesterday, and among other things I felt I just had to discuss last Thursday's cat drama. Since it's only fair to exonerate people one has previously accused, that's what I'm going to do. Although the explanation is so pathetically stupid that I can hardly believe it.
In order to understand last Thursday's reactions, we have to go back to the Friday before that. 1st S, the Military Attaché, Gabriele and I were discussiong our ciris management plan, which needs improving. Among other items, we talked about evacuation plans, and particularly the possibility of people being evacuated not in a regular airplane but by military aircraft. You can't take pets with you on a military aircraft, and both Gabriele and I voiced uor opinion that we wouldn't much care to be evacuated, if we had to leave without our respective cats.
Some bantering ensued, and finally the Military Attaché said, "Well bring them anyway, at least they can be eaten."
General outcry, and Gabriele said, "I think some juicy 1st Secretary fillet would be better than my cats."
Not, perhaps, the most fortunate of remarks, but everybody was laughing and making jokes in a completely relaxed and informal atmosphere, and the Mil.Att. said he'd rather prepare Consular Section Gulasch, because that would be a lot more substantial. Believe me, the way things went, there was no reason for anybody to think that anybody had been offended.
Fast forward to last Thursday. 1st S (should call him 1st Ass really) got the information about the cats sitting under his car, saw Gabriele and me watching them anxiously and thought that this was a practical joke, perpetrated with the aid of cats we got God knows where, in order to provoke him.
I'm pretty sure he wasn't lying.
So I looked at him, eyes protruding with incredulity, and asked him whether he was serious.
Yes, he was.
I asked him whether he'd got the impression that we were enjoying the whole stunt, or sniggering, or secretly nudging each other.
No-o, not really.
I asked him why he hadn't let me wash my bleeding, dirty hand.
He hadn't seen it was bleeding, honestly he hadn't.
At this point I felt compelled to tell him that Gabriele and I are 38 and 44 respectively, i.e. not really of a prank-playing age. I further told him that his interpretation of the incident didn't reflect too favourably on him, which he meekly accepted. He even apologized.
What can you do? I mean, the whole thing is so absurd I want to bash my head against the wall. Then again, considering how things stand with the Ambassador, I can hardly afford another enemy, and, frankly, I don't need any more animosities right now. Plus, if somebody apologizes, I prefer to accept the apology and give the eprson another chance. But, oh, the SILLINESS!!!! The totally retarded mind that thought two grown-up women were playing practical jokes by putting live cats into motors!!!!
I have to say that he was deeply mortified when I told him about the bite, the PEP shots and the antibiotic.
So maybe there's hope...
Did I say it's hot here in the office? *melts* I've been drinking at least 3 litres of water already, and went to the loo only one. It all evaporates. Oh frabjous day. (Yes I know I'm whining and whining. Sorry, really. But letting off steam this way might prevent a mass murder.)
Exchange prompts are ready and written up. I'm really looking forward to it :-))
So, on to motivation. Unsurprisingly the Ambassador is a true master of this delicate art, even while she's away on distant shores (where, unfortunately, cannibals do not dwell...)
Once a year, Embassy employees (only Austrians, not local staff) can be nominated for a bonus - not a big sum, so it's more being nominated that counts, because it means that you've exceeded expectations and done outstanding work and are being appreciated. Motivation at low cost, cynically speaking.
There are Ambassadors who reflexively nominate their whole staff, because it makes them look even more important. After all, if everybody constantly delivers excellent work far beyond anything one might reasonably expect, the Embassy ust be an important one. Or so they reason.
I'm certainly no friend of this kind of abuse (because, let's be frank, that's what it is), but I think that people should get their bonus if they deserve it. Obviously the Ambassador has a different opinion.
She sent the list of nominees, containing 2 names, without informing me or anybody else. The 2 lucky ones are Jasmin, her personal secretary, and Iris, who has been with us 1 year. They both deserve the bonus, especially Jasmin - I know how much she had to do, and that it was mostly she who saved the Federal President's visit.
The problem is that there are 4 others, who are equally deserving but were not mentioned.
So I discussed the matter with the 1st Secretary (still a pillock, but more about him later), who shared my opinion that everybody ought to get their reward (he, I and the Ambassador are excluded anyway). He also offered to discuss the matter with the Ambassador, who calls him at least once a day (from the regrettably cannibal-free shores).
Today he gave me her answer: No, the other 4 won't be nominated, because claiming a bonus for them as well would tarnish Jasmin and Iris's extraordinary performance.
Not only is this as wrong as it is infuriating, it's also further proof of the woman's utter contempt of consular and administrative work.
There isn't much I can do, except write to the people who are supposed to represent the staff (usually they merely represent themselves), which I've already done. But this feeling of powerlessness is really, really getting on my nerves. I wouldn't mind so much if the matter had actually been discussed, but her way of doing things secretly and then barring any possibility of setting them right, merely because she can, makes me more angry than I can say.
So much for motivation.
And now, to fairness:
I talked to the 1st Secretary yesterday, and among other things I felt I just had to discuss last Thursday's cat drama. Since it's only fair to exonerate people one has previously accused, that's what I'm going to do. Although the explanation is so pathetically stupid that I can hardly believe it.
In order to understand last Thursday's reactions, we have to go back to the Friday before that. 1st S, the Military Attaché, Gabriele and I were discussiong our ciris management plan, which needs improving. Among other items, we talked about evacuation plans, and particularly the possibility of people being evacuated not in a regular airplane but by military aircraft. You can't take pets with you on a military aircraft, and both Gabriele and I voiced uor opinion that we wouldn't much care to be evacuated, if we had to leave without our respective cats.
Some bantering ensued, and finally the Military Attaché said, "Well bring them anyway, at least they can be eaten."
General outcry, and Gabriele said, "I think some juicy 1st Secretary fillet would be better than my cats."
Not, perhaps, the most fortunate of remarks, but everybody was laughing and making jokes in a completely relaxed and informal atmosphere, and the Mil.Att. said he'd rather prepare Consular Section Gulasch, because that would be a lot more substantial. Believe me, the way things went, there was no reason for anybody to think that anybody had been offended.
Fast forward to last Thursday. 1st S (should call him 1st Ass really) got the information about the cats sitting under his car, saw Gabriele and me watching them anxiously and thought that this was a practical joke, perpetrated with the aid of cats we got God knows where, in order to provoke him.
I'm pretty sure he wasn't lying.
So I looked at him, eyes protruding with incredulity, and asked him whether he was serious.
Yes, he was.
I asked him whether he'd got the impression that we were enjoying the whole stunt, or sniggering, or secretly nudging each other.
No-o, not really.
I asked him why he hadn't let me wash my bleeding, dirty hand.
He hadn't seen it was bleeding, honestly he hadn't.
At this point I felt compelled to tell him that Gabriele and I are 38 and 44 respectively, i.e. not really of a prank-playing age. I further told him that his interpretation of the incident didn't reflect too favourably on him, which he meekly accepted. He even apologized.
What can you do? I mean, the whole thing is so absurd I want to bash my head against the wall. Then again, considering how things stand with the Ambassador, I can hardly afford another enemy, and, frankly, I don't need any more animosities right now. Plus, if somebody apologizes, I prefer to accept the apology and give the eprson another chance. But, oh, the SILLINESS!!!! The totally retarded mind that thought two grown-up women were playing practical jokes by putting live cats into motors!!!!
I have to say that he was deeply mortified when I told him about the bite, the PEP shots and the antibiotic.
So maybe there's hope...
Did I say it's hot here in the office? *melts* I've been drinking at least 3 litres of water already, and went to the loo only one. It all evaporates. Oh frabjous day. (Yes I know I'm whining and whining. Sorry, really. But letting off steam this way might prevent a mass murder.)
Exchange prompts are ready and written up. I'm really looking forward to it :-))
