Secretaries' Day I understand. One of the secretaries that sits next to me got showered with cards and flowers from the sales group she supports. As I joked to her later, at least she knows once a year that she's appreciated here. Her group is actually pretty good, so she doesn't feel unappreciated specifically.
So I get the value of reminding people now and then to be appreciative of the people that support others. That's one I can support. The corporate world is thankless enough. Bringing some light of appreciation into the darkness is a good thing.
And then there's Bosses' Day. That one I just don't get. Maybe I've just never had a boss that went out of their way to anything specifically for me. Maybe I'm just cynical about the corporate world. Well, I am, but maybe it's not just that.
We work for bosses. Are we supposed to thank them for that? We do the hard work, and they take the credit. The Hallmark aisle just doesn't have a card for the sentiment.
Dear Boss: Thanks for driving me too hard, for less pay than others in my field get, for a job that nobody thanks me for doing. Thanks for not sharing with me the things I need to do that job. Thanks for not giving me enough time staying home caring for my wife and newborn boy. I've always appreciated the way you made decisions that affect my job without telling me. I just wish I could work harder to make you look better.Admittedly, my boss hasn't directly been to blame for all of those, sometimes it was higher up the chain, which doesn't help. Look if you want, but you won't find that card.
Maybe I'll buy him pretty flowers. Maybe he'd appreciate that. Then again, I don't even see it on my calendar, whereas Secretaries' Day is listed. So I can probably just blow it off anyway, which is much better. Thanks for not firing me, boss... :-)
Posted by fictionman at April 24, 2004 11:23 AM