EXPECTATIONS

Things are getting weird. Maybe I should say weirder. Maria is on a rampage about how little she perceives our manager works. But she does that about anyone and everyone who does not live up to her expectations. The fact is that the manager does not work very many hours. She is limited to 15 hours a week and it must be divided between two sites. She works only 4 days a week, two here, two at the other site. She is only on duty 7 ½ hours a week, and head office will not tolerate her working one more hour. When she first arrived, she responded to any and all demands working 30-35 hours and was told that would not be tolerated. Since this is a government run facility and she is on an hourly wage, minimum wage, they naturally would send her items to post, notes to hand out after she was off for the day. When she was doing that they were happy as long as she didn’t report the hours. She has a preschooler and was exhausted and getting nothing for it. Everyone, including Maria, told her to only work her required 15 hours. No one was thinking those 15 hours were spread over two sites. But they were, and now the campaign against her is growing. It is being led by stupidity. She was not hired to referee inmate squabbles. She was not hired to clean, cook, or talk without end to the inmates. She was hired to keep up the paperwork. They estimate that takes 10 hours a week, so they have given her 7 ½. Love the way government thinks.

When she is here she can hardly get to her office without being grabbed in the hall by some tenant or other. Carmen wants her in her office for all office hours. But head office will send notices for her to post or deliver. I know for a fact it takes 30 minutes to deliver a newsletter to every tenant. For her, that is work time. We get a notice once or twice a week. We get notices correcting notices. We get notices a day or two after the newsletter goes out about an even that will happen in just a few days. Organization is not on the top of anyone’s minds.

What Maria is really angry about is that she and a friend went to Goodwill (second hand store) to buy decorations for our downstairs lounge. Over time, all ornaments were removed from that lounge, most likely as retaliation (why not). The problem is that my two friends have old lady tastes (of course, that’s what they are) and what they purchased is not suitable - to old, but not antiques. If we had a teapot they would cover it with one of those chunky knitted multicolored cozies. Cheap trash. The big boss will not allow our manager to put their items out, but this has not been communicated to the women. I was told a couple weeks ago and mentioned then that they were going to have to be told as steam was building up and an explosion is coming. The ringleader went looking for the manager today and she is way past self-control. No need to be waiting nearby, this will easily be heard in my apartment. Thankfully the manager was at the other site. I have to see the doctor tomorrow.