When Work Gets Personal

Work should never become personal. That is what I believed two years ago. I have went down that slippery slope.

It's the sense of responsibility that drives me. I have to do all that I can to help my co-workers, my manager, my department, and ultimate my company. God has put them in my way. I have to be a blessing for as long as I remain here.

I took the morning off to see my optometrist. The clinic wanted to make sure that my vision has stabilized before coming to the decision of a second laser eye surgery. It was a nice sunny day to take a stroll in downtown Vancouver. I was in a good mood, my right eye has improved slightly since our last meeting and there's no need for an immediate surgery before I go out of country. At off-peak hours, public transit can be an enjoyment to ride on.

My sunny day ended abruptly as soon as I stepped back to work. Papers were already piling on my desk. The clerical counter was a mess. People were curious where I've been. My email In-box was about to explode. Somewhere along the line I became indispensable within the department. With responsibility comes pride and motivation, but that can only keep me going for so long. Take away all glory and pride, I am working there for the people. There are those I like so much it's unbearable for me to see them suffer. I'd do everything in my power to give them a better work day, even if it means self-sacrifice.

I have martyr written all over my face. Today is the first in a long time where I had to stay to catch up. At 4:50PM, I found myself alone in the office, quietly crunching letters on my keyboard and dashing back and forth between the printer and fax.

For the past few months I had been carefully prioritizing my tasks that I don't accumulate any extra hours. Because as my flex hours grow above 14, I will be forced to take days off. When I take a day off, work flow halts. I am the least expensive employee in the department, therefore it's more beneficial to the department that I do as much work as possible. I am willing be the cheap labor for as long as I can be. Yet, today I realized this is not going to last. In order to transform the department and to make my departure as painless as possible, I must pass down my knowledge to person who'll carry on my torch. The manual I started over a year ago still only had 2 pages in them. I believe it's time for me to work on it.