Should I stay or should I go?

I have a new job. No longer am I getting 7.01 am phone calls to say, "I won't be in today because my wife is sick." Rightio, of course you take the day off because your wife is sick. Gotya. Now I am, in fact, driving an hour each way at peak hour with every other man and his UTE. If said man had the proverbial dog I would be happier, but no doggos have been seen on any of my journeys. Double sigh.

I have been, in fact, listening to the "Let Them Theory" and so far, yeh, it's not working for me. Maybe because I'm not listening intently as I'm looking for doggos? Who knows. Must try harder. Also, driving an hour is extremely boring, but alas, my good friend in NZ is always up for a chat and the only one that's on the right time zone with me. So we keep each other entertained.

Oh, my new job. As I said, no more 7 am sick calls. I just get bombarded with STRO notifications and B2E, B2B, and probably B2C (will have to check the last one and confirm next time). I also get tasked with doing AASNs. Now, you are probably all wondering what the heck all this means?? Well, that makes two of us. I've been there a month (should probably point out I'm only there for five months; it's a secondment, so I'm free to walk at any time, I just have to give two weeks' notice). Wait, I've been there a month so I have four months left. Tiny glimmer of hope.

Unfortunately for me, the person who was doing the role for the last 2.5 years (I know this because she tells me every day) was not successful in the role when interviewed. Ta-da! They got me with no idea about admin, education, or even B2Es. So to say I'm slightly sinking is an understatement. I am making the Titanic look pathetic. There have been tears, there have been times when I've sat and stared at my three (YES, THREE) blank screens, and other times I've sat there and thought, I can do this. Maybe that was one time.

I'm torn and the things that are making me go back every day are not the ever-hope I'll see a doggo's face out the car window, but the fact I can wear nice, lovely clothes and all my bling. Shallow, yes, but that's the truth and it’s only four months. I CAN do four months, can't I???

Minor things like them taking two months to tell me the job was mine, my leave bundle from the hospital STILL not being transferred over so the leave I took last week had to be unpaid. GRRRR! But, weirdly, my balance is growing at the hospital, so some small win, I suppose. I have been told more times than I can count that this is getting sorted but yet, funnily enough, when I check my leave balance, it's not. Double GRRRRRR.

The other bonus is the working day is 7 hours and 15 minutes, but don't get too excited. Remember the HOUR each way drive? My team, however, aside from that one (there's always one, but you all know who I mean in your own workplace, don’t you?!) are great. I barely see them because there's a work-from-home policy two days a week (not for me; I apparently have to wait until I'm a bit more up to speed). Seems a bit bonkers when so far, everyone I've spoken to with any questions has, in fact, been on Teams and on another campus. Anyway, I'm behaving for now and so driving the HOUR each way, five days a week.

I had training last week for, supposedly, my job. Not the first time I've thought this, but I think I clicked on to the wrong meeting. I mean, some of what I was told over the two hours of Teams training sounded like it’s something I should know or be doing, but there were no similarities on screen sharing or, in fact, step-by-step guides. It didn't help that I had just returned from Bali and my head felt like it was being sat on by a small building and I had the beginning of a cold. I proudly can say I did not have Bali belly or bring Bali belly back. (That belly is all mine!)

At one stage, yes, I might have nodded off, then quickly come to when I realized I'd been asked a question. There were four people on the call. One doing the training, one listening (well really, we were all listening—or should have been), and one lady who does the same job as the trainer and will help me if needed.

Ok, I disclose after the two hours of training, from 12-2 I might add (no one stops for lunch and no one seems bothered. At the hospital, we ran our day around our breaks!), I did, in fact, go for a snooze in the car. I had to. I genuinely was feeling so poorly and had to go and get a reset. It didn't help, by the way. I went back to my desk, still not knowing what the heck I'm supposed to be doing. My manager is great, aside from she’s on six weeks' leave. Her replacement is equally great and also equally as new to the role but not the organization as me. Great pair, hey.

Back to last Thursday, where, thankfully, I had Friday off (oh yes, unpaid because my leave still hasn't been sorted, and yes, I'm getting cranky with that now). I had my report ready to run. I was feeling confident and fist-bumped the air, then thought, just for safety measures, I'd better call for backup. So the lady that wasn't doing the training, or the one just also listening (weird)—the other one was my point of call. She answered straight away and was delighted I'd reached out. And no, I don't know how to make the boxes on Excel bigger, but I will click everywhere to make it look like I do.

After an hour the expert (and by the way that's not me), the poor lady on the call, gave up, with words similar to "I've never seen this before," "this is wrong," "this is all wrong," "oh," which was good because I had a boob appointment and I needed to get going. By boob appointment I, of course, mean mammogram, which isn't painful at all like everyone tells you. Just so you know!! Anyway, she politely suggested that we / I re-look at it on Monday and call with any issues. Rightio, of course I will certainly do that and hope over the weekend the AASN fairies have indeed worked their magic - Spoiler alert: they hadn't.

Bastards.

Along comes Tuesday. Monday I was poorly (genuinely) and I had another very kind lady from a different campus coming to help me. Together, and three hours later, I successfully (hear the sarcasm) managed to pull off my first AASN (might need to rethink that sentence, sounds like some sort of weird kink).

The report was done!!! Fist bumps all round, and then it was down to me to present to my team like Mufasa did with Simba. I'd like to say I was greeted with the same reaction he got; instead, I was told I hadn't done the ERAs, I hadn't checked the external org with the current org, and also didn't check the partner portal. Ah well. I also sent it as a file and not a link, and also didn't save it as the correct name. Well, what can I say.... there's always this week to try better. Double sigh.

Oh I've just remembered there is another plus for working there.... look what sits outside my window (yes get me I have a window, I HAVE A WINDOW!!!!) 

                          Does't beat wearing my bling but they are bloody awesome. 

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