Monday morning resources

Moday morning, the most horrible time of the week. Everywhere you look in the Coporation offices there is the same picture, tired looking resources staring with a blank expression in their screens, touching the keyboards mechanically like robots, void of life.

Dave was in call, headphones one he silently listened the instructions of his manager. She was yelling or something as I could hear her through Dave's headphones. From time to time he nodded and said yes, yes i will do, yes i will check, yes i will resolve...

I waited for him to end his call while reading emails and responding to them, the project where I am assigned is a mess and there is an endless confusion to what needs to be done and how. Angry communications about asking plans, presentations and meetings invites were flying around.

Finally Dave ended his call and approached my desk with a pale face:
- C'mon Seb, let's get a coffee...

While sipping our drinks in the cafeteria I told him about the vacation plans, wondering if I can get the approval to leave for the two weeks while I was involved in that project and start a training while a return for a third week.

- It's horror Dave said, you have no time for yourself. Weekend was full of work, my kid was sick again and I had to run through the doctors, didn't get much sleep and now I am coming Monday morning to get kicked in the behaind by the manager. So frickin' sick of it.

While he spoke Jo Ann rushed into the cafeteria, she was a team supervisior and rumors had it she will become the next manager. Crazy woman with extra high energy level and low emotional stability to compensate she shouted jokingly to me and Dan:

- Get back to work guys, the Corporation is counting on you. She quickly left with a coffee in hand.

Dave sighed and said:

- Won't be long till she will be manager and she will be bustin' our balls and kickin our asses, and I bet she would love to do it anyway.

I couldn't disagree, especially of all the rumours on how she liked it going around.

Get rich resource!

I was drinking a beer with Dave one evening in a small pub in our neighbourhood, bad place, big prices but still the best offer we had. Like always he started complaining:

- Seb, I keep thinkining on business ideas to get free, I had a horrible week at work. Some bug product launch and they kept us overtime working like dogs for the Corporation.

Of course that meant no paid overtime or anything, just volunteer work. He looked exhausted while sipping his beer, long face, pale and dark under the eyes. I replied:

- Tell me about it, still one week to go until the freakin paycheck and I'm already broke ...
- At least you saved some money..
- I always do that, it's the only way to break free from this rat race in the Corporation. I save some money every paycheck and struggle to invest it wisely only to get broke at the end of each month counting the days until the next paycheck.
- Look at us, we can barely make ends meet. And we barely afford a freakin vacation a year.... We have got to do something, start a business, get busy...
- Not sure I got the energy to try again mate, I said taking a sip from the beer, I get drained at work each day and when I get home I feel numb like a zombie.
- Me too, Dave said, me too... But I doubt your method to save and invest will ever work, we're too low in the orgchart to save from our meager salaries...
- Yes, and that's why you try to earn more by working more and giving away more free time ... It's a freakin vicious circle, a rat race. And the cheese is stinkier each passing month as we're getting older.

Dave said nothing and raised his hand signalling the waiter to bring another two beers....