Friday, February 25, 2011

My Co-Workers Feel Slighted - So This Is For Them

I wouldn't have started this blog if it weren't for Sari & Ana.  They were the ones who jokingly said "Blog About It" when I received my first shipment of TrueStar vitamins (and I was so excited and hopeful that it would mean the end to the weary, draggin' my ass phase I was in).  I thought, why not?  I love to write and I always have a lot to say, so this blog was born.  And by the way, I have been feeling more energetic since taking the vitamins.  I think they're working!  Anyway, back to Sari & Ana...  They feel they didn't receive their much deserved acknowledgement for their role in my new life as a blogger.  So this is for them.

I am very lucky that Sari & Ana are not only the people I spend all day with, 5 days a week, but they are also my friends.  I have worked in many places and having people you truly like, respect and can laugh with really make or break the job.  We spend so much time in the workplace (more than in our personal life) and you can have the best job in the world, but if you don't work have great co-workers, it can end up being the worst job in the world.

Since we don't really get much say in who we work with, it's really a crap shoot on who we get.  Unless of course, you're the boss and have some say in who you are hiring.  In my case, I inherited Sari when I started and was just a little apprehensive knowing she was the owner's daughter.  Lucky for me, she turned out to be one of the hardest-working, most level-headed, intelligent and mature young ladies that I have ever had the pleasure of working with (and really, I'm not just saying that because she's the owner's daughter). 

Ana, on the other hand, used to work for a friend of mine and when their company went bankrupt, timing was precipitous and I was able to hire her as our designer at my previous job.  When I quit and took this job, my one and only regret was having to leave Ana.  I told her that if there was any way I could take her with me, I would make it happen.  Not because I liked her so much as my friend (which I do), but because she's an AMAZING designer.  So within 2 months, I was able to make that happen and now here she is.  So this is my little Mayfair Tech nuclear family - we have other members on our team, but it's really the 3 of us sitting in our ShaToBu room all day, every day. 

I have worked with all kinds in my 25+ years in the workforce.  I got my first job in retail when I was 16.  I have worked with women have been catty and vindictive.  I have experienced both sexual harassment and verbal harassment.  I have had people be discriminatory based on my religion.  I have had some good bosses and some really bad bosses.  Some have taught me and mentored me, and others have left me to fend for myself.  I think that is why I can be so appreciative of my position here at Mayfair today.  I really like my job, I have great bosses and I have Sari & Ana.  It makes my professional life a pleasure.  That doesn't mean that things are always perfect or that there aren't any pressures - that's not real life.  But I'm in a happy place. 

Being surrounded by good people and in a job you like doesn't only make for a happy career, it also carries over to your personal life.  There were times I was absolutely miserable in my last position and I would come home in a bad mood and would have a hard time shaking it off.  Not a good thing when you have children (and not so great on a marriage either).

It may not always be easy to find the right job, but when it all comes together, it definitely makes for a much more peaceful existence.  And when times are stressful or the shit hits the fan, having those great co-workers to make us feel better and to laugh with makes it so much more bearable.

So thanks, Sari & Ana - you're the best.

Here's a little fun from me and the girls... enjoy!



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