Q & A Table of Contents
What's My Best Alternative or Am I Really Stuck?
From: Laurie, Los Angeles
Question: I have been working as a word processing operator in the music
dept. of a very prestigious law firm for 20 years. The firm "reorganized"
last year and I lost a lot that I had earned and maintained - autonomy, my
own work space and work source, etc., it was a sweet job. Now, I share a
secretarial bay with a girl who is very difficult, in my view. She is a
musician "wannabe", very self-absorbed, not really qualified, egotistical,
loud, late, lazy, egotistical, and my nerves are always frayed. I know I
can only change my attitude, not her, but the closeness of the situation
makes that difficult. No change is on the horizon; she is "girlfriends"
with my supervisor and this reorganization has taken a lot of prestige away
from us "old-timers" - I think they would prefer we leave so they can have
our money and benefits.... How can I regain my composure and not let this
person wreck my day? Sorry this was so long; any advice would be
appreciated.
Response: While it has little impact on my response to your question, I am a little bit curious whether the young woman with whom you now share work
space has similar job responsibilities with you. Do you find that she
shares your workload, has increased it, has created more responsibility on
your part to 'clean up' after her?
The central issue is that you find the consequences of your firm's
reorganization have made your job substantially less rewarding and decidedly
more unpleasant. You need to ask yourself what you have to gain by
remaining where you are. In the current job market, how difficult would it
be for you to find another, hopefully better position?
Exploring possible escape strategies can help you build your BATNA, your
Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. If you are marketable, knowing
that you can leave your present firm increases your power when you face your
supervisor and/or his/her supervisor with your concerns about the fall-out
from the reorganization.
If you cannot find another, satisfactory job, that tells you your strategy
may have to focus on minimizing your losses and giving your 'cubicle-mate'
the opportunity to demonstrate her incompetence. Or perhaps she will move
into the music business in another capacity. The question still remains,
can your job regain its former luster even if your cubicle-mate leaves?
Does the firm have a particular interest in getting rid of you by a certain
time to be able to duck its responsibilities regarding your retirement
benefits or other compensation that may accrue due to your seniority. If
you really can't walk away from the job, think of it as a victory if you
stay the course to derive the long-term benefits.
If the firm's reorganization was focused on bringing in cheap replacements
for well-paid senior employees, perhaps it has an interest in offering you a
golden parachute. Here again, comparing your life with a golden parachute,
reduced stress, and the possibility of more rewarding work with your current
apparently untenable situation may give you a sense of how much you have to
gain by leaving the job.
You should ask who would miss you -- and who you would miss. If old
relationships have been ruptured by the reorganization, it may well be that
in recognizing that things cannot go back to the way they were, you also may
realize that leaving may be the best thing.
If you leave, you may have the choice of doing new things that are old
dreams.
I have been focusing on your exit strategy because the picture you paint
leads to a conclusion that staying is not sufficiently rewarding. If you
really want to stay, if you feel the reorganization (other than your
acquisition of a cubicle-mate) is not a bad thing, then strategize with
other 'old-timers' to find ways to improve the situation. Building
coalitions with others can do away with the loneliness of feeling stuck in a
bad situation.
In sum: consider your alternatives. Consider the alternatives faced by
other folks in your firm if you stay or go. Look to how your personal
interests can be achieved. Don't fight a losing battle; don't fight the
last war. If you can deal with the new situation become part of the wave of
the present and future. Don't let your cubicle-mate's failings make you
look bad -- or feel bad.
Good luck,
Steve
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