Corporate Madness

Even though I am a manager, I can admit that there are some poor managers in the world. I've heard many horror stories. I strive to be a good manager. I care about my staff. In many cases, I am their advocate. I don't micromanage. My door is always open. I want them to succeed. And yet, for some people it is just not enough. Some people are so unhappy in life that they need to direct their frustration at authority. And for one person, the closest authority figure in their lives is little ol' me. I am okay with the fact that everyone is not going to like me. But I don't understand when the hate is completely unwarranted. And in this case it is.

About two weeks ago, one of my staffers had a panic attack at work. I was on my way to the washroom, and I saw her in a co-worker's cube and she was doubled over, hyperventilating and clearly in distress. So I asked her if she wanted me to call an ambulance. She said no. Then I asked her if she wanted me to drive her to the hospital and she said yes. (It's only about 5 minutes away.)She said she was having pain in her chest and it felt like an esophagus spasm. I never heard of that, but okay, whatever. So the three of us went to my car and I drove her to the emergency room. They determined right away that she was not having a heart attack and the nurse told her to calm down. When they came to get her, the doctor told me and the other coworker to come back with her. They did an ekg and a chest x-ray and they came back fine.

I felt like I should have left the room so that she could talk freely. But apparently she had no problem with me being there. So the doctor asked her about her stress level. She told the doctor that she has anxiety every day. Then she proceeded to tell the doctor that her job was very stressful. This was news to me. After the doctor left, she started telling me how she and the other person in her area do not get along, how he has poor work habits and he hogs all the reports, blah, blah, blah. There was nothing in her conversation that struck me as particularly stressful or insurmountable. So I told her that her concerns could definitely be addressed, please don't wait until something is stressing you out before bringing it to my attention, my door is always open etc....

The doctor said she had a panic attack. He offered her some drugs, which she declined. Then she was discharged. She went home and I went back to work. After that, she called in sick every day for the next week and a half. I called to check on her, but she did not call me back. Then she showed up for work yesterday.

I knew she was back, not because she stopped by, but because I could hear her laughing down the hall. So I walked over to say hello. I said hey, I see you're back....how are you feeling? She replied "I feel wonderful." Her tone was sarcastic. I ignored her tone and asked her to stop by my office later.

When she stopped by, I had someone in my office, so she walked away. Then about 30 seconds later, she came back and said "I was trying to wait, but you are taking too long. I just want to tell you that I am resigning!" And then she just walked away. She was rude and agitated. So I went over to her cube and she was getting her coat. She threw her keycard on the desk and said I'm leaving. If you need anything, you can call my cell phone. And then she took her little suitcase and rolled on outta here. Same agitated tone. WHO DOES THIS???

I mean, if you want to quit, feel free. Lord knows I don't plan on staying here forever. But why all the drama? I know that I didn't do anything to her. I have to believe that she is simply out of her mind. Oh well. I hate that kind of excitement. Now I'm worried that she will come after me when I least expect it.

Babytrain update
AF came on Friday. So I will chart this month and if nothing happens, back to the doc for IVF number 4. I am going for a consult on May 17 to get the results of my $1,555 immunology screening.

We are going to Napa Valley this weekend, so maybe I'll get drunk and my hubby will take advantage of me and I'll get knocked up. Here's to keeping hope alive. :-)