Life within the ER: A hole other ad-venture, re-Orientation...

Can U Relate? As in the one remaining are of re-engagement of your/my senses, that could use a bit of fine tuning after so much time a-part...whether it be due to a "lock-out", "walk out" or some other "twist of fate" that left us doing either/or work, learning (school and other-wise) from a distance, adding to the already growing trend of those among us who actually elected to do so...In any case, what we are now, as if going 'counter' clockwise, re-experiencing, as in sensing, in yet another sens-ational department I may have un-intentionally, as in ad-vertentently, "glossed over"...I mean, who hasn't, from time-to-time, whether it was an attempt to be a bit superficial, so as to not cause another un-due concern...or, even more cryptically, an attempt to re-direct, conceal, dis-guise something so you might not even notice...and then, it's only well after, you might think, but not have time to ask...

PPorT? As in People, Place, or Thing? Which we first learned encompassed a part of language referred to commonly as "nouns" which can easily be modified and combined with "action words" to make what we also, in "grammar" class constituted full sentences, which are largely abbreviated in daily parlance, these days, whether via longer emails, shorter texts, twitter, and now, adding to the mix, as in "threading" -- all of which are a matter of convenience, whether we are interacting with friends, family, or "fellow employees" -- the so-called "subject" of today's post, at least (two words denoting it could be the beginning of something more pro-tracted, versus the trun-cated versions of mostly written, but now even spoken language...I just highlighted, I mean glossed over...Which takes me back to the one I failed to more explicitly mention thus far, in the "back-to-office" coverage, regarding all the things you're experiencing differently if not for the first time...and what They did, to the place (see 7/19 for full-er coverage, which eventuated in looks of dis-approval, as well as a few clever come-backs to "So do you like we have done to the place?"). You've probably, given all the clues, already figured out, what I'm trying to say here, which is the type of convoluted, circuitous, and other-wise cryptic verbiage "They" either said aloud or wrote down in what you experienced as your very first "employee review"...let alone a "Performance Improvement Plan"...😕😟😕😟😕😟😠😡! Yep, I'm referring you to the...newly, revised version of the...

"Employee Handbook" for a full accounting of what we, entering the so-called work-place the very first time, the first step in our "career path" and. more recently, after "they" in the HR department along with some outside consultants, dreamed up, while we were gone. Which, to no one's surprise, a "tried-and- true" tradition within the departments devoted to studying what leads to employee satisfaction X productivity...the complex relationships within and between (represented here, simply as "X")...the departments of which are made up of some who are gifted in "analytics" and others who put this into written form, so-called "plain language" that We can all understand, and others yet whose roles are to interact face-to-face, now even within the office walls again, and remain available, even after hours now, via an all-go-rhythmic interaction..."in case of any confusion, questions, complaints...suggestions" Yeah, right? A book with many chapters, verses...which, to no surprise, begins with one of those now highly anticipated "Mission Statements" (lofty, nicely stated...Impossible?), proceeds into some sections you, yourself, especially if a returning 'vet' tend to gloss over, some words of wisdom and motivation, some of which may have been passed down by some of the so-called "founders". Then, the "meat and potatoes" sections, which state what OUR -- as in "team, family"...currently described, most likely, as even a "Community" (nice) -- OUR respective roles, our mutual expectations of each other...which, in and of themselves, have a lot of sub-sections, as in subjective descriptions, of what "kind, considerate" might look like and what might, not be, tolerated when posting on social media, even during "off office hours". On to the section of what is deemed an "essential employee" 😕🙏 -- the so-called "core staff" who only need (or is it "need only"?) come in when...(if I'm not essential, why-in-the-hell did They hire me in the first place...?!?!) And, then, finally, the grand finale, the section I skipped to, to get to the "bottom line" (literally as many finish with a required signature indicating you not only skimmed, read over the "terms and conditions" but also "Agree") -- the section that includes, at least in "broadly stated terms" how We, each and every employee, will be evaluated, measured against, ("vis-a-vis" if written by an Ivy League biz school grad) which are tailored to the specifics of the so-called "job requirements" and start with your very own "baseline" and seek to plot year-to-year...now almost minute-to-minute if you work for Amazon et al. "progress" deemed sufficient for "employee retention, promotion...Performance Improvement Plan...all those numbers and graphs, which become part of your "annual review". That is to say, summed up in one word, "Metrics" 😕😟😖😢!! All of which, of course, ads up (as in what they tried to sell us on) to...all about...

Employee Relations: "...the relationship between or among employees...which, depending on the context, has both theoretical and practical considerations and applications..." Which historically got worded as what kinds of "office shenanigans" would, would not, be tolerated..."it's OK to kid around, tease each other, flirt a little, to keep the atmosphere lite, loose..." but has evolved, even during Our recent absence to "this is serious business, a Zero Tolerance policy" regarding in-office relations, and other such "boundary violations" -- code words which will, of course, be translated into plainer (as in blurrier, even obfuscated) language, by those kind folks in the department who know all about this, at least their name implies it...All of which comes to Us, whether we are singing on for the first time, or finding Our way back after a hiatus...including those deemed as "essential" as well as those not thought of as much, whose absence might not be noticed as quickly, even glossed over...in the form of what We, each and every one of Us, each member on the team, in the family, an integral part of "this community of Ours" will be specified, outlined, drummed into our heads until we can recite it on our sleep...in whatever form(s)...

Employee (Re)Orientation: "Please report, at once, twice..." Nice to see how some things haven't changed; when We all count.