Being Sara

I don’t think I’m alone when I run in to a “red tape” situation and want to pull my hair out, am I? I work for the State Government, so I see my fair share. My state, in all it’s wisdom, has decided that each person they employ should have one function, and only one function. So, when something needs to be done, we need to fill out forms, set up meetings, and then find the one person who is paid to do the thing that needs to be done, and schedule a time for that person to finally complete the task. I hate that when an organization (such as a government) gets so big that they have to begin compartmentalizing each and every action. I understand the need for experts, but why can’t we make use of people who are available and maybe not experts, but knoweldgeable enough? Where did this rant come from? Well, my office is moving soon. In order for my office to move, we have to first set up a meeting with the office manager to plan everything - this might include an initial meeting with the office superviser, and then a walk through of the office to plan everything out, and then maybe another meeting to schedule the official “move day”. Then, the office manager has to fill out a form to get the furniture moved, and another form to get the computer equipment moved. Finally, on “move day”, strange men will come into my office, pick up my things, and walk them ten feet down the hall. Even though I promised not to throw out my back while moving my computer monitor, they absolutely refused to allow me to move anything by myself. I could pack, move and unpack my office again in the time it takes the powers that be to schedule a meeting to talk about the move. This isn’t the only example of insane red tape, it just happens to be the one that has driven me past my patience level today. I want to know how long you have to work for a government agency before you start bringing this stuff home - scheduling meetings with your kids to plan what to pack for lunch the next day, requiring your husband to fill out a request form when he wants to buy a newspaper, etc. How can people think this is an effective use of anyone’s time? Our State is supposedly having a budget crisis. I think if we stopped paying one person to hold nails, and one person to hold the hammer, then we might actually save some money.

office moves, red tape, government delay, office frustration, office rant

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