As soon as I walked into the office, I overheard a conversation going on in the nearby cubicle. “She” did this. “She” didn’t do that. After a few minutes, it was evident, they were talking about me and my work on a recent project. Ugh! Hello, Monday! This is NOT the way to start out the work week.
I walked over and addressed it head on. I asked “Okay, what did I do wrong?” The conversation that followed was all about Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that didn’t fit the project’s format. Like gingerbread men done freehand, before the cookie cutter was developed, this project did not fit the mold. I argued my points asking why there needed to be something, even a note to file, noting why an electronic folder was empty if it was clear that the folder didn’t apply. Why couldn’t we just delete the e-folder all together?
I lost the argument. SOPs, you know. They’re set in stone — even when they create a mold that nothing fits. And so I was urged by my boss, who agreed with me on many points, to create a note to file for each and every e-folder that was asking for something that simply could not be provided.
By the days end, all was made right and I left the office hoping the rest of the workweek would start off on a much better note.