I leave for Moscow one week from today. Short trip. I fly to New York, London, on to Moscow, arriving on Wednesday. I leave Moscow on the following Saturday night for a short overnight in London, then back home, changing planes in Chicago. Home late Sunday. There's no value in a trip that short, only annoyance. It's likely to be my last international trip for the client for quite awhile, too, since revenue is on a severe downward slump. Not that I want any more trips like this...solo, short, and no time for experience.
While I'm gone, I'm afraid that one client in particular will suffer and it could hurt our company. I'm the only one to answer questions, now that I've fired the contractor who wasn't performing. I'm not good at it, but better than the staff, who have had no training whatsoever on responding to client calls.
I need more staff. I want fewer staff. Am I going through a mid-life crisis? What the hell is it with me?
Some blogger friends are going through odd situations. I hope they work out well. I will stay out of the picture. My suggestions are irrelevant. Good luck.
At least I don't have to worry what Jerry Falwell will say tomorrow. That's a bad joke, but the best I can do in my mood.
4 comments:
That does sound like a long journey for a short time. A lot of time zones in there.
I find it interesting that you both need more staff and want fewer. Maybe what you want are just enough very competent staff. Are you finding that employees simply don't meet expectations, or worse? When I worked I was a fanatic about getting the job done, and done well. You should see Roger's efforts for Habitat for Humanity, and that's just as a volunteer.
Good luck with it all. I wish I could help out in some way. What kind of work do you do?
Robin, you've hit on one of my many quandries. I do need a small number of very competent people. I want people who figure things out on their own...people who don't need much training. It drives me nuts to have to instruct staff about what the next thought should be when confronted by experience "X" or whatever. I love dealing with committed volunteers...and wish I could hire them. My work...I run an association management company...I should know better.
It seems that many companies have a difficult time finding and retaining good staff. Don's workplace has a lot of trouble - largely because there aren't enough people still working in his field, and so the companies are always trying to lure employees away with higher pay. Don keeps training new people and as soon as they get decent at the job (it usually takes 2 years to get someone to a reasonable level of competence), one of the competitors waves some bucks at them and they're gone. Don's place pays well, but offers a poor work environment and, because they are always short-staffed, wants employees to try to cover too many hours a week. It's at the point where no one with any experience will work for them anymore. He's now back to just himself and yet another trainee. I think he's trained about 8 or 10 people in the past 5 years. Anyhow, I can appreciate your frustration as you must be in a similar boat.
I wish I could come work for you! I'm one of those committed volunteers you talked about. Still volunteering, after all these years.
As for short trips, my husband does this all the time. Traveling makes me grumpy, so maybe short trips are better. And have you seen the hotels in Moscow? You may be glad you're only staying a few days.
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