Dear Amy: My colleagues and I work at a small call center, and all we do is answer phones and transmit information via computer. Nobody comes into the office, so the public doesn’t see us. In the winter it is slow, so we have a great deal of time on our hands.
In the past, we could move around and converse with fellow employees. We used to be able to play cards, games, etc. Some younger employees (and students) used to bring in laptops for school assignments, and on slow days we would listen to music or quietly watch a movie (using headphones to not disturb anyone). We were always attentive to our calls, answering immediately and not being distracted.
In the past year, things have rapidly declined. We can’t switch seats, walk around, converse, bring electronics, play games or even have anything in our cubicles. The morale in the office has reached an all-time low. Several employees have spoken to managers, but they won’t budge. We are such a small company that we don’t have a human resources office.
The money and hours are incredible, better than we’ll find anywhere else, which is why nobody will leave, though 95 percent of us want to. There are ways to compromise and maintain a professional work environment while making sure everyone is content. What can we do?
-Trapped
Dear Trapped: After you drop to the ground and give thanks for having a job with incredible money and enviable hours, you and your colleagues need to reach deep within and figure out how to be happy during your downtime.
Working during work hours is a great way to pass the time, so perhaps you could assume more tasks. Sorry to sound unsympathetic, but as I write this, the auto industry has announced cuts of about 60,000 jobs. Fourteen coal miners have died in mining accidents in West Virginia. Men and women in uniform are slogging it out, risking life and limb in 120-degree heat.
You and your colleagues being denied the opportunity to watch movies or play pinochle while at work doesn’t sound so bad.
Tough it out.
…
Dear Amy: Regarding the letter from “Frustrated Spouse” and all the other frustrated spouses trying to figure out how to get their husbands to do things around the house, the roles my husband and I have are opposite of the traditional marriage – he stays home and I work. He always has enjoyed cooking and gardening more than I have, so those are his jobs. I prefer mowing the lawn. When our kids were born, he stayed home. I would have preferred to stay home, but that’s not how it happened.
In the beginning, I told him I wasn’t gong to waste my weekends cleaning house and doing laundry as long as he was home. So I’ve become the “lazy spouse,” because I just don’t realize what needs to be done around the house.
My husband keeps the house in order. Sometimes he would like help from me. I’ve asked him to let me know when he needs it, and try to be aware of things that might need doing. Still, we need to keep talking – it always helps.
– The Other Side
Dear Other Side: You are living proof that the excuse wives traditionally complain about – that their husbands play “dumb” when it comes to household chores – cuts across gender lines. But how hard is it to load the dishwasher or do laundry without being asked?
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