Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Annoy: verb; irritate, upset.

I'm on Google looking up "most annoying character of all time" to help illustrate how f*cking annoying this guy is I work with. Unfortunately Google cannot come up with a character, cartoon or sitcom character, that creates the same volatile reaction I get when this co-worker's name is merely mentioned.

It doesn't help that he's the new guy on the block. He's replaced another annoying person, but in retrospect, she didn't annoy me as much as irritate me because she was often lazy. This guy, New Guy, he's a singer, a hummer, a name rhymer, blinks his eyes at an unnatural speed when nervous (very distracting), a stands behinds you while you're on hold with California DMV for 13 minutes and breathes on your neck. Uh, if it was that damn important that you could stand behind me in my tiny cubicle and breath at me please just say, "excuse me..." and ask me the God-damned question all ready!!!!

I don't shy away from expressing my dissatisfaction with the place where I work. I think management gets unbelievable special treatment and hourly/entry to mid-level employees get verbally and emotionally abused while corporate turns a blind-eye to what's going on at each store as long as they're making money.

New Guy is a very nice person. He keeps a clean office, from what I've seen he sincerely tries to get the customers in and out as quickly as possible. It's his damn song-and-dance routine, it's so fake I can't stomach it.

It's hard for me to make friends at work. I think it's because most of the people I work with are mistreated and that's traumatized them. Management's dictatorial manner of forcing "make-that-sale-no-matter-what" blinders on them has created such tension and competition, combine that with the degrading atmosphere no one is in touch with who they really are. I truly believe most people are good; perhaps it's their work that makes them so very bad.

The two people I did befriend, Shallah and Kashann, have since left the dealership and have moved on to better jobs, more fulfilling jobs; jobs that don't make them cry or hate themselves for trading in their morals for bonuses. Jobs that don't turn them into rotten people.

My job has absolutely changed me over the past 6 1/2 years. When I started I was very pleasant - granted I was the front desk receptionist, but I was very pleasant. That warmth got me into a lot of trouble by capturing the attention from the sleazy men I worked with. Jokes and comments turned to hurtful nicknames and harassment.

When I feel myself hitting that point of no return with New Guy, I stop and ask myself, "Would I have liked New Guy six years ago?" Is it truly New Guy that is so annoying or is it my disposition with this place that makes him seem so unbearable?

I want to be a happy person again. I can't wait to graduate and be in a place that promotes health and happiness. I sincerely hope that when I'm the new guy, I'm greeted with someone who hasn't been tainted by the job. And it's with that thought that calms me down and gives New Guy a chance.