Sorry, but I will not be writing about my Sunday at Anime Weekend Atlanta 2015 today because something happened. Now, I will admit that I am rather inconsistent with my publishing schedule, but I have been trying over the past week to be more consistent until yesterday. And that is because I got terminated from my position at the library I worked at for almost three years (my anniversary would have been Monday). So, I'm out of a job (or as I would like to say: newly FUNemployed) and I have to reconsider the prospects of a career in libraries. To be honest, I am taking it okay--trying to be positive. I knew that I did not want to be in this particular system for too much longer, but even I did not expect my departure to come so soon or in the manner in which occurred. But, despite my attempts to remain upbeat about the opportunities presented, I do want to take a moment to address a few things (i.e., I'm going on a rant--and this will be only rant I go on because to be frank, this system is not worth anymore of my precious time).
[rant]
So, I was fired. Why was I fired? Well, if you go by the "official" documentation, I was terminated because of: (1) my ongoing "one-sided feud" with another supervisor, (2) spreading negativity about the technical services department among staff at other branches, (3) "unprofessional" response to changes not receiving my personal approval, and (4) abusing my responsibilities as the schedule make for my former department.
Let's take these one-by-one and then I will give you the real reason why I was terminated as I heard it straight former the horse's mouth:
(1) The feud.
I cannot respect anyone who does not deserve respect. And I certainly cannot respect an individual that would hurt a friend much less two friends. And I sure as hell cannot respect an individual that hurts my friends and makes $30,000 more than I do with absolutely zero qualifications for the position they hold. So, when an individual like this crosses my path, then it should be reasonable to expect that I will have little respect for them. But, when this individual not only does the previously mentioned things, cross my path and then has the audacity to try and shout me down in the near presence of patrons over an unnecessary staff badge photograph, then you as sure as hell believe that I will have not a damn bit of respect for them. And yet, as a professional, I tolerated his presence even when the bastard attempted to rat me out multiple times to the system's director for being mean-spirited and rude, which I was not but if you attempt to initiate a system geared toward tracking employee computer usage and try to sell it as protect privacy and then, without permission, publish birthdays on the desktops of every staff computer in the system--you had better be prepared to remove my birthday when I request (in a non-aggressive, professional manner). Of course, I have gone over this troll on a number of previous occasions in past posts--so, I will devote no further time on this matter.
(2) Tainting the masses
It is good to know that I carried so much influence among my former peers in the system that my words could taint their perception of an obviously incompetent technical services department. I mean it would be good to know--if that were the actual case as opposed to it being the case that (1) the technical services department was remarkably inept, (2) the staff were witness to such ineptitude and (3) each of the individuals in which I shared conversations regarding our contempt for the department and its director had not already formed their own opinion on the department because you know? They are adults. But, no, that was not the case--at least, if you choose to believe what members of administrative staff have to say on the matter.
(3) Petulance to not getting my way
As I just alluded to previously, I am under the assumption that everyone employed in my former system are adults much like me. And as adults, when things change, we like to know why things change. And heaven forbid if the explanation of "because I said so" doesn't fly with me, especially, when it is the case that I have more than a few viable reasons for why certain things should not occur. Contrary to the beliefs of administrative personnel, I do not oppose change--in fact, I relish in change--but what I do oppose is change for the sake of change, change without rationale, and change without being presented options. For example, when the system decided to undergo the process of installing staff monitoring features on staff computers, I had my reservations about the issues of distrust and privacy, but then the administrative staff attempted to sell the conversion as a matter of convenience in that a staff could travel from branch to branch and still do what they normally would do at their home branch. But, when the question of just how many members of staff would actually benefit from this service (the answer being less than five people out of staff of 50+ employees), the reasoning became a matter of privacy and security. But, when the new setup was creating issues in the daily operation of staff utilizing shared systems and there response was to create generic departmental account with a single password for all such designated accounts, the staff, me included, began to wonder just how secure having such a generic work around would be. The response from administrative personnel was silence and to throw more money into the inept department. So, for all my inquiries and desires to have some rational explanation for the changes that were occurring, the response I received is that I was being childish and petulant because I wanted reasonable and honest answers.
But, this particular reason for my termination did not stem from these incidents alone. No, I knew the exact incident being reference in this complaint and to be frank; I responded in the same manner that they had responded to my own serious inquiries. The issue that is the root of this particular complaint has to do with the reorganization of the circulation desk in which the decision was made to move particular pieces around because the oh so inept technical services department could figure out a solution for installing their new Square device. So, rather than work around the current setup that could have been easily remedied with an investment in a simple extension cord, the director of the technical services department convinced my former department supervisor to simply rearrange the desk without any consideration for the effects of such a move and the effects on the personnel that would be primarily responsible for making the adjustments--not the technical services department director and not the circulation department manager, but the late-60 year old facilities manager with benign prostate growth that needs to be removed. These two also did not consider the possible congestion that would be created shifting one circulation station to right next to the children's computer stations nor did they consider the potential issues concerning the odors from the restrooms, but they managed to sell the idea to my fellow former staffers by feeding into their laziness and doing it while I was out fulfilling other duties that I had taken on. The most ridiculous moment about this particular situation was that the newly appointed director of the system agreed with my assessment, but they still managed to feed her a line of horse manure and convince her to accept the changes because (and get used to this because it is going to become a prominent part of this discussion) administrative staff protects administrative staff (or admin protects admin).
(4) Abusing my authority
Truth be to told, this was the bit that angered me the most because it is complete bullshit. In the recommendation for termination memo drafted by my former supervisor, she alleged that I was abusing my scheduling responsibilities. (#SMFH) Really? I abused my scheduling responsibilities because I scheduled myself to work more Saturdays than any other full-time staffer because they did not want to work on Saturdays? I abused my scheduling responsibilities by giving up a medical leave day to two part-timers that waited until two weeks before to ask for the weekend off because one was going to Washington, D.C. with their boyfriend and the other was going to a country music concert the next day--a medical leave day that I would have used to take my three year old cousin to have a dental procedure involving anesthesia? I abused my scheduling responsibilities by always ensuring that there was always enough coverage for days I wanted to take off for myself--days that I only just recently started using because I just met my maximum threshold for annual leave accumulated? At the end of the day, who was it that asked me to double check their schedules for errors? Who was it that asked me to takeover this responsibility? To be honest, it was this particular complaint that caused me to lose respect for my former supervisor because she had to know this was bullshit and still included because most likely, the individual responsible for my termination asked for her to give her more cause and like the good little minion--she obeyed because admin protects admin!
Now, let's get to the nitty-gritty of this rant and to the real reason why I was terminated from my position in the library. I was terminated because I had the audacity to verbally oppose the director of the system and her new scheme to draw more patronage into the system by becoming a kinder, more forgiving library system and by kinder and more forgiving she meant that she wanted staff members at all levels to use their judgement to bend (or break) system policy--policy that is mandated by the state. She wanted to improve our customer service by creating further issues for staff through the creation of exceptions and exemption because rewarding negative behavior can only have positive consequences, right? I was terminated for telling her that I was uncomfortable with this mandate and that I could or would not go along with this new direction. I was terminated because I made the comment that regardless of how menial or silly we believe a particular policy to be--the best course of action toward remedying this issue is not to subvert the policy and encourage deviance from enforcing it, but rather to seek to change the actual policy. I was terminated because I made this stance in front of fellow and in front of her superior whom she had apparently convinced that this shift was a good thing. But, all it said to me was that rather than supporting her staff for enforcing policy like our previous director would have done, she wants to create gray area simply to avoid confrontation and to appease a handful of entitled "friends" of the library that felt that because they were members of the "Friends of the Library" group they should be given special privileges like not paying fines or receiving additional renewals beyond the renewal limit. Yes, I was terminated because the director is a small and petty person that could understand why someone could possibly ever think of voicing their opinion in opposition to her position. Yes, I was "officially" terminated for all of these transgressions, but in reality, I was terminated because a petty admin got a sycophant admin to draft up these transgressions into a one-page memo. But, I will tell you this: I was sure as hell not terminated because of my work ethic or my customer service skills or my willingness to take on additional responsibilities while still being paid horribly. I was fired because admin wanted to make a statement that to oppose the directives of the new director will not be tolerated and to remind people that admin only watches out for fellow admin and a huge FUCK YOU to the plebeians beneath them.
[/rant]
And there you have it! I could have said much more, but I'm just ready to get it off my chest and to move on. Hopefully, I'm quick to rebound--there is a position that I have in mind, but one can never be too sure about anything. As for this situation and the individuals that crossed me, I'm done with it and you. So, until next time, take care and DFTBA!
