In Honor of my (Brief) Return to Corporate America

Like most graduate students, I scrambled to find gainful employment for the summer months. For some reason, Husband did not approve of my plan to watch endless reruns of America's Next Top Model and read all 6 Harry Potter novels in anticipation of Book 7. I mean, how is this a bad plan?

Luckily, I got a call from my former employer, where I worked during my undergraduate degree. In terms of summer work, that was like winning the lottery AND finding $20 on the sidewalk all in one day [because then you can buy a Mercedes AND some really good ice cream!]. I love this job. I love the people that I work with at this job.

One thing that I had obviously blocked out of my memory, to make room for more Jane Austen plotlines and celebrity gossip, I'm sure, was the tendency of higher-ups in the business world to be mean to "the help." I don't mind being "the help" that much anymore. I guess I'm used to it, and at my job, I am treated like an equal. My boss tells me to consider him my colleague rather than my boss. [See? My job is awesome. You can't have it.] So, I was a bit taken aback the first time I had dealings with a big shot at another company who felt he needed to put me in my place as "the help."

All of which brings me to one of my favorite rants from Blog 1.0. Apparently, people don't change!
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Marxism Rears Its Ugly Head
June 28, 2006

Although the last time I checked, it wasn't 1854, Americans still uphold very specific ideas about class consciousness, particularly in business. I am 22. I have a college degree and a fair modicum of intelligence. Yet, Mr. CEO of Large Corporation feels that he can behave VERY RUDELY toward me because I am merely Clerical Peon of Small Business. I go out of my way to demonstrate respect to those older than myself. However, I find it incredibly inappropriate for Mr. CEO to refuse to speak to me because I am simply Clerical Peon. Mr. CEO of Large Corporation only wants to deal with Mr. CEO of Small Business (my boss), not his CP. At which point, I asked if I was excluded from the throne room of grace because of my gender or my sinfulness.

Kidding. Sort of.

The irony of it all is that Mr. CEO's work is done by the CPs of the world. His meetings would not get scheduled, his emails would go unsent, and his coffee would certainly not materialize on his desk every morning were it not for his own CP. (And notice, I do not discriminate. CPs come in both genders.) So, why do I not merit the respect that my drudgery so clearly deserves? The very instance that occasioned Mr. CEO's rudeness was an act of service on my part that he had personally requested from Mr. CEO of Small Business, my boss (who, by the way, treats his own CPs in an appropriate manner). I was HELPING him, and it even happened to be something not entirely related to his business relationship with my boss. It was a personal matter that my boss had offered to take care of for him. And this is the thanks I get?!

Ahem. The lesson behind today's story? If you have a CP, treat him/her with respect. If you are a CP, know that you are not the only one getting crapped on. And if you feel tempted to put salt in CEO's coffee rather than sugar, I would not judge you.