The Informationless Age

When I decided to leave corporate America for my dream job at SSA, part of the attraction was that I would once again be an individual contributor (a.k.a. peon). No longer would I be responsible for the work, or lack thereof, of others. No more supervision, no more escalated customer no-service complaints, and no more wearing out the carpet between my cubicle and human resources.

What I wasn’t expecting, but with which I am extremely happy, is the lack of telephone and e-mail interaction in my new job. The phones were apparently down yesterday for well over three hours and I wasn’t even aware of it. The one e-mail I received yesterday was to inform me that phone service had been restored.

I kid you not; I have gone days without a single phone call. I could go weeks if it weren’t for an occasional check-in call from Doc. B. I have to look up my phone password just to retrieve that rare voicemail message. At my previous jobs, the phone rang off the hook. And the e-mail was even worse. I think there was a subconscious competition between the leadership staff members to see who could respond to e-mails the fastest.

The office here is also less frenzied and less noisy. Yes, people talk on occasion but for the most part, all I hear is the movement of my own fingers on the computer keyboard and some really bad Muzak in the overhead speakers. This type of music is supposedly regarded as unobtrusive and bland (see Webster’s dictionary). I certainly find it bland but it is by no means unobtrusive when the same songs are played over and over again. I’ll discuss this in more depth when I complete my next web log entry – I know, you can’t wait and are holding your breath.

I have two former co-workers who say they would love to work with me at SSA. I think they see that I’m much more relaxed, a few pounds lighter and generally less stressed (which, by the way, is desserts spelled backwards). But I’ve told them there is no way they would survive here – it would be too subdued for them and their socializing natures. Or perhaps I’m just being selfish – I don’t want anything to ruin my peace and quiet.