Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Lunch with the Boss

Today, the bulk of the employees who fall under the aegis of my immediate boss met for lunch after the end of a successful season on the job. Twelve of us (three of my subordinates couldn't make it because they had to work their day jobs) met at an upscale Greek restaurant chosen by the woman who runs our grounds and gardens crew. Her taste in dining establishments turned out to be impeccable... the staff was hospitable, the food delicious. We're a pretty hang-loose group, so most of us had a single beer with lunch. We're also close with our boss, who has been with the organization for just about two years. He's a good guy, a drummer, a comedian, the sort of department head who isn't afraid to roll up his sleeves and get in the trenches when tough situations arise... the sort of boss who enjoys hanging out with his various teams for two hours, joking around and candidly discussing the foibles as well as the successes of the organization.

On one of our sites, a major renovation of an onsite structure is underway. The head of our maintenance department took some wood from the structure and fabricated keepsakes from it, adorned with pictures of the structure and shellacked to a mellow smoothness. We each got one of these curious as mementos of the construction project. It was a thoughtful gesture, a labor of love undertaken by a master of his craft, and a gentleman who happens to be, like the boss, a drummer.

We are currently in our seasonal lull- the tourists are all gone, the bulk of our part-time seasonal employees are off for the next few months. It's a quiet time on the job, a time earmarked for special projects that can't be accomplished in the open season. It's also a perfect time to take a few hours to enjoy each others' company, to spend some time just catching up socially, since we're largely caught up with work.

3 comments:

Smut Clyde said...

I was expecting photographs of Ginger. Disappointed now.

mistah charley, ph.d. said...

i enjoy this kind of posting - a reminder that normal life is possible, and that while humans have both divine and demonic tendencies, it's possible to work together and accomplish useful things - probably i spend too much time on news sites reading about all kinds of dysfunctions - and although i am not 'inside the [washington dc i-395 capital] beltway' i am close enough to it to pick up the vibes

missus charley works at an office impacted by the partial government shutdown - as she is not a direct-hire government employee, but a 'contractor', she is still going to work - yesterday she came home in a good mood - those who are still at the office collaborated effectively in a report on what projects are being impacted by the shutdown - she was proud to work with these people who could cooperate well under difficult circumstances

at another blog i posted two stories - one a fable, one that could have actually happened - about what happened to a wild cheese and a wild squirrel

https://www.blckdgrd.com/2019/01/2019-january-9.html?showComment=1547133591624#c3210577243381945842

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

I'll put up a Ginger post soon, though truth to tell, she IS the boss.

I sure hope the government employees who work with Mrs Charley weather this ridiculous shutdown.