The structure of me and my library colleagues' workdays is roughly, but thoroughly determined by a daily schedule. This schedule is created with no small amount of effort, but not with much flare, by one of our two managers. We staff members consult it like it is some kind of grand oracle. And it rather is, as it predicts much of our short term futures, the company we will keep, and the intensity and nature of our work tasks in the day to come. Though there may be but half a dozen circulation workers at any given time, there is no time of the day where one can be sure not to find them all gathered around that schedule consulting it like a theater camp checking the fresh postings of assigned roles for that Summer's production.
With such import ascribed to our schedule it is no wonder we all attach an undue amount of meaning to it. I am especially susceptible to this and am prone to easily developing conspiracy theories regarding schedule assignments. I easily feel I am being split off from the co-workers I best like when we are paired at the desk or back room, or that I'm being punished with too many responsibilities. With more cooled passions I can see that I am probably being heavily relied upon with the responsibilities, rather than punished, although I probably actually am right in thinking I'm being split off from the co-workers I like. But even within that I am also aware I constantly overrate the intentionality of the schedule, as, like I said, the schedule maker has no great skill or sense with it, and half the time is just trying to make all the slots full as best she can.
A great example of my misguided paranoia as regards the schedule came this weekend when, with an almost full staff of people I really like, I was instead teamed up with the only really difficult desk partner. My immediate emotional reaction was that I was being punished by being paired with who I was paired with.
Who was I paired with?
The manager who creates the schedule.
I am forced to admit she probably wasn't thinking of herself as a punishment.
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