I set down very definite criterions and parameters for working. I expect not to be taken advantage of by any one of my employers and so, nothing bothers me more than to given a batch of assignments then not telling me which is the priority one, as if I were a psychic. Coupled with that is when special instructions for a job does not accompany the assignment, or, at the worst, they are presented when the job is almost done. I guess the logic of that is that my superior might be afraid that any useful instructions he might have for me might confuse me.

Now here is a lulu of a work site faux paux. When I meet any of my co-workers in the hall, all looking like they are busy scurrying to and fro, or I bump into a group around the water cooler, of them not one stops to introduce me to perhaps a visitor or a new employee. This goes to show you where, in the corporate food chain, a copywriter, such as I, belongs. Copywriters are no more valuable than planktons, so it seems to me.

Witness an indulgent copy supervisor to prove that. On the eve of deadlines, indulgence on their part is the norm. Supervisors of that sort are common in my industry and we underlings should unite and do a terrific job for those kinds of overseers so that we could really change their lives and send them straight to manager's hell.

And then there's the manager who feels that all personal under his protective wing should be his listening post and pro bono psychiatrist. He (she) tells you all their problems, as if no one else has any. All this while you are working and sweating to get your assignment done; nothing is sacred to them. But from where I sit, it's sure nice to know that someone else is less fortunate than I am.

The manager who really gets my goat is the one who constantly lets you know, in very unsubtle ways, his/her financial standing in the corporate food chain. One can almost tell, from those anecdotes, how much they earn, almost to the penny.

    "What! The bills for your mother's retirement home are one thousand a week! Why mine are almost two thousand a week!"

    "What! You had to pay only fifteen hundred dollars extra in federal taxes this year. Why, my tax bite on my bonus check alone was ten thousand dollars!

Some things just aren't fair!"

This same kind of manager will wait until your yearly review and then he will tell you what your goals should have been. He gives mediocre performance ratings that carry equally mediocre cost of living increases.

Oh, heck. I'm not here for the money anyway.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
Luckily we here at PRESSPOINTS don't fall into anyone of Jerry's categories. He can be contacted on site; http://www.4pointspress.com or direct your email to the Editor.