My Big Fat Geek Ego

I couldnt' think of anything clever to rhyme with Wedding, so I cut to the chase and acknowledge it's my ego at work. About four years ago, I left a job I'd had for 15 years because the boss was a power-abusing, hateful, unfair bitch. After years of threats to be fired for reasons such as I took a lunch break once, the constant nagging, the constant belittling, the standing over my back telling me what to say while I was having a phone conversation, etc., a straw broke this camel's back.

Except for the boss who had two walls of windows in a private office, the rest of us were in cubicle hell. We had two offices open up (Finally!). Instead of giving them to someone based on salary (me), length of service (me), employment classification (me), she made us draw from a cup. Two slips of paper said office, two said cubicle. I refused to draw, and in fact, told her I thought her "fair" way to pick offices was grossly unfair. The remaining paper in the cup (mine that I didn't draw) said cubicle. So one guy who'd been there 1 year got an office and another woman who'd been there 2 years got one. After that, I got my ass out of there and into another job where people would actually value your contribution to a company.

Bringing the story back to the present, my broker offered me a private office this week. There are three of us agents who work pretty closely together and one said he didn't want to move because he enjoyed the camaraderie (is that spelled right?) of the upstairs three. Well, I took the office. Now these other two dudes are teasingly calling me a traitor. But I don't care. My broker said it's rare that offices downstairs open up, and I like having the "prestige" if you will of having a private office. Besides my old office was across from the lady's bathroom which could get pretty icky at times. So I'm heading upstairs to pack my office and am giving up the tightness of the friendship with two other agents. But I think we'll remain friends and continue to work closely.

The moral of this story is for any bosses reading this: find it in yourself to be the one to make a decision if you have an office to dole out. Don't make your employees draw from a hat - that's assinine, cowardly, and your employees won't respect you ever again. You will always be labeled a loser.