Evalutations

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Feast or famine on the posting….

Evaluations make me nervous. There is something about other people looking at me and my work and telling me what they think that makes me uncomfortable. I think it goes back to junior high when my best friend and I were fighting and we decided that we would make lists of our issues and share them openly. Her list? Said she didn’t like me because my eyes are too close together. I think it was only last year when I last looked in the mirror and said “They are?”

I had this problem in the SCA as well as school and other things. I don’t like to compete, I don’t like grades. I don’t like clubs who decide who belongs and yet fervently think that they aren’t gatekeepers. I had a high school art teacher who told me that my ceramic piece wasn’t complete because it should have been a lid to a jar and gave me a C. My lovely piece and I were very offended, we thought that the Egyptian cow head was just fine as it was.

I met with my boss today for my annual evaluation. I like this woman a lot. I think she’s fair. We are close in age, she is also an aging hippy, we get along. But she hasn’t really supervised me. But when my last boss left last month she left this undone and for her boss to do.

I’ve had a lot of health issues this year. A lot. Normally I have a lot anyway, I have fibromyalgia, but usually I can accrue a little sick leave once in a whlie. But this year? I was worried about this because professional staff at the UW can be let go for absenteeism, no matter what or how good the reason is. Happened to a co-worker of mine in my last job. She didn’t show up to work or call one day, very unusual for her. They started proceedings to fire her and completed the task AND sent her a letter. Turned out she was in the hospital because of a close call with death from an attempted suicide.  I was just so angry that I quit not long afterwards.  So Ive been worried lately. But I did at least know these folks were much nicer. And I was right.

S., my interim boss, talked to several of my co-workers and things she related back to me almost made me cry they were so generous and kind. *sniff* Just really nice. She wanted to know about the things from my last eval that we noted as room for improvement and when I told what they were she rolled her eyes. Ridiculous and no need she thought. Who knew.

I had already decided that I had to give her the list of the past six months of my life in order to see if that helped with the absenteeism issue. And it did. Here is the list, which makes one cry “Holy Crap Batman!”

  1. My partner had a health breakdown at Christmas and left the state for two months to recover (frantic I was)
  2. Menopausal insanity (thank god for medication)
  3. The weirdness caused by menopause medication, omg
  4. 2 sinus infections, two bouts of antibiotics in one month
  5. A breast lump
  6. Diagnosis of arthritis (which turned out to be something else, something I can fix)

She was astonished.  And suddenly understood.  And immediately asked if there was anything that mangement could do to help me.  *sniff*  What a difference.  I told that their understanding while I worked on some of this was so appreciated and that it was my greatest goal this year as well as taking the year to practice all the things I’ve learned in classes and conferences this year.  Approved.  And I get a raise. We all get raises this year.  But they are merit only for professional staff. 

What a gift this job is for me.  I’m so grateful

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