NoJoMo 14

 Ahhh. Back at work.

Hmph, I think I’m in a bit of a huff today. I don’t know if I mentioned this already but anyway. There’s this tradeshow called Bread and Butter that the company I work for exhibits at every year. All the high street brands and suppliers exhibit there for buyers to browse and order. It’s usually quite an exciting event, there’s a lot of parties, gigs, freebies and general hype about everyone showcasing their latest collection.

For some reason at my company, a ticket to Bread and Butter is treated like some sort of prize, and that only certain people can go each time. The excuse is usually budget, though I think they could get around that if they didn’t insist on putting everyone up in fancy hotels and instead opted for something a little cheaper. 

Anyway, Bread and Butter is twice a year, and I went in June. That means that I’m not allowed to go to the one in January as I went last time, so it’s "someone else’s turn". Now, I do understand. I get that this time the budget can be spent on someone who has never been before, and that’s fair. 

The reason I wanted to go in January is because we have something big going on (can’t really say what) but I had a big part of working on it. I worked so damn hard to help make the big thing awesome, and I would LOVE to be able to see the culmination of all our hard work displayed on our exhibition stand there.

So, I proposed that I pay for my flights to the tradeshow, and I find a cheap hostel to stay in and pay for that too. I’d bring my own food with me, and the ONLY thing the company would need to do was get me a ticket. (Tickets cost around 40 euros). I can’t get a ticket by myself as they need to be ordered through the company.

Still, it’s a no.

I guess I’m pretty pissed off, because I think it’s a fair request, especially since no one else here would even dream of financing a business trip themselves, so it shows just how desperate I am to attend. I don’t care about the parties and stuff, I just want to see the end result of all of our hard work, and I will pay out of my own pocket to see it.

But no.

So… I don’t know, I suppose it leads me to conclue that it’s not just about budget. This year, it was the president that decided who was going to attend rather than the managers. The president doesn’t even know my name, so there’s no way I’d be on his list. I wouldn’t mind the fact he doesn’t know my name if he hadn’t met me about 5 FUCKING TIMES!

Each time, I’ve introduced myself, sometimes telling him my position in the company. We have had whole conversations about where each of us come from and what it’s like there. My point is, there are about 30 people who work under him, so it’s not a LOT of names to remember. But it gets really fucking embarrassing, like the time he was showing the president of the whole corporation around, he comes to me stood with two of my colleagues.

He introduces the two guys stood next to me, and then says "And this is…. ahem" and then pats me on the back so I can introduce myself. Seriously? After all these little conversations we’ve had and all the times I’ve told you my name, you still can’t remember it?

Jeez. Sorry, it gets me really annoyed because it’s just plain rude. I would understand if the employees beneath him numbered hundreds, and if we’d never really met before. But there aren’t so many staff, and I have met him many times before.

It makes me feel completely undervalued by the company as a whole, seeing as the boss can’t even be bothered to remember who I am or what i do. I feel valued by individuals here though, which is good. Some people really make a point of saying thank you if they’re pleased with what I’ve done, and people aren’t afraid to give me tips on how to improve either.

Anyway, maybe the summation of my rant is I feel that the president is to blame for both of the things pissing me off today. I know I shouldn’t let it get to me, and he’s probably just too busy with his business stuff to try and remember some little assistant, but still.

Eh.