Office work is fascinating.
There is the work to complete. There are the positions to be filled. There is the ladder of the organisation. There is office politics. There is the adaptation process required to understand and thrive in all of that.
When I first worked in an office, I was blessed to have someone as my team leader who looked out for me. As the new person in the office, I had no idea about the way the office operated. I was about to find out the hard way. The nature of the work required me to go through reports and then write reports on the reports I went through. As it turned out, the task I was given was one of the least challenging in the office. It was one of those that were given because no one else wanted to do it, but it looked like a good idea to use it as a test of the new one. Once I understood the requirements of the task, I got on with it and finished sections of work very quickly. With there being a significant gap between my completing the task and the time when more work could be allocated, with nothing better to do with my time, so I thought, I became closely acquainted with Minesweeper. For me, it wasn’t enough getting used to the small grids, I had to see how I could do on the biggest grids. Plastered on my computer monitor for passers-by to see if they wanted and marvel at the speed with which I was able to complete the grid.
As it transpired, not everyone who saw my screen marvelled. Word soon got back to my team leader and she kindly had a word with me about the impression I was giving to others. I could have been defensive about it and point out how … boring … it was to get work done quickly and have nothing to do. Thankfully, though, the team leader was aware of that but offered me the sound word of advice that I needed to be careful how things looked in my work area and particularly on my computer monitor. It was this experience that taught me among other things, the benefit of the ALT-TAB combination on the keyboard that could transfer me from one open program to another. That, as well as the re-sizing, of program windows, could set up my computer monitor in such a way that could make things appear as though I was very busy indeed. With the knowledge that the work area was liable to report back to my ream leader rather than necessarily engage with me, I ensured that the look of my work area reflected that of a very busy office worker.
Over time, I observed and understood that it wasn’t just in the workplace that things were set up in a way to ensure that those who appeared to be busy and efficient were noted. In other circles, I heard people make reference to the scripture that man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. this was not always with the priority of God, it was as much about the tendency of humanity. A tendency I would have to get used to and navigate to gain an understanding of how social circles operated – even how church gatherings worked.
This reality had me a bit sad at first. I was sad because although I expected others to work on appearances, I thought things would be different among people who professed to love God. Then when I thought about it, I appreciated that if that’s the way I often behaved, it can be unreasonable to expect others to be better. Also, to truly acknowledge what’s going on beneath the activity does require God Himself. It’s not about second-guessing people or believing that people are making the most of the ALT-TAB in their lives. It is about committing to live a life that is about integrity where what’s within is what emerges in conversation, activity and everything else. Whilst committing to live that life, there can be the commitment to forge relationships with others who likewise don’t want to be operating just for the sake of keeping up with appearances.
It’s a good place to be in relationships and life as a whole where there’s no discrepancy or need to put on a mask just to keep up with others. It’s a good place to be to acknowledge who you are and what you do and have peace in it even as you know you’re making progress from that to wherever your life’s journey is taking you.
It’s also why it’s not just office work that is fascinating.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 