Councilman
Ever been to a councilman's office? here, let me spare you the agony. If you do business in a big city then most likely your councilman's office is downtown. A few weeks ago I wanted some paper signed by a councilman. I drove to his office downtown. Between finding parking and finding the right door through metal detectors I was 5 minutes late to my appointment. So for the next 30 minutes I blogged in my head.
The secretary answered the councilman's calls with the usual " good morning, councilman's ... office, Ms J speaking, how can I help you?" And then she would go into how the councilman was not in but she would be glad to take a message. What amazed me is the number of calls from friends, acquaintances, neighbors etc. Someone wanted to know how to text from their new T-Mobile phone. (he was referred to the manual). You can easily decipher formal and informal calls by the tone of voice, facial expressions and gestures. Then there was visits by other secretaries, pod mates and courier. Being a Monday there was much catching up to do, I assumed. Some wanted to know how the weekend was, the Friday bash, upcoming charity walk...
I didn't expect the councilman to have much vested power until the secretary pulled Windex and a spray-on from a locked cabinet, walked into his office and made it a little merrier. Ha! could this be part of their job description? The boss-secretary relationship observed by Kanter is characterized by stereotypical gender roles. Kanter found that many bosses place a higher value on the personal services provided by the secretary, such as emotional support, than on professional skills. Secretaries are often used as ‘‘sounding-boards’’ to the boss’ daily business and personal woes.
I couldn't tell you how the office looked - I never got in. Because I had never met this councilman before I didn't know he had walked in until the secretary frantically asked me for the paper, whisked it over to him and handed it back to me signed. So much for the 45 minutes wait.
But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there." - Jeremiah 37:20
5 comments:
Kim, that verse on Jonathan the Secretary was a nice touch! I gather the meaning here is same as in a scribe? Interesting to note that it is a man.
That is one interesting study by Kanter....1977 - 20years and not so much of a difference!
It would change the world if men became secretaries too. Could you imagine, Windex and Spray-Ons?
Thats similar to what happens in Kenya when you go looking for the chief or DO to sign you some papers. Reminds me of government offices in Kenya.
What in the world is a pod mate? Kim Your command of vocabulary is exceptional. You sound like a newspaper or magazine. I suggest the councilman should get an automated call answering system to ensure proper routing of calls. Technical questions such as how to operate cellular phones can be assigned to number 4.
Just my thought!
I guess you are right Joash. A pod-mate, I heard, is someone that sits close to your pod while you work. Its actually a cubicle - a small prison that you confine yourself into from 9 to 5.
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