When you add an 'e' as a prefix to a word, it automatically moves up the ladder of 'high-techness'. Take e-mails for instance, where we bid adieu to stamps, long lines, and late deliveries as well as properly constructed sentences in the process.
The other day, my workplace announced that we'll be embracing a new technology known as the e-leave application which will be replacing our old tried and tested, environmentally detrimental and often misused green leave cards as we welcome 2011, and wanted to run a company-wide trial run to iron out any issues beforehand. I think the idea is an excellent one, after all, technology should be embraced, but only to the extent of how much it allows you to embrace it (People who know me well enough know that technology and I have some unresolved issues. My laptop is electrocuting me as we speak)
However, the way I see it, this new method to apply leave has a few downsides to it, especially to those people who work in the departments where work never ends at 5:30 pm. You see, most of us employ the look and see method of taking leave, which involves snatching free time in between projects and the general messiness that is the manufacturing field, or taking a half day off after settling some unfinished business. Naturally knowing how our schedules are, the boss overlooks the (then unwritten) rule of the need to apply leave three days before, and in return, we do not grumble too much if the said leave is interrupted with phone calls, or a sudden request to "please come to work - you can replace your leave tomorrow". This is applicable because a lot of us actually do take days off to just rest at home. With the new application, the system rejects any leave applied less than three days before, and with it goes any compassion the boss had for us, because you can't beat the system.
Sigh. Technology has certainly obliterated compassion :(
your job sounds very stressful
ReplyDeletePeople have said so when I tell them how things are, but I think I'm used to it already...
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought my job was stressful. I wonder if I add an 'e' to my name, I'd sound more high-tech? 'e-nick' hmmm, sounds high tech already ... LOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure its technology - I think business are becoming increasingly non-compassionate across the board.
ReplyDeleteNick: LOL. You sure crack me up! e-Nick? Awesome!
ReplyDeleteSAW: Well, yeah I agree... since they are deciding to use non-human methods for things like this.
I like having our benefits plan handled electronically, particular the PTO (paid time off). It forces me to think ahead and plan around key periods of work.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do also feel the pain of not being able to get time off because of special projects or just the nature of what I do, which is often constrained by monthly and quarterly reporting cycles.
Well, I have no idea what else is going to be changed to electronic systems after this... I'm just hoping it's not too inconvenient!
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