As per previous post, there are many types of Joke Jobs in C&C land. Here are 9 ways to tell you might have one of them.
- You type a lot of words.
If you’re typing, try speaking. If there’s too many people to speak to, there’s too many people full stop. - You write strategies, plans or policies.
All strategies, plans and policies exist in people’s heads. If they don’t, writing one won’t put it there. It just puts words on paper. - You refresh things.
Strategies, plans, policies. If youre refreshing anything other than the decor in your house, you’re not refreshing anything at all. - You “theme” things.
If you use the word “theme” in any context at work and you don’t work in musical composition, you have a Joke Job. Dead givaway. - You draft emails.
Emails are typed and sent. They are casual communication, they are not papal announcements. Drafting one, for others to read and check, is the sign of a Joke Job. - You use the word “inform” whilst meaning the complete opposite
For example, “the data will inform the development of this years Partnership Strategy“, means “the data will be completely ignored in the development of this years Partnership Strategy“ - The passive tense is used in all communications that are sent by you.
Words that are sent by you will therefore have been born with the air of inevitibility, universal truth and fait accompli showered upon them. - You form conclusions with no data.
Outside of work this is called “having an opinion“. At work it is called “making a decision“. - You take documents places.
You take documents for a walk. You take policies into the Theme Board, strategies into the Executive Strategic Meeting or reports into Cabinet. Documents aren’t young children or dogs, they don’t need to be taken on small excursions.
Darn it! That’s nine out of nine for me.
If you’ve not seen it already, you might find this a good read: http://strikemag.org/bullshit-jobs/
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Just love this blog . Memo to me…keep this short!
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How about…when a member of staff struggles to understand what it is you do, because you don’t even really know yourself?
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I had to tell someone what my job was. I was dreading it, but when I said it out loud he just stared at me then said “you don’t LOOK like a copper”. I had told him I was a policy officer.
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