Cowboy Caleb the liberal arts, grown-up stuff & random mischief

Some Jokes Are Just Not Funny

A colleague of mine was telling us through gnashed teeth over a wonton noodle lunch about the divine wisdom of ye eldritch gods. Apparently her dept lost their head a year ago. Since then they’ve been surviving without a head but have been losing their admin staff on a regular basis. Their workload has increased, but the number of hands have decreased.

She’s enraged that instead of hiring more admin staff, a new head will be hired instead - one with no experience. The best bit is that she has to train her new boss.

“Why don’t they hire 3 admin staff instead of one more useless manager?” she screeched to us.

My male colleague asked her “How many staff does it take to change a lightbulb in our organization?”

We all knew the answer.

3 managers and 1 admin staff. One manager each to recommend, support and aprove then only can the admin staff can actually go perform the task.

Nobody laughed of course. Parodies cease to be funny when they are come true.

Sounds like the SAF (lightbulbs).

No shit. The SAF works the same way. Let’s see:

1 to raise the request (requesting officer)
1 to approve (approving officer)
1 to approve the vote (finance approving officer)
1 to receive the goods/services (recipient)

all 4 need to put their signatures down on some piece of paper that will be filed away and left to collect dust. Because this is taxpayer’s money, mah. Cannot anyhow spend. Have to do paperwork to make sure it is properly utilised.

And this is for most basic purchases. More compllicated ones, and the chain increases in size.

Sounds like you work for the gahmen, caleb.

Heh, bureaucracy is something that gets replicated everywhere because negative workplace cultures of blame-placing, finger-pointing tend to be arise the greater the organisations…

I work with a large local company and went thru the exact thing. They promoted a PA to head the dept I’m in. She knew nuts and I have to spoonfeed her. That was 2 or 3 months ago.

Now, she still can’t get her act together but throws her weight around and disappears conveniently after lunch to a ’sales’ call, when we’re not even in sales!

After a hooha, I threw in my resignation. I refuse to let her take credit for my work and they’re looking for someone. Her criteria: someone who can do her work for peanuts, but cannot outshine her… that would mean hiring a 12 yera- old kid. I’m pissed.