Unacceptable behavior

It, apparently, happens everywhere. In the last few weeks there have been multiple occasions where I’ve been expected (not asked) to either (a) give up my evening/weekend at the last minute for a school event, (b) drop everything I am doing to work on an EMERGENCY that needed to be completed yesterday (Makes me think of Linda Quick’s sign – A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part) or (c) advise/mentor students or projects of other faculty because they are not present to do so (I live close and don’t have kids, so of course I’ll pick up for those with FAMILIES and longer commutes).

Now, I know I sound like I’m whining. And I am, to a point. [Whine mode ON] However, getting notified that “we” (the biology department) are expected to interview a post-doctoral candidate (or two) that we did not ask for, and the interviews begin in 4 hours – at 4pm on a Thursday, is in fact unacceptable behavior! (For those who don’t realize it, the Muslim work week is Sunday to Thursday). So we are being asked to stay late for a video conference interview on the equivalent of a Friday afternoon, and if we don’t, then people outside of the department will decide who they want to PUT into the department as a post-doctoral fellow! Can you say “Rock and a hard place”?

Then, we interview people, make decisions, justify the decisions and are told that the adminsitration really likes one of the candidates, and regardless of their incompatibility with the needs of the department, they are going to offer this person a position, and the department needs to “find a way” to make it work. Thanks for asking…

Add to this finding out that I’ve been added as a co-chair of a session in a weekend meeting that I didn’t even plan on attending, and I’m feeling a little miffed. I realize that most of this is end-of-the-semester stresses, perhaps mixed with a little I-still-don’t-know-how-the-system-works, however I feel like the assumption is that my time is valueless and can be manipulated freely and without my involvement in the decision making process.

(Stomping my not-so-little feet) And I don’t like it!! [Whine mode OFF]

4 comments

  1. Can you say, “I’m sorry, I have a previous committment of a very personal nature than cannot be resheduled.“? I KNEW you could. Add a note of explanation, “If you want to ASK me to commit my time after working hours, you should ASK me well in advance so that I can schedule it.”

    Say those same words each and every time they do this. Sooner or later they’ll catch on.
    Or not.

    Either way, you win.

    By the way… sitting around on your day off with your feet up is ALWAYS in your personal time schedule book. And, as you very know, that stuff takes some PLANNING to get off the back burner.

    XOXOXOXOX,
    – Flash

  2. LOL
    [wiping tears from my eyes]
    Flash – you make me laugh!! Thank you for the morning guffaw AND the ammo for the next time.

  3. I really like Flash’s advice! Take it.

    and…

    oh no…. the grass is not greener….grin!

    love ya (back to finding ratios and significance)

    evil twin

  4. Aha! It seems we are teaching at the same school! Remind me to tell you sometime how, “we’d like you to have a scholarly agenda, and a publication might be nice” can morph to, “you need a peer-reviewed publication or else” without consultation with the people involved! Beer will help with the empowerment thing, they say!

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