Casualty of (Office) War

I started a war today. I didn't mean to. I certainly didn't toss any grenades or pop off a world leader or insult an entire faith. You know, the usual stuff people fight about and risk their lives for and kill other people for. But a battle was started nonetheless and when the smoke cleared I was standing right at the point of ignition. You see, there are certain forces here conspiring against me. Conspiring against professionalism in any sense - a much better assessment.

This all goes back to a central point - I am a temp. A "contractor". I do not work directly for this cruise line. I work for an agency that provides the cruise line with designers. I design. This is what I do.

There are procedures in place to make sure that I am given the information I need to complete my work and then pass along the finished product to the higher-ups. I don't have access to the inner workings of the company, nor do I ever care to. I prefer to stay out of the corporate culture and remain on the fringe. I come in at 9:00, I leave at 5:00 and no one calls me at home asking where things are. I do a good job and I collect a paycheck. That's what I'm in this for.

Today, however, I was thrust into the grammar school-esque behavior of typical office politics and he said/she said. I hate that. That's why I was so glad to leave my job in New York - no more corporate bullshit to weigh me down. Well, I got a healthy dose today and I hope it's the last of it for quite some time. There is a flow that happens whereby I am given a work request, I do the work, I turn it in. It's been that way since day one - for almost 2 months now. It's their policy, not mine. Turns out that the procedure I've been following isn't exactly what I should be doing, but I didn't know that until this afternoon. Sales Guy tells me to do one thing, Coordinator tells me to do another, and I talk to Director today and am asked where all my work is. Where's all my work? Um, what? It's been turned into Coordinator like always. Director hasn't seen a lick of my work since I got here. Again, almost 2 months now. So, Director has been thinking that I'm not very on the ball. Coordinator, who is out today, has some 'splaining to do on Monday. Fo shizzle.

I've said for years that if I look stupid, it better damn well be because I did something stupid, not because someone else did something to make me look that way. This time it's because of someone else and I'm pissed. Luckily, Director now knows both sides and thinks I'm a saint for putting up with all this disarray. Says he wants me to come straight to him and bypass the peons. Says between the two of us we'll get the whole thing straightened out and make it easier on everyone.

Sure thing, no problem. Does this new found partnership come with health benefits?