January 26, 2006

Back into a routine. I am starting to get into a pattern again. It is just like riding a bike.

I have even gotten back to not wanting to wake up in the morning. Before the job, I used to get up only about a half hour later, but it was a nice morning routine. I would wake up slowly and then get up and have a leisurely breakfast. Now I am staying in bed until the last possible second and rushing to get out the door so I can get to work on time. I can go from bed to my office in less than an hour. I just don’t like having to get up and get going. I survived 17 years of work life before, I am sure I can survive this. At least I know something I am looking forward to for retirement. Leisure mornings are a wonderful thing.

Work has been good. The hours zip by and I haven’t noticed any boredom. My mind is constantly engaged. It is interesting to read regulations and permits and to try to understand what they mean, how they relate to the real world, and where things can go wrong. The complexity of the regulations is frustrating, but it makes it all seem like a puzzle that can be solved. It just takes a little time.

Time seems to be the biggest issue in the job. There is a push to be more efficient, which makes sense. Unfortunately, there is always a balance between attention to detail and timeliness. In almost any work environment, there is no shortage of work. The key, in my opinion, is to set priorities. In this environment, I am wondering how much attention to detail is expected. Of course everyone would like to have no non-compliances slip past while getting all reviews done quickly, but it is easy to spend hours looking at an issue that might be a non-compliance. If I, as a new person, can ask what seems like a simple question that turns into a 45 minute teleconference with a manager and two supervisors and that results in hours of research and no clear answers, it is easy to see complication is a part of the job.

I am getting a sense that the management that oversees my department does not approach their responsibilities with the same standards of reasonableness that I would prefer. I have a suspicion that efficiency will be rewarded instead of accuracy since it is easier to measure. Of course inaccuracies will not be tolerated, but since there is no backup on my assessments, few inaccuracies would ever be discovered. It seems that the leadership might be inadvertently encouraging sloppy work by trying to get the best of both worlds. They seem like quite likable people, but perhaps they are not the most sophisticated managers I have ever met. Time will give me a more accurate sense.

My co-workers are a mixed bag of personalities. I am still trying to figure them out. I am sure they are still trying to figure me out. There hasn’t been much time for socializing so that gets in the way a little. Regardless, I seem to have something in common with everyone. I am a real misfit, but Alaska is full of misfits. We all probably belong together.

Today I had to review a test plan for testing a gasoline terminal. The permit conditions require testing the emissions every 30 months and they are due in March. I began reading the test plan and comparing it to the permit requirements. The permit referenced requirements as specified in a state regulation. To make sure I understood the requirements, I pulled out the state regulations. The state regulation referenced a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) document. I found the document and it referenced a federal regulation. Finally, I pulled out the federal regulation. The wording in the test plan was word for word from the federal regulation. I laughed out loud at having had to go through reference after reference only to get back to where I started. Some people would probably get angry and criticize the stupidity of the system. It really doesn’t bother me. I think I understand how the complexity of implementing regulations creates these chains of references.

My boss shared with me that she was unsure about hiring me. I appreciated her honesty. Her concern was legitimate. The generally accepted standard for hiring an employee is to hire the best qualified candidate. The problem is that hiring someone who is exceptionally qualified means that they are likely to be bored with the position. Worse yet, the individual might be looking to just get in and quickly move on. The problem is that asking questions about these issues risks violating the principle of hiring the most qualified candidate. I think my boss felt like she had no choice because this principle is so institutionalized in the state system.

When I interviewed for the position, one of the interviewers may have crossed some lines in the questions he asked, but I welcomed the opportunity to share more personal information, especially in regard to motivation. The management team seems to agree that they are very lucky to have had the opportunity to hire someone like me for what the position pays. It has apparently caused some competition among the managers. One manager wanted to claim me for an opening in his department, but was told no. The phone call I got about the job in Juneau that made me think I wasn’t going to get the job turned out to be my boss’s boss. Now it all makes sense to me.

So I think my boss is concerned that someone else may have enough political clout to move me into a different position and send her back to the drawing board on the hiring process. I also think she is concerned that she will get me trained only to have me move on to another position. It all adds up to her fear that she will not be able to keep me long enough to justify the time spent recruiting and training. I tried to reassure her, but the truth is that I don’t know for sure where I am headed. For now, I am happy to have a job that utilizes so much of my past experience while still being a totally new environment.

It has turned back into an Alaskan winter. The high for the last two days has been 5, maybe. Today it was only 1 or 2. Lows have been well below zero. The temperatures do vary greatly in only a short distance. It turns out we live in one of the warmer areas of town. Some parts of town have been as cold as 15 below. It might warm up a little next week, might even hit double digits.