My employees are so evil. I have been feeling so unfocused lately and I'm not sure if it's not getting out to bird enough or if it's that I'm too busy but all day I felt as if I couldn't get focused.
Yesterday my assistant manager wanted to know if she would mind if she worked on the next schedule. Grateful for the extra help, I said yes. When I came to work this morning, I looked at the schedule and noticed that I was working all the Saturdays by myself. I had tentatively scheduled in dear, sweet, over 60, avid birder and author Bob Janssen to work the Saturdays with me in the next schedule and he wasn't there. On top of that, sweet Lori had even left a note about a schedule snafu that she had. Of course, as soon as I saw this I began to fume and whisper profanity under my breath. I know all of my employees get busy in spring because of migration. I have top bird people working for me but the downside is trying to get us all to work during migration (alas). I had a fairly full plate at work and the last thing I needed to do today was track down other employees to fill in gaps in the schedule.
I immeadiately tried to call Melissa to find out what the scoop was before I tore into Bob who I assumed had planned merry bird adventures instead of working at the store. She wasn't at home and I tried vainly to convey to her son how much I wanted to speak to her. Bob was helping a customer when I got to the store and I didn't want to interrupt him until he was finished, but at the same time I wanted to get to the bottom of the schedule quandry. When Bob stopped in the back room I asked him into my office trying as hard as I possibly could not to sound angry. I asked, "Hey, Bob, I noticed you 're not on the schedule for the next three Saturdays, what's going on?" Bob looked at me innocently, I could tell he was trying to carefully formulate his answer.
I consider Bob to be the nice birding grandpa I never had and it's very difficult for me to get angry with him. I hate to bring up this kind of stuff because he's so sweet and again, it's like trying to tell your grandpa that he's causing a problem.
Bob looked at me sweetly. I figured he was going to have some great birding excuse, but instead he handed me a file folder. I opened it and discovered a big read sheet of paper that read, "April Fools!! Here's the real schedule!"
I felt a sudden urge to slug dear, sweet Bob but managed to channel that energy into a hug. You know, your employees have to love a lot to pull a prank on you on April Fool's Day and boy did I fall for this one hook, line and sinker.
A fem moments later Melissa called. Her son had informed her that I just called the home sounding very upset. Melissa was knew right away that I had fallen for the joke. Melissa informed me that Lori's note was part of the prank too. Even though the two of them are not over 60 like Bob they are about as sneaky as a senior.
They got me good, they know where my goat is tied. Which is a good thing to keep in mind as I work on their performance appraisals that are due before April 15.