i never realized, until i got to this job, how many people are just miserable. they don't smile, they don't say 'hi' and when they do, they appear to be in pain. they are almost always bummed or pissed off about something. grumble fuckin' grumble grumble....
basically, people are freakin' depressed and amazingly asocial. if they could, they'd just plant themselves at their cube, hunch over or slouch down and tap away mindlessly, pissed off about some slight or some directive from the boss or... whatever.
maybe it's just that i am, by nature, a happy and, as one woman said in a review, "bubbly" person who feels completely out of place with all these incredibly shy, asocial, depressed, grumpy, angry people. I don't know.
it's not a bad place to work, but i'm constantly amazed at how people seem to go through their day hoping beyond hope that they'll be ignored and allowed to tap away like the guy with the red stapler in Office Space.
don't get me wrong: i'm not saying ppl don't have a reason to be depressed, angry, whatever... but I am little shocked by the asociality.
as a for instance, after being at this joint for a year, I got on the elevator with a Database guy who I've seen in the coffee room, in meetings, etc. He promptly stared at his shoes for the entire ride. Today, on the way to the restroom, I pass him and you could see the thoughts going through his head about what to do. But it's not just him. The is normally how people who sorta kinda know each other through work pass each other in the hall. (different if you work closely or have struck up convos...)
If I were a more paranoid person, I'd probably think people didn't like me or something. But, this isn't a thought that ever comes to my mind! :)
As for crazymaking, some of its due to the craziness of bureaucracy -- the lack of communication up and down the hierarchy, the tendency for management to pretend they know what's going on, never admit they don't know something, etc. The pettiness of many of the rules -- e.g., dresscodes. Or having to work set hours in a job where it would be pretty easy to get the work done in a more flexible environment.
I had an easy time of it in grad school in terms of my committee -- before they died, fell ill, and retired that is. Being Ellie Mae, I just blew in their office and asked for what I needed, not knowing I should engage in rituals of deference and demeanor. I went to a strange undergrad school where I thought of them as my colleagues, not superiors. So I probably have a warped view -- and do not see it as crazy making at all. Not to mention being sociologists, where we actually, you know, studied and could talk about why these things were happening.
E.g., a convo with one prof who pointed out that, when you come into his office and ask a question he doesn't know, his instinct is to start yakking anyway and act authoritative. This contributes to the crazy-making, of course. But it helps when you all _know_ what's going on and can talk about it. Doesn't mean you all don't fall into the trap, of course.
http://cleandraws.com Wear Clean Draws ('coz there's 5 million ways to kill a CEO)