Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Work ramblings

I thought I'd start sharing some thoughts on my work with whoever wants to partake. Some things just really amuse me. Take this for an example. We have this thing called quarter-end "blackout". This is a time frame in which NO changes are to be made to any of our systems. This is to ensure our financial numbers come out without any glitches or delays. This seems like a noble effort.

So, we all get an email instructing us that the quarter end "blackout" period is being extended. From now on, we will be in "blackout" for over 50 percent of the year. However, in the same paragraph, it also states that we have a procedure in place for doing changes during this "blackout" period.

Wow, maybe it's just me, but this seems kind of pointless. If we say we are going to extend the blackout period, but then in the same paragraph we state we have a process in place for doing things during blackout anyway, then what's the point in having the blackout period? I'd say tighten things up to make it a true blackout and shorten the period, or maybe have some sort of "grayout" period, where we pretend we are in blackout but keep churning along on our merry way!

Or maybe we should have a different color. Black and gray are kind of boring. Maybe we could use gainsboro or lavender? Ooh, or ghost white. That's a nice one. Or perhaps we go with something bold, like a nice fuchsia or indian red?

And what about the word "period"? It seems so final. Let's be honest - it's not accurate. Perhaps we could go with a semi-colon. It marks the end, but not really THE end. I propose we change from "blackout period" to "fuchsia semi-colon". I think this will really clear things up and make for a happier work place.

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