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Just an Opinion

Entry 1413, on 2012-07-16 at 22:18:50 (Rating 4, Comments)

Recently a friend who works for a large organisation has been telling me about the experiences he has had in his workplace. He has had a few disagreements with the bureaucrats he works with and seems to have found the experience quite annoying and even upsetting.

I guess these issues can be seen from many points of view, and I haven't got all the facts, but the friend seems to be quite dedicated to offering the best service he can for his clients. Unfortunately that sometimes involves doing things in a way which is unprofessional in the opinion of some of the managers he works with.

It is just one opinion against another, but managers don't have to be right, they just have to force their opinion on others through seniority.

Of course many people have similar experiences in their place of work and it's easy to rant about these things in places like this blog. But I think we should look at it in perspective. I watched a news report on the situation in Syria today. Anyone who thinks a disagreement with some frivolous administrator is important in the least way when there are so many atrocities going on around the world has got his perspectives terribly messed up.

My advice to the friend was to continue to try to do his best for his clients but to at least appear to be doing things the way the bureaucrats want. If he really expects much sympathy from the rest of us after watching the reports on the violence in Syria (or the reports on famine in Western Africa; or floods, earthquakes, fires, and other disasters in various places) then, as I said above, he needs to get some perspective.

Naturally the world would be a far better place if brainless bureaucrats didn't stifle the genuine efforts of the people who actually do the work, but in the greater scheme of things it's really not that important. Everyone should get some perspective.

Comment 1 (3291) by Anonymous on 2012-07-17 at 17:11:05: The problem sounds familiar?

Comment 2 (3292) by OJB on 2012-07-17 at 17:34:51:

Familiar to many people I am sure. As to whether I might have experienced something similar myself, I couldn't possibly comment!

Comment 3 (3293) by Anonymous on 2012-07-18 at 09:22:28: Yes Minister.

Comment 4 (3294) by OJB on 2012-07-18 at 19:09:34:

Yes, that's where the phrase "I couldn't possibly comment" comes from. The program also had many good examples of the gross ineptitude of management (in Yes Minister's case, government). There were some classic episodes of that program but in some ways it was depressing because it was just too close to reality!

Comment 5 (3299) by OJB on 2012-07-23 at 21:20:59:

Actually I was wrong above. It is the catch phrase of the character Francis Urquhart from the TV series "House of Cards". That was an amazing program, I remember watching some episodes of it in the 90s.

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