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I've posted recently about needing balance, and got lots of support. So balance about asserting myself at work is what I'm asking about now.
I have had IT problems plague my teaching at my community college. The problems are both with my office computer and with the Distance Learning video equipment meant to broadcast my classes live to 2 other campuses. Our tech support people aren't accountable like we instructors are with students submitting teaching evaluations on every course we teach every semester. So it's become hard to get their help.
Today a colleague told me after a month to report it, so I did, and I copied my superiors. I was careful with my language, but in copying others I realize I may have started an office politics episode.
I hate those. With my PTSD I'm the kind who likes to work hard and keep his head down, and not get into interoffice squabbles. I don't handle workplace conflict well. I love my job and lost a previous job to PTSD, so I feel threatened. My fight and flight PTSD impulses get triggered.
I'm dreading the defensive responses now that I asserted myself asking for tech support once and for all. I'm afraid it won't be pretty in the days ahead.
What would you do?
I have had IT problems plague my teaching at my community college. The problems are both with my office computer and with the Distance Learning video equipment meant to broadcast my classes live to 2 other campuses. Our tech support people aren't accountable like we instructors are with students submitting teaching evaluations on every course we teach every semester. So it's become hard to get their help.
Today a colleague told me after a month to report it, so I did, and I copied my superiors. I was careful with my language, but in copying others I realize I may have started an office politics episode.
I hate those. With my PTSD I'm the kind who likes to work hard and keep his head down, and not get into interoffice squabbles. I don't handle workplace conflict well. I love my job and lost a previous job to PTSD, so I feel threatened. My fight and flight PTSD impulses get triggered.
I'm dreading the defensive responses now that I asserted myself asking for tech support once and for all. I'm afraid it won't be pretty in the days ahead.
What would you do?
MillaSofia
I would and have dont what you did. I had a supervisor telling me I had to give her a copy of the names of all my files when I actually had a meeting with the programmer to go over the whole new system, and we had had the appointment for a while. She, the supervisor, kept bugging me. I kept telling her I had something pressing right now to do with what was going on right now with the new product and publication and she wouldn't ease up. So I copied the big boss. Told he supervisor who I was working with and why and why I couldn't stop what I was doing to give her a list of my file names. Big boss supported me, supervisor was pissed for a while but got over it, and I got my job done. That's the main object: To be able to get your job done. You did good. You did fine. All will be well.
mujicaptsd
Thanks for telling me how tangled up your work situation got, Milla. That happens where I work, too. It's a comfort to see how it worked out for you. That's what I'm looking for. Your advice to keep the focus on the work and nothing else is the approach I need to stick to as well. Focus on the work and not on personalities. Yes.
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