Not sure who, but someone and I were having a conversation about standards.
They mentioned the quote, that I’m not going to get quite right, that “we set low standards and then meet them.”
This is somewhat akin to companies that set up lower expectations with shareholders when they know full well they will perform much better and it is a false standard. Thus, making them look better when they report their earnings on a quarterly basis.
Do I set my standards too low? I don’t know. I think I set mine too high all the time and am always disappointed, at least when it comes to my personal goals.
Sometimes work environments encourage low standards just by those subtle things that end up getting the most attention.
For example, today people were scurrying about all hopped up because someone was working from home and had just informed them that day. Apparently, they claim, the person had been on a call a week before making an appointment and would have known they would be out far in advanced of that date.
Really? All this spin up over someone eavesdropping and putting a lot of incorrect facts together?
Since I’m the person that has to be the ombudsmen, I went around talking to all parties and found out quite a bit. Here’s a bit of the scuttle:
- Appointment eavesdropping – the person was setting up a different appointment on the day the eavesdropper heard them scheduling something. Either way, why is this our business?
- Informing of telework – the people questioning the person working from home that day had no right to question it. Did I mention that we all have Internet connections, phones, and online systems at both offices and home?
Would you be surprised to find out that I work in an actual agency and not an elementary school?
I mean really, this stuff is for small heads. Small heads is another entry I’ve been meaning to write. That might come sooner rather than later.
