The Process

There's this thing here that people are always talking about. The Process. It's supposed to be the thing that makes everything run smoothly, and to make sure that everything gets done the way it's supposed to get done.

Problem is, I keep tripping over this process. I don't think I'm really part of it yet, because the things that I'm doing are pretty much new for everyone, so I do things that just don't fit into the process. And really, as much as that's a part of my Process (being not a part of THE process), I don't think that the process works as well here as people seem to think it does. Maybe that's because I'm still an outsider looking in, but it just seems like the process is very intrinsic, and very... almost secretive. I don't know who does what, because so many people do so many things, and there are exceptions to all of these things, except when there's not... what a mess! It's hard for someone to walk into.

This process, any process, can't really work in Social Services, I think, Because it's just so broad. We're dealing with people, and people, by nature, are disorganized and chaotic. They are fractured and splintered and branch into so many other things. One person can't deal with one person, so we're supposed to be refering clients to people who can help them, but process dictates that I can't refer them to anyone but the person who can make referals... Who, in reality, are going to refer them to a place that's just going to refer them back to us.

If you've been following so far, I think you'll be in the same place as me... Words are starting to lose meaning? Yeah. I'm starting to lose meaning. My focus was to help people. I don't always feel like I am. Even on the smallest scale: my job is to help Tracy. But today, I know I'm not helping her, just getting in the way. But to do what I have to do, I have to be in her way, because this office building is not big enough! On a larger scale...

I know you can't help people who don't want help, but we see a large number of people who come in that we could, potentially, help, that we can't because of Process. It's very frustrating. Or, people that we could help if we just had more. People don't understand the enormity of the housing problem, which limits our funding, which limits how much we can help people, regardless of the process.

I just hate feeling roadblocked at every turn. I'm here to help, but there's nothing that I can do to help because I don't know the process, and there's no way to learn it without being thrown into it.

I think that's the only think I miss about the factory. Everything was very cut and dried. If you were having this problem, you went to your operator. For this problem, the supervisor. The machine breaks, maintenance. That was pretty much it, unless you were being harassed, then it was HR. And you know this, because it's laid out, right there. With this, you go to this person for these three things, unless this one is like that, then you go to this person, or this person, but sometimes you have to go to the Registry, which isn't even a part of us! What??

I don't know. I feel like I"m spinning my wheels again. I don't like that, because I have to be here for a while yet. I should never feel useless, I should always have something to do.

Instead, I'm updating my blog while I"m waiting for the process to trickle down.

Real life is a lot like Dilbert. "Don't Step in the Leadership". Murr.