Of deaf ears, numbed minds, and faltering spirits...

I've had one of the most boring and frustrating time at work yesterday. Dimple and I were tasked to photocopy the new worksheets for the Chase conversion. Since the 6F and 7F (Wamu floors) copiers are busted - well, they almost always are, we had to go down to the 2nd floor pantry (Experian) to do it. And so, for almost 6 hours, my brain was lulled into ennui and was reduced to an unimaginative and useless mush. My mind was almost hypnotized to death with the repetitious, almost ominous, sound of the Fuji xerox machine. So this is how a vegetable feels like.

What really stupefies (apart from the fact that I'm still alive) is that the copier on the 2nd floor pantry did not conk out on us, even when we have to print 80 back-to-back copies of a 76-page document. It performed really well! The 6F and 7F machines, on the other hand, are depressingly crappy. Even simple 1:1 copying ends with either a jammed paper or an inutile feeder, after a while.

Which leads me to the 2 PCs we have in the trainers' nook. These two cumbersome pieces of antiquated equipment have been complained about endlessly - to no avail. Try doing your TKS (timekeeping system) in any of these computers, and even if you're 15 minutes early to work, chances are, you're still going to be in trouble. That's how long it comes back to life! It's like resurrecting the dead! No kidding.

I hope that the Chase transition brings with it positive changes in the workplace. It should begin with the equipment. No employee should "waste" his or her time fussing over slow computers, busted copiers, limited PCs (currently there is a 4 PCs to 13 trainers ratio in our department alone!), etc. Employees should be able to do what's expected of them, but the company should make sure they provide reasonably working materials/equipment for the completion of the jobs. I mean, don't expect your soldiers to annihilate the enemies in battle with wooden swords and shields!

Right now, all the focus is on customer engagement, which is great. Although, I think we failed to completely realize that customer engagement is the RESULT of employee engagement. And the Powers That Be can't just overlook that.