Today I received another one of my regular performance evaluations at the museum. They wrote me up for being late four times in the past two months (being written up is not good as it means your performance score goes down). My accuracy was much better this time (I was off just once, and by a small amount). But where I truly excelled is customer service - they told me I have become a role model for the others and that I raised the bar by going above and beyond what museum visitors expect in terms being a good representative for the institution.
Now I'll put it in perspective. I absolutely detest the fact that we're graded - like little schoolchildren - for our performance, especially in a system where the tiniest little flaws are decidely magnified and fixated on. I was late, yes, but it was only by one, two minutes. A couple of times my train was unexpectedly delayed, and I left at the usual time (not late), so it was beyond my control, these things happen. If I were the director of this department I would relax it and allow, say, a ten minute window before I consider it tardy. This is all the more reason I want to get the hell out of working at this museum. For the mere pittance they pay me (i'm worth FAR more than that, given my experience in working at some of the world's finest museums), it's all the more insulting to be treated like a 5th grader.
What I don't understand is how they could fixate on such otherwise trivial and negligable things when there are a crapload of other - far, far more pressing - things to worry about. For example, why have they not replaced the horribly obsolete accounting software we use for ticket sales, stats, and group bookings? Why do they not update the website weekly instead of monthly or longer? Why haven't they streamlined the policy process to better service visitors and make operations more efficient?
Still, at least it's a stable job til I can find something much better - a job that deserves
me.
