Tuesday 19 February 2008

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I've started my new job. A four-month contract (with a, fingers-crossed, possible extension for another 3 months, if I'm a good boy). I shouldn't really mention where, but sock puppets might give you a clue in the UK...

It's a completely different environment to my last job. Busy, but a relaxed busy, if that makes sense. And with none of the excessive rules, regulations and paranoia that I had to put up with before.

My previous employer's policies were, to say the least, a bit over-the-top. If one needed to claim expenses for a business lunch (say a £2 sandwich from Tesco) or a taxi journey, the expense form had to be signed in blood and counter-signed by my team leader, the IT Director, UK Finance Director, EMEA Head Of Mergers and Acquisitions, Worldwide CEO, The Pope and King Harald V of Norway. The recent papal interregnum caused a 3-month holdup in petty-cash claims.

Any requests for additional IT access or resources were even harder to achieve, and were often turned down by George W Bush, despite the approval of Congress!

In contrast, my new employer is much easier to work with. Today, after only 24 hours on site, I needed to request access to a service which could enable to me to shutdown the entire infrastructure of the corporation, plus, potentially, large chunks of the whole Internet. The request was written in pencil on a Post-It note and stuck onto the monitor of a junior member of the PC support team. He wandered over 10 minutes later to tell me that he'd actioned my request and additionally given me the ability to manipulate the German stock market, control Sizewell-B power station, administer all the blogs on Blogger and fix the results of next week's edition of 'Dancing On Ice' . "Just in case it comes in handy", he said, "but do be careful you don't break anything".

So, I'm writing this post from my new office and wondering what that new button is on the Blogger edit page. I wonder what happens if I pre------
---$&*($^&$£*
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6 comments:

jomoore said...

Are you the new Shari Lewis?

petercmoore said...

And the lady wins a kewpi doll!

Mima said...

It sounds as if you are going to be so much happier in your new job, as ever the silver lining girl, maybe a blessing in disguise?

Good luck with it and try not to take the whole system down!

Chris said...

Sorry, still don't get it. Why can't you tell us? Are you working for the Government? They're all sock puppets.

MaryB said...

Sock puppets. Hm. I'm with Jo - (the late) Shari Lewis? Lamb Chop? I'm running out of sock-puppet ideas.

Glad you've landed rather softly. Who knows where it might lead, eh?

And whatever you do, don't pre*& **&^%$JKlnnLl

Delmonti said...

Hmmmm..... your previous lot sound like IBM.... enven tho I know its not.... all the luck you can muster fo rthe new ro;e there fella. And thanks for popping in!