Wednesday, November 14, 2007

A terribly unfortunate state of existence.

Some weeks ago, an anonymous letter was mailed to my supervisor, reporting that I was engaged in blogging activities while at work. It was terribly amusing that someone would go out of their way to send such a thoughtful letter to a public agency - clearly motivated by an interest in saving scarce public resources.

My supervisor is a great and intelligent leader, held in high regard across our many divisions and a firm believer in the power of a single voice. My immediate response to this anonymous letter was
happiness for the opportunity it presented to share a little bit more about my life outside of work. My supervisor reviewed the blog, was convinced that no such violations had occurred and has likely been reading it every day.

Other fellow employees have also become aware of the blog and have started reading it as well. In fact, a number of Edmonds School District residents have approached me at work to get more information about the extent of problems at home.

My current employer is not the Edmonds School District. People here value the contributions made by individuals at all levels in the organization. Gossip mongers cannot be found among our ranks. Administrators know their role in the agency and they have great respect for the many health care providers working at our many facilities. There isn't a plague of back-biting. There isn't a scourge of bad choices being made by upper management. There isn't a wet blanket of disrespect cast upon clerical support. We work as a team. We enjoy the camaraderie. It is an atmosphere I have not experienced in a very long time.

Receiving an anonymous letter exposes far more about the plight of the sender. They fear retaliation. They fear being known. They fear that someone may cause them harm. It is a terribly unfortunate state of existence and I suspect the sender of this recent letter can better relate to my many anonymous contributors - most of whom work for an oppressive employer.

So, to the person that suspected public assets were being exploited for personal gain - I applaud your concern and encourage you to start a blog of your own.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mark, Thanks for telling your story about the letter sent to your work place. I like the way you described the work environment at King County and applaud you for setting the "Anonymous writer" straight by letting he/she know that you shared this ridicule with your Supervisor! Sounds like a great place to work!

Anonymous said...

Could this anonymous letter have been possibly sent by someone, say a school board member exposed on this site? What other desperate attempts has the imbecile done to intimidate you? Do we really want this type of person influencing the life of our children?

Yes, I'm speaking to all of you reading the blog that didn't vote AGAINST him and didn't campaign for Alan Weiss.

Anonymous said...

I too have had a positive experience since I've left the School District. I had forgotten what it was like to be valued and fairly compensated for my contribution. But I guess if the District wants to perpetuate its "mid-point" mentality for salaries, they dare not promote any ideas that the staff is talented, dedicated, and well appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Do you think it was the same person that called you at work pretending to be looking for someone else? If so, he is really sick or has something to hide.

I wonder what his company thinks about the way he is spending his time and their resources chasing after you?