Arriving in the office so early has its drawback - the past week at work

Monday

Getting ready for work this morning it seemed as if my three weeks' holiday had never been.

Carrying my bulging files (taken home to work on, but hardly looked at!) I went into the office and was surprised at the warmth of the welcome I got from everyone.  Carol (Information Team) gave me a birthday card signed by everyone.  Even my deputy Meryl seemed in a good mood.

Marketing junior Leo back from holiday in Corfu looking paler than when he went away.

Most of the morning spent deleting e-mails (hundreds of them) and going through correspondence (kept by Carol in a box file).

One of the first meetings I had was with Operations Director Ryan M, also back today from his holiday.  I went up to his office where he was alone, surrounded by work which was even heaped on the floor.  We were supposed to be talking about the PR schedule, but instead he showed me Flickr photographs of his holiday in the West Country, and then photographs of his house and wife, describing how a heron had raided his fish pond. 

Later I spoke to PR Officer Josie S, who is having an affair with Ryan M.  I mentioned seeing the Flickr photos and told her where to find them (he obviously hadn't told her).  I wanted her to see him with his wife, so she would realise how unlikely it is that he would ever leave her.

Tuesday

Working at home.

Wednesday

An e-mail circulated saying that two members of the Operations Team are leaving (taking the voluntary redundancy that has been offered to everyone).

A meeting with the Marketing manager of an NGO we work closely with.  He was full of praise for the directory we have just produced, and later spoke very highly about it to my boss Tom D.  We discussed putting on a joint seminar.

Tom has arranged for a temporary person to join the Marketing team to work on the Membership Scheme (which no-one else wants to touch).  Rod is in his early sixties and has multiple sclerosis - I was appalled that disability should strike so randomly.

Lots of deadlines are suddenly very close (they seemed so far off when I left for my holiday).

Thursday

To try and catch up with  my backlog I got up at 5am so that I would be at the office by 6.30 - only Jan (PA to the CEO) was also in the building.

Then when everyone arrived I carried out some mini-appraisals with various members of my team. 

Annoyed that Tom has ordered an expensive tranche of advertising, which I know will be a waste of money.

Friday

Once again I got up at 5 - the roads are empty early in the morning.  I am gradually getting on top of things, and the pressure is beginning to ease slightly.  But arriving in the office so early has its drawback - everyone else who comes in stops to talk.

A meeting at County Hall - usual local government stuff.

Later in the day Innovation manager Preston brought his family into the office.  He is obviously very proud of them.  Preston is to be promoted to the senior management team of the NGO ("I'll be able to help you" he said mysteriously - what help does he think I need?).

A meeting with Ryan M, but most of the time he talked about football.  He plays for an amateur league, and talked about Kenilworth Road.  He wanted to get an NGO team going, but I declined to get involved.

Then the working week came to an end, and I thought how I would spend most of the weekend sleeping.