I am drained. I have been drained at work for some time now, but all things considered, my job isn't that bad. It's fairly pointless, and my primary role is to justify the need for my continued employment by producing reports that assure the people on my case load are being served at the highest levels of quality. However, I have no power to either reward or punish staff who are not providing the best care. It's also important to note that most of these staff people are making under $10 an hr, which anyone in NJ knows is a joke. It's not a liveable income, so most of them work two jobs just to make ends meet. I can't recommend improvements for the group homes/automobiles/clothing etc. for the individuals because there is no money for them. Therefore, I spin my wheels and produce reports telling the powers that be what they want to hear, while keeping my eyes open to ensure that nothing "really important" is being shortchanged.
The upside to this position is that I enjoy my coworkers, and with very few exceptions we all get along well. This makes for a good sense of "we're in this together" and makes the days go by with some grins and a decent feeling that we'll make the best of things while we can, and pull for each other to move on to success elsewhere. Yet today, this came crumbling down, as one of my coworkers angrily erupted during a meeting, with a shot clearly directed at our supervisor. Our supervisor used to be a colleague before being promoted. The truth of the matter is that the anger and frustraton on display really surprised me. It also saddened me, because while our group has shifted over my 2 years with the company, there has never been an implosinon like this from within. I understand where some of the frustration comes from, but not the intensity or amount of it. This just further reenforces my feeling that a change is coming. I know that one of my other coworkers, (the author of the classic blog waiting to die, see links) is actively looking, and hopefully he gets out of it. If and when he splits, my motivation to move on will only grow.