Meetings, new employee

Yesterday flew by. I was in a meeting all day – even through lunch. It was a productive meeting; the outcomes of which will set a process that will be followed for many months to come. I was hoping it would change the involvement I have in a process I do not enjoy but it looks like I am stuck with the tasks I was trying to find a more appropriate home for.

The meeting will continue this morning and I am hopeful the outcomes will be followed through. One of the persons in the meeting has a high enough position to persuade a large enough contingent of personnel to carry out several of the recommendations we are suggesting, but she is new to ConocoPhillips so I am not convinced she will have the support to completely follow through. Time will tell.

I had a new employee start yesterday. I barely got to say hello as she was taken through the steps to get her set up as an employee. The entire process takes several days as permissions are granted to computer applications, work schedules are approved, credit cards are ordered and phones are set up – both desk phones and cell phones. One of my newest employees handled all the transactions and I got to approve them this morning.

In order to accommodate the new employee I had to let one person go. She was working as a contract employee for us so it is an easy process as far as work is concerned; emotionally, it is not so easy. She took the news well and elected to leave as soon as she and I had talked. She felt confident that she could get back into the nursing position she had previously held. I hope things work out for her.

Hopefully I will have time this afternoon to spend some time getting our new person settled into her role as we begin to move tasks over to her. She will be completely overwhelmed for about six months. I am hoping about that time she will begin to see her role clearly and begin taking on assignments she enjoys doing along with the ones we are assigning to her. Again, time will tell.

I did not get too much done last night. I set four posts for the fence I am putting around Mama’s special garden. I am trying to complete it by the weekend so we can set out the plants she has already purchased for that area, but I do not know if I will get it done or not. I still lack some lumber for the railings of the fence and I have held off buying them until I can use the truck and trailer to go and pick up some longer two by fours than I can carry in the bed of the truck; maybe tomorrow evening.

As for the main garden, Mama and I are ready to plant some of the seeds we still have. Last night she went through them to make certain we do not need to get any more for this year. She told me all we need are tomato plants which the nursery told us will be ready to go this weekend. It should be a good weekend to get that done.

The weather is forecast to be warm and breezy – imagine that.