WTF? Co-worker casually mentions something about us moving. I check with one of the managers, and - oh yeah - we're moving to the 5th floor (from the 27th) next month. Also - oh yeah - as of next pay period I'm taking over her timehsheets. (A completely NotFun biweekly audit.)

Nobody fucking told me. I'd go yell at my NewBoss except she's in a closed office with the firmwide HR director flown in from Philly.

I hate this shit. We're not a big group. Even my minion knew about the move.

Hec, that sucks. You'd think that even if NewBoss didn't have time to gather everyone and tell them in person, she'd at least send out a group email.

That's crazy Hec, how could they not make sure everybody knew about it?

Hec, that sucks. You'd think that even if NewBoss didn't have time to gather everyone and tell them in person, she'd at least send out a group email.

Admittedly, I've been doing half-days this week with Emmett sick. However, I sincerely doubt this decision was made this week.

NewBoss is so overwhelmed with this job. I attended her presentation about Harassment and she was so good. It's clear that's the kind of HR work she likes to do. Instead she's constantly stressed and swamped and being shit on from above. I remember when she started and naively said, "Well, we're doing reviews now but it'll be better when this process is over." And I thought, "Not hardly. Reviews are far from the most stressful process we do. After this it'll be something else, and then something else again."

On the one hand, I feel like she trusts me to take care of my stuff and not worry about it. On the other hand, I feel completely unmanaged. Which sucks. I don't want a micromanager, but having somebody communicate to me ever once in a while about what the department is doing would be nice.

That's crazy Hec, how could they not make sure everybody knew about it?

I plan to open the conversation like this.

Me: "Remember when we had a long talk about the upcoming move and how it would affect the department."
NewBoss: [nods nods]
Me: "Do you remember what you said?"
NewBoss: "Remind me."
Me: "We never had that talk. Ever."

Interesting article about Made in China in the NYTimes today.

SHENZHEN, China — Hundreds of workers at a sprawling Japanese-owned Hitachi factory here are fashioning plates of glass and aluminum into shiny computer disks, wrapping them in foil. The products are destined for the United States, where they will arrive like billions of other items, labeled "made in China." Hitachi is among multinational corporations that are putting plants in China because of its cheap labor and highly disciplined factory work forces.

But often these days, "made in China" is mostly made elsewhere — by multinational companies in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States that are using China as the final assembly station in their vast global production networks.

Analysts say this evolving global supply chain, which usually tags goods at their final assembly stop, is increasingly distorting global trade figures and has the effect of turning China into a bigger trade threat than it may actually be. That kind of distortion is likely to appear again on Feb. 10, when the Commerce Department announces the American trade deficit with China. By many estimates, it swelled to a record $200 billion last year.

It may look as if China is getting the big payoff from trade. But over all, some of the biggest winners are consumers in the United States and other advanced economies who have benefited greatly as a result of the shift in the final production of toys, clothing, electronics and other goods from elsewhere in Asia to a cheaper China.

American multinational corporations and other foreign companies, including retailers, are the largely invisible hands behind the factories pumping out these inexpensive goods. And they are reaping the bulk of profits from the trade.

Yasheng Huang, an associate professor at the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explained: "Basically, in the 1990's, foreign firms based in America, Europe, Japan and the rest of Asia moved their manufacturing operations to China. But the controls and therefore profits of these operations firmly rest with foreign firms. While China gets the wage benefits of globalization, it does not get to keep the profits of globalization."

Msbelle, I put a link to how to rescue wet electronics in Bitches a while back, but I'm on a Blackberry and can't Nilly.

I came into work. It just seemed easier and mentally healthy. My left arm is a bit sloppy and achey, but it's a training day, so I might get by. Or leave early. This crap is stupid.

ita, do you mean this?

New coworker has a habit of drumming his feet against the floor à la Fred Flintstone. I'm tempted to bust out a pen and make clickety noises until he breaks.

Check out the nutrition facts for any Bush speech.