If you think the delays and foul-ups you invariably face when dealing with the IT and the HR departments leave you despondent, consider the fact that these very same co-workers are occupied with the 7th most depressed occupation. "They are on the frontline, taking orders from all directions," according to Deborah Legge, Ph.D., a licensed mental health counselor, "but they are also at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of control and everything filters down."
No wonder the staffers in these departments work so hard to make everything so hard for you. They know that they are dealing with the only person in the company lower on the totem pole than themselves.
Maintenance and grounds workers are depressed because "they are often paid little for a tough job that can include cleaning up other people's messes." Considering all the management mess-ups you are left to clean up, spending the day unclogging sewers and picking up dog poop would be a vacation.
Workers in the financial industry are also depressed. It's due to the stress they feel caring for our life savings. This explains why bankers so regularly screw up our financial lives. If they lose all our money, they have less to stress over.
No. 10 of the top 10 worst jobs can be found in the sales department. It's the uncertainty that gets fierce sales-force warriors feeling depressed, plus they may actually feel guilty in trying to promote your company's junky products and terrible service.
In conclusion, it looks like your job is much worse than any of the top 10, which means your depression is totally justified, and the best you can do is to make others miserable, too. So be happy and spread good cheer. It will make everyone else depressed -- guaranteed.
Bob Goldman was an advertising executive at a Fortune 500 company, but he finally wised up and opened Bob Goldman Financial Planning in Sausalito, California. He offers a virtual shoulder to cry on at bob@funnybusiness.com. To find out more about Bob Goldman, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.
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