I'm sitting here in my wage-slave cubicle and I sneak a peek at my webmail account. There I find the warm and caring communications that I've become accustomed to from my Artella colleagues and a smile stretches across my face. Since I started working part time for Artella I have discovered a work environment that I thought only existed in fairy tales.
What a contrast to the treatment I experience at my "real" job. Here at "corruporate university" my role as executive staff assistant is looked upon as little more than a house servant. All the things I do right are taken for granted and never acknowledged and the occassional mistake is blown out of proportion.
At Artella creative ideas are encouraged and celebrated, Angel Awards distributed on a regular basis and if a mistake is made or a detail forgotten, a colleague backs you up and then asks with caring concern, "Are you OK?"
At "corruporate university" the "powers that be" don't care if your mother is dying or you have a serious health issue. In fact, extended absences to attend to some of life's lower blows are factored negatively in your job performance evaluation.
At Artella, cards are sent, caring emails are exchanged and beautiful quilts and artworks created for the colleague who is troubled.
At "corruporate university" staff meetings are spent listening to self-important talking heads spouting very little useful information and displaying an embarassing absence of leadership.
At Artella staff meetings, lovely, funny songs are written and sung; staff are recognized for the work they do; brainstorming sessions are a flurry of unrestrained creativity and energy; and each meeting ends with scribbles and words of gratitude in riotous color on the grati-fitti board.
Yep, even as greed, cynicism and despair grip the world of big business and deflate our economy, there are still business owners who believe that if you give you will receive tenfold back. I don't know about you, but Artellaland is definitely the world I want to live in.