After eating all month long, we only have one thing left… the New Year's wishes at the office. The unparalleled New Year's Eve with that one colleague you are completely 'into', but also the other one you'd rather stay away from. It's the next happening that personally doesn't make me happy at all and many do with me. No, not New Year's Eve itself, that's always a lot of fun with family or friends, but the New Year's gossip and the New Year's wishes at the office. Damn!
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I am referring to the first working day after the Christmas holidays! I hate namely the 'mandatory congratulations' at my work! Those New Years wishes at the office on your first working day and the days after when your colleagues come back. The people I really want to wish a great New Year have already had a card from me, or a Facebook message. I also have no problem wishing my direct colleagues and managers a 'happy new year'. I will gladly give them my hand, cheek or lips (I will not go any further), depending on who is standing in front of me.
But then there is still such an entire 'edge group' dangling around it. People I know, but not very well. Or people I know well, but are not allowed to. On that first working day in January I try to visit everyone in one go, then I'm done. But every year it turned out that I couldn't do anything about it, all those New Years wishes at the office. Maybe you recognize it? It no longer bothers me, after all, I work from home, and I don't have direct colleagues around me.
Ilse, on the other hand, does. She previously wrote a hilarious blog about it.
On my way to my office, chatting to a colleague, I am called back by mister Gladjakker. “Ils! Have we already wished each other a happy new year?”
I think, 'Of course not! When I saw you I backed away again and crept back along the wall in the opposite direction, far away from any more New Years wishes. But, properly brought up as I am, I say:'Oh no, how could I forget you? ’ With great effort I even squeeze out a nice addition: ‘Best wishes, eh, also for your family blablabla etcetera’ .
Mister Gladjakker is quiet for a change. No doubt from my kind words.
As we walk on, it turns out that I misinterpreted his silence. My colleague says:'How can you wish him the best for his family? Isn't he the one left by his wife S. last year, who also works here? Do not you remember? She fell in love with colleague X. And he didn't even get visitation rights with his children. ' Painful. And unfortunately not an isolated example.
A day later, a very vague colleague storms my way from the other side in the hallway. I look back, want to see who he's running so fast to, but I'm alone. Sweating and out of breath, he stops in front of me. ‘I had you….had you…hadn’t wished you a happy new year .'
I'm still trying to get out of a sticky kissing session with his lips by saying, 'Yeah, you too, all the best for this year. I have my hands full and unfortunately can't shake your hand † However, he adequately solves this problem by giving me two semi-wet kisses on my cheeks. As soon as he is out of the picture I run to the toilet for a wash and sanding.
It's not that I hate kisses. I would almost say:quite the contrary! For example, this year I approached a colleague that I had 'already had' and said:'Hey, I don't think I wished you a happy new year' † He looked surprised for a moment, then had to laugh and we sincerely wished each other all the best a second time. Being able to make choices for yourself, that makes a person happy, or at least an Ilse.
I therefore think that I will submit a proposal to our management. This proposal reads:on the 1 e working day you can wish ten people of your choice a happy new year. There may also be duplicates.
Those people then take your wishes fully into account, remain silent gratefully and therefore do not say their calibrated wish back like a ventriloquist doll. After all, they also decide for themselves who they want to spontaneously send New Year's greetings to at the office. On such a first working day you will automatically see who has you in their top ten. Is it no one in a particular year? Then you don't have to worry about that, because maybe this time the wishes went to someone who needed them even more!
Yes, I will immediately approach our management on Monday. Although, those people are also quite kissy. Maybe I should wait another week with it How many days after January 1 is New Year's greetings allowed at the office?
