Review

So it is review time again at work and my eternally wonderful husband-to-be sat up late with me last night to write my responses, provide a sounding board for my thoughts and generally tell me that I wasn’t allowed to shoot myself in the foot! He put up with my inability to formulate coherent and succinct thoughts at 12 am in the morning and commiserated with the fact that there were 29 different questions that each required individual answers which pretty much all started to sound like each other after a while! There is only so much you can say about some topics after all.

It got me thinking though, you almost always get review processes at work but you rarely get them in life. What would it be like if you did? Who would actually pose questions or be the recipient of the answers? Would it be any easier to answer the questions I did last night if I were answering them about something else?

What do you consider the main responsibilities of your position?
I believe I am honour bound to conduct myself in a manner demonstrating due respect to my partner where applicable, supporting him in his endeavours and actively promoting a productive working relationship throughout our life together.
At the moment I am the person who does the folding in the relationship, makes sure we are not trying to cultivate penicillin in the fridge and ensures that the house isn’t littered with crockery, cutlery and the remnants of food left behind.

Are there any changes that have occurred in the past year with your responsibilities?
There have not been any significant changes to my responsibilities over the past year.
I did get promoted from the girlfriend to the fiancé though so I guess now some of the responsibilities have become a little less optional?

Consider your performance in your present job. What do you consider that you have done well in the past year, and what not so well?
I think I have provided a supportive and encouraging environment for my partner whereby our relationship has been able to grow however it might be advantageous to exercise more patience and understanding in our day to day lives in the future.
I am quite impressed that I haven’t completely lost it with him when he infuriates me although those situations often come up because I’m being a complete cow.

Has any personal problem or ill health affected your work?
There have been no problems that have had long term effects upon my role.
When I personally am completely ticked off by something that he has done then I’m really not very much fun to be around.

Is there any aspect of your work that you do not find satisfactory or about which you would like more information?
I am sometimes unsure of how to effectively deal with situations that frequently result in some sort of minor conflict.
How on earth are you supposed to respond to the question “do you want me to watch tv with you?”. At least in a way that is mutually satisfactory. If I say ‘no’ it sounds as though I don’t want my partner anywhere near me which is so not the case and as long as I can still watch the tv, I will be happy.
If I say ‘yes’, it sounds like I want to actively share the experience which inevitably leads to talking or distraction because he doesn’t actually want to watch what I’m watching at all. In these situations therefore I don’t want him to watch tv with me cause I think he’ll end up frustrated and bored (its happened before) but I don’t want him not to watch tv with me either because I like the company. See my dilemma?

Is there any part of your work for which training may be of assistance?
I feel at this stage that it is not necessary to pursue any training avenues.
Gees....thats a bit of a loaded question!
Do you ‘train’ to be a wife??

How do you rate your attitude to work?
I have a positive attitude towards my current role and am committed to the common goals we share in our life moving forward.
I have a great attitude. Although sometimes things just get the better of me and I so can’t be bothered. That would be why living room desperately needs to be tidied!

Do you feel you are part of a team? If so, why? If not, why?
I receive continual affirmation of my partner’s commitment and hope for the future which very much engenders the spirit of partnership between us.
Well we have our money in the same bank account, we live in the same house, we have the rings, I get someone to whinge to any time I want...Yep, feels like a team to me :-).

Are you comfortable with the office environment? Do you have any suggestions for improvement?
Our shared accommodation is such that it fulfils all our needs for the present however small improvements for comfort and aesthetic design would be welcome.
I still kind of want a rug for the living area. The whole room just looks a little grey and concretey.

How do you rate your work output? Do you have too much or too little work to do?
I believe I actively contribute to the smooth running of the house and partnership and this is achieved to the satisfaction of all parties involved.
It is always a good idea to give us warning if you want to invite us out or drop around to catch up. Chances are, we haven’t psyched ourselves up to be social or put away the washing that has been ‘drying’ there for days. If needs be though, we can definitely get right on it.

Is there any kind of work in which you think you would be happier or more effective, either in your current position or elsewhere?
I feel as though I have room for growth in my current role and am completely satisfied to pursue my future in this direction.
Well I am still waiting for The Boy to support me in the manner to which I would like to become accustomed and I think I could quite happily be a more stereotypical Lady Of The House....

Is the company leadership adequate? And even if it is, how can it be improved do you think?
In our relationship, decisions are made jointly and often timely with little disruption to either party. As such, I would consider the leadership to be more than adequate.
We’ve all seen that movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, yes? You know that bit - the man, he is the head of the family but the woman, she is the neck and she can turn the head any way she wants...? I do not think you can improve on perfection!

Are communication channels adequate? Are there areas where communication can be improved?
I believe that communication is actively encourage and facilitated within our relationship to the benefit of both parties.
We’re really good at trying to communicate with each other. Communication is not a problem. Sometimes the understanding part is a bit of a struggle for both of us...

Does management understand your role? Are they sympathetic to your needs and problems?
I believe that both my partner and I have a clear understanding of our individual roles and seek to work together and compromise to ensure the ongoing positive nature of the relationship.
We try not to butt heads as much as possible, it always seems to result in a headache and neither of us are particularly friendly when we’re getting in each other’s way.

Looking ahead to the future, what would you like to be doing 2 years from now?
With the common goals of family and a fulfilling career, we would like to be in a position of comfort and security.
Hmmm...barefoot and pregnant? Nah, just kidding. I can wait more time for that.

Are you fulfilled in your work? Are there things that will make you more fulfilled?
As in any relationship, there will be times in which you experience growing pains however I believe that the end will justify the means as we strive towards common goals.
Doing the washing and scrubbing the bathroom really doesn’t do it for me but the clean house is kinda nice...

What would you like by way of rewards (realistically!)?
I would hope for the continued support and encouragement moving forward.
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.

Now there was no point in trying to answer all 29 questions that I was given by work because as I said, the answers would start to sound a bit repetitive after a while. And I know this really doesn’t have a lot to do with the wedding planning but it did make me sit and think a bit about the way The Boy and I are together which basically allows him to plan the wedding and me to offer him all the encouragement in the world to do so. It wasn’t as easy as I thought to come up with some of the responses to those questions either. Although I must say that it did go a lot faster than doing the ones for work!