Am I just being massaged?

The other week, my boss pulled me outside and discussed a few things with me. This came after a team meeting the day before, and a chat i'd had with HR before that. Essentially he told me he was working me towards managed services - more server side than desktop side. Great, I thought.

On Tuesday, he pulled me into the Big Chill (I'll mention that at the end of the post, just so you know what I mean) and sat down to discuss something with me again.

Recently, a sales exec, and the operations director, were both let go - the company director felt they weren't the right fit for the company, and the direction he wanted to go. Oh well. I never really knew what they did anyway, so didn't make jack shit difference to me. Some of the other guys were quite happy though.

anyway, he was my bosses boss. My boss is the helpdesk manager. We have main operations up here in London, and another team down in South Africa. But I'm digressing.
In our team meeting, it was mentioned that the helpdesk manager is off to SA for a week or 2 to help refine and resetup all our managed services stuff. (We use a tool that monitors servers on all our clients, and we can push out scripts and stuff. cool shit really, and I haven't gotten too far into it)

Anyway. in the big chill. He's asked if I'd be interested in a team lead position here in London. We don't currently have one (with HDM we didn't need it i guess) but now with him being in SA for a while, and other changes with the ops manager finishing up, it means he can focus on strategic and operational shit more, and needs someone to back it up - managing workload within the team, attendance, supporting the other guys on a technical level and shit like that.

Considering this is really the direction I've been trying to go for a little while, or thinkin about going as being a next logical step, it's a good choice, so I said yes. Long story short - I'm currently trialing as a team leader.


On other work-based news, Rhiannon passed her probation period, and because there is currently a company-wide policy to not increase salaries, is still on the same one she started at. However, they HAVE offered to pay her commission on all teachers she registers, that are placed for more than 6 weeks. It's only £25 per teacher, but it seems like it's even retroactive for ones she registered during probation. So that's cool.


And what is the big chill ? Well, my office is in Farringdon, just on the fringe of City of London. It's a huge big lofty kind of place, easily several hundred meters long. As you walk in the front door and turn right, it just goes on and on. About half way down, is a kitchen area. In here, there's a round cafeteria-style table with chairs. Some other cafe-style 2 person tables, with chairs. The kitchen shit. 3 couches surrounding a 42' plasma tv. a wii, a ps2, an xbox 360. Then a massage chair. Another couch. A Foosball table. And a pool table.
Yep. I work in one of "those" offices. The lively, young, let's keep our staff entertained sort of offices. And this stuff all gets used, not only at lunch time.
Friday afternoons, they chuck on snack food and beer - I leave at 7 and it's still often goin quite busily.

(And an assortment of bikes belonging to other people, but that;'s not the point)