Strike 3

So apparently strikes are a way of life here in the UK.  Admittedly, HP had some employees on strike earlier this month... then a couple weeks ago it was British Airways... and now the National Rail employees are taking their turn.

When I arrived at the train station to head home from work tonight, I saw a huge yellow sign that read, "Train Services to be Disrupted during National Rail Strike Scheduled for April 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th" 

This is terrible news, right?  Wrong.  For me... this is excellent news!

If the strike goes forward as planned, this means I won't be able to get to work next week & will be forced to work from home.  It means I'll have 3 extra hours back in each day next week.  It also means I'll also save the $15 each day that I would have spent commuting.  It means I'll get to sleep in and go to my gym each morning. And it also means a really nice extension to the Easter holiday :)

I almost feel guilty thinking that their loss is my gain... but in terms of time & money, it really is!

A Home away from home...

 I enjoyed a WONDERFUL week with my family in London & Paris!  I promise I will post a complete entry with pictures and everything as soon as I get pictures (I was a little lazy with my camera & since my sister-in-law Jenny happens to have a great camera & is a fabulous photographer, I let her do all the work :)  But yes, good good times & a great week away!

So everyone left on Friday afternoon & I must admit that I woke up Saturday morning, all by myself in my flat feeling a little lonely. So I quickly decided I would make my first trip ever to the London temple.  By the time I figured out the routes ... and after a train, a bus, followed by another train & a taxi (about 20 pounds) ... I finally arrived at the temple...

And what a glorious site!  Words simply cannot express the joy, comfort and love I felt.  I was at Home. And as I sat in the celestial room, the words to one of my favorite songs echoed in my mind:

The sure provisions of my God

Attend me all my days;

O may Thy house be my abode,

And all my work be praise!

There would I find a settled rest,

While others go and come;

No more a stranger, nor a guest,

But like a child at home.

-"My Shepherd Will Supply My Need"

Let's Talk Texas...

     So tomorrow I have a meeting with my manager to discuss my fate after London. Ann first called me a couple months ago to “discuss my third rotation.” This is when she fist informed me that the spot I was hoping to come back to in Cupertino (CA) was no longer available. Instead, the position had moved to Texas. So she was calling to let me know about the new situation… wanting me to “take some time to think about things.” She even offered to fly me out to Texas (from London) in May to take a look around & meet people.
     So, I’ve taken some time to think about things… and I really don’t think I want to move to Texas. Sure, there’s the allure of no income tax (pretty much equivalent to a 10% raise) … and the thought of owning a home is also quite attractive (I couldn’t even own a mailbox in Palo Alto!). But still… it’s Texas. Houston or Plano no less. Not even Austin…(they’re probably afraid I’d go work for Dell…valid concern).
     But tomorrow I have to explain all of that to my manager… who LIVES in Houston… and hope she surrenders to letting me work remotely for my last rotation (manager in Texas, me in California).
     I can only hope I’ve picked up some solid negotiation skills as I’ve talked to countless lawyers these past few weeks. Wish me luck!

Pants... er, I mean... "Trousers"

     Oh no, I've done it again. The poor kid at the dry cleaners is blushing at least 10 more shades of red by my silly mistake....  let me explain...

     So over here, a pair of pants are called "trousers." This is a very important distinction since "pants" refer to... well... undergarments.

     So I just walked into the drycleaners here at the office to inquire about pricing.  I asked about blouses and sweaters & then, without thinking I blurted out, "and what if I brought you a couple pairs of my pants?"  His face went bright red & then I realized exactly what I had done... "er, trousers, I mean trousers."  I tried to laugh and make light of it... but I'm not sure he'll ever be able to look me in the eye again.

     And you'd think I would have learned my lesson after walking into a meeting last week, when the rain had been pouring outside only to announce, "I'm so sorry I'm late, and look at me, my pants are SO wet!" ... Without hesitation the entire room just burst into laughter :)

Dew I have great friends or what?!

     So this last little while has been kinda rough. Not only has the job been challenging & emotionally draining but I also discovered this week that my credit card number had been  stolen (and someone's been charging up a storm!).  I've spent several hours on the phone with the fraud department trying to get it all sorted out.  Unfortunately, I went through a similar scenario just three weeks ago when all of my UK bank account information (including an ATM card & checks) were sent to the wrong address. But now, I think everything has been cancelled (that needs to be) and hopefully I'll have a new card & account within a week or so.

     So, after a long day at work today, I got on a late train to come home & when I got to the flat, there was a note on my door that said I had a package waiting at the Gatehouse.  This was a bit of a surprise since hardly anyone has my address.  Ben & Jenny surprised me with my first package last week -- a FABULOUS book on London shopping & dining... but I didn't know who else had my address.  So I went down to the Gatehouse to pick it up & it was a good-sized box.  I brought it home & ripped it open only to find a dozen cans of Diet Mountain Dew!  HEAVEN! This stuff is NOWHERE to be found in the UK... trust me, I've searched high & low!  There was no writing on the outside of the box (other than my address) but a small packaging slip on the inside indicating who had sent it. Thanks, B :) You made my day!

     Also, today is the birthday of another one of my favorites ... Krista Q! Q & I met during our freshman year at BYU & quickly became BFF's.  It's hard to believe we've known each other now almost 13 years!  She's one of the truest friends I've ever known & she continues to inspire me by her faith, passion, inner strength & optimism.  Here's to another wonderful year, Krista Q!

So glad we were able to chat today!    

an HP day the HP way

     So some of you have bee asking, "What does Katie do again?"  "What is this sweet gig that got her to London?" "Does she work? ... because she certainly hasn't been blogging out it?..." :)
     So let me be the first to clear up any misconceptions. The job is nothing amazing.  Most of you know I'm in an HR rotational program with HP so they move me every 6 months or so. I started in Palo Alto with Executive & Leadership Development. Now I'm over here in the UK doing HR Global Operations for Enterprise Services (recently acquired 'EDS' the company founded by Ross Perot).  Pretty much it's  fancy title to say I'm an HR Generalist. So basically, I am the HR support for the "Apps" division (I still don't really know what "Apps" are... don't tell my boss)... but I'm supporting them nonetheless.  Unfortunately, a lot of my work right now involves WFR's (workforce reductions)... in other words, layoffs. I can't say it's anything I'm really proud of ... in fact, when people I meet ask me what I do, I try to muffle it under my breath... But really about 75% of my time is spent doing layoffs or negotiating the terms of severance agreements.  The other 25% is dealing with any kind of randomness coming from the 200 or so managers I support.
Here are just a few crazy highlights from last week:
     1.  Learning of an investigation of a UK employee who slept with an American employee at a recent leadership summit.  And... when starting the investigation learning that the UK employee was off on "holiday" because he was getting married!!!
     2.  A manager calling to ask for support and coaching with his team... since one of his employees, "Steve" was soon to become "Stephanie" over the weekend.  (Really?!!  I have no idea how to deal with these situations people.. I don't even want to think about them!)
     3. And finally getting news Friday afternoon from the Unions informing me that hundreds of our employees would be going on strike this week (more Union negotiations... awesome...)
     The good news about all of this is that I'm learning a ton. And I'm learning what I really don't like about HR (on a side note...there's a good chance I'll be re-evaluating my own career choice after London...but that will come after London)
     But also last week, I got a call from a good friend, colleague & mentor in Australia. He wanted to see how I was doing in my new role. Because we're quite authentic with one another, I shared some of my frustrations and he responded, "Katie, I always enjoyed working with you because you are an idealist. Undoubtedly you were drawn to HR because you believed in the potential of people, of employees, of organizations. You love to see people grow, develop, lead.  But part of the job is also seeing the other side..working with employees who make poor choices, dealing with the implications... sometimes forced to be in the middle of the conflict. Your job is to continue to lead with a higher vision."
     So I'm not sure how well an "idealist" fits into corporate America.... but he is right.  He knows exactly why I was drawn to HR. He hit it right on the head.  And for now, I'm going to suck it up & take his challenge to "lead with higher vision."  Wish me luck!