Local management and employees are no longer allowed to create their own events. Bean counters in Ottawa, who don't really know the specifics of the work we do, decide if we can take our annual leave when we want to and if and when we are allowed to have staff meetings, usually denying us even when we are not busy--we've only been allowed one in the past 6 months.
They also plan our 'fun' events for us. But many of their planned events are incomplete or ill-planned because they haven't made it through all the many layers of approval and feedback and there are too many cautious reconsiderations and compromises along the way.
Of course, promoting Canada Day is a big one for the feds in Ottawa, who mistake it as a form of worship service of Ottawa and what the snivel serpents there are doing, whatever that is. So on Monday morning we all got this email about how to dress on Tuesday for Canada Day to win points for our teams. A combination of red or white gets 5 points, a Canada pin another 5 points and displays of our flag and other red and white consumer junk a further 5 points. Its all part of a contest called TAPS, which is not explained in any more detail.
It is frightfully dead at work at the moment so some of us got into it. I usually detest such silliness, but I was in a silly mood and was planning to wear white pants anyway so I put on my red shirt. I even found a Canada pin, but I wasn't going into the mall to the dollar store to buy useless crap with flags on it.
I was the only one on my team to make such an effort. I saw 3 or 4 others on other teams who had dressed up a little. Some who hadn't made an effort argued that their government-issued lanyards, which are red, and the attached security cards, which are white, which we are required to wear every day, were sufficient. It didn't really matter as no one was tallying points. Management was either absent or not "enrolled" in the game so those who made the effort were never acknowledged.
At one point teams were told to gather so that a team leader could take our group photos that would be sent to Ottawa so that someone there could revel in their accomplishment. I lost half my lunch break waiting for someone to take the friggin' photo. We never learned what the purpose of it was, and no one was ever told what "TAPS" stands for. ("Trick A Public Servant"?)
The real way to celebrate our 142nd birthday is doing what I will be doing today, taking a drive in the countryside with 2 new immigrant friends up the Fraser Valley to enjoy the sunshine and beauty of this land. Ottawa wouldn't understand.
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