What REALLY happens at the office when ALL the managers are gone.

It's that magical week that only happens once a year.  The week that ALL the managers, from the CEO down, are down in Florida attending the annual management conference for four, glorious days.

They all grumble about having to go and how much work they have but...I've seen the agenda, I know it's not all work and no play.  So I don't feel sorry for them at all.  Nope, not one little bit.

Last week, I was asked many times, by various managers, "What are y'all going to do while we are gone?  Have a party every day?"  I would just smile and respond, "I'll never tell."

Sure, there are a few of those of us left behind who pop in  just to show their face in the morning and then, mysteriously, are never seen again.  But the ones like that are fairly rare and, I'd like to believe, will get caught sooner or later.

But for the majority of us, we are absolutely giddy about the prospect of "being productive."  Without the managers constantly generating phone calls, emails and asking you how come they can't make changes to this Excel spreadsheet and other such nonsense.

With them gone, we are able to actually DO OUR JOBS and, not surprisingly, we are able to complete our tasks quickly.  And then we have time to do the "housekeeping" jobs that we put off all year.  You know the "fun" things like Record Retention. *gag*

Unfortunately this year, these four magical days have been very unproductive due, in part, to the uncanny and, truthfully at this point, despised winter weather that we've been experiencing lately.

Sure, there's the possibility of productivity tomorrow but since it's a "travel" day there is always the micro-manager, managers who will actually come in, if their flight arrives early enough, to make sure we are really working.  I'm hoping that the only ones on the early flights will be managers from a different floor.  What?  A girl can dream.

And since I'm dreaming...maybe we can somehow talk them into the idea that they should have these conferences at least TWICE a year.

Just think how productive we could be if we had EIGHT days a year to do our jobs without interruption?