Like a kiss from a cousin.

Today, I accepted an offer for a new job position at work.  No longer will I be a Radiological Controls Supervisor...I will now be a Radiological Work Planner/Health Physicist.  As far as reality goes, for all intents and purposes, this is a lateral transfer.  I am still working for the same company, and I am still working for the same boss, and I am not making a dollar more than I did last week, so, it's almost like a kiss from a cousin.

But...to me, and my mental well being, going from being a supervisor to what is more of a staff/paperwork position, it's a kiss from a 2nd cousin who happens to be a supermodel. The fact is, I am burned out being a supervisor.  Being a 1st line supervisor is one of the most thankless jobs in the world.  You catch the crap from each direction, and your job is to act as a poop filter in both directions.  You have to filter and decide what is important to pass both up and down the chain.  You can't just be a pipeline...you have to be a strainer. 

I think I've always been really good at that part of the job.  My bosses have always been pleased with me because I get work done, and I don't bog them down with silly stuff.  The people that work for me have always seemed to appreciate the fact that I do a good job of only passing down what is important, and eating a lot of the stupid B.S.  But...that kind of stuff eats at you. When you start deciding what is important and what isn't as a first line supervisor, you are assuming the risk. If something DOES go wrong, and some of the B.S. you decided was not important could have stopped it...well, prepare to be hung out to dry. 

I'm tired of it.  I'm tired of the emotional toll of being a good supervisor, and I'm tired of the 'baby-sitting' aspect of supervision...even when dealing with a good bunch of guys...and realistically, the guys I have had working for me for the last 8 months are as good a bunch as one could expect to find at Hanford.

So now, I will just be responsible for myself.  I will have a list of procedures that need to be written and or reviewed, and work packages that need the proper radiological controls built into them. I will be responsible for finding my own satisfaction, and making the most of every day. 

With 100% truth, in the end it will be a lot less stress for the same money.  And who knows...maybe in a few years, my batteries will be recharged and I can go back to being a supervisor.