Change: A Post About My Job

I don't really talk a lot about my job.  I work for a very large company and I like my job and I like working (most of the time).  I have an office, I'm in a middle management type of corporate job.  I have good benefits and I generally like my co-workers and all that. 

I've got changes happening at work.  More responsibility.  Taking on work for other product lines. 

For the past year or so, my primary job function has been bringing product from our sister plant in Sweden to the US.  Initially, it was just the finished products they manufactured and then I got involved in the semi-finished goods that now come to my location and are used in manufacturing.  The product line includes all kinds of cool stuff like this and this and this and lots of other stuff that isn't available commercially.  It's called active hearing protection and involves protecting the hearing but using electronics that detect sound levels to determine how much protection you need.

A few months ago, I picked up a piece of another product line.  Fall protection.  Fall protection is important for window washers and construction workers and so on.  My responsibility is in the area of retractables- so you can hook into your work area and the lead that keeps you connected can retract as you move.  Like one of those dog leashes but these retractables can handle the weight and force of a big fall.

Recently picked up resonsibility for PCB- printed circuit boards.  They are used in our active hearing products so it makes sense that I'd pick those up.

And now, domestically produced safety eyewear.  I will be managing a plant that makes lenses and sends them to a facility that puts lenses into frames and packages the product and then ships the finished product to our distribution center.  Or something along those lines.  I'm just now getting into this one so it's all new to me.

Here's the kicker.  That active hearing stuff was a huge mess when I got it and it took a lot of work to get it fixed up and in a more managable place.  We've got a good team of people involved and while I can't say it runs smoothly, I can say it has improved greatly.

That fall protection stuff... I was told it would be difficult but it hasn't been so bad.  It's just a couple of suppliers and there are bigger issues than my piece of the puzzle. 

PCB's are somewhat new to me and there will be a good amount of manual work required.  I will be juggling semi-finished goods from at least 3 different countries being sent to a 4th country to put the product together and then ship it to us for our own manufacturing.  There's a lot of paperwork shuffling that goes on and a lot of involvement in our inventory management system.

And it looks like this new eyewear job will be a beast.  I've got some huge issues to tackle immediately that relate to a change in manufacturing location. 

So I'm going to be pretty busy over the next few weeks as my already full schedule fills up with more weekly meetings and conference calls.  I'm worried about my existing responsibilities slipping.  It's a whole new balancing act and I'm going to have to really put in some time to figure out the best way to manage all of these new expectations.  Wish me luck, send up some prayers for me, give me words of sage advice.