No thank you

I finally had to tell my boss to STOP thanking me! It's not because I don't like to be thanked and appreciated. I do just as much as the next person. I do not, however, like to be patronized. I also don't believe it's a good practice when done through all-employee emails.

My boss has a thing for sending email. He's especially fond of group emails (and responding via "reply all"). It's how he communicates, and he overdoes it. Yet, he's a nice guy so no one ever says anything to him about it. Picture a naive and innocent looking puppy proudly bringing your chewed up slipper to you.

Well, several times over the last couple weeks he has sent out emails to all employees and for whatever reason felt the need to mention something I'd done. "Thanks to Dan we now have the top eGYM users list posted"... "Thanks to Dan we now have a cleaning schedule posted"... and the like.

I mean, I sit there all day with little-to-nothing to do. I don't think he realizes I am not doing these things for HIM... I'm doing them to keep myself from going insane!!! Besides the fact that a lot of what I do is actually stuff HE should be doing! But I digress...

First of all, these sort of things make me cringe because... well, nobody likes a suck-up... and that's exactly what it makes me look like. I don't like suck-ups either, but I really don't want to be viewed as one - especially when I am not!! Continually praising the same person only creates bad vibes among the staff, and generally makes people who already don't like their job like it even less!

My main issue, though, is how stinking PATRONIZING it is! The things being mentioned are completely insignificant. I mean, I have conducted weddings, funerals, baptisms; I've counseled grieving parents over the death of a child, I've met with murderers, rape survivors, and missionaries. To have someone make a big deal over meaningless little tasks like typing some names on a piece of paper is just a little belittling. It might be different if he noticed ways I actually DO help fulfill the mission of the Y, or if he merely told me 'thank you' to my face, but I don't think that's his point.

Anyway, I don't know why I feel like such a clod complaining about my boss. But he annoys me to no end. And this is just a lame attempt to try to appease me without having to take any real interest in anything other than himself. I guess it's pretty lame on my part - being upset over being thanked - but being patronized and treated like a child is no small thing either.

Okay, rant over. I don't feel better. I probably never will...