The Triumph of a Joy Junky
The Triumph of a Joy Junky How choosing joy can change everything
THE DESCENT
Our friend, who we'll call "Kay," started work as the only
Social Worker in a medical treatment clinic about six months
ago. This clinic employs about 40 people, and runs two shifts, 6
days a week. About 120 patients are served weekly, with each
visiting 3 times per week.
A large contingent of the staff, including the director, often
uses a language other than English. About 8 months ago, the
Director was promoted from within the organization with no prior
experience managing large groups. When Kay showed up on the
scene as the lone social worker on staff, she had recently moved
from out of state, was new to the medical community, and to the
diverse cultural mix in this organization. So she wisely decided
to come in with few expectations and do her best to fit into
this work culture using her considerable talent as an objective
observer. One of the first things she noticed was that
interactions between patients and staff sorely lacked respect.
She would often overhear heated conversations in a foreign
tongue. All Kay understood was the anger. The person Kay was
replacing appeared very scattered, disorganized, and had
generally poor relationships with the rest of the staff. Kay
attempted to learn the bigger picture from her by continually
asking questions that would help her understand where a Social
Worker fit into this establishment. What was expected? How will
I be perceived? What are the attitudes of the medical staff
about the work I'll be doing? What processes are in place to
handle this and that?
Neither the outgoing Social Worker, nor anyone else for that
matter, seemed to have any answers for her. The staff simply
appeared to operate like a disjointed group of individuals,
scurrying about, putting out some fires, and missing others in a
haphazard fashion. Sometimes they would repeat each other