Today I Was Mostly...

In a supervisory role at work.

As far as I can figure, this means I get to stand around and watch people do the work I would otherwise have to be doing myself.
I am apparently in no way obliged to lend a hand, indeed I would probably not be able to maintain my strict and total control of the situation if I were actually doing any work.

I was supervising one of our new guys while he got to grips with operating our full-colour digital printers, which will be his job for the foreseeable future. In what seems a bit of a blog tradition, I should give him some sort of code name instead of his actual name, I don't know why this is, but I'm willing to give it a try.
How about print-boy? hmm, smacks of half-assed superhero sidekick.
Oh sod it, let's call him Chris, you can pretend it's a code name if you really want to.

It seems the fact that I started using the printers about 3 days before he did, means I am qualified to teach him how to use them. The problem with what is essentially a £15,000 inkjet printer, is that it has about £15,000 worth of bits that can go horribly and expensively wrong, and with my 12 or so hours of crucial extra knowledge, I am supposed to be able to guide, ahem, "Chris" through all possible print-related pitfalls. I can't see it happening myself, but in my supervisory role, all I can do is sit back and hope nothing explodes and no small, essential parts of machinery ping off into the furthest corners of the room.

This has led me to conclude that another essential duty of a supervisor is to think of someone to blame when things go wrong.

I give Chris about 4 days*.


*Not really, he's a very nice bloke and I'm sure I won't be forced to fire him for at least a fortnight.