Job Discussion Forums

[unsung]

What is an OL? Everybody has herd the term OL but does anybody know what they do?

[PAULH]

[kdynamic]

Hahaha PaulH if you are going to blatantly gank text from somewhere, at least cite the source. Wikipedia was it?

Anyway, OLs are clerks/secretaries/receptionists. They aren't on the career track and are usually young women who aren't yet married and will quit when they have kids, or middle aged women who ahve grown kids and are trying to earn a little money. It's a pretty generic term that covers lots of different work. In addition to whatever their job is, they usually make and pour tea and coffee, wash out to coffee maker, wipe down surfaces, etc. They come early and leave early.

Ours got injured and ended up in the hospital recently. I made sort of an attempt to make the coffe in the mornings (self preservation there) but dust was slowly building on the countertops and all the guys seemed out of sorts without a woman there to hold down the fort. So we brought in a replacement middle aged lady until our usual one gets better.

[ntropy]

[quote="Using gossip, outright work refusal, and public gift-giving as manipulative strategies, they can ultimately make or break the careers of the men..[/quote]

Damn straight. Just like in a Western offices a lot of real day to day power is held by menial adminstrative assistants. They can make the "Boss" look good or bad as they see fit.

The OL in the BoE office I worked in as a menial CIR would blatantly interrupt informal meetings I was in and tell the others my contract said I had completed my hours for the day and was going home. They should continue tomorrow. She also manouevered the finance kacho into giving me a yearly bonus without my knowing until it showed up on my pay stub. I imagine this kind of subterranean "managing" was much more intense to the benefit/detriment of the much higher positions in the office.

No one ever argued with her. I have no idea how she got away with it. Usually, it is so much more subtle.

[Glenski]