Casual Friday.

     I'm not gonna lie, I love (and I mean, LOVE) my job. Today, on another Casual Friday, was just another example of why I love my job so very much. I clock in at 7:25 a.m. because I'm allowed to do so five minutes early. If I were allowed to be ten or fifteen minutes early, I'd do it. I don't get paid by the hour because the pay structure is structured so that I'm basically paid a commission plus a bonus. It's not about putting in extra minutes to earn a few more dollars, but I remember when it was like that at other jobs, and I used the system to earn about $25 a month more than I would have if I clocked in on time.

    See, for me, being early is being on time. Being on time, is being late, and if you're going to be late, just don't show up. Call in sick or something. If you can't make it to your desk, ready to go five minutes before your shift starts, you don't get to call yourself dedicated. You're average at best, and don't get me started, because I'm far too opinionated on the matter, and I'll alienate myself from most of my audience if I keep on about it.

    Fridays really aren't that special for my position. I don't have to wait until a good day at the end of the week, like Friday, to dress casually for work. I remember times when everyone looked forward to Fridays because it meant they could relax a little, dress down a bit, and wear a polo or nice soft shirt as long as it wasn't a T-shirt. They could wear jeans as long as they were dark, didn't have holes, and were loose-fitting. I haven't worn jeans in over three years. I wouldn't know how they felt, to be honest. I'm more of a sweats-and-hoodie type these days. 

    Of course, when it's warmer, I'd like to say I wear shorts, but the truth is my dog would scratch my bare legs when she jumped up onto my lap throughout the day. I wear lightweight sweats and/or joggers, as I think they're called. They look a lot like solid-colored pajamas, if I'm honest. Casual? I'd have to step up a few notches before I reached that level. I'm freaking comfortable, is what I am. I sit cross-legged in my huge soft office chair that both reclines and massages my lower back. If someone upsets me during the day, I lean back, turn the back of the chair on, and let them rant! Please, please rant; this feels really good.

    I work about 60-80 claims every day, in one capacity or another. Sometimes I'm doing what's called a "first touch": I go through the file, summarize it, build it into a subrogation package, and send it to someone on the other side. I could send it (by email) to a damager or to their insurance carrier. The insurance adjuster and I speak briefly, assure one another that we'll work the claim, and I move to the next claim. I may call an adverse adjuster to give them my take on the claim, or I may call them to ask them their take. I often send out emails for updates rather than calling, and sometimes I do a deep dive into the internet to find insurance carrier information if the excavator who broke my client's equipment has decided to avoid paying the claim themselves.

    We recover. We are not a collection agency. We attempt to recover the funds for the damage before the claim is sent to a legal team. For this, I am paid well, and I don't mind saying so online. I have made (and continue to make) more money over the past two years doing this job than I have when I worked for others or for myself. I never get bored. I never get tired. I never get truly upset because I have little "mantra" cards posted around my desk and on the corkboards above it that read things like "It's not your money!", "Be nice...listen."  My favorite one is "God has this, let Him have this." I don't need to worry about it.

    If I can't recover the money myself, I have to send it over to the legal team as mentioned. They let me know when —or if —they can recover it—and I laugh (usually) because had the damager dealt with me, he/she would have been able to negotiate a bit of a deal—not so much when the lawyers get involved. I tried to warn them! Of course, I am rather casual when I'm talking to people as well. I have had to push my mic up so they can't hear me sometimes - I have a squeeze ball to assist my mouth at times too. I literally have to put my palm over my mouth at times because what comes out of it may or may not sound as professional as perhaps my employers would prefer. 

    My boss laughs when he goes back to listen to some of my calls. He tells me I have the sweet Southern charm of a Texas rattler at times, but other times I'm dripping with sweetness that he knows is sarcasm, but it comes across (over the phone) as me being genuinely caring -- I'm not really all that caring most of the time. I can be. I will let some of the "sob" stories get to me, but most of the time (50x a day) I hear someone try to get out of having to pay the claim by blaming the locator (811 location tech) saying the lines were mismarked, they weren't there at all, or my favorite, they were "off by a mile". Listen, buddy (excavator), if you're digging a mile from the marks you called in to be located -- you're the problem.

    Back in the day, Casual Friday was something I looked forward to. I sluggishly forced myself to work Monday through Thursday hiding myself in the monstrosity that was the job, keeping my head down, nose to the grind, just hoping for a break and praying I could make it until Friday where at least I could wear somewhat comfortable relaxing clothes at work - hoping my jeans were as fashionable and my blouses were as cute as all the others ladies who tried to out do one another. I knew I couldn't win, but I tried to fit in to the point that I wouldn't hate myself. Not anymore.

    We have Teams meetings (video) with one another, and I'm not kidding, my teammates, colleagues, whatever you want to call them, are wearing jammies on top and on bottom. I will at least wear a T-shirt on top - not going to stand up and let them see the Winnie-the-Pooh pants that have seen better days. I had to laugh a few times and shake my head. When it happens, someone always says, "Wait, Casual Friday, right?" And we laugh. We all laugh. We're all pulling down more than we've ever pulled before, wearing the most relaxing attire on the planet, taking breaks when we want to, not when someone tells us to, and get this -- we find ourselves clocking in early and clocking out late because we're still talking to each other and comparing notes from the day.

    I think, no wait...I KNOW...I am where I want to be.

Photo Credit: Cartoon Stock (Nickel-artist)